Do You Have a Favorite Landscape Photography Destination?
Is there a place that you love to go shoot landscapes?
I’d love to hear about your favourite landscape photography destinations – particularly I’d like to hear any the following:
- where is it (give us a country/state etc – remember our audience is global so don’t assume everyone will know exactly where it is)
- why you like it
- any tips you’d give to anyone planning a trip there (time of day, places to shoot from, challenges unique to the location)
- share a photo you’ve taken there (share a link to your photoblog, flickr account or embed the photo if you’d like)
I’m looking forward to hearing about (and perhaps seeing) your favourite landscape locations!
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Do You Have a Favorite Landscape Photography Destination?
Street Photography: Weekly Photography Challenge
This week your challenge is to take and share an image that fits the theme of ‘Street Photography’.
I know that those two words send some people into a state of panic as they’re often associated with taking pictures of complete strangers on the street (like we wrote about yesterday when we interviewed Street Photographer Eric Kim) but you may interpret the theme any way that you wish.
You may choose to photograph people on the street – but you might also take a gentler approach – photographing wider street scenes, asking people to pose for you on the street, photographing elements on your local street (signs, buildings etc), capturing the movement of a street scene… anything you like – as long as its shot out on the street somewhere!
Once you’ve selected the ‘Street Photography’ image/s you’d like to share – upload them to your favourite photo sharing site or blog and either share a link to it or – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSSTREET to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in the last challenge – Rule of Thirds challenge where there were some great shots submitted.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Street Photography: Weekly Photography Challenge
What Photography Gear Do You Intend to Buy In 2012?
Image by Gliuoo
Earlier today I was in conversation with a couple of photography enthusiasts and the topic turned – as it often does with these guys – to gear. Particularly new gear that has been released in the past few months and gear that is rumoured to being announced in the coming months.
One of my friends asked me – ‘what gear will you invest in in 2012?‘
It is a question I like to ponder and ‘research’ (read this is trawling the web for reviews of lenses and cameras when I should be working) from time to time.
I’m not sure what gear I’m intending to buy this year – I feel pretty comfortable with my current set up and probably spent a little too much on it in 2011 – but I thought I’d open the question up to the wider dPS community.
What gear do you intend to invest in for 2012?
Is it a new camera body, a lens, some lighting gear, an accessory? Tell us about what you’re eyeing off and why you’re considering it.
It’ll be interesting to see if any themes or trends emerge!
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
What Photography Gear Do You Intend to Buy In 2012?
The Rule of Thirds: Weekly Photography Challenge
This week your photography challenge is to utilise the most common photographic composition rule – the Rule of Thirds.
While I’m not big on ‘rules’ – there’s definitely some good reasons to know this one and to be able to pull it off (and of course there are times to break it too). So lets practice implementing it this week!
You can use it in any type of photography you like – portraits, landscapes, sporting, macro, animals, food…. whatever you like. Just make sure you adhere to the principles of the Rule of Thirds when composing your shot.
Once you’ve selected your ‘Rule of Thirds’ image/s upload them to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it or – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSRULEOFTHIRDS to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in the last challenge – Patterns challenge where there were some beautiful shots submitted.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
The Rule of Thirds: Weekly Photography Challenge
Do you have a Photoblog? [POLL]
Time for another poll (on a topic we’ve not run for a few years) – Do you have a photoblog?
We’re not talking here about a Flickr account or some other photosharing site – do you have your own blog where you share photos?
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
If you do – we’d love to see a link to it in comments below – feel free to share them and tell us in a few words what type of photography we’ll see there.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Do you have a Photoblog? [POLL]
Patterns: Weekly Photography Challenge
Image by antifluor
This week we published a popular post titled – 33 Inspirational Images that Feature Patterns and Repetition which got some great feedback.
So I thought it might be fun to make that the topic of this weeks challenge. So over the next few days of travels with your camera look for patterns that you can photograph. You’ll see there everywhere you look – in nature, around your home, in architecture… the more you look the more you’ll realise they’re everywhere.
Once you’ve selected your ‘Patterns’ image/s upload them to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it or – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSPATTERN to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in the last challenge – Time challenge where there were some beautiful shots submitted.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Patterns: Weekly Photography Challenge
The One Question You Should Ask Yourself Before Taking Any Picture
While teaching photography I am often asked, “What do you think about when you take a picture?” This can be a hard question to answer. I’m not bragging when I say I’ve been shooting for 20 years and the art of creating images has become more reflex than quantifiable thought process. I don’t think a whole lot when shooting.
But one questions that does run through my mind, and is the closest I come to thinking before shooting, over and over again before pressing the shutter release is a question I deliver to those looking to improve their photography. That question is simply:
Why am I taking this picture?
The answer to this question often reveals a lot about not only what I’m looking at, but also whether or not I should take up the megabytes and time editing this scene later. Taking a look at some of the likely answers to this question, I want to stress that there is no ‘right or wrong’ in this method. It’s simply a technique to help you figure out what’s going on in your head. It is not a law, just a suggestion.
Because It Is Pretty
This is the most common reason for most images to be taken. The scene in front of us is pretty and we want to capture it, preserve it or share it. The problem here is not every pretty scene makes a great or even good photo. So often the scene in front of us is maybe out of the dynamic range of our camera (a problem solved by using HDR techniques and the march of progress in sensor development). Or maybe it’s a tremendous sunset partially covered by trees. The problem is our mind often interprets the scene in front of us in a way the camera never can.
These types of shots will often remain on your harddrive and not even make it to Facebook to be shared. You get home and look and sigh. “Meh” is often heard when looking at these shots on a computer screen when the magic of the moment has long passed.
It’s my assertion that a scene being labeled as ‘pretty’ alone is not sufficient reason to take a picture. It surely is reason enough to stop for a moment and enjoy the beauty of life. Just don’t forget that ‘beautiful scene’ doesn’t always equal ‘beautiful picture’.
Because It Evokes Emotion
Here now is a great reason to take a photo. If you feel stirred inside with any emotion, chances are the viewers of your image will be too. Emotion is something that connects us as humans and crosses language barriers. If the scene is emotion evoking, I would not hesitate to take a photo at the appropriate moment to try to convey that feeling on a computer screen later. It’s important to note you may not like the emotion being displayed, but that does not mean it won’t be a good photo.
Because It Tells A Story
Sometimes the space inside a frame has a whole story coming to life. Action, suspense, a life well lived. Any theme is fair game and the greatest photojournalists of our time have been masters at finding those stories. When they know just one image is going to be used in a newspaper article, it is important to make that image tell as much as it can. Look for these types of images especially while traveling.
Because It Is Instructional
Photography is a wonderful way to teach. Some of the ugliest photos teach the most important subjects. And not every Pulitzer Prize winning photo is perfectly lined up according to the Rule Of Thirds or with a histogram that is not a pixel overexposed. In fact, taking a photo of something that shows a technique or a different way of doing something will not make the cover of National Geographic, but it will serve a purpose and explain things 1000 times faster than writing about it can.
Because I Want To Remember This Moment
The beach. Hawaii. Umbrella drinks in hand. The love of your life beside you. Toes in the sand. A setting sun.
We’ve all seen this image shared by friends at one time or another. It’s a boring picture. The sun, looking Hawaiian orange, just before it sinks into the bluest ocean you have ever seen. And the sun is centered. So is the horizon. It’s boring for most of us.
But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take that shot. It is a great memory for you and every time you look at that sunset image you will be instantly transported back to the warm beach. It also doesn’t mean you need to share the image. That’s the key for images like this. Blow it up and put it on the wall in your office, but don’t force your friends to look at a ho-hum image, because they don’t have that memory come to life when they see it. Share the spectacular images when the lava rolls into the sea while saving for yourself the special, private moments that make you smile.
Conclusion
There are any number of reasons to take a photo. I’m not here to say “Never take a picture because it is just pretty!” But I do think it helps one improve their technique and artistic eye if conscience thought is given as to why an image is taken.
I should also note that about a quarter of the time I simply shoot from a gut feeling and that gut feeling in any photographer should never be ignored.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
The One Question You Should Ask Yourself Before Taking Any Picture
Time: Weekly Photography Challenge
It’s 2012 and time is ticking by…
Image by Myxi
This week your photography challenge is to take and share an image on the theme of ‘Time’. The idea came from Karin Schultz on our Facebook Page who suggested ‘timepieces’ but I thought I’d broaden it a little.
Feel free to interpret the theme in any way you like…. a timepiece, a calendar, something that symbolises how time is flying or how it may seem at a standstill. Or perhaps a series of shots in a time-lapse sequence? Anything you like!
Once you’ve selected your ‘Time’ image upload it to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it or – embed it in the comments using the our new tool to do so.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSTIME to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in the last challenge – Best of 2011 challenge where there were some beautiful shots submitted.
Image by Xava du
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Time: Weekly Photography Challenge
Best of 2011: Weekly Photography Challenge
Image by miquitos
Happy New Year from dPS (at least it is new years day here in Australia).
This week your photography challenge is a little different. Instead of going out and taking a shot to share – we want you to dig through your shots from 2011 and share your best shot with us.
What ‘best’ means is up to you. It could be a shot that is technically best, makes you feel best or captures a best moment. Whatever you like.
Once you’ve selected your best shot of 2011 upload it to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it or – embed it in the comments using the our new tool to do so.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSBEST2011 to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in last weeks Bokeh Lights challenge where there were some beautiful shots submitted.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Best of 2011: Weekly Photography Challenge
What Photography Gear did You Buy in 2011?
As the end of the year closes I thought it might be fun to look back on the year from the perspective of what cameras and photography ‘gear’ we bought.
Did something new end up in your camera bag in 2011? Perhaps a new camera? A new Lens? Some other kind of accessory?
My own bag saw a special new addition – I was lucky enough to get one of those once in a life time gifts from my wife for my 40th birthday (which is actually next year) – a Leica M9-P which I fell in love with while testing it earlier this year.
I highly doubt I’ll ever get a gift like that again!
What about you? What photography gear did you buy (or receive) in 2011?
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
What Photography Gear did You Buy in 2011?