Photo Tip Friday - How to Take Great Sunset Photos

By Mary Denman


One of the most beautiful things to photograph are sunsets and sunrises. However, so many people take pictures of sunsets, but are disappointed with the results. Today's tip is going to help you learn how to take great sunset pictures.

The pictures that I'm using today are exactly as I took them. There is no color enhancement to them at all. 

Let's get started. 

Photo Tip Friday: Taking Night Time Shots: Part 1 - Fireworks

By Mary Denman

Today's photography tip is learning how to take firework pictures. They are so much fun to watch but can be very frustrating when you're trying to take pictures of them. We all have the blurry ones. 

But once we go back over some of the basics, you'll be better armed to get some great shots. 

Let's get started.

The first thing you need to remember is the ISO or sensitivity of the film.  
(Here is a link to a prior post on Time Value and ISO.)

What does this mean? 

Photo Tip Friday - Using Reflections in Water

Welcome back to Photo Tip Friday! 

Today, I'm going to talk about using water reflections to create interesting photographs.

Here's the first shot. Notice the hint of the buildings in the top of the frame and the actual reflection of them in the water? The spire shone beautifully in the setting sun. And that light made the reflection in the water very distinct. But there were ducks out that evening. I thought they added a little interest to the shot as their wake cut across the spire. 

Here's a fall photo. Notice the towering trees reflected in the water? The leaves form perspective in this shot. And the ripples add interest. Notice I caught the ripples in an area that was mostly blue? It made them stand out more that way. 

The leaves in the foreground add a great pop of color and help your eye figure out what the perspective is since the trees are upside down.

Again, I'm using the surface of the water as a means to show the gorgeous, October blue skies and the colorful foliage of fall in the mountains. 

Here's a picture of nothing but the colors of the sun and sky reflected on the surface of our neighborhood pool.

It definitely has an abstract feel to it. 

You can also use the water to reflect people. Here is a swimmer doing the breast stroke. Although the water behind the swimmer is very turbulent, the water ahead of him shows his reflection very well.  

I framed the shot to get both him and his reflection instead of cutting off the reflection.



In all of these shots, there is a common element besides the water. It's essential in every one of them. Can you see it?  

Study the shots. 

Yes, there's water. But what else? 

Light. Lots of light. 

You can get a silhouette of a reflection when there isn't much light. But to get a complete reflection? You need lots of light. 

So, give it a try. Go find a puddle of water somewhere and see what you can see. 

Which is your favorite shot of these? 

Let me know. And if you have photos for me to look at for you, please leave a comment with a link and I'll be happy to pop by!

Hope this tip helps. 

Keep on clicking. 

Mary

Photo Tip Friday

Part 2: Soft Shadows

Today's tip is about the use of soft shadows in photography to create a "mood" shot.

Last week I talked about the use of strong shadows to create interesting photographs. But you can also use soft shadows to enhance your pictures.

Let's get started.

Here is a head shot of an author and speaker. Notice how the right side of her face is slightly darker than the left side. This fits some of the topics she speaks about. Her life has had many trials and tribulations. While she is beautiful, peaceful and smiling, this shot hints that there is more to her story than first meets your eye.

Here's another head shot with mood in it. Notice how only one side of the face is well lit? This guy looks pretty serious in this photo. 

But look what happens when he is in more uniform light. Well, and makes a crazy face to boot! Same subject, very different feel to the photos.

One more head shot. This is an author. Want to guess her genre? She doesn't write childen's stories or romance. She's a mystery writer. The close up of her wonderfully intense eyes and the shadows playing around her face bespeak mystery.

Finally, here's a nature shot with soft shadows. Last week I used strong shadows with some flowers. In this instance, the soft shadows create a totally different feel. And how did I get soft shadows? I took this picture in late afternoon when the sun was dipping in the sky.

So, you can use shadows to enhance your photography, whether they are strong or soft. Go grab your camera and give it a try. Let me know what your results are.

Hope this tip helps.

Keep on clicking!

Mary

Photo Tip Friday

Today’s photo tips are on doing a photo shoot with people.

While we all love to grab the camera and snap shot here and there, we can learn to use our talents for other people. One way to do this is to do a photo shoot for special occasions like weddings, anniversaries, engagements, births, graduations etc.

Here are some shots of an engagement shoot that I did a few years ago. Next week, I’ll show shots from a more recent shoot. One thing you will notice is a big difference in how the overall shoot turned out. Why? Because each couple is different. As a photographer, you need to learn to clue in to what’s important to them and how to make them feel most comfortable.

So, let’s get started.

I caught a sweet moment between them while they were just sitting on a bench. Notice how Doug’s hand is lovingly holding Patience. This picture speaks of the tenderness in their relationship.

Another mood shot was with the hydrangeas in front and the two of them in the background, just focusing on each other. Their love and tenderness shows through.

Here’s the next one. Notice the little gleam in Patience's eyes? Doug even cracked a smile for me.

 
Then, I took a close up of Patience, focusing on her intense eyes. The black and white makes her stand out.

 
Finally, here’s a fun one of her. Can you see the personality in her hidden grin? We had fun with the pictures.

 
To be honest, getting his picture taken wasn’t a comfortable thing for Doug. But working with him, and making him feel more comfortable yielded some good results.

So, experiment a little with your shoots. Try close-ups, talk to the couple, say funny or off the wall things to make them laugh and have your camera ready!

Hope these tips help.           

Keep on clicking.

Mary

Monday's Musings

I'll let you in on a secret. I'm trying to grow my blog.

Why should this interest you? Because I want your blog to grow, too!

I admit that I've had some help in learning what to do. I have a friend. And her advice is really working. So I would like to introduce you to my friend and Social Media Coach, Edie Melson.

Edie Melson

Edie has a great blog entitled The Write Conversation. She makes sure her info is up to date and useful. She has tips on growing your blog, using social media, tips for writing (which applies whether or not you have a blog), and weekend worship.

I'd love it if you go to her site to check it out. You may learn a thing or two.

I can attest to the fact that I'm following her advise and my blog is growing. But I want to share this wonderful information with you!

Here are a couple of head shots of Edie. She's one of my favorite people to do photo shoots with!

Edie Melson

Go check out her site and let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by! See you on Wordless Wednesday.

Photo Tip Fridays

One Subject – Multiple Shots

Today’s post is about using different perspectives and I have photos of a beautiful horse to illustrate how you can take multiple shots of one subject and keep it interesting.

So, while on a hike, I came across this scene. The rider graciously allowed me to take some photos. As you can see from the first shot, I have taken a vertical picture of the horse. Notice that I haven’t cut the horse off at the knees. I also made sure there was an equal amount “blank space” around the horse and rider. This is a nice overall shot, but watch what happens when I take a horizontal shot.

This shot has a different feel to it. One photo isn’t necessarily better than the other. The horizontal picture does give you a better feel for how big the horse is than the vertical picture.

But let’s move in closer. Here’s a shot of the horse’s head. Notice how different this looks from my first two photos. It’s focusing more on the horse, rather than the horse and rider. And you can see the head covering more clearly.

And let’s move in once more. I focused the shot on the horse’s eye. It captures more of the horse’s personality. Look at those lashes! Again, this photo show cases the subject in a very different way than the first three pictures.

When you come across a scene that catches your eye, explore the subject from different perspectives.

Hope this tip helps.

Keep on clicking.

Mary

Wordless Wednesday

Sunflower on Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

If you are so kind as to leave a comment or link up, I'll be happy to come visit and leave you a comment as well! Happy WW!

Photo Tip Fridays

Today’s tip for taking better photographs is about Perspective.

I noticed some delicate roses running up a wrought iron railing in my neighbor’s yard.  After checking with her, I set about taking pictures of the flowers.

This first shot isn’t really all that special. But it shows what caught my eye. It has soft colors against strong lines and is generally interesting. Well, at least to me.

But there’s no well-defined focal point in this shot.

So, I changed my perspective and walked to the foot of the stairs. That’s when I took this photo. This is closer to what I was trying to capture. Notice the strong black line of the railing that cuts through the photograph. It’s in stark contrast to the soft greens and yellows of the vegetation. And, the sharp right angles of the brick stairs also form a contrast.

Then, I sat down on the stairs and looked through the railing. I used the wrought iron to frame the picture and moved in close on a clump of roses. Again, by changing my perspective, I created a completely different feel to a photo of the same subject.

Finally, I set my camera on the railing and looked back up. This is my favorite shot. I love the lines and softness, juxtaposed next to each other.

The lesson here is that when you see something that catches your fancy, try a different perspective to see how the photographs come out. Some may work and some may not. But push yourself and keep getting better. 

I hope this tip helps. 

Keep on clicking!

Mary

Photo Tip Friday

Friday Photography Tip: Using parallel lines in photos.

A more advanced technique in taking pictures is learning to use parallelism. This photography tip will take your photographs to a new level. It’s not a tool that you would use everyday. But once you start looking for it, you will be pleasantly surprised how it improves some shots.

Wild Turkeys

Here’s a shot of a couple of wild turkeys. The turkeys take a prominent place in the photo. But notice the barbed wire that literally frames the picture? It makes the photo more interesting. And, as in writing, the barbed wire provides a hook for your viewer. Literally and figuratively. Why is there barbed wire in the shot? Where was this taken? A plain shot becomes more interesting.

Lovely Roses

Here’s another shot. Notice how the rose in the front is clear while the rose in the background is blurred. The rose in the background parallels the rose in the foreground even though one is in focus and the other one isn’t.

Icy Flowers

I love this photo for a couple of reasons. One is for the parallelism. The two stalks of the plants are naturally parallel to each other. But I also love the fact that these early spring blossoms are encased in ice. It makes the shot distinct and different than what you expect to see.

You may have to look a little harder to find parallelism in a shot, but when you do, you’ll have a better photograph for it.

If you want me to pop by your site and look at some of you shots, just let me know.

Hope this tip helps.

Keep on clicking.

Mary

Life in the Rear View Mirror