Search Results for: blog getting distractions out of your shots

Are You Filling Your Frame?

Tis the season to be snapping photos you want to feature on your holiday greeting. But how do you capture the money shot when your family refuses to cooperate? After all, crying kids and disinterested dogs don’t make for a joyous photo presentation. You are on your own getting your kids to sit for a family portrait; however, I have tips on making the most of the photo op once you are able to wrangle your pint-sized subjects in front of the Christmas tree. For starters, when you are photographing a young child it pays to get as close as … Continue reading →

Choosing a Location for Your Portraits

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Are you looking for the perfect place to take family photos? There are many factors to consider when scoping out a location for a portrait session. The right background is essential for the perfect photo. You want it to be beautiful, while still reserving the spotlight for your subject. You want it to be interesting, without becoming a distraction. The first thing to consider is the color. Sometimes people have a tendency to pose in front of a flower garden because it’s beautiful, but if there are too many different colors, the background becomes too busy and draws attention away … Continue reading →

Getting Distractions Out of Your Shots

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Don’t you hate it when you think you’ve taken the best shot ever only to find that there’s a random person in the background or that there’s a plant growing out of someone’s head? It happens, but there are some simple things you can do to get the “stuff” out of your photos. The first is to be aware of the background while taking the photo. Can you wait a couple of seconds for the tourist in the background to move? Sometimes this is easier said than done, granted, but often a little patience goes a long way. Other times, … Continue reading →

Tips to Consider When Taking Group Shots

One of my main goals in taking my recent trip to Hawaii (other than spending as much time as possible with my ailing grandmother) was to get as many group shots of various family members as possible. Obviously, taking group shots is a bit more challenging than taking a photo of a single subject. Timing is critical given that you are trying to coordinate and manage multiple individuals, along with lighting and background interference. Still, there are ways to capture frameworthy shots of your favorite people gathered together at the same place at the same time. Here are some tips … Continue reading →

Picture-Perfect Prom

Love is in the air… or maybe it’s teen spirit. Tis the season for high school sweethearts and groups of friends to embark on a spring ritual that helps define teendom–prom. Without a doubt the formal dance is one of the most memorable moments of one’s high school career, so it pays to capture every angle of the special night. For parents, that may mean taking a crash course in prom picture-taking. Some tips to consider include: Pay Attention to Details: This is a theme you should remember throughout the night in every aspect of your shoot. For instance, even … Continue reading →

What is Bokeh?

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Bokeh is a photography term that describes the way a camera renders the out-of-focus points in a photo. You’ve probably seen a picture that had twinkling bulbs of light in the background; that is a prime example of nice bokeh. When the background of an image is blurred in such a way that it is pleasing to the eye, rather than a distraction, that is called good bokeh. Bokeh is a funny word, but it is a very important quality of professional looking images. The term sometimes refers to the blur itself, or to the quality of the blur. You … Continue reading →

Setting Up a Shot

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I love looking at product shots. I’m always amazed at how crisp and clean the photographs are in magazines and certain books and catalogs. How do they get their products to look so good? Well, there are lots of things that go into setting up a shot. There’s tons of attention to detail, finding the perfect props, and getting the backgrounds and lighting just right. I’m always amazed as I look at product shots and see how intense they are. Some shots require entire rooms to be staged including repainted walls. I don’t ever do anything that intense, but I’m … Continue reading →

Photoshop Elements 8 New Features

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Have you seen the new features in Adobe Photoshop Elements 8? There are some pretty cool things they’ve added that will help you make your photos just what you want with less effort. One of the things I love about Photoshop Elements (verses the full version of Photoshop) is that it’s target use and audience is for touching up photos easily and quickly. There’s no need to be a Photoshop guru to use Elements because it’s made easy for the end user with presets, menus, and these fabulous new features: Have you ever noticed that you tend to want to … Continue reading →

More Basic Photo Tips for Digital Camera Owners

Now that you know a bit more on how to focus your shots correctly and you know how to add some action to your photos, it’s time to discuss other ways to spice up your pictures. CURVES S-curves (or any type of curve) can make a photo much more appealing. Just remember that a curve should start at the photo’s edge and lead to your subject. That way when a person is viewing your shot his or her eyes will be naturally drawn to the focal point of your image. FLASH Be careful when using your flash. While the added … Continue reading →

Knowing When to Zoom and Other Photo Tips

These days almost every digital camera on the market comes equipped with a zoom feature and a wide-angle feature. Both have their advantages, but you’ll find your pictures will benefit if you know which to employ at the appropriate time. Zoom. There is a basic rule my photography teacher drilled into me that I have never forgotten: zooming in flattens the depth of the photo, so the foreground and background are basically the same size. Wide-angle. In contrast, a camera’s wide-angle feature will expand the depth of the photo, enlarging the foreground and shrinking the background. Many times people zoom … Continue reading →