Tips for Beginners (3 of 3)

http://www.starsforstreetlights.com/2011/12/photo-tips-and-techniques-for-beginners.html

7. COLOR
Complimentary colors, tertiary colors, hues, tones, tints, monochromatic, ect.

8. TRY A FILM CAMERA
As a new photographer, it is important to experiment with a film camera because it stresses the rules and theories of photogrphy. Shooting with film teaches you to make a mental checklist of things to do to get a good photo because you don't have the option of guessing and checking like you do with digital photography.

9. SHOOT. SHOOT. SHOOT.
"Practice makes perfect."
Go to musuems, read photography books, etc.

Tips for Beginners (2 of 3)

http://www.starsforstreetlights.com/2011/12/photo-tips-and-techniques-for-beginners.html

4. ISO...
When it comes for ISO, the higher, the less light you need to takea well-lit photo. Although your photo will be a lot more grainy like the bottles below

5. LIGHTING...

Clouds are the best when shooting photography outside. The lack of sharp shadows and harsh light flares makes a photo well-lit. Think of clouds as giant light diffusers...or you can use an umbrella (like the professional photographers use)

6. TRIPOD...

You don't need to have an expensive, professional tripod everytime you shoot. They can be a hassle carrying around with you. USE YOUR RESOURCES...a bench, chair, railing, box, or tree stump will work just fine.

Tips for Beginners (1 of 3)

http://www.starsforstreetlights.com/2011/12/photo-tips-and-techniques-for-beginners.html

I have been designing on a regular basis for two years now. Using the knowledge and skill that I have aquired over these past few years, I have strengthened my "designer's eye." Although this is not enough in photography. Composition is important in the field of photography, but there are multiple parts that coinside with it. Above is a link to a website that I found incredibly helpful because it is directed towards beginner photographers. I found the information is useful and is given out in a way that I can understand.

1. COMPOSITION
2. APERTURE
3. SHUTTER SPEED

To Illustrate Motion...
1) use a tripod 2) slow shutter speed 3) high aperture for sunny days

To Illustrate Fun...
1) the higher the shutter speed, the better the ninja-jumping shots

To Illustrate Motion...
1) To freeze movement, have your shutter speed above 1/125

Cheat Sheet!

Above is an interestingly designed poster of some tips on the manual side of Digital Photography. This cheat sheet is very helpful to new photographers like me who do not know much about higher end cameras, let alone the difference between brands and types of cameras. This is an excellent photo to have saved so I can come back to this whenever I am shooting photography.

Tips on Getting Perfect Focus EVERY Time

http://www.divasanddreamsblog.com/2011/04/10-ways-to-get-perfect-focus-every-time.html

Above is a link to a website that I found to be very useful. It lists the top ten ways to guarentee that your photos will be crystal clear. I wish I had seen this before I began shooting my product shots because it wasn't until after I shot that I realized how blurry my photography was.

1. Use a tripod
2. Use a remote or wireless trigger
3. Shoot with prime lens
4. Use a faster shutter speed
5. Control the F-stop
6. Tell your camera where to focus (single point AF)
7. Choose Al Servo
8. Make sure there is enough light
9. Portrait tip: Focus between the eyes
10. Do extra sharpening in Photoshop

Example of focusing between the eyes in portrait shots

Old Man Progress

The top image is the photo given to the class as part of Project 3. I have made most of the overall corrections I need to make before I begin correcting the little details in the photo. I have made such corrections as...

- cropping the image to fit the Rule of Thirds

- correct the broken fence

- adjust overall levels

- remove pixelation and random marks

- remove shadows against house

- remove unnecessary objects, such as the light and boy's head 

Experimentation

Composition in photography is far from a science, and as a result all of the "rules" above should be taken with a pinch of salt. If they don't work in your scene, ignore them; if you find a great composition that contradicts them, then go ahead and shoot it anyway. But they can often prove to be spot on, and are worth at least considering whenever you are out and about with your camera.