Learn Digital Photography - Frames Within Frames Add Excitement to Your Photos

If ever you look through your viewfinder and discover that although your subject is interesting and appealing, the area around the subject is dull and lacks appeal, use a frame within a frame. It's a simple and effective device for bringing cohesion to your image and emphasizing your subject.

As long as you choose your viewpoint carefully you can add a frame to almost any subject. From windows to doors, foliage or a fence, an arch or a porthole all are great candidates for a frame. Obvious ones are windows and doors so look for the unusual to add a new dimension.

There are several types of framing methods, all of which can be extremely effective.

1. Foreground frames

This gives a feeling of depth because your eye is drawn through the frame into the image focusing on the main point of interest or focal point. Examples of these are buildings and archways. This is the most common way of framing an image and very effective.

2. Background frames

These are less common but still effective. The frame is behind your subject and gives it prominence. For example, the sentry standing in front of his sentry box or the dog lying outside its kennel are classic representations of this type of framing. The frame isolates the subject and lifts it off the background.

3. Shape frames

Simply explained this is just a regular shape that is larger than the subject and helps exclude non essential background elements. For example, a lady's face with a very large straw hat has her face isolated by the round shape of the hat.

4. Colour frames

Picture this. A red and white stop sign framed by the brilliant blue sky. The colour blue becomes the frame. It isolates and contains the stop sign allowing it to be lifted off the background and emphasized. Does your eye focus on the blue sky or the red sign? The sign of course. It's contained within the blue of the sky. A white Dalmatian against the colour red of a fire engine has the same effect.

5. Choosing a lens or focal length

Sometimes you are limited to a fixed viewpoint and therefore cannot change how big or small you want the frame to be. So what can you do? Change to a wide angle lens. It allows you to get a greater amount of the frame in the image and a greater depth of focus as well. This means that much more of your image will be in focus from just in front to all the way in the distance. Having more of the archway or large doorway in the image allows you to create a more contained image that is pleasing to the viewers eye.

I think that frames are a wonderful way to add depth and dimension to your photos. So whenever you have an interesting subject in uninteresting surroundings, look for something to frame the subject. The key to any photograph is to experiment until you find the final image that is pleasing to your eye. As the old adage goes, practise makes perfect.

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Wayne Turner has been teaching photography for 25 years and has written three books on photography.

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Photography is Like Making Spaghetti

Your hand squeezes each plump, red tomato attempting to find just the perfect texture. The bold, green color of bell pepper catches your eye next as you begin selecting the ingredients for a meal that's sure to please. Each item must be chosen with most careful scrutiny in order for your creation to become a masterpiece of culinary delight.  

But this is just the start.  

Anticipation grows on the drive home with your precious cargo. You eagerly await the preparation which comes next. You imagine yourself carefully peeling away the parts that aren't needed until just the very best remains. Each part must hold it's own for the final feast to please. The kitchen is filled with excitement as the aromas begin to tease.  

From all of your gathering of ingredients, preparation, and artful assembly a spaghetti dinner has been created! Friends and family can now enjoy a delicious, mouthwatering meal.  

So how in the world is photography like that?  

Rather than just tell you outright, permit me to share a little story and see if you can find a similarity.  

The park is filled with magnificent colors. The sweet scent of fragrant flowers is in the air. You can hear the shrill sound of the blue jay, off just a bit in the distance, near I expect to where the small but sparkling waterfall meets the pooling waters below.  

You know you have found the perfect spot to gather photos. The beautiful flower colors beg to be taken home. The unique textures on the rock wall and the shadows they form would be great to show your friends. If you're lucky, you'll catch a shot of the beautiful blue jay as he sweeps by in pursuit of his next meal. It's like being in paradise, again.  

I say again because at least once a week, I head out, camera in hand to gather the wonders of nature on film. It's a great chance to look for, enjoy, and appreciate all the magical things that surround us every day, but often go without notice in our hustle and bustle lives.  

I gather all the visual ingredients that will make for great photographs to share with friends and family later. But the process of creating great photographs just begins in the camera. There are so many ways to prepare them later, just as there are hundreds of ways to prepare tomatoes. One outcome may be quite different from another.

On my journey home from the park, I begin to imagine just how I will use my digital photo editing software, in my case Photoshop, to careful craft the final images. It is the equivalent of cutting the veggies to make a fine spaghetti sauce.  

Once "cut and washed" until sparkling clean and clear, the final image you will see nears completion. Perhaps I'll pick a nice frame just as you would settle your fine spaghetti into one of your best dishes for presentation.   You gather and you prepare, savoring each step as you go.  

That is exactly how photography is like making spaghetti. However there is one critical difference I should make you aware of. Photography will never put one pound on your body, no matter how often you partake. In fact it can actually cause you to lose weight!  

Spaghetti on the other hand?

Robert Schwarztrauber is an author, speaker and photographer who provides many online resources which help people lead healthier, wealthier lifestyles. For more information on changing your life for the better in these tough economic times, visit http://totalfitnessphotography.com

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The Origins of Black and White Photography

Black and white photography is a number of monochrome forms in visual art. Monochrome comes from the Greek monochromos meaning "of one colour", which is a combination of monos, meaning "alone" or "solitary" and chroma meaning "colour". Quite basic when you break it down!

For Many decades black and white photography dominated the scene until colour was introduced. From the 16th century when the brightness and clarity of camera obscuras was improved by enlarging the hole with a telescope lens until now, we still admire the purity of black and white photography. It was not until the 17thCentury, 1727 to be exact, when Professor J. Schulze mixed chalk, nitric acid, and silver in a flask, that the first photosensitive compound was created. And in 1816 Nicéphore Niépce combines the camera obscura with photosensitive paper and created a permanent image in 1826.

In the past black and white dominated the media. Movies, television and even computers, were all monochrome. It was not until the middle of the 20th century that colour photography became popular.

Choosing a subject is essential for this type of photography, more so than choosing a subject for colour photography. While some subjects can look amazing in colour, they often look dull in black and white. Black and white photography is both the simplest and most sophisticated of all the photography disciplines. It is, honest, fresh, crisp and clean and can result in the most powerful imagery. Capitalising on its popularity, black and white photography holds its own when it comes to photographic exhibitions. Such powerful imagery can be timeless and compelling at the same time. It captures emotions, impressions, and atmosphere that depict nostalgia in a dramatic way.

In black and white photography, you will need to consider the exposure, your background, making sure that the subject is well backlit and that it does not distract from your subject. Lights and shadows are also important. For example, when you strip an image of its colour, you are left with the strictly light and shadows and subtle tones of grey. To experiment with this, you could shoot at different times during the day, that way you will learn the importance of light and shadows and how it can enhance the mood of your image. Colour is also important when considering black and white. Try and choose a subject that has fewer colours. For example; purple and green look great in colour, but in black and white, they become unrecognisable. Therefore, it is important to choose a subject that is of interest and dramatic at the same time.

Nowadays, we are seeing resurgence in black and white photography. The demand for it is rife within the media sector, such as advertising, and print form. Even consumers who want timeless photographs of their weddings and various family occasions are using black and white photography.

Most well known photographers use this medium of photography especially for people photography. From early portrait photography in the 18th century, black and white photography has had a huge impact on the success of modern photography. British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (June 11, 1815 - January 26, 1879) became well known for her images of celebrities of her time. Even though her career was short lived, 11 years to be precise, she did not show an interest in photography until she was given a camera at the age of 48 years old. She favoured the close crop style of portraiture, a style that is still very popular today.

It is true to say that black and white photography is timeless. It can literally stop time. We only have to take a look at Ansel Adams work of the American West. Even today his images are provoking in every sense as if they could've been taken yesterday.

Of course the use of black and white vs. colour is a personal one, nevertheless, if it was not for the geniuses of the early part of the 16th century, we would not have been to capture time, of which is the essence.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents a number of UK businesses. For exclusive Black and White Canvas Prints [http://www.shapesofvirtu.com/large-canvas-photography/Vista/Gallery.aspx], he recommends Shapes of Virtu.

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How to Make Money Through Photography

This article is about earning a side income via the camera and photography.

You are an avid photographer. You have bought yourself a nice digital compact camera or a digital SLR ( Single Lens Reflex). The camera has brought you hours of joys and pleasure as you create photographic works of art with it. As your hobby grows, you also bought many add-on accessories to improve the capabilities of your camera. You like the hobby. But it is also getting pretty expensive too.

You begin to ask yourself this question. Can I make money using my camera and my photographic skill? Can I recover the cost of maintaining this expensive hobby? The answer is a definite YES!

There are many ways to make money using the camera. I will list two of the more popular methods below:

1. Take up freelance photography projects. There are many types of freelance photography works that one can undertake. Some of the more popular ones are wedding shots and product photography. For product photography, you will need a small studio setup.

2. Selling of stock photographs. Stock photographs are alway in high demand. There are used in so many areas. For example, many magazines and websites use stock photographs for their visuals. Therefore, this area is always in constant need for new and fresh photos. There are many places on the internet that transact stock photographs. For each image sold, the photographer earns a commission.

Well, these are 2 general ways of earning money from the hobby of photography. I hope the article is useful. Thank you for reading.

The author runs Photography ideas and tips, a photography related website. This site features a product call the Photography Business Pack which is a set of digital e-books and tools that is designed to help the photography enthusiast earn an income from his photographic hobby.

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Five Basic Photography Techniques You Should Learn Before Taking Puppy Pictures

Taking puppy pictures is a common activity done by many. Although everyone knows how to take pictures, not all people have the talent for it. So before you go click-happy, consider learning the basics first. You will find the tips very important in your skills as a photographer.

Follow The Old Rules

Most of us take photography as an informal event. We spend less time arranging the setting, fixing our subjects, and adjusting the lighting. However, taking time to do all these things can help you come up with better pictures. The quality of the puppy photos will greatly improve if these old rules are used in taking pictures.

Years ago, people never had the chance to erase imperfect shots. Because digital cameras are a thing of the modern era, people weren't able to use such a great feature before. Today, experimenting shots could be very easy because of the many features you can use from the digital camera.

Get The Right Source Of Light

Over or under exposed puppy photos can greatly ruin a picture. Although the flash feature is available, you cannot use it all the time. At times, it is better to get some natural lighting or to stay away from it. For example, if you are taking puppy pictures on broad daylight, you need to keep the subjects under a shade so the picture will not be over exposed. If you are taking the puppy picture inside a dark room, you need to open the curtains and let some light in. Make sure that the light entering the camera is sufficient enough to provide your lighting needs.

Control Exposure

When using your digital cameras, you have to control the exposure by working with the available light. You also have to manually adjust the shutter speed for the puppy photos to look nice.

Take Action Or Motion Shots

Since you are taking pictures of puppies, it is essential to capture some action shots. You can use the tripod for proper balancing and you can use shutter speed to avoid blurred photos. And since we live in the modern age, ant-blur features are also available in most cameras today.

Learning To Take Night Time Images

Another basic thing to learn is taking night time images. Usually, digital cameras have features on them which can illuminate dark spots. There is the flash feature which sheds enough amount of light in a room, and there are some cameras which take the best night time shots by automatically adjusting itself to the night mode.

http://petforum.ws/ -- Pet Pictures

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Negative Spaces & Positive Spaces in Digital Photography

In digital photography you’re dealing with aperture, shutter speed, lighting and focus every moment. It’s a lot to manoeuvre. And one thing you are also working with quite precisely, whether you are away of it or not, is ‘space.’ Lets have a look at what this means for you to enhance and develop your skills as a photographer.

Negative space is defined as…”the space around the subject of an image.”

It means the empty space around your main subject. This kind of space seems like unimportant background space but it’s this empty space adds an important aspect to the composition.

Positive space is defined as the focal point of a work of art or shape of the work of art. The primary subject matter in a work of art, as opposed to the background or unoccupied spaces.

Okay so those are the technical definitions. So how do we apply this practically?

To start with, negative space is a huge element in your composition. Your negative space is the space around your focal point and having too much or too little can completely ruin a potentially good digital photograph.

So to improve your photography always look at how much space is around your focal subject. Even the slightest bit too much or too little can completely put your composition out of kilter. Particularly when your subject has a distinct point of focus such as a persons eyes or defining lines coming to a point or even an aspect of sharp colour.

Let’s examine these two photos to show you what I mean.

This picture has a lot of really interesting negative space around it. For starters the negative space is blue, which is quite different to our main focal subject. The dobs of white, which are the colours, seem to glide nicely into the main subject without distraction or hesitation. The clouds do distract our eyes from the branches momentarily but not in an inconvenient way at all. The negative space in this picture works very well to support the positive space.

Look at the picture now without the support of the right amount of negative space. Let’s edit some of this space out of the picture and see what effect we get.

The focal point changes due to a 3cm crop from the right. Removal of the negative space changes everything. Now, the end of the tree trunk is the main focal point. Our eyes don’t follow the branches outward as much as they did before. This change does not make the picture drastically worse, it actually ok. But you see how this negative space alteration changes a lot about the picture artistically?

If you have been taking photos with your digital camera and everything is right technically but you feel something is missing, then it could well be your composition. Pay close attention to what you are taking and the negative space around your main subject. Changing the slightest thing can improve or reduce the quality of your photos.

Happy shooting,

Amy Renfrey

To see the photos I am talking about go to http://www.DigitalPhotography.WordPress.com

Amy Renfrey is the author of two major successful ebooks “Digital Photography Success” and “Advanced Digital Photography”. She is a photographer and also teaches digital photography. Her educational ebooks takes the most complex photography terms and turns them into easy to understand language so that anyone, at any level of photography, can easily move to a semi-professional level of skill in just a very short time. She’s photographed many things from famous musicians (Drummers for Prince and Anastasia) to weddings and portraits of babies. Amy also teaches photography online to her students which can be found at http://www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com

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