Archive for the ‘For the beginners’ Category

Capture Engaging Travel Portraits

Travel Portrait Photo

Make sure you pack a spare memory card and extra batteries when you hit the road with your digital camera, because these compact picture-takers are perfect travel companions. The best portraits on the road usually consist of two shots. The first frame, often called the establishing shot, is of the point of interest itself, such [...]

Shoot Good Self-Portraits

Interesting Self Portrait

Some people may think that turning the camera toward yourself is the height of narcissism, but sometimes you need a shot, and no one is around to take it for you. These are the times when it’s good to know how to shoot a self-portrait. Start with the basics by making sure your hair is [...]

Capture Existing-Light Portraits

Existing light portrait

By now you’ve probably realized one of the great ironies in good portrait photography: you should turn the flash on when working outdoors. So guess what the great secret is for indoor portraiture? That’s right; turn the flash off. Some of the most artistic portraits use nothing more than an open window and a simple [...]

Set Up Group Shots

Group Portrait Photo

Many of the rules for engaging portraits apply to group shots too. So keep in mind everything that you’ve learned so far while preparing for this assignment. Figure 3 uses the classic “triangle” composition for a threeperson group shot. Notice that distracting background elements are kept to a minimum. The subjects are positioned in the [...]

Take Great Outdoor Portraits

Woman outdoor portrait photography

When most folks think of portrait photography, they envision studio lighting, canvas backdrops, and a camera perched upon a tripod. But many photographers don’t have access to lavish professional studios, and honestly, it’s not necessary for dynamite portraits. Figure 1 illustrates that you don’t need an expensive photo studio to take pleasing outdoor portraits. After [...]

How do I…

how do I

How do I…? That’s the question in photography, isn’t it? Most of the time you know what you want to do: capture that sunset, take a pretty portrait, preserve the memory of that monument. The trick is to make the camera see it the way you do. That’s what you’re going to learn here: the [...]