A Beginner's Guide To Photography

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Beginner’s Photography Guide ▪ Learn how to use your camera properly in fully manual mode ▪ Learn how you can make money from photography ▪ Useful knowledge and tips for different types of photography ▪ Easy-to-learn guide with helpful but easy tuition

By Chris McGee

Learn How To Improve Your Photography Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………….3 How A Camera Works……………………………………………...4 Exposure…………………………………………………………………7 Focus And Depth Of Field………………………………………..21 Composition……………………………………………………………27 Lighting………………………………………………………………….33 1

Portrait Photography…………………………………………….41 Landscape Photography………………………………………..44 Product Photography………………………………………………………….48 Long Exposure Photography………………………………………………………….52 Low Light Photography………………………………………………………….55 Sports Photography……………………………………………….57 Overview……………………………………………………………….60

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Introduction Do you want to improve your Photography skills, learn how to take better photos and even how you could start making money from photography? Well you’re in the right place – In this guide you will learn everything you need, from basics like how a camera works, all the way up to more advanced techniques like Long Exposure photography!

Photography is an awesome way to show your creative side, make a living doing what you love and just have some fun. There are so many different ways you can use photography to improve your life so get started here to learn everything you’ll need to make the most of those opportunities.

No matter even if you are brand new to photography and have never even tried a camera out, this guide will help you with useful and easy-to-grasp tips so that you can improve as quickly as possible. Whether you shoot on a mobile phone, a point-and-shoot, a DSLR or a Mirrorless Camera, this guide has got you covered on all the bases.

Continue reading to begin learning!

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How Does A Camera Work? The first thing we are going to look at in this guide is how a camera actually functions in order to capture images. This should help you to get a better understanding in the future of what it is you are doing, and why you are doing it to be able to capture the best photos possible. Cameras – although they come in many shapes and forms – all work the same way. Everything from a smartphone to a professional DSLR will work in pretty much the same way: the sensor in your camera will pick up the light that you point it at, you press a button and it captures that frame of light. Photography is essentially capturing light, which is done with a camera, and your camera can detect how much light is coming into the sensor. For example: If there is lots of light, your camera will take a brighter, clearer image. If it is dark, your camera will take a duller and sometimes blurrier, more pixelated image. This is because the photo that your camera produces has come from the light that your sensor has detected – if there is not enough light coming into the sensor, then it is harder for the camera to reproduce that scene in full detail. Luckily, there are several ways in which you can improve the image quality Here you can see much when shooting in the dark, but we will more grain in the sky. come to that later. 4

The entire process of capturing an image looks a little bit like this: 1. Firstly, the light passes through the lens of your camera. 2. In the lens, there is something called an Aperture, which controls how much light is let through to the sensor. The light then passes through this. 3. Carrying on, the light passes through the shutter once it is opened. The shutter typically remains closed and flicks open when you press the shutter button in order to quickly let the light through to the sensor. 4. The light finally hits the sensor, where it is then digitally converted into an image that you can see. One thing to bear in mind when talking about the sensor of your camera is whether or not it is a “Crop Sensor”. A “Full Frame” camera has a sensor the same size as a 35mm film format, whereas all crop sensors are smaller than this. The important thing that you should remember about this is that it will literally “crop” your image if you have a Crop Sensor, and the edges won’t extend as far as those shot on Full Frame cameras. How much your final image is cropped is determined by the “Crop Factor”. Most Crop Sensor Cameras have a crop factor of either 1.5x or 1.6x. This means that if you are shooting with a 35mm lens on a crop sensor with a crop factor of 1.5x then you are effectively using a 53mm lens.

Full-Frame Crop Sensor

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This is an important factor to consider when choosing cameras and also choosing lenses to buy, and which to use when shooting photographs. Now that you know exactly how light is captured, and how it reaches your screen in the form of an image it should be easier to understand why we do certain things in order to achieve certain changes to an image. Moving on from this section, we will now go into more detail on specific parts of the image-capturing process.

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Exposure In this section you will learn what exposure is, how you can make sure you properly expose images when shooting, and how to adjust it to fit the situations you are in. In basic terms, Exposure refers to the brightness of your photo. If your photo is too bright then this means that it is Overexposed. On the contrary, if your photo is too dark then this means that it is Underexposed. When a photo is not too dark and not too bright, then this is called Properly Exposed. Although it may seem like a proper exposure is the perfect amount of exposure to aim for when shooting photos, it actually depends very much on the style of photo you are shooting and how you as the photographer want your photos to look. For example: One photographer may like to shoot bright summer beach photos, meaning they may want to slightly overexpose to give the appearance of a light, bright scene. However, another photographer might like to shoot moody street photos, meaning they might want to underexpose slightly to give a darker, moodier vibe.

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Therefore “proper” exposure very much depends on what scene you are shooting and how you as the artist would like to convey the scene into your photos. In order to achieve the exposure level that you want, there are several features that you can change in order to adjust it to the right level for your shot, which are known together as the Exposure Triangle. These are:

1. Shutter Speed 2. Aperture 3. ISO

With the majority of cameras today, including smartphones, DSLRs and Mirrorless Cameras, you are able to easily change these settings manually in order to get the exposure that you want for each of your photos, no matter what the shooting conditions are like. Shutter Speed The shutter speed of your camera is the speed at which the shutter opens and closes again (sounds obvious right?). To look at it another way, the shutter of your camera is like a blind or curtain in front of a bright window that blocks out all of the light when it is down. Once the shutter is released, it then lets the light through to your sensor in order to take the photo, much like when a blind is drawn in the morning to let the light in through the window.

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Adjusting the shutter speed on your camera will therefore allow more, or less light through to the sensor depending on how long you let it remain open, thus allowing you to alter the exposure of your shots. If you have a slow shutter speed, more light will get in as the shutter will stay open for longer. If you have a fast shutter speed, then less light will get in as the shutter will only flick open for a tiny moment. Shutter speeds are written as fractions and here you will notice that the sensor really only needs to be open to the light for just a fraction of a second in order to capture it!

For example: most DSLR cameras will range from 1/4000 of a second (which is insanely fast!), all the way up to 30 seconds or even longer on some cameras. In order to adjust your Shutter Speed, there is usually a dial or wheel somewhere on the top of your camera that you can spin left to right. This is often different on different cameras so you will have to find out where yours is located. Spinning the wheel to the right will give you a faster shutter speed and spinning it to the left will slow down your shutter speed. You can also adjust shutter speed within the menu on the screen of your camera, but this may take longer and therefore waste time if you are trying to shoot a scene quickly before it changes.

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So, if you are shooting in very bright conditions with a lot of direct lighting, then you will probably want to make your shutter speed faster, around the 1/4000 of a second end, as you won’t need to let much light in to be able to capture the image. On the other hand, if you are shooting in darker conditions, or even at night then you may want to slow the shutter speed right down to several seconds so that you can capture as much of the light as possible in order for your camera to be able to capture it. One last way in which you can use shutter speed to change the style of your photos or help you capture more interesting shots is that it can allow you to freeze or drag out motion. For example: if you are shooting sporting events, or wildlife that moves very quickly then you can shoot at a really fast shutter speed in order to “freeze” the motion. Because the shutter is only open for a tiny, tiny amount of time this means that there isn’t enough time for your camera to catch the motion of the animal or person moving. This gives you an awesome looking photo where the thing that was moving looks completely still and frozen in place!

One way you can use longer shutter speeds is to add motion blur to your images, which can also look super cool. If you are shooting at night by a busy road where there are lots of car lights, you can shoot with a really slow shutter speed, like 30 seconds and it will create light trails

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that look like lasers in the night! This is because your shutter is open for so long, that your camera captures the entire motion of the car, from one side of the frame to the other so it leaves the trails behind in the photo. To do longer shutter speeds though, you will need a tripod or somewhere to rest your camera, otherwise you will get “camera shake” as your hand movements will cause it to blur. In order to avoid any camera shake in your shots, shoot at speeds faster than 1/80. Much slower than this and you may need to mount your camera to a tripod. Aperture The Aperture on your camera is the hole within your lens that lets the light through to your shutter opening and sensor. You can think of your lens as an eye, and the aperture as the iris. When you are outside in bright daylight, your iris shrinks, closing your pupil to allow less light in. When you are in the dark, your iris expands to allow the pupil to get larger in order to let more light in. The aperture works in the exact same way – you can shrink it down to let a smaller amount of light in, or you can open it right up to let as much light in as possible. In turn, this has an effect on the brightness and overall exposure of your image. If you open the aperture right up to its widest size then that is when the most light will get through to your sensor, allowing you to expose better in darker environments. When you

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shrink the aperture right down to its smallest size, then this lets in the least amount of light to your sensor and can therefore help to expose better when it is too bright. Aperture is measured in F-Stops. These stops represent a scale of how big or small the aperture is. F-Stops can range from anywhere as low as F/1.4 all the way up to F/22 and beyond. It will depend on the size and quality of your lens whether or not you can open or close your aperture to some sizes. Most lenses have a range from F/4 to F/22, however more expensive and higher quality lenses will allow you to open right up to F/1.8 or even F/1.4.

There is one confusing factor about F-Stops though and that is that the scale is flipped. The smaller the F-Stop or “F-Number”, then the wider or larger your aperture is opened to and the bigger the hole is inside, and vice-versa. This is because the F-Stop measurement is the distance from the edge of your lens, to the inside edge of the aperture. Therefore, if you have an aperture of F/1.4, this means that there is only a very small distance from your lens to the inside edge of the aperture, meaning that the hole created inside is big. If your aperture is set to F/18 then this means that there is a larger distance between the lens and the inside edge of your aperture, so the hole created is only small. 12

To be able to adjust the Aperture on your camera, there will usually be a specific button that you can press and hold whilst you spin the same wheel/dial that you used for shutter speed adjustments. Again, this will look different on different camera brands so make sure you check your guide book to see what yours looks like and where it can be located.

You will also be able to adjust your aperture via the menu on your screen, however this isn’t as practical and can waste time if you want to shoot quickly.

Holding the aperture button and spinning the wheel to the left will open the aperture up to its widest point (meaning it will have the smallest F-Stop Number e.g. F/2.8). Spinning the wheel to the right will shrink the aperture and therefore the size of the hole (which means that it will have a larger F-Stop Number e.g. F/18). This is similar to shutter speed as spinning the wheel to the left will always allow as much light in as possible, therefore increasing your exposure and the brightness of your photo. Therefore, spinning the wheel to the right has the opposite effect as it will reduce the light in both situations, in turn lowering your exposure and darkening your photo. One last way in which Aperture can be used is to give a different style to your photos, as it can control the depth of field. This will be covered in detail in the Focus And Depth Of Field section later on in the guide, but it’s important to know that this is another use of aperture. In basic though, a low F-Stop will give you a shallower depth of field, and a high F-Stop will give you deep depth of field.

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ISO The ISO (which stands for International Organization for Standardization) is a measurement of how sensitive your sensor is to the light hitting it. Using ISO is a digital way of adjusting your exposure. By increasing your ISO, you are making your sensor more sensitive to the light that is coming in through the lens, which in turn increases your exposure and makes your image brighter. By reducing your ISO your sensor becomes less sensitive and therefore decreases exposure and image brightness. The ISO scale usually starts at around 100 and increases all the way up to 25600 on most cameras. Some cameras vary and can continue beyond this point, but that is usually only with more expensive models. The scale increases each time by the power of 2, so it looks like this: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 etc. The smaller the ISO number, then the less sensitive your sensor is.

To change your ISO there is sometimes a button on the body of your camera that says “ISO”. By pressing this it will usually take you to a scale on your screen and then you can go up and down by again turning the wheel, or simply by using the left/right buttons on your camera. You will also be able to do this directly from the menu on your screen if you prefer. Again, this process may slightly vary from camera to camera so check if you have a button and where it is. Over time you will come to know exactly where each button is for all of your exposure adjustments and it will become very easy to adjust.

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One thing that you should be careful with when using ISO to change your exposure is to make sure you don’t set it too high. Because it is only a digital adjustment to the brightness, it means that once your camera starts having to alter it a lot, some of the quality will be lost. At high ISO’s pictures will start to become grainy and you don’t want to end up with poor quality shots, so always try to keep this low and adjust the other two components (Shutter Speed and Aperture) accordingly.

You can go out and test which ISO’s work well with your camera and which ones start to lose quality. Typically, if you stick below ISO 1600 then your images should be ok. If you can, try and stay as close to the Base ISO as possible. The “Base ISO” is the highest ISO that your camera can go without altering the image and adding digital noise/grain, and is usually ISO 100. Mirrorless cameras and more expensive cameras can usually cope with much higher ISO levels without losing any quality, so bear this in mind if you are in the market for buying a new camera. Exposure Modes Your camera will have various shooting modes, some of which will auto-adjust certain exposure settings. This can be useful if you know that you want to prioritise and use a specific feature in order to capture your shot. For example, if you are shooting portrait photos, and you know that you want a shallow depth of field, then

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you will want to prioritise Aperture over ISO and Shutter Speed as this is what controls your depth of field. Each camera may vary in which exposure modes it offers, however many are similar and offer most of those below. In order to change or view the different modes on your camera, there is usually a dial on top with different symbols. If you do not have one of these on your camera model, then you will be able to find the shooting modes in the menu on your screen. We will now go through the main modes that you may come across and how you can best put these into use. Auto Mode: In this mode the camera will set all of the exposure settings automatically. This means that it will decide which ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed and even which flash settings to use in order to best expose your shot. This is very useful when you are just starting out in photography and you want to shoot something quickly. Also if you are not yet fully confident how to adjust exposure to get the perfect shot, then this is a useful mode to get you started taking photos straight away. This mode does however have some drawbacks as it won’t take into account what you are shooting or the style you want from your shot. This means that if you are trying to freeze motion or create a shallow depth of field, then this mode won’t perform very well to get the shot that you want.

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Program Mode: In this mode, the camera will automatically adjust two of the three elements from the Exposure Triangle. When you adjust one of these settings manually in this mode, then the camera will automatically read the scene and then adjust the other two components in order to give the best exposure. For example, if you want to focus on keeping a low ISO in order to reduce noise and grain in your photo, then you can select your preferred value and the camera will auto-adjust the Aperture and Shutter Speed in order to ensure the shot is well exposed. This is also a great mode to learn more about how the Exposure Triangle works, and how each element will affect the other when adjusting them to get the exposure you want. Shutter Priority Mode: In Shutter Priority Mode you are able to set the ISO and of course the Shutter Speed, and then the camera will automatically adjust the Aperture. This is a great mode to use if you are shooting sports or fast-paced action, or you want to get some long-exposure shots. If you are wanting to shoot sports for example and want to freeze the motion of the athletes, then you can set a fast Shutter Speed and low ISO (to keep image quality high) and the camera will then help you out by adjusting the Aperture for you in order to give you well exposed shots.

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Aperture Priority Mode: Much the same as the previous mode, but instead of allowing you to change the Shutter Speed, it will allow you to prioritise the Aperture and ISO. This mode is very useful if you know which F-Stop you want to shoot at, but the Shutter Speed is relatively insignificant to you for your shot. For example, if you want to shoot a nice portrait shot of somebody, and you want to create the blurry background effect (known as Bokeh), then you will want to shoot with a low F-Stop like F/2.8. Assuming that you would like to keep ISO low too in order to maintain quality, then your camera will auto-adjust the shutter speed and most likely give you a slower speed in order to make sure that you are well-exposed still. Manual Mode: In this mode you are responsible for adjusting all of the settings yourself in order to get the right exposure. The camera will not adjust any settings for you. This mode is great once you become more confident in adjusting to expose quickly and properly. It can also be useful to use when learning as it will help you to understand how you can achieve a good balance between the exposure elements and how you can achieve an exposure style that you love.

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The Exposure Meter The Exposure Meter is a small scale that shows you what kind of exposure level your shot will have, before you take the shot. This scale can usually be found in the bottom of your viewfinder or on your screen depending on which shooting mode you are in. It usually goes from -3 up to positive 3. Each of these numbers represent a “Stop” of light. A Stop is a way of measuring the light coming into your sensor. By increasing by 1 Stop, you are doubling the amount of light that reaches your sensor, and by reducing by 1 Stop you are halving the light that reaches your sensor. On the scale there will be a marker that indicates how well or poorly exposed your shot is. For beginners, the best way to use this meter is to aim for the “0” in the middle – this means that your shot is perfectly exposed. If the marker is anywhere above Zero, then this means that your shot is overexposed. If the marker moves below the Zero, then this means that your shot will be underexposed. If you are either extremely overexposed or underexposed, and your marker goes so high/low that it moves off of the scale, then the Meter will show an arrow at whichever end to signalise where the marker has moved to. Once you adjust your ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed, the marker will gradually move back towards Zero again and you will be able to see it. You can also use the Exposure Meter to add creative and interesting looks to your photos by adding or reducing stops of light to your shots. For example, you can intentionally aim to add 1 Stop by adjusting your settings until the marker is beneath the 1 on the scale. You might want to do this if you are shooting something that you want to be extra bright to give it more style than if it was just normally exposed.

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Exposure Compensation Exposure Compensation is a useful tool to use when you are in one of the automatic exposure modes. Using this tool is how you can get your shots to be intentionally under or overexposed when shooting, allowing you to add more creative style when using the automatic modes. For example, if you are using Aperture Priority but you don’t want it to keep exposing perfectly for each shot, then you can add a stop of light on the Exposure Meter and it will then accordingly adjust the Shutter Speed in order to give you a slightly overexposed shot. The same applies if you want your shot to be a little darker, then you can reduce by 1 Stop and it will change the Shutter Speed again in order to give you an underexposed shot. This also works in Shutter Priority and Program Mode but will not work when shooting with fully manual controls. In order to adjust your Exposure Compensation, there is usually a button on your camera body or screen, which you can press and then turn your wheel to move either up or down the Exposure Meter, to the level that you would like.

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Focus And Depth Of Field In this section of the guide you will learn what Depth Of Field is and how you can use it to change the way your photos look and make them more professional. You will also learn what Focus is and how it can affect depth of field and the overall look and quality of your photos. Focus Focusing is one of the main things you will need to pay attention to when shooting photos. The Focus Point will be the main deciding factor in how your photo looks and what sort of style it has. There are two different types of Focus: Manual and Autofocus. Most cameras will have a switch that allows you to easily change between the two settings, so you can give both a try and see which you prefer. For beginners, Autofocus is better as it is easier to use, but Manual Focus definitely has its advantages once you grasp how to use it well. Autofocus Autofocus is very helpful when shooting moving subjects or if you are in a dynamic environment where you have to shoot a variety of subjects, like a birthday party. In order to use Autofocus, make sure the switch on your camera is pointing at “AF” and not “MF”. Now that your camera is in Autofocus mode you can see how it works by taking a shot and looking through your viewfinder. You will see that there are some dots or squares, known as “Focus Points”, which you can use to line up the subject and focus on it. By half-pressing your shutter button you will notice that the subject that you have pointed your Focus Points onto is now sharp and in focus. By pressing the shutter button all the way down your camera will take a picture and keep that subject in focus for you.

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This is great when capturing moving subjects as your camera will track and keep the focus on them even if they or you move. Many newer cameras also have Face Detection, where the camera will search for and focus on any faces that it can see. Manual focus would not be able to do this so may get out of focus or blurry shots. Different cameras have different numbers of Focus Points, and the more of these you have, the better your camera will be at autofocusing for you. The best way to make use of your Focus Points is to select which ones your camera uses when shooting. If you let it use all of them at once, it can sometimes focus on the wrong subject and not produce the photo that you want. In your camera’s menu, find the option to manually select your Autofocus zone. Once there, you can choose whether you want to use just 1 single point, a small zone of points or a large zone of points. This is a great range of options to have at the ready if you want to start shooting very specific subjects or parts of subjects and can also be very useful if you want to put your subject to the right or left of your shot. Also, within your camera menu, you will be able to select which type of Autofocus Mode you want to use. Most cameras will have several options, such as One Shot mode and another mode that will track moving objects (this tends to have a different name for each camera brand). One Shot autofocus is usually the standard mode that your camera will use and is good for shooting individual photos of different stationary subjects. If you are going to be shooting lots of movement, for example a football match, then you will want to switch to the other mode that will track the moving subject when you half-press your shutter button. Manual Focus Manual Focus is a bit harder to use and cannot really be used for moving subjects as you have to manually adjust the focus point each time your subject changes or moves.

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To be able to use Manual Focus you must switch the switch from “AF” to “MF”. Once you’re in Manual Focus mode you can then use the focus ring on your lens to adjust where your camera focuses. The focus ring should be towards the far end of your lens. By looking down your viewfinder you can tell where your focus is set to and then twist the ring slowly until your desired subject becomes clear and sharp. Twisting the focus ring to the left will usually cause your camera to focus on subjects further away from you, whereas twisting the ring to the right will cause your camera to focus on subjects that are close.

Manual Focus Ring

Manual Focus is useful when shooting very close subjects or shooting in dark conditions. In both these instances, cameras sometimes cannot autofocus on the subject as there isn’t enough light or it is simply too close. By using manual focus you can pick exactly which subject is focused on and so it can improve the way your shots look in any circumstances where your autofocus does not detect the right subject. Depth Of Field To look at it simply, the term Depth Of Field refers to the zone of your photo, or distance at which your subjects are in sharp focus. If you have a shot with only a small part of the photo in focus, like a leaf for example, then this means that you have a Shallow Depth Of Field.

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If your shot is almost entirely in focus, for example when shooting a vast landscape, then this means that you have a Deep Depth Of Field.

There are three components that affect the Depth Of Field: Aperture, the distance you are from your subject and the focal length of your lens. A larger F-Stop or smaller Aperture results in a Deep Depth Of Field, whereas a smaller F-Stop number/a larger Aperture will result in a much Shallower Depth Of Field. When you are closer to your subject, this will result in a Shallow Depth Of Field. If you are far or further away from your subject then you will have a Deeper Depth Of Field. As you can see here, being relatively close to your subject will give you a nice, shallow depth of field.

The focal length of a lens refers to the distance between the centre and the point at which the light converges. In simple, this refers to the length or zoom capability of your lens. A lens that has a greater zoom or focal length, like a telephoto lens for example, will provide a Shallower Depth Of Field than a smaller lens usually would.

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Getting A Blurry Background (Bokeh) Bokeh is the term used to describe the blurry background affect that you get in photos, and the quality of that blurry section. Bokeh can look different with different lenses – a lens with more and rounder Aperture blades will produce a smooth, round bokeh affect, whereas fewer blades will give it a more Hexagonal look. Round, smooth Bokeh is considered to be nicer and higher in quality, and therefore is usually more attainable on higher end lenses. In order to achieve more bokeh, or in other words get a blurrier background, there are several things you can do when shooting photos. The first thing to do is to make sure your Aperture is opened up as widely as possible. Whatever the smallest F-Stop on your lens is, whether it be F/4 or F/1.8 then open it up to this. As mentioned in the Aperture section of the guide, a wide Aperture will give you a nice shallow depth of field, so doing this when shooting should help to give you a blurrier background. Another way in which you can achieve more Bokeh in your photos is to move closer to or zoom in on your subject. If you are standing 10 feet away from your subject, try moving 3 or 4 feet closer, or zoom in further using a telephoto lens. This too will create a shallower depth of field, causing the background to go out of focus, giving you more Bokeh.

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One final way in which you can add more Bokeh to your shot is by moving the subject further away from the background. If your subject is close to the background of the photo, then it will remain in more focus as it is closer to the same depth of field as your subject is in. By moving your subject further from the background, it creates a larger separation in the depths of field, making it shallower, and in turn giving you more Bokeh.

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Composition Composition is what is in your photo and the placement or arrangement of these elements. There are different rules and styles when it comes to composing your shots and these can help make your photos more interesting and more professional. Many beginner photographers will aim to set up their subject directly in the middle of their shot, trying not to leave too much space either side, or above. However, there are more interesting ways in which to shoot your photos by composing them slightly differently, that can really change the style and feel. The Rule Of Thirds The Rule of Thirds is one way you can easily change the look of your photos to improve the quality and style. In order to follow this rule, you should imagine your frame is divided into three sections horizontally and vertically, creating a grid. Some cameras are able to show this grid within the viewfinder too. If you are shooting someone or a smaller object, then you should look to line your subject up with the inside corners of the grid, as this will give your photo a more professional look and will be nicer for viewers to look at. If you’re shooting a landscape shot then you should try to aim to keep the horizon along the bottom or top horizontal lines of the grid as this will create a more pleasing photo to look at.

Using the Rule of Thirds can be a great way to easily improve the look of your photos as soon as you start shooting photos, but you do not have to use it every time. Like with many rules, this rule can be broken and you can shoot a wide array of styles, so don’t feel that you must stick to it at all times. 27

Using Symmetry Another way in which you can compose your shots is by using symmetry. Some shots will look great if they are completely symmetrical on both sides, whereas other shots may stand out more if you try to create an asymmetric and imbalanced photo. For example, if you are shooting man-made buildings then it is likely that both sides of your photo will look the same. The same applies if you are shooting streets or pathways where each side looks similar. These kinds of photos will generally be appealing to look at and so is a good way to compose your shots in these situations. Another way that you can create a symmetrical shot is by using reflections. By shooting a landscape that reflects on a lake or body of water, or a subject stood above or next to glass, you can create a well-balanced image as the photo will look the same on both sides. Again, this often creates an aesthetically pleasing photo and so is a good way to try and compose your shot. You can however use symmetry to create an imbalanced photo, which is a great way to compose if you want something to stand out. If you have a large object that you want to draw attention to, but a smaller object that you want to capture too, then you can try and place each on an opposite side of your frame. This will create an asymmetrical shot but will be interesting to look at and will make the larger object stand out to the viewer. 28

Using Different Lenses/Focal Lengths Using different types of lenses or various focal lengths can be another method of composing your shots differently. Both wide-angle lenses and telephoto lenses can be used for the same type of shot, however they will give you completely different perspectives, creating different compositions. These two shots produce the bottle at relatively the same size, but as you can see the background is totally different depending on which lens was used.

Zoom Lens

Telephoto lenses are great for capturing smaller subjects in more detail and closer up. This can really draw attention to your subject as it will be the clear focus of the shot. Wide-Angle Lens However, if you wanted to create perhaps a more interesting composition of that same subject, then you could switch to a wider focal length, or wide-angle lens. Although you would still be close up and it would still be the same subject, it would give you a much different composition as the wideangle lens would get more of the background and create a deeper depth of field. The same applies for shooting landscapes from further away. Wideangle lenses are great for capturing the whole scene and keeping it all in focus. However, if you wanted to compose your shot a bit differently and capture only a certain part of the landscape in greater detail, then switching to a telephoto lens would be a great way to do this, and would give you a different, maybe more interesting view.

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Using Leading Lines The use of Leading Lines can also help you to compose your shots in an interesting way that looks great to the viewer. When doing this you should look for any straight lines in your scene and try to angle them towards your subject. This way your eye is naturally guided by the lines towards the subject, making it a pleasant and professional photo to look at. For example, if you have a wooden floor, with each beam creating a line, then you can get your subject to stand at the end of all the lines – this will draw attention to and naturally guide the viewer’s eye to your subject. Using Negative Space This is a great way of really highlighting and bringing out the subject of your photo. When using Negative space to compose your shot, the idea is that your photo is made up mostly of the background, which is usually fairly plain and distraction-free, with your subject in the middle. As you can see, this really draws attention to your subject and makes it stand out against the background, which gives a really cool look to the shot. How to Compose your Backgrounds The Background of your photo is a major part of how it looks overall, and if you are trying to shoot a specific subject, then you don’t want this to be in the way and distracting. There are a few

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things to consider when you’re shooting in order to avoid a disruptive background. Bright Lights: If there are any bright lights or objects that stand out in your background, then you may want to move or angle your shot so that they are covered – if you have too much going on in the background in terms of bright, glaring objects then it may distract from your subject.

The Horizon: If you are shooting portraits of somebody and there is a visible horizon in the background, make sure that it doesn’t cut through the back of their head, as this will look strange and be distracting. Try and move so that the horizon is lower down or zoom in so that the horizon is no longer part of your composition.

Don’t Blend into The Background: If you have a subject and you are wanting to focus on them, then they should be distinctively separate from the background. If they are too similar it will be hard to tell what the real subject is and will be more confusing to look at. Try to get your subject to wear contrasting colours. For example, if the background is mostly dark and grey, try putting yellow on your 31

subject. You can also get your subject to move further away from the background which will help to create more Bokeh and therefore more separation, so that your subject really stands out.

Confusing Lines: When you are taking photos of a person, you want to make sure that there are no lines coming from behind their head, and no strange objects. For example, if you have a tree or power cables in the background then either try to move so that they aren’t part of your composition or place them away from your subject’s body or head. If it looks like a tree is coming out of the back of their head, then this will be a very distracting photo.

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Lighting Lighting is another one of the most important factors to consider in photography. After all, photography basically is just capturing the light at any particular moment and saving it in the form of a photo. Therefore, it is always very important to consider the lighting when composing your photos as it will have a major impact on the quality, look and style of your shots. In this section of the guide we will learn about the different types of light, how you can use it to change the style of your photos and how you can manipulate it to help you achieve more professional shots. Hard vs. Soft Light Hard and Soft Light refer to the different ways in which light hits your subject. Hard light is when the lighting is very direct and bright, which often causes harsh shadows that are strongly visible. Soft light is when the lighting is usually blocked by something, like clouds blocking the sun, causing the light to diffuse a little before it hits your subject. This kind of light is spread much more evenly across your subject than hard light, and so creates fewer shadows and they can’t be seen very well.

Hard light is ideal for creating bright or contrasting shots because of the intense shadows that are created. Soft light is usually better for shooting photos of people as it spreads evenly across the persons face and doesn’t produce any harsh, unappealing shadows.

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Natural Lighting The easiest way to light your photos is by using natural light – it’s everywhere and so not only is it free, but you can use it pretty much any time you’re outside during the day. This means that you don’t have to purchase any new equipment and you don’t have to worry about setting everything up correctly or making sure you have taken all your lighting tools with you – simply use the natural scene around you to compose the best shot that you can. It’s great to use natural lighting as a beginner because it means that you don’t have to invest as much to start with, and also because it encourages you to get more creative with the scene at hand. Something to consider when using natural lighting for your photos is the different types and levels of light at different times of day. You should try to plan what type of lighting you will need and go to shoot at the according time of day/in the right weather. In the morning and evening at sun rise and sun set, the light is soft and quite golden in tone. These times of day are often referred to as the “Golden Hours” in photography because they generally offer pleasant lighting with that gold-like tone. During the middle of the day when it is sunny with few clouds is when you will have the “hardest” light. This can be tricky to shoot in as it creates lots of shadows and is sometimes not very flattering when shooting portraits. It can however be useful when trying to create powerful, contrasting looks.

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When there is a significant amount of cloud cover then this will give you much softer light. This will disperse more evenly over your shot and so usually creates a more even, balanced look. It is also better for when you are shooting photos of people as it doesn’t bring out all the harsh shadows like the hard sunlight would. When using the sun as your natural light there are a few different ways you can use it in order to get a different look to your photo, especially when taking photos of people. The first way to shoot in sunlight is to get your subject to face towards the sun, so that the sun is pointing in their face. This can be good as it means that their face will definitely be well exposed. However, it can result in harsh shadows that exaggerate certain features which may produce a more unattractive photo. It may also mean that the person cannot keep their eyes open because it is too bright, which may ruin the photo. Another way in which you can shoot during daylight is by moving your subject into a shaded area. As long as it’s not too shaded, there will still be enough light to expose well, but it will be much softer and more even light. This is great because it will create a much more attractive photo without the shadows, and the subject will be able to keep their eyes open. If you want to get a more creative look when shooting in sunlight, then you can try to place your subject so that the sun is directly behind them. This creates a cool look as it gives the subject a sort of glowing edge because of the light, and a cool lens flare from the sun, which can really upgrade the style of a simple headshot.

Finally, you can also use reflective sheets/light reflectors in order to control the sunlight and point it to where you need it. These can be bought cheaply online and are portable, so they’re a great way 35

to up your portrait photography game when you’re out and about. They also create a nice, soft light on your subject so are perfect for creating nice, balanced photos.

Artificial Lighting There are lots of different artificial lights that you can use when composing your shots, including those that are all around you: street lights, house lights, shop lights, lamps and sometimes even fairy lights. The great thing about using artificial lights that already exist around you is that they are free and can give you a lot of different style ideas for your photos.

When using artificial lights like these, try to make sure that you keep in mind what you learnt before about harsh shadows and which angles work best. Remember that most artificial lights that you will find around you won’t be movable, meaning you will have to get more creative with the positioning of your subject. If you can compose shots well like this then you will be able to capture some really awesome looking photos.

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Another type of artificial lighting that you can use are those used specifically for photography, such as the flash on your camera and hot lights. The first one we will learn about is the flash that comes built into your camera. Your camera should have three settings for the flash: On, Off and Auto. You should try and avoid using auto as your camera will probably use it in situations where it is not really necessary. In general, try to avoid using this flash unless you absolutely have to in order to be able to expose your shot properly as it is quite a harsh and disruptive light, which may ruin your subject’s pose and create more of those intense shadows. One way in which you can improve the use of your on-board flash is to diffuse the light coming from it. This means that the light will become much softer and more even over your subject. In order to do this, you can use a couple of layers of Kitchen Roll/tissues or a sheet of white paper and then either hold these directly in front of your flash, or try to wrap it around the flash. This will break up the light, making it softer and much nicer to shoot with. Another form of lighting that you can use that offers an improvement over your on-board flash is an external flash. Although this is effectively just a bigger version of your on-board flash it provides some great added features that really help to improve your shots.

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First of all, you can change the strength of the flash, so it won’t always be so harsh and bright like your on-board flash. If you are in slightly brighter conditions where you don’t need the full strength of the flash but would still like a little bit of added light then this is the perfect solution.

You are also able to change the direction that an external flash is pointing. This too offers an improvement to your static on-board flash as it means that you can bounce the light, which will make it much softer. For example, if you are shooting in a room then you could point your flash up so that it bounces off of the ceiling, so that when the light hits your subject it will be much softer and get rid of any harsh shadows. Not to forget the fact that it won’t blind them!

You can also easily attach a light diffuser to an external flash. These are usually like plastic cone-type things that strap onto the top of the flash. This again is much better to shoot with than your on-board flash as it will create a much more even, softer light that will expose perfectly. Finally, one last cool use that you can get from an external flash is by getting a wireless remote for it. This will allow you to place your flash wherever you would like because it no longer has to be attached to your camera. This gives you some great opportunities to try shooting with different lighting angles and can create some very interesting styles. 38

The final type of artificial lighting that we will be learning about in this section is going to be studio lights. These are great to use if you have a studio or studio-type area to shoot in as they give you a huge amount of control over the lighting of your subject, but not so great if you do most of your shooting whilst out and about. One advantage that studio lights have over a flash is that they remain on all the time, so you can see how you are changing the light as you do it. With a flash, you can only tell how your lighting has changed once you have already taken a picture. They also provide a much more even, soft light in comparison to the harsh glare of a flash. By using a main singular studio light, also known as the “Key Light” you can often create more interesting and contrasting pictures. Similar to using an external flash remotely, you can place the light at any angle so you can create different moods and shadows by placing it to either side of your subject. By adding a second light, known as a “Fill Light” you can create a more even and balanced headshot. The idea with this set-up is that you place each light in front of, but slightly off to the side of your subject. This means that there is even light coming from both sides and so there are no unflattering shadows. This is a great set-up to use if all you need is a nice, even shot of somebody from the front, so it’s good to use when taking professional headshots. The final way in which you can create a good basic studio light setup is to add a third light behind your subject, known as a “Backlight”. This can simply be used to add more style to your shots and change up the look as it will light the back and side of 39

your subject. You can also use just the backlight in order to create a more sinister-looking silhouette type shot, as it will highlight the outline of your subject, but won’t be able to light their front and face properly.

As you can see, studio lights provide a wide range of creative opportunities, so they are great to have if you want to start shooting interesting portraits or professional headshots.

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Portrait Photography When shooting portrait photos there are a few things to bear in mind and pay attention to. Portrait photography is a fun way to get creative with subjects, but it can also be a great way to start earning money from photography. In this section we will go through a few things to consider when taking portrait photos, and how you can start making money from it. The first thing to focus on when shooting portrait photos is to try to shoot during Golden Hour. This is the time of day where you will get the softest, warmest light which makes for the most flattering and interesting pictures. The light at this time is also great to use as a backlight as it is not too harsh and so will give you a great balance of exposure – the front won’t be too dark but it will still give you a nice, silhouette-style appearance. It is also a great opportunity to create some light flares in your photos, which is another way to add a cool look to your shots and make them less boring. The next thing to try to do when shooting portrait photography is to always be trying new compositions and poses. When you are trying to shoot the best photo you can of somebody in a situation, that photo might not always come from the angle you expect. You should always try to get lots of different shots from different angles, where your subject is doing different poses, as this will produce more interesting photos and is more likely to produce a great shot than if you simply shoot from one angle a couple of times. Some of the most interesting portrait shots come from bizarre angles that you wouldn’t expect! Try shooting wide shots, close-up shots and shooting through other objects to frame your subject. Look back at the composition section of the guide and try to use as many different tactics to see which one produces the best photo at the end of the shoot. 41

Another way in which you can improve your portrait photography is by ensuring the background is always suitable for your shots. Remember, lines or objects coming from your subject’s head will be distracting and won’t look nice. You will also want to make sure that your background doesn’t contain any distractions, like bright lights or colours that will interfere with what your subject is wearing. A nice, clean background will ensure that the subject of the photo will stand out and be the main focus. One last thing that you’ll want to focus on when taking nice portrait photos is making sure you achieve that nice Bokeh effect. A good quality, professional-looking portrait will have a nice blurry background because this removes many of the distractions and really puts the emphasis on the subject. This is exactly what you want when trying to shoot the best possible portrait shots. Portrait photography is one of the easiest and best ways you can start to make proper money from photography. Many people are willing to pay in order to have professional photos taken of themselves or their families. You can charge people a lot of money to take their photos for them, providing you offer them a quality product. The best way to get started with this is by asking some friends or family members if you can practice and take some photos of them. Use this opportunity to get experience when taking photos of other people – learn how to get the best angles, what poses work best and what your favourite scenes to shoot in are. Also add these pictures to your professional portfolio, so that new and potential customers can see how good you are. If you can, get testimonials from friends and family that you can also show to future customers as this will give them more confidence that they are getting their money’s worth when they buy from you.

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Another opportunity to make money from portrait photography is by shooting professional headshots for people or businesses. Many people who are looking for work or modelling jobs too will want a professionally shot picture of themselves for their applications.

You can reach out to people on Facebook who are in your local area and offer your services. See if there are any photography groups for your local area and you may be able to find lots of opportunities in there. Shooting simple headshots is a good way to start as it is fairly easy to do and can be done quickly. You just need to visit someone, take a few photos and job done. You can begin with offering cheap headshots in order to attract new customers when you’re starting out, but as you get better with time then you can start to charge more. Sometimes you may find that businesses in your local area need large quantities of photos taken, perhaps for name badges or company records. This is also a fantastic opportunity that you should definitely take, should you get the chance, because you can often earn a lot of money this way. If a business has say 30 employees and you charge $15 per person, that’s $450 just for one shoot. Yes, it’s a bit longer but you can still take everybody’s photo in the same place, on the same day so it’s a very efficient way to earn money from photography.

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Landscape Photography Landscape Photography generally involves taking photos of wide, open scenes. In order to get the best shots there are a few tips and tricks that will help to improve your compositions. First of all, you want to make sure you have a relatively wide lens with you. Generally something wider than 35mm would be best for shooting nice, wide landscapes as they will be much better at capturing everything you want than a more zoomed lens. Bear in mind that if you are using a crop sensor, your focal length won’t be as wide as what your lens says. For example, if your crop factor is 1.6x then an 18mm lens will only actually be 29mm for you. The next tip to get the most out of shooting your landscapes is to shoot at the right time or in the right conditions. Similar to when shooting portrait photos, Golden Hour is a great time as it creates amazing, warm colours and really helps to bring some life to the scene you are shooting. For certain shots you may find that just clear blue skies make your landscape look best – if you are trying to shoot hot, summery shots for example. If this is the case then try to get an idea of when these conditions will be at their best and go to shoot then. You can also use lens filters when shooting landscapes in order to help perfect your shot. A CPL or Polariser can help to reduce reflection or glare from surfaces, such as glass or water. This is great if you don’t want any distractions in your photo coming from reflected light. You can also use them to darken the sky which is handy when it is too bright and overexposed in your shots. A nice, deep-blue sky looks great in a landscape shot! Without CPL

With CPL

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ND Filters, or Neutral Density Filters can also be used to change the way your landscapes look. They are used to darken the light coming into your sensor, which allows you to keep your shutter open for much longer. This can give you a great affect when shooting waterfalls, lakes or rivers as it will give the water a smooth, smoke-like look.

Another thing that you will want to do is to ensure that your Aperture is set correctly in order to get a deep depth of field. This is important when shooting landscapes as you will want everything in your frame to be sharp and in focus. Remember, the higher the F-Stop number, the deeper your depth of field will be, so make sure to bump it up to the highest number that you can. Also make sure that you are shooting in RAW. This is the best mode to shoot photos in as RAW files store much more information than JPEG files, meaning that you can do a much better job when editing the photos later, as you will be able to make more changes to shadows and colours due to the amount of detail saved with a RAW file. In order to do this, go to your camera settings and find your image quality setting. Change this to RAW if it isn’t already. When it comes to actually shooting your landscape photos there are lots of different ways you can compose them, depending on what style your favourite is. Here are some useful bits of advice to help you get started taking better landscapes.

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Firstly, identify the subject of your shot. It is always a good idea to pick something to make the subject of your landscape shots as it will give it more structure and will catch the attention of the viewer. It doesn’t have to be the main or biggest thing in your picture, but using something, like the hut in this photo, to compose the rest of your shot is a great way to improve your landscape photos, rather than just shooting everything you see with no real thought behind the composition. You should also try to make sure that your horizon is always level when composing a landscape shot. If not, it will look a bit strange and could really put off from the rest of the shot. Ensuring that the horizon is level will create a well-balanced, aesthetically pleasing photo.

Another thing that many people won’t think about when they first start shooting landscapes is to take lots of different shots, with different compositions and from slightly different spots, even if you don’t think they’ll look any good. You never really know which photo will look best until you have looked at them all side-by-side, so get as many as you can with different perspectives – try adding more sky, less sky, more ground, try exposing to the sky, and then to the subject. All of these small differences might end up giving you a photo that you much prefer and would never have taken had you just stuck to the one spot and composition. One last tip that lots of people don’t realise is to keep all of the photos that you take until you get back from shooting them and can have a proper look through your photos. Many people will 46

often delete a photo straight away and not even think about it too much, but this could cost you one of your best shots. It’s hard to tell how good a photo really is when you are out and about, so keep it until you can have a proper look. Maybe in the sun it looked average on your screen, but once having a proper look it was stunning – you don’t want to miss out on photos like that just because you were impatient! Landscape photography also provides some ways of making money if that’s what you want to do with photography. The easiest way to do this is by uploading your photos to Stock Photography sites. These are sites that collect photos from contributors, and then allow customers to download them Copyright-free, usually for a monthly fee. Stock photo sites will then pay you if you become a contributor and start sharing your photos. Most sites will pay you a certain amount for each photo, each time it is downloaded. This is a great way to start earning an income from photography as anybody can do it, and the more you upload, the more your earning potential is! Try to look for trends and then photograph things that correlate, and upload to as many sites as you can to maximise your earning potential – some sites will have exclusivity rights, meaning you can only upload on their site, but the majority do not.

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Product Photography Products can be shot in various ways and require different equipment in order to do so. One way of shooting products is by taking photos of them in use or out in the real world. In this guide we won’t go into too much detail about shooting product photography in the real world as it mostly relies on using techniques that you have previously learnt. There are however some useful pointers as to how you should shoot your product photos this way. The first is to make sure that the product can be seen doing what it is most useful for. This may sound obvious, but many forget or leave this out when trying to get product photos. For example, if you are shooting photos of a towel for someone, then you will want to shoot it in action, maybe drying somebody’s hair. This will look a lot better than if you just take photos of a towel hanging on a rack or wrapped around someone’s body, both of which would be boring and not showing the real use of the towel. This may seem like an obvious point, but many people forget to really show off the product in its best use. Yes, it may look nice when folded neatly on a rack, but it won’t grab the viewer’s attention as much. You should also try to shoot the product in as many different situations as you can to show off all of its different uses. For example, maybe you have to shoot a waterproof camera backpack. The best way to shoot this would be to get some shots of it in the rain (you can always use fake rain) to show it withstanding getting wet, some shots of it containing camera gear or with tripods attached, and maybe some hiking-style shots to show that it is comfortable and durable. It may be easier just to get some standard shots of somebody wearing it but it will look a lot better this way!

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The second main way to shoot product photos is by shooting them in a product studio. This is great for online products to use as item shop icons as it is a simple way to present the product in its best light. Although you probably won’t have a proper product studio when starting out in photography, there are some great ways in which you can create one without needing to get lots of expensive equipment. The first way you can set up a quick, free and easy product studio is by using a chair in your house – this only applies if you have solid coloured chairs, preferably in white or black. You can then put your chair next to a bright window in order to get the most natural light possible, and then place your product in the centre of the seat of your chair. Line up the frame so that the entire background is covered by the chair and take your product photos! This will look great if you have a suitable chair and can find enough light, plus it’s totally free.

Another way in which you can set up a small makeshift studio is by using a large roll of white or black paper, depending on which background you’d prefer to use. By hanging the roll of paper and pulling enough down to use, you can then place your product on the paper and take your photos. Once again, make sure to set this up near a window or even outdoors in order to get the most natural light possible. Because the paper will hang down, it won’t create any folds or creases, so it creates a perfect, smooth all-white/black background. 49

Alternatively, if you’re sure that you will be shooting product photos regularly then you can buy a lightbox, which will often come with both white and black background alternatives and built-in lights. This will give you an easy and optimal way to shoot your product photos, without needing to worry about natural lighting.

When it comes to actually shooting your product photos there are a few things you will want to do in order to get the best shots that will look best on a website or in a catalogue. You can and should of course do some editing afterwards in order to get rid of any imperfections, but it is good to get the best result you can straight from your camera to reduce the need of editing everything. First of all is ensuring that the light source is hitting your product at the angle that you want. If you want a “contrasty”, shadowed look then you will want the light to come from either side or on top of the product. This will create shadows and give your product more texture and perhaps a more interesting look. If you want a clean shot with no shadows to distract from the product, then you will need to try and get the light source to point level and directly at the product.

You should also make sure that you are using a tripod in order to shoot your photos. This will help you to line up your shots precisely and keep the same angle for each shot. It will also get rid of any camera shake that you might get when hand-holding your camera, which is crucial when shooting product photos as you need it to be perfectly sharp.

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Product photography is another way that you can earn money from photography. Many people who own online stores will need professional photos taken of their products in order to display them, but they don’t have the time or means to be able to do it themselves. By offering your services online on sites like Fiverr, you can let people know that you can take their product photos for them if they pay you a fee per shot and send you the products. This again is a super easy method to start earning an income from photography as it’s fairly simple to do and you can start straight away as long as you have the gear (which you can easily buy cheaply).

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Long Exposure Photography Long Exposure photography is a really cool way to add some creative affects to your shots. Shooting with long exposure means that you leave your shutter open for a long time in order to capture the scene, which results in cool trails when shooting moving lights, water or people. Although there are many different ways that you can use Long Exposure photography, some things remain constant that you need to pay attention to. The first being your exposure triangle. Because you have to keep your shutter open for such a long time, this means that you will have to make drastic alterations to your Aperture and ISO in order to keep your shots properly exposed. This means reducing your ISO as low as you can and increasing your F-Stop as high as you can, in order to let the least amount of light in. If this is still not enough, which may be the case in daylight situations, then you will want to use an ND filter to help you keep a proper exposure. As mentioned earlier in the guide, ND filters are used to darken the light, which helps to even further reduce the light coming into your sensor, allowing you to properly expose, even if your shutter speed is very slow. You will also need a tripod in order to be able to shoot long exposure photos. This is because your shutter remains open for so long, that when holding the camera in hand, there is far too much movement over the long shutter period, which will cause your photo to be completely blurry. Using a tripod will keep your camera level and still whilst it’s taking the shot, which will give you a nice, sharp image. Now that you have all of the basic components of shooting long exposure photos, you can begin shooting. The first way to use long

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exposure that we will discuss is when shooting waterfalls or flowing rivers/streams. This is fairly easy to do and doesn’t require much more than taking a regular landscape shot, but looks much more interesting due to the smoky look that the water will get. Firstly, you’ll want to compose your shot and set your camera up on your tripod so that you’re happy with what is in frame. Then you will need to adjust all of your settings in order to properly expose whilst keeping your shutter open. Your shutter speed will depend on how fast the water is flowing – if it is fastflowing like a waterfall then you will only need to slow your shutter speed down to around 1 second, but if the water flows slower then you may need to slow it to anything up to 30 seconds to get the smooth, smoky affect. If your exposure is still too bright with this setting, then add an ND filter to your lens to correct the issue, and you should end up with the perfect long exposure shot. You can also use long exposure photography in a similar way when in a busy city, full of people. Following all the same measures as before, you can take photos of large crowds of moving people, which can really add a creative look to what otherwise would have been a fairly standard city shot. The final way in which you can use long exposure photography to boost your style is at night, when shooting light trials. Light trails can come from cars, stars or even just hand-held lights to create awesome, futuristic-looking shots. The good thing about shooting long exposure photos at night is that you won’t need an ND filter, as it will already be dark enough to be able to expose properly.

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In order to shoot the best light trails, you’ll want to find a road that isn’t too busy, but will still have the odd car come past regularly. For the coolest look, try to find a bendy road or a roundabout so that you can get a full looping shaped trail, which looks cooler than just a straight line. Also try to find a place where you can see or hear the cars coming from a distance, as this will make it easier to prepare and take a well-timed shot. Once you’ve picked your location to shoot, make sure to set up your tripod and camera so that you are ready to go when a car comes past. Make sure that your frame covers the entire distance that you want the light trail to go and open up your shutter to something like 20 seconds – if it only takes around 10 seconds for the car to pass through your frame, then reduce/increase the shutter speed to match it. You’ll want to press the shutter button just as the car enters your frame. The resulting effect will leave just a trail of the headlights and tail lights of the car, looking like a laser in the night – cool right? If your shutter speed is set too slowly then the light trail might not show up as strongly as there will be too much time where there was no light at all. If it is set too fast then your light trail might be too short as it will have only had time to capture the start of the frame. Therefore, it is important to get it just right, so take some time, take some test shots and adjust the shutter speed and exposure until you are happy with how your shot looks. It’s not easy to get light trails at night right the first time, so it may take a few goes to get it right.

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Night Photography Shooting in low light conditions will mean that you will need to adjust your Exposure settings in order to compensate for the lack of light. Although it involves many of the same components as regular photography – following the same composition methods, aiming for proper exposure etc – there are a few things you can do differently that will help bring out the best in your night photography. The first tip that varies from daylight photography is to always use a tripod if possible. When shooting still portrait or landscape photos, you will be able to set your camera up on a tripod. This will eliminate any camera shake that you would get from hand-holding the camera, as you need to keep your shutter open for longer at night due to the lack of light available. Another way to get the most out of your night shots is to use artificial lighting whenever possible. Sometimes you might not think about street lights or might not want them as part of your composition, but if you’re shooting portrait shots at night, this is a great way to boost the light without having to increase your ISO too high or slow your shutter speed too much. Try to get creative with using artificial light as you can make it look interesting, whilst using it to help perfect the exposure of your photo. You should also test how high your ISO can go without ruining the quality of your shots. Because of the lack of light, you will need to increase your ISO in order to expose properly. However, if your ISO is too high then it will cause your photos to be grainy and pixelated. In order to avoid this, test out what ISO your camera can go to without making it too grainy so that you know what to keep it below when shooting in future. Another way of increasing the exposure of your night shots is to open your Aperture as wide as possible. If you try to shoot with a high F-Stop, not enough light will enter your lens and so you won’t be able to expose properly, so no matter what scene you are shooting, use the lowest possible F-Stop as this will allow the most light in. 55

Finally, you should always try to use manual focus, rather than autofocus. Due to there not being enough light, the autofocus system in your camera may not do very well in finding focus, and in some cases it might not even find it at all. By using manual focus, you can adjust the focus point to wherever you need it to be, so you don’t have to worry about an out-of-focus shot. Although it is harder to use, it’s worth learning as it is very useful in dark situations. You can spend some time just using manual focus in order to get a feel for it and gradually you’ll get better at using it effectively.

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Sports Photography Sports Photography is an awesome way to capture action and get great, detailed shots of athletes mid-game. To get the best sports shots, there are a few tips and tricks to follow that we will go through now in this guide. Firstly, you’ll want to make sure you have a telephoto lens that is longer than 100-150mm. This will allow you to get nice, detailed shots from far away, which is very handy when shooting across a big pitch or court. It will also allow you to focus more closely on the subject, which will give you a better action shot than if it was shot at a wider angle.

You should then make sure that your camera is in Burst Mode. Some cameras will have a “Sport” mode that you can switch to, which will automatically set this for you. If not, you can change the settings within the manual shooting mode by going to the “Drive Mode”. Here, set it to “High Speed Continuous” or whatever your camera names its highest setting. This will allow you to shoot multiple photos quickly by holding down the shutter button, which will increase the chances of you capturing the best part of the action. If you are serious about getting into sports and action style photography, then you may want to look into getting a camera with a higher FPS ability. This is the amount of frames or photos that your camera can shoot per second, and the higher this is, the better your camera will be suited to taking great mid-action shots. Next, increase your shutter speed so that it’s as fast as possible, whilst still exposing properly. By having a fast shutter speed, you will be able to freeze any movement going on, creating a sharp and detailed shot. This looks much more professional than if your shots come out with any motion blur and will really give you great results.

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When it comes to actually shooting your photos, you will want to be able to compose them properly, so that they really capture the action in detail. The first thing to ensure when trying to achieve this is by getting as close to eyelevel with the action as you can.

Being level with the action will allow you to get it in more detail and really see what is going on. If you are only able to shoot from above the action, you may miss certain things or details in the actions, such as facial expressions, which play a large part in the final look of your shots.

Leading on from this point, it is a good idea to try to shoot your subjects from the front, rather than from behind. This will make your shots look a lot better as it will bring across the mood and action that was happening in the moment. Although there are times at which compositions from behind will look great in your shots, being able to bring across expression and mood in your action photos will really elevate your photo professionalism.

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One last tip on Sports photography that can add a cool affect to your shots is by making it appear as though your background is moving, but your subject is not. This will make it seem as if your subject is going super-fast and looks really awesome on the final photo. To do so, slow your shutter speed down slightly (around 1/40 of a second should be good), and when taking your shot, move your camera to match the movement direction and speed of your subject. This in turn will give you the blur from moving your camera, but your subject will still appear still and sharp if you manage to match their speed correctly. Although this is a difficult technique to master, especially with fast-moving subjects, it creates some fantastic photos once you get better at it!

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Overview Hopefully you have taken something new from this guide and will now be more confident in understanding how your camera works, and what you can do in certain scenarios in order to improve your photos. As you can see, there are lots of different types of photography and they all vary in how your photos will look, and what equipment and tactics you’ll need to use in order to get the best results in each. The important thing to remember about photography is that it is an artform – this means that everything is subjective and there aren’t really any rights and wrongs. You can shoot how you want, to get the photos that you like the best and one day you’ll gradually start to develop your own style that you love and enjoy. Using the basic camera functions and facts that you have learnt in this guide, go and practice using your camera to improve your photos – the best way to improve from here is just to practice and get a feel for exactly how your camera works and which forms of photography you enjoy the most. You have also learnt a few ways in which you can easily start to earn a bit of money from photography, even if you aren’t a pro just yet. If this is the path you want to take with photography, try a few of these methods out to see how viable they are for you. Even if you only start off small, once you become more and more experienced in this field, you’ll be able to earn more and more. If you want to get into event photography and start earning money that way then I will have a more advanced, in-detail guide on that coming soon. So remember the tips, tricks and knowledge that you have gained from this guide, use it whenever you are next taking photos and keep practicing until you have mastered the art of photography!

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