Photo Tip Friday: Tips for Taking Pet Portraits, Part 1

by Mary Denman

Welcome back to photo tip Friday. I'm excited to talk about how to take pet portraits. Next week will be all about action shots with your active pets! 

How do you take pet portraits?

One of the first suggestions I'll make is to get down on their level. Or take the photos when they are elevated to your level. 

Why?

You don't only see your pets from above. You cuddle with them. You hold them. 

So if you get at eye level with them for photos, it's much more intimate. 


Let's look at some other suggestions. 

Photo Tip Friday - Part 2: How to Take Pictures of Waterfalls

by Mary Denman
Twitter: @MaryDenman
Instagram: MaryFDenman

The Reedy River, normal water flow

Welcome back for Part 2 of How to Take Pictures of Waterfalls! In case you missed it, you can read last week's post here. 

(Note: Last week's photos of the falls were taken right after a torrential rainstorm. This week's shots are more typical of the water flow and were shot on a different day.)



We covered the two main options for taking waterfall photos: 
1) Stop the motion with a "fast speed" of film. Use an ISO of 800 or higher.
2) Blur the motion with a longer shutter opening. Use a time of 1/10 of a second or longer. (This second option requires a tripod or solid surface to set your camera on.) 

Photo Tip Friday - Part 1: How to Take Pictures of Waterfalls & Water

by Mary Denman
Twitter: @MaryDenman
Instagram: MaryFDenman

Waterfall by Mary Denman

Today's tip is Part 1 of a 2 Part series to help you understand how to take pictures of waterfalls and water. While you may not have a waterfall that you frequent regularly, it's good to learn what to do so when it's time to take a shot, you're ready and get the photo you want! 




First of all, there are two main ways to take pictures of waterfalls. 
1) Take the photo at a fast enough speed to stop the action of the water. 
2) Take the photo at a long enough exposure to make the water look "milky" and smooth. 

These techniques are very different so I'll teach you both. 

Let's get started.

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