Beginners Photography Course - 3 Simple Tips to Improve Your Photographs 100%

Looking for a Beginners Photography Course often follows buying a good compact or single lens reflex (SLR) camera. The much improved picture quality is normally enough encouragement to go out and take better pictures that family and friends will admire.

Cameras don't take pictures - people do.

So where do you start? Well how about right back to the basics of composition. In this article I will outline some of key elements that can create a pleasing photograph every time. The 'rules' that follow are simply tried and tested ways that help make a photograph stand out from the crowd.

But don't be afraid to break the rules. Some of the finest photography in the world breaks the rules. But you need to know the rules first before you break them.

1: The Rule of Thirds

Take any picture and divide it into thirds, top to bottom and then side to side. This should create a grid of 9 boxes - three along the top and also three down the sides.

Any picture or photograph should have one or more key elements. For example a river scene may have a boat sailing along or a sunset may include a silhouetted tree. For maximum visual impact these key elements should be positioned in the picture where two of the grid lines cross. That is a third in from one of the side and a third in from either the top or bottom.

Try this out. Your camera may well have an option to show this grid pattern in the view finder or viewing screen as you line up to take the shot. Take one shot with the key element centre screen and one positioned on the grid. Ask your friends or family which one they prefer without telling why. I bet they'll choose the latter.

2: Lead in Lines

It's a strange thing, but our minds need to be told what to do. Image a photograph taken in the middle of a park, some way from the edge, and the main subject is a beautiful fountain some distance away. That could be so that you can include its spray.

Have any of you been to the Jet d'Eau in Geneva? My personal favourite place in Europe, it's a fantastic water jet that rises hundreds of feet in the air and you need to take that from a long way away!

Taking a straight shot of our park fountain would leave a large expanse of uninteresting grass in the foreground that really means nothing and our eyes wander around the picture wondering what we should really be looking at.

Move yourself to one side and find the pathway that leads up to the fountain. Position the start of the path, in your picture, in one corner. Your eyes will naturally follow the path 'into' the picture and be lead to your main focus, the fountain.

Look out for helpful lead in lines, they are everywhere. Paths, roads, flower beds, river banks, quaysides, railings furrows across a field. Just move around until you find one.

3: Frame your Photograph

In the last rule I told you that the mind needs guidance when it looks at pictures. It can wonder in all direction, even of the page, if we don't tell it what to do.

Landscape photography, done well, can be very rewarding. Standing there admiring the view we are compelled to hold the up camera and take a shot only to be disappointed with the result when we get home.

The camera only records part of the whole scene and our eyes naturally want to look beyond the confines of the frame to see what else is 'over there'.

To avoid this almost incomplete appearance to the shot we need to stop the eye going out of the picture by doing something to tell it 'this is the end of the picture here'.

One of the simplest ways to achieve this effect is to find something solid to include at the edge of the frame. A tree is always a useful addition here. Make sure that you can't see both edges of the truck and the brain just decides that there is nothing to see beyond that tree. Very effective and frames the photograph well.

Sell Dog Pictures Online

Do you know that you can sell dog pictures online for cold hard cash?

Let's face it if you have a dog there is no reason why you shouldn't make some money from it.

I'm sure you consider your dog as a good friend but he/she can cost you a lot of money.

If you never sell dog pictures online before you must read on the only thing you need is a digital camera and a connection to the internet.

If you have a crap budget you can buy a digital camera on ebay or borrow one from a friend.

At the end of the article I give you four tips to make sure that your dog picture looks better then the rest.

How to sell dog pictures online.

Stock photography sites.

The best place to sell pictures of your dog online is trough online stock photography sites.

This is very simple you submit the pictures of your dog to the stock photography sites.

Once they are accepted people can buy them from the stock photography sites and you earn money.

Yes people do need pictures of your dog.

Think about webmaster who make sites about dogs;

they are very busy with promoting and designing their websites but they don't have time to take pictures themselves.

Some webmaster spend actually thousands of dollars on digital photos.

You save them time and they make your money, call it a win-win situation for both parties.

If you do a google search for stock photography sites you can find a lot of results.

The first thing you must do is learning how they will pay you.

With some sites you can set your own price for dog pictures with other sites

you earn a fixed amount for your pictures or a set of pictures.

Your own website

It is also possible to sell dog pictures from your own website as well.

Of course you have to learn how to drive traffic to your website and how to write ad copy that sell.

If you have a budget you can buy advertising trough pay per click but if you don't know what you are doing you can actually lose money.

Another great way to sell dog pictures online with your own website is trough link exchanges from other dog websites.

Just email the website owner a polite email with some information about yourself and your website.

Most of the time they will do it.

Dog picture photography tips for maximum earnings.

You don't have to be a professional photographer to earn money from this

but let's face it; the better your pictures are the more people will download them

and the more money you will make.

1) Make sure that your dog is relaxes; take the picture with him in his favourite hangout.

2) Outdoor lighting is the best for taking great pictures of your dog.

3) Take close up pictures mostly they are more beautiful than shots from a distance.

4) Dog toys are good to make it your dog comfortable.

I hope you will try it out to sell your dog pictures online for profit.

If you submit only a few pictures you won't earn much but if you submit hundreds of pictures you can earn a decent amount of money.

Thousand of people are earning a second or even a full time income selling pictures online.

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Digital Photography Image Stabilization

Got shaky hands? Can't hold a camera steady? Want sharper photographs? It just might be that you need some image stabilization. I'm now, sure what it will be called now. It was called lens stabilization.

However, now there are two types of stabilization - lens stabilization and sensor stabilization. Maybe it ought to be called camera stabilization. I have also seen the terms: anti-shake, vibration reduction, and image stabilization.

There is a third method that some digital cameras utilize and advertise as image stabilization. This method to counteract movement involves increasing the ISO setting to allow a faster shutter speed setting. This is not real stabilization. Also, be aware that image quality will go down as ISO goes up. I would avoid this type of stabilization.

Lens stabilization is obtained by moving the lens elements inside the lens that is attached to the camera.

Sensor stabilization is obtained by moving the sensor that is in the camera body.

Canon and Nikon currently utilize lens stabilization. Canon is more or less getting raked over the coals for not offering sensor stabilization. Nikon not so much. Not sure why Canon and not Nikon.

In any case if the demand is sufficient, then Canon and Nikon will both someday offer sensor stabilization.

So, what's the big deal? With lens stabilization you have to buy each lens with the stabilization capability built into the lens. This can be expensive.

However, for those that want it and have a digital single lens reflex (D-SLR) camera, you can see the affect of stabilization through the lens. For some that is a big advantage.

With sensor stabilization you have stabilization for all lenses. That's a potential cost savings. However, you can't see the affect through the lens. Is that a disadvantage for you? After all we call these things D-SLR cameras because you can see the result of all your photographic techniques through the lens.

This controversy will be worked out over time.

In any case, if you do not have interchangeable lenses, you want have to be concerned about this. Even if your stabilization is in the lens, it is still build into the camera, since the lens is built in also.

Another potential disadvantage of the sensor method is that currently it performs better with shorter focal length lenses and not as well with longer telephoto lenses. Maybe the break point is around 200mm?

But like the controversy talked about above this will be improved over time.

Let's talk about what stabilization, either type, does for you.

Basically, it allows you to handhold the camera in many situations in which you could not without stabilization. This allows you to get fewer blurry photographs.

By moving the lens elements or the sensor, the light path or optical plane is changed so that the effect of camera movement or vibration is lessened.

So, if you've got shaky hands, you get a break that results in better photographs because they are sharper.

This technology is becoming available for nearly all digital cameras - not just the high end cameras and not just digital single lens reflex cameras.

Stabilization is a great benefit in many situations. It allows you to handhold the camera at lower shutter speeds - 2 to 4 stops slower depending on the stabilization technology built into your camera.

However, if you need to use a really slow shutter speed it will not help you to hold the camera steady enough to obtain sharp pictures. How slow? That is really somewhat photographer dependent. Your abilities to handhold a camera may be very good. Mine may not. Most photographers experience problems handholding a camera at lower shutter speeds and when using the longer focal lengths.

In general, however, if you need a shutter setting of somewhere around 1/3 of a second or slower, you will need to get your tripod out or maybe select a shorter focal length lens or zoom.

The other situation where stabilization will help is when using a telephoto lens. The longer lenses tend to magnify movement and make blurry photographs.

So, if you have shaky hands, or a need to use lower shutter speeds, then stabilization just might be the counteraction that you need to extend you photographic experience and the quality of your digital photographs.

Capture the Moment

So, are you taking photographs or creating photographs? I suppose that I have done a fair bit of both in my time.

I like taking pictures of people. It's great if you can be invisible at some kind of event - a wedding for example. Some of the best shots you will see are completely candid. I've done all the standard posed shots - and believe me, if you are doing a wedding, these are absolutely necessary. Always, though, the favorites are those where I've wandered around the gathering until no one sees me anymore. Watch people. (Check my earlier article for more on this.) Part of what you want is to predict what is going to happen - know when that smile is going to occur, the moment in the dance when she is going to look in your direction or better still in his (The Groom's). Now when you are using a flash the rules change - you won't be invisible immediately after taking the shot, so... wait for the moment. I have lost some good photos waiting for the moment but have more than made up for it with good ones. So, you can point your camera and shoot OR you can point your camera and shoot. Don't let anyone tell you that it's a "knack", the truth is it's a skill that can be learned.

If you are at an event like a wedding or a party or some such, don't be afraid to walk around and check out different angles. Apply this to almost anything you are taking photos of - the old barn you like so much or the funny looking mailbox down the street. Walk around the object and look at it from different angles. Drop down two or three feet and change the view. Get on a step ladder.

Doing this with people in posed shots can work wonders. Try the shots from different heights - above the person and try crouching down. Do they look taller, shorter? Does their neck look thicker or thinner? Is the light from that direction too harsh or too soft? Get down on the floor with the child or baby.

Remember that if you have a digital camera the cost is the same if you take one or a hundred pictures. So, who cares if you take a picture of that flower from every conceivable direction? You are learning... right! And how can you learn without doing?

Again, with people, don't be afraid to move them about. One trick that I've used successfully many time is this: You have a couple wanting their picture and they are standing ramrod straight - not the most exciting shot in the world - what I do is have them crouch down. Now they are on their toes trying to keep their balance and looking perfect - they are distracted and the smiles will come more easily. You will find it easier to frame the shot as well.

So, take your time and wait for the shot. Sometime you have to get in place and let the shot come to you and sometimes you have to go and get it.

Love Digital Photography? Then Choose Your Camera Carefully

If You Love digital photography, then you will find that one of the first questions that pop into your head will be "which digital camera is right for me?"

No matter where you go and whom you ask in the digital photography world, you will not find a single answer. You see in digital photography choosing a camera is about as personal and individual as choosing a car, or a career. And just like a car or career, a digital camera should give you satisfaction and great results with minimal headaches.

To get started on working out which digital camera is right for you here's a good start:

1. How much can you afford to spend?

Hey, we all want the latest canon Eos 5D, but lets face it not all of us have that money to spend our digital photography passion. Some of us have only $500, or $1000 or less. Cost is a huge factor in digital photography because you'll find, like anything the higher up you go, the better lens and functionality of the digital camera. That doesn't mean to say the $500 is rubbish compared to the $1000 digital camera. It just means there will be less things it can do.

2. What do you want to do in digital photography?

Its great, in digital photography, to have the latest "whizz-bang" lens with all the bells and whistles, but if you just want to take family photos at home, you will probably find that the lens on most semi-pro digital cameras are pretty good for basic digital photography techniques. However, on the other hand if you want your digital photography to be complete with telephoto capabilities, macro functions and everything in between, the semi-pro digital camera's lens won't be enough. Sure it'll have a basic optical zoom and a "close up" setting but to get professional digital photographs, you'll need attachable lenses. And you can only attach external lenses onto a digital slr, in other words a professional digital camera.

3. How durable do you need the digital camera to be?

If you want your digital photography experience to be complete with long life battery capabilities, a sturdy body and light weight for easy handling then this needs to be assessed accordingly. Its not good having a digital camera that's sensitive to a lot of handling if you want to use it at football games, for traveling and for anything else. Choose a body that's pretty sturdy and where you can easily and safely store it out of harms way.

4. Match and Challenge

Its no good in digital photography, if you buy a digital camera that has settings and buttons you have no idea what they mean. An associate of mine bought a Nikon D70 about 3 years ago and his photos were terrible. He only bought it because it had just come out at the time. But he spend top dollar just to have the image of a good camera. Digital cameras have many functions and settings, so make sure that if you are going to get a professional digital slr camera, that you know how to use it. Or else aim for something smaller and easier to understand. If you intend to "upgrade" your digital photography knowledge, then great, go for the complex camera, but if not, don't get something you really don't need; match your knowledge to the digital camera.

5. Read Digital Camera reviews

The first thing I did when I decided to upgrade (I upgraded as my photographic skills and understanding increased) was head straight to reviews of digital cameras. In a nutshell I wanted to know others peoples experience with certain cameras. I made an assessment that I wanted the top lenses in a camera- that was very, very important to me. So I looked at the Canon D series. You see the people in the shop will never tell you anything else but how that camera is THE one that will solve all your photographic challenges. But don't fall for it; they're not photographers, they're retail people. They are still valuable but they are not an expert in what you are looking for.

Digital Photagraphy Lens - Do You Know Enough?

In the days of my old Nikon F, I had a few lenses each with a different purpose. I had my favorite 105mm telephoto lens, my 43 to 86mm zoom lens which I often doubled with a doubling ring, and a few more. I couldn't rally afford a macro lens, so with a reverse ring by Vivitar, I was able to attach my telephoto lens of 105mm backwords, thus allowing me to take awesome macro pictures of flowers, close- ups of raindrops on leaves etc..The raindrop shots were so close, that the water acted as a magnifying glass on the leaf. Awesome!

Understanding the true function of a lens is relatively simple. It all has to do with focal length and field of view. Whether your camera be a digital one with a fixed lens, or one that allows you to switch lens, most often you're using a zoom lens. 'Focul length' is better defined as follows;

The 'focul length' simply determines how much of a scene it will capture. A 'normal' focul length will capture a horizontal field of about 45 degrees for example. While a wide angle lens captures a wider field, such as 90 degrees and more. Telephoto lens are great for close-ups because, it captures a much smaller field of view. Actually any background as you focus on your main subject will appear blurry, or out of focus, which makes for a really nice effect.

Most people understand how a zoom lens works. You zoom out to get more of a scene, while you zoom in to get less of a scene. But since the advent of digital cameras, in comparison to our old 35mm cameras, the relationship between focal length and field of view has changed somewhat because the dimension of the sensors in the cameras are now different, and much smaller. Confusing? Sure is!

What this means for you is that unless you're a real photography nut, and really want to know what each of your lens will do , you shouldn't concern yourself with all of this stuff. But let's assume you really need to know for whatever reason.

In the old days of the 35mm with film, If you owned a wide angle lens, you could count on the fact that it would deliver an end result (a photo) almost exactly how you saw it in your camera viewer. But today, using the same lens on a digital camera will give you a complete different result.

For example, I'm holding in my hand my wife's HP digicam with a 7-21mm zoom lens. But because it's a digital, this small lens will give me a result compared to and up to my 105mm telephoto lens, because of the size of the sensor. Still confused? Don't blame you. Bottom line is that most of you have given up on old 35mm cameras, and only use digital anyway. And as is with any camera, just as it was in the 35mm era, you still need to test in many different situations to get any good at it.

For example, I can take a sunset scene and within 5 minutes get a whole bunch of different effects just by using different aperture openings. You don`t need a photography course to be a good photographer. You just need to read up on what all these numbers mean and do, and as you experiment take notes.

Here's a trick I learned very early in my photograpy years; every time you take a shot, make a note on the lens you used, the apeture opening, the scene, and the shot # you're at. In this way, you can generally repeat the process for your favorite shoot. Anyway, if you plan on entering any photo contest, as you submit your entry, you usually have to inform them of the type of lens you used, the aperture opening, the ASA/ISO rating etc., hence the importance of notes when it comes to serious photography, digital or not.

How to Photograph Children

After a wonderful day at the park with your children, you stop at the local one hour photo processor to drop off your film. You choose to do one hour because you are so excited to see how your photos will turn out.

An hour later you return with excitement only to find that your children are so small in the image you can hardly make out their faces.

Here are some great tips for improving your family photos.

Get down to the childs level When you take a picture of your small child playing, kneel down to his/her eye level. Photos taken from above makes the viewer of the image look down on the child. This makes the child seem small, weak and insignificant.

Keep clothing simple If you are planning on bringing your camera with you on your family outing, dress your kids in simple clothes. Bold patterns and colors on a child will make the clothes be the center of attention, not the child. (However, if the flower covered dress is from grandma, this rule can and should be broken) Make sure the child is comfortable in his/her clothing. This will create a more relaxed photo. If the child is dressed in tight, non-fitting clothing, the child will be constantly pulling and re-adjusting his/her clothes. This will result in a stiff and unnatural picture.

Get in close Get in close to the child without them being aware by using your zoom or telephoto lens. I love candid close-ups of children. Capture the wonder on their faces as they explore the world around them.

Objects growing out of a child’s head Keep an eye on the background as well as the child before you snap the shutter. Objects behind or in front of the child such as trees, branches, light poles and fences, may look like they are growing out the child or cutting them in half. Reposition the camera and re-shoot.

Keep it fun! The best images of children are the candid shots. Give them an activity to do and hang low. A leaf, sand pile, bug, or flower can be a great distraction for an inquisitive child. Let them play with and investigate the object. Wonderful natural expressions will result.