I got a new camera for my birthday. See, I take really, really crappy photos. Anyone have tips, tricks, techniques to help me improve? I'm all ears. I wanted something small, but that didn't feel small in my hand - small enough I could throw it in my bag and schelp my camera downtown with me most days. What I got felt great in my hand, it seems to be easy to use and had changable lense - a feature I didn't want so much as it makes the camera heavier. I got a
Lumix G10 - so far I'm loving it, but still taking horrible photos. But I'll keep practicing. I took some photos of this amazing glass in the lobby of the Sheridan Hotel the day I went to see the gingerbread houses. Thought I share some of my favorite shots. I was shooting white glass through a glass display cabinet.
I got a new camera for my birthday. See, I take really, really crappy photos. Anyone have tips, tricks, techniques to help me improve? I'm all ears. I wanted something small, but that didn't feel small in my hand - small enough I could throw it in my bag and schelp my camera downtown with me most days. What I got felt great in my hand, it seems to be easy to use and had changable lense - a feature I didn't want so much as it makes the camera heavier. I got a Lumix G10 - so far I'm loving it, but still taking horrible photos. But I'll keep practicing. I took some photos of this amazing glass in the lobby of the Sheridan Hotel the day I went to see the gingerbread houses. Thought I share some of my favorite shots. I was shooting white glass through a glass display cabinet.
Did I miss your birthday? Happy Belated Birthday! Or am I losing my mind? :D
ReplyDeleteTry these tutorials, I think they're great!
http://sites.google.com/site/biowbiow002/twopeas_12week
some quick advice i have is this:
ReplyDelete1. get yourself a bag that you can put your camera in AND manual AND extra charged battery, AND extra sticks AND whatever else that way it is ALL together and easy to find. You never have to search for any of it.
I taught this trick to my sister when she takes pictures for her son for sports and she always says she's really glad i taught her that.
2. read your manual, yes read it.
3. learn about white balance and how to set it, this will make a world of difference
4. do not use flash
5. shoot on your aperture prioriy function (it's a different kind of auto function) it will give you nice depth of field (also read about it in your manual)
6. this is the one trick i used to teach people. If you have a digital camera and you see the image in the viewfinder don't look! Try this trick of setting our zoom and then shoot 50-75 shots without looking move all around, your shots will be more dynamic, interesting, and you will most likely have ONE you can use. This method mean you have to take A LOT of photos but it will teach you how to detach yourself and then what you really should be looking at.
98% of my blog was shot on a sony hardbody that is now 8 years old and still being used. Peopleused to ak me all the time how do you take such good pictures? i had a photo professor who taught me to do what i just explained. That is the secret, 1/2 the time i don't look at the viewfinder, i look at the object or whatever i am shooting.
7. it's digital yourself a couple memory sticks and shoot with reckless abandon. you can delete later on the computer, don't think so much about taking the picture and looking at it on the screen. check it for exposure and light, but keep shooting. for each thing i want a photo of i usually have 10-20 shots of it. somewhere in that 20 there has to be ONE or if yer lucky more you can use. really imagine doing this on film (as i learned) it's more of a gamble..shoot with reckless abandon be prolific, when nat or i empty our cards we average between 300-700 photos for something. nat is usually more prolific than i and will often have 900 or more. just go thru them. the more you have the better, cause sometimes it takes 100 or so to find ONE or TWO. :)
8. once you start doing all of this you need to look up the rule of thirds and you will start to learn about the frame more and how to control it.
9. Don't be married to your zoom function. move around, lay on the ground, stand on things, look silly in public when you do this, but trust me you will end up with photographs and they all have pitcures.
if you have to get wet or dirty for the photo do it. it will probably pay off in the end.
10. it's digital you have no excuse. :D i have a minor in photography from indiana university and i had to learn all of this and do all of this using film! gah!
GO FOR IT!
xoxoxoxo
some quick advice i have is this:
ReplyDelete1. get yourself a bag that you can put your camera in AND manual AND extra charged battery, AND extra sticks AND whatever else that way it is ALL together and easy to find. You never have to search for any of it.
I taught this trick to my sister when she takes pictures for her son for sports and she always says she's really glad i taught her that.
2. read your manual, yes read it.
3. learn about white balance and how to set it, this will make a world of difference
4. do not use flash
5. shoot on your aperture prioriy function (it's a different kind of auto function) it will give you nice depth of field (also read about it in your manual)
6. this is the one trick i used to teach people. If you have a digital camera and you see the image in the viewfinder don't look! Try this trick of setting our zoom and then shoot 50-75 shots without looking move all around, your shots will be more dynamic, interesting, and you will most likely have ONE you can use. This method mean you have to take A LOT of photos but it will teach you how to detach yourself and then what you really should be looking at.
ReplyDelete98% of my blog was shot on a sony hardbody that is now 8 years old and still being used. Peopleused to ak me all the time how do you take such good pictures? i had a photo professor who taught me to do what i just explained. That is the secret, 1/2 the time i don't look at the viewfinder, i look at the object or whatever i am shooting.
7. it's digital yourself a couple memory sticks and shoot with reckless abandon. you can delete later on the computer, don't think so much about taking the picture and looking at it on the screen. check it for exposure and light, but keep shooting. for each thing i want a photo of i usually have 10-20 shots of it. somewhere in that 20 there has to be ONE or if yer lucky more you can use. really imagine doing this on film (as i learned) it's more of a gamble..shoot with reckless abandon be prolific, when nat or i empty our cards we average between 300-700 photos for something. nat is usually more prolific than i and will often have 900 or more. just go thru them. the more you have the better, cause sometimes it takes 100 or so to find ONE or TWO. :)
8. once you start doing all of this you need to look up the rule of thirds and you will start to learn about the frame more and how to control it.
9. Don't be married to your zoom function. move around, lay on the ground, stand on things, look silly in public when you do this, but trust me you will end up with photographs and they all have pitcures.
if you have to get wet or dirty for the photo do it. it will probably pay off in the end.
10. it's digital you have no excuse. :D i have a minor in photography from indiana university and i had to learn all of this and do all of this using film! gah!
GO FOR IT!
xoxoxoxo
Am I confused? I think you got beautiful photos! As for tips, mine is to just keep practising...
ReplyDeletePiddleloop had some great suggestions. I have an extra battery for each of my cameras, so I always have one charged when I need it. I hate to lose a great picture because the battery is low.
ReplyDeleteDon't be afraid to get close to whatever you're shooting.
Take lots of shots. One may be the perfect one.
Have fun with it.
Well, Piddleloop said more than I even know! I think I need to study what she said!
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I think today's pictures are really pretty. And for another record, photos are supposed to remind you of the emotions of that event, like the happiness of your tea party Friday. Or the amazement of the gingerbread houses at the display in Seattle. Or the wonder of 10 million lights somewhere else. Or your pride in your daughters. Or laughing at Beau charging around the back yard. And I think you capture all of those feelings very well.
Love me some Piddleloop... I'm so glad our bassets brought us together! What she said. Think maybe we should just meet in the middle - where she lives - and have a lesson or ten?
ReplyDeleteWow I can see that you are going to become a professional photographer ~ and then you can give me tips because I sure need them - LOL I would like to know more about taking photos too and hope someday to have the time to read up about it. If you find any good resources let us know!
ReplyDeletei'd be happy to pass photography stuffs and things if y'all lived close by!
ReplyDeletebut those were just some of the things i've been asked about and told people over the years. Most people think it's the camera, i shot 90% of my blog on a 5 mega pixel hardbody sony camera. I even shot product photography to be used commercially on that camera. So don't let technology fool you. And when i suggest a bag, it doesn't have to be fancy. My sony hardbody, which my sister uses is in a snoopy mini flight bag. She loves that bag for all the camera stuff.
start playing with that trick i explained my prof forced us to do for a semester..he called it shooting from the hip.. i sort of hated it when i used film but got some great results and lots of crap results. but what i learned is priceless!
( i also like talking about photography, can you tell?)
Well if you think those pictures are not worthy, I'm hiding my camera never to take another picture...LOL
ReplyDeleteThose pics are beautiful!