Photography for Beginners

Tips for architecture photography

Joanna Stass — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:13:27 +0000

Architecture photography is brilliant for practicing your photography skills. You could shoot skyscrapers in the city, ancient churches in the country, even your own house will make a great subject for your photos. Follow our top tips for taking fantastic photos of architecture.

Camera settings

Switch your camera to Aperture Priority mode and select a narrow aperture (high f-number) of about f/16. This will keep everything in the frame sharp so that the entire building will be in focus.
Focal length

If you want to fit the entire building in your photo then you will need to use a wide focal length. If you have a DSLR or CSC then a wide-angle lens will be ideal for shooting buildings. If you have a camera with a fixed lens, then zoom right out to use the shortest focal length.
Framing

You may find that you need to stand quite a distance away from a building to fit it all into your shot. If you can’t stand far enough back, try getting down on the floor near the building and pointing your camera up to get a really dramatic shot of the building looming over you.
Foreground

If you are shooting from further back, try to include some of the foreground in your photo. This will help give your photo context, showing the viewer whereabouts it is.
Detail

You don’t just have to shoot the entire building as sometimes small section of it are just as interesting. Try zooming in on intricate details and look for patterns and textures to make striking abstract shots.
Interiors

Once you have shot the exterior of the building, go inside and shoot the interior too. It is likely to be dark inside so you may need to raise your ISO to make your camera more sensitive to the available light. Alternatively, you could use a slower shutter speed but you will need a tripod to avoid camera shake at long exposures.
Distortion

Shooting at wide focal lengths can sometimes cause distortion in your photos. You may notice that the straight lines of the building you are shooting start to slope inwards in your shots. Many cameras and lenses deal with this issue quite well, but if you do have problems then many editing programmes have options to correct it.

Flickr offers one terabyte of storage space for free

Joanna Stass — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:52:23 +0000

Flickr, the online photo management and sharing application, has undergone a few changes following the Yahoo! press conference in New York.

Users now have one terabyte of free space to store 500,000 full resolution images, which is 70x more space than any other online photo offering.

The site has also undergone a major redesign that is built around a new photo stream for viewing your friends posts and what they’re saying about your photos.

A new version of the Flickr app for Android has also been launched that displays all of your photos in full resolution on all major phones and tablets. And in fact, all of your photos will be displayed in full resolution when they are viewed on any device from now on.

For more information about the changes too Flickr, visit the Flickr blog.

MacWet Long Mesh Sports Gloves review

Joanna Stass — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:04:38 +0000

MacWet Long Mesh Sports Gloves are ideal for keeping a steady grip on your camera, no matter what the weather.

The Aquatec fabric reacts to moisture and changes in climate so that you still have plenty of grip in both wet and humid conditions. They are also very breathable, making them comfortable to wear even in hot weather.

The gloves are available in a range of sizes to fit your specific hand size so they have a snug fit and fasten with a velcro strap around the wrist .

They feel very thin so as not to affect movement and still enable you to access all of the buttons on your camera.This does mean that they won’t be ideal for keeping your hands warm in very cold wether, but the MacWet Climatec range of gloves that offer increased warmth are available.

The MacWet Long Mesh Sports Gloves are available in a choice of six colours for £27.99/$49.95 from the MacWet website.

Design Museum celebrates extraordinary London architecture

Joanna Stass — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:58:30 +0000

The Design Museum has announced a new exhibition celebrating underappreciated London buildings.

Lesser Known Architecture is a free exhibition that will take place from 4 June to 22 July 2013.

It will feature photographs of ten buildings, structures and subways nominated by leading architecture critics that contribute to the mix and diversity of the city but are all too often overlooked and forgotten.

The exhibition is curated by Elias Redstone and each site has been photographed by Theo Simpson. The photos will be displayed as a series of single colour offset prints in the Design Museum Café and Tank. The installation is designed by Ben Mclaughlin.

The Ten London Buildings featured and their Nominators:

Bevin Court nominated by Tom Dyckhoff (BBC Culture Show)
Brownfield Estate nominated by Owen Hatherley (The Guardian)
Cabmen’s Shelters nominated by Oliver Wainwright (The Guardian)
Crystal Palace Subway nominated by Rory Olcayto (The Architects’ Journal)
London Underground Arcades nominated by Edwin Heathcote (Financial Times)
Mail Rail nominated by Ellie Stathaki (Wallpaper*)
Nunhead Cemetery nominated by Hugo MacDonald (Monocle)
Occidental Oil Refinery Jetty nominated by Owen Hatherley (The Guardian)
Stockwell Bus Garage nominated by Tom Dyckhoff (BBC Culture Show)
Welbeck Street Car Park nominated by Sam Jacob (Dezeen / Art Review)

Each nominator has written an overview of their buildings historical and design credentials that will be published in the accompanying journal, Lesser Known Architecture, Vol. 1: London.

The Lesser Known Architecture photographs will also be produced as limited edition prints available to purchase from the Design Museum Shop.

Lesser Known Architecture is part of the London Festival of Architecture 2013.

For more information, visit the Design Museum website.

Cabmen's Shelter 2013 Mass Observation © Theo Simpson

Brownfield Estate 2013 Mass Observation © Theo Simpson

Tips for taking photos at the beach

Joanna Stass — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:04:29 +0000

Summer is almost in full swing and for many people that means a much-needed trip to the beach! If you are lucky enough to live by the coast, or are planning on visiting a beach on your travels, there are plenty of things you can shoot whilst you’re there. It is important to remember that expensive camera equipment doesn’t mix with sand and water, so make sure you are careful with your kit. You may wish to use a camera strap to prevent dropping it, or a waterproof case that will protect it from the elements. You can even buy specialist tough cameras that are protected from water, sand and knocks and bumps. Take inspiration from our beach photography projects and learn some handy tips for taking your best-ever shots.

Seascapes

There are some breathtaking vistas to be found along the coastline and capturing the movement of the water in your shots can produce some creative results. Use a slow shutter speed to make the water look smooth and silky in your photos. You will need a tripod to avoid camera shake during long exposures and if you are shooting in daylight, then you may need a Neutral Density filter to block some of the light entering your lens so your shots are not overexposed. Look for some foreground interest to include in your shots for a pleasing composition.
Portraits

The beach is a wonderful backdrop for taking portraits of your friends or family. Use a wide aperture (low f-number) to create a shallow depth of field that will blur the background of your shot. This will help you avoid a busy and distracting background for you image, particularly if you are on a crowded beach. You may encounter problems with harsh shadows appearing across your subject’s face if you are shooing in bright sunlight. To combat this, just fire your flash to fill in the shadows or use a reflector to bounce the light back into the dark areas.
Macro

You can find some fantastic subjects for extreme close-up photography on the beach. Seashells in particular look great up close. Switch your camera to macro mode, or use a macro lens to enable you to focus at a short distance from your subject. It is best to use manual focus if you can, as your camera may struggle to autofocus at a short distance. Consider the composition of your shot and position your subject off-centre in the frame.
Sport

There are many different sporting activities that take place at the beach, so you may be lucky enough to spot some surfers, volleyball players or kite surfers. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action and take some dramatic shots. If you can predict the direction your subject is travelling in, pre-focus your shot at the point you wish to capture them in the frame. If not, use continuous autofocus to keep them sharp in your shots.
Dusk and dawn

Photographing sunrise and sunset is ideal at the beach, as you can capture the sun as it appears or disappears on the horizon. You will need to research the position of the sun to make sure it rises or sets over the sea, then use a slow shutter speed and a tripod to ensure enough light gets into your lens and you can keep your shots sharp. Instead of just shooting the sun on the horizon, include something in the foreground to add some interest to the image.
Wildlife

All sorts of species of wildlife can be found at the beach, from seagulls to crabs. Use a fast shutter speed and continuous autofocus to freeze them in the frame and burst mode to take a series of shots to increase your chances of getting a great photo.
Silhouette

Silhouette shots are a great technique to practice at the beach. If the sun is low in the sky then you can position your subject in front of it. If you are shooting in the day, then you may need to shoot from a low angle to position the sun behind your subject. Select spot metering mode and half-press the shutter whilst pointing your camera at the bright sky. Then frame your shot and fully-press the shutter to take a silhouette photo.

Proporta launches Camera Demon helmet camera mount

Joanna Stass — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:09:47 +0000

Proporta has launched the Camera Demon, a universal helmet camera mount to fix any compact digital camera to a sports helmet.

This means that you can capture shots or video of the action whilst snowboarding, skiing, biking, skateboarding or any other sporting activity.

The Camera Demon uses 3M’s high-bonding pad to secure on top of a helmet, and then the camera screws onto the mount, just like on a tripod. It can then be tilted and rotated a full 360 degrees so that you can capture different angles.

Once you are finished, the Camera Demon is very easy to remove, using just a hairdryer to heat up the 3M pad for it to slide off. No adhesive is left behind so the helmet stays in great condition.

It is lightweight, compact, and compatible with practically all modern digital compact cameras. You could even even use it with a waterproof or shockproof camera to capturing footage of extreme sporting action.

Proporta’s Head of Product, Lynnette Prigmore, said: “Being a company with more than its fair share of adrenaline junkies in the office, Camera Demon was always the kind of product that Proporta would be excited about. Gone are the days where you need to buy an expensive piece of kit to capture those moments of glory.”

Camera Demon is available to buy for £24.95. For more information, visit the Proporta or Camera Demon websites.

Mount July colour-splashed lens filters launched on Kickstarter

Joanna Stass — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:10:07 +0000

Mount July have launched a range of three colour-splashed lens filters on crowd funding website Kickstarter.

The Mount July filters were created by two Stanford University Product Design students, Martin Bush and Olivia Vagelos. The idea behind the filters comes from their belief that creativity and creation should occur in the moment, not in post-processing.

The filters allow you to create a retro, Instagram-style effect in-camera. You can screw them onto your digital camera or attach them to your analog camera and saturate your film. You can even stack them and twist them independently of one another to create different effects. They can be attached to any 58 mm camera lens but there is a step-up ring that adapts the filters to fit a 52 mm camera lens included.

The Mount July filters launched on Kickstarter on 13th May. The site allows members of the public to back the product be pledging money to fund the manufacture of the filters. The aim is to raise $32,000 by Wednesday 12th June, and so far over $6000 has been pledged by over 100 backers.

Martin Bush and Olivia Vagelos said; “We started from a small idea, interviewed professional photographers, designers, and engineers, built countless prototypes, and iterated over and over to get to this point. We have found a manufacturer who has the capabilities to produce radial, multi-colored gradients on glass, and is tooled for our rotating aluminum housing. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to get the first round of filters into production on our own. That is where you come in. We need your help to begin the production, shipping and testing of larger sample batches, final manufacturing development, and start the first round of filters on the production line.”

To find out more, and to back the project, visit the Kickstarter page.

Get 10% off Portrait Professional editing software

Joanna Stass — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:50:15 +0000

Portrait Professional from Anthropics is editing software created specifically for enhancing your people photos. Use it to soften skin, whiten teeth and remove blemishes for quick and easy flattering results. The intuitive software will automatically edit your portraits for you, then you can use the array of sliders to adjust the intensity of the effects. It will even display the before and after shots side-by-side so you can easily view the changes.

You can currently get 10% off Portrait Professional 11 if you use the discount code PFB711 when you purchase from the Portrait Professional website.

Don’t forget to upload your perfect portraits for us to see here on the Photography For Beginners website, or send them to us on Facebook and Twitter.

Get the tiltpod mini tripod for half price from PhotoWhoa

Joanna Stass — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:39:09 +0000

Tiltpod is a small tiltable stand for a compact camera or cameraphone.

The magnetic base will allow you to take steady shots on almost any surface, as well as enable you to get in the shot without having to ask someone else to take it.

You can attach it to a wrist strap or your keychain, and it will easily fit in your pocket.

The tiltpod is for small digital cameras and the tiltpod Mobile is for the iPhone and cameraphone. For a limited time only, you can get both for $15 from PhotoWhoa.

For more information, visit the PhotoWhoa website.

First International Youth Photo Festival to take place this month

Joanna Stass — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:46:11 +0000

After the success of the first Children’s Eyes On Earth International Youth Photo Contest last summer, the first-ever International Youth Photo Festival will take place this month in Baku, Azerbaijan.

This event aims to raise awareness of environmental issues through the eyes of young people and their photographs and will give visitors the chance to view the best 100 images from the competition.

With the themes “I Love Nature” and “I Fear Pollution”, the competition drew thousands of entries from young people in over 90 countries around the world, and encourages young people to express their views on social issues and the environment using the visual language of photography. The aim is to now train, mentor and accompany these young, talented photographers through the second phase of the project, the International Youth Photo Festival.

The festival will give the winners the unique opportunity to develop their photography skills through a series of events and workshops in Baku. Festival highlights will include an outdoor exhibition, film screenings, seminars and an opening night Awards Ceremony. Azerbaijan is also celebrating the 90th anniversary of National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, and the traditional Flowers Holiday, so the Festival will also be the perfect opportunity for visitors to experience the beauty, ancient culture, exquisite architecture and memorable festivities which will be held in the capital city of Baku.

Eight-year-old Anastasya Vorobko from Saint Petersburg in Russia was the winner of the Children’s Eyes On Earth Contest, with her image ‘S.O.S.!’ The photograph depicts a bird flying over the thick smog being emitted from a factory funnel and conveys her fear of the pollution which affects her local environment.

The Children’s Eyes On Earth global initiative was initiated by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the founder of the non-governmental organisation IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) and REZA, renowned photographer and founder of the non-governmental organisation AINA World. The project is also supported by WPO (World Photography Organisation), National Geographic Kids magazine, SDN (Social Documentary Network), Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan, FotoEvidence, SFR Jeunes Talents and Webistan Photo Agency.

For more information, visit the Children’s Eyes On Earth website.

Anastasya Vorobko

Photography for Beginners

Tips for architecture photography

Camera settings

Focal length

Framing

Foreground

Detail

Interiors

Distortion

Flickr offers one terabyte of storage space for free

MacWet Long Mesh Sports Gloves review

Design Museum celebrates extraordinary London architecture

Tips for taking photos at the beach

Seascapes

Portraits

Macro

Sport

Dusk and dawn

Wildlife

Silhouette

Proporta launches Camera Demon helmet camera mount

Mount July colour-splashed lens filters launched on Kickstarter

Get 10% off Portrait Professional editing software

Get the tiltpod mini tripod for half price from PhotoWhoa

First International Youth Photo Festival to take place this month