Camera Lounge

An interesting article over at Lightstalking suggests some excellent ways to improve your photography, without spending any money on new kit. As somebody who has a never ending list of kit I would like to buy, I thought it was worth a read!

• Utilize the rule of thirds – This is a good one. Really focus on your composition to get a more powerful image.
• Fill the frame – Be brave and really make the subject stand out with no dead space around it.
• Bokeh – Create interesting backgrounds by using a wide open aperture and throwing the background out of focus.
• Use the flash when the sun is out – I am not a big flash fan, but the example used in the article does get me thinking I should utilise that more!
• Light trails – great fun to shoot

I would also add the following:

• Restrict yourself to one lens for a while – something like a 50mm prime would be perfect for this. It will really get you thinking about your composition and you will be zooming with your feet!
• Set yourself a weekly theme, or better still, join in some challenge/theme communities such as PhotoFriday, or vfxy
• Go out on photoshoots with your photography buddies – a bit of company can be inspiring

What else would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!

Well hello!

Gosh, I can’t really believe I started this blog back in 2006, when I was just starting to get into photography pretty seriously, but never really managed to keep it going while still working 9 to 5 in the corporate rat race… BUT, I left that rat race back in June 2009, and am now a full time professional photographer, so I am rather intent now on resurrecting this blog, and really getting it back on track in 2010.

I hope to be able to share my experiences and development as a professional, update you on interesting news items, share techniques and tutorials, and generally deliver interesting, and fun posts, on a regular basis.

My ultimate aim is to build a strong community of photography enthusiasts, and have others contributing their own posts someday.

I have a long list of things to do to get this going…

#1 is to upgrade to the latest Wordpress…
#2 is to find a decent theme…
#3 is to get posting!

TTFN x

What is ISO all about? Well, in short, ISO refers to photographic film’s sensitivity to light. Film with a low sensitivity to light (lower ISO speed rating) requires a longer exposure, and is called slow film, wherease film with a high sensitivity (higher ISO speed rating) to light can shoot the same scene with a shorter exposure and is called fast film.

These principles also apply to digital photography. You can control the ISO settings on your camera and change it shot by shot if you so desire, which is a huge advantage over the more expensive alternative with film as you would potentially have to waste film to change the setting!

When would you choose a slow speed? (low ISO rating)

• when there is plenty of available light, either from flash or sunlight
• when you are using fast shutter speeds
• when you require a sharp, non grainy image

When would you choose a fast speed? (high ISO rating)

• when there is little available light in the evening, indoors, or night photography
• when you are using slow shutter speeds
• when you require a softer, grainy image

Low ISO speeds

• 50, 100, 200

High ISO speeds

• 400, 600, 1800

As a general rule, if you are shooting outside on a bright sunny day an ISO of 50 to 200 should be appropriate. If you are shooting in lower light conditions, indoors or in the evening, a faster ISO such as 400 or higher will be appropriate in order to get the right exposure and to avoid camera shake from a slower shutter speed.
Try it at home!

Don’t take my word for it! Try the following at home:

Evening

1. Shoot an image indoors at night with the lowest ISO setting your camera has
2. Shoot the same image with the highest ISO setting your camera has

Note what happens to the shutter speed at the time, and also note how the images differ in quality when you view the files on your computer.

Feel free to leave a comment with your findings!

In 1984, Peter Feldstein set out to photograph every resident in Oxford, Iowa. Two decades later, he has returned to repeat the project again and is creating a unique portrait of heartland America.

The residents of Oxford were not asked to pose in any particular way – Peter simply photographed them as they presented themselves to him. On his return 21 years later, some of the original residents had died and some had moved away, but a suprising amount were still there living in Oxford.

This is a remarkable project visually with some touching prose from the residents alongside their portraits. Certainly worth a visit.