Get Closer to Your Subject

Almost any shot will look better if you take two or three steps closer to your subject. Filling the frame entirely with your subject will make a terrific difference to your photos.

Alternatively, instead of moving closer, use the Optical Zoom of your camera to get a close up shot. Don't use your Digital Zoom as it will degrade your image quality.

When taking shots of family and friends, most people place the subject's full body in the frame, or place head and arms in the shot. Instead, fill the frame with your subject's FACE only - particularly if they are smiling or are in a moment of reflection.

Why does this work? With less clutter in the image, there's less to draw the eye away from the main subject of your photo. Also, human faces (particularly children's faces) are something we all feel pleasure looking at.

If you can't get close enough when you're taking the shot, you can zoom in later using photo editing software - crop out everything except the subject's face and see what a difference it makes.

When using the viewfinder for close shots, be careful of Parallax. Because the viewfinder is not at the same position as the camera's lens, centering the subject in the viewfinder may mean it is not centered for the lens resulting in an off-center final picture. Most digital cameras now come with an inbuilt LCD screen. You can eliminate this problem by using the LCD - which shows you what the lens sees - rather than the viewfinder.

Nature Photography - Experimenting with Nature

Nature photography is one of the best ways to create an appreciation of nature, whether that nature photography is flowers, landscapes or animals.

Nature photography can be one of the most rewarding - and one of the most frustrating - types of photography. Wind can cause blur, not only with too much motion in the flora, but also making it difficult to depress the shutter smoothly. (If background is unimportant in your nature photography, consider a light tent to reduce wind and to block out background.) Sunlight also can cause problems in nature photography with too much exposure. Experiment to find what works best with what you want to accomplish through nature photography.

One thing that you'll want to be able to do with nature photography is to take close-ups of flora. Make sure to have a zoom or macro lens. A tripod is helpful to stabilize the camera in nature photography. Tripods that have a rotating central shaft allow you to get in closer.

Experiment with angles in nature photography. The most common angle in nature photography is looking down from the top. This has the advantage of being able to photograph flowers that are very close to the ground. Try eye level or photographing upwards for an interesting and unique shot.

Try differing backgrounds in your nature photography. If you have nothing in the background, context is hard to determine. Too much in the background, though, will detract from the main focus of your nature photography. However, by zooming in closer, the background will become softer. Your main focus, then, will stand out in sharp relief.

Another way to experiment with nature photography is with camera position. Most photographs are horizontal. See what kind of self-expression you come up with by simply rotating the camera 90 degrees.

With practice nature photography can become second nature.

10 Tips For Better Photography

Once the purchase of a digital camera is made, the beginning steps have begun as a professional photographer. Correctly handling the camera is a great tool to begin learning. The images it sends out are pretty close to perfect, but it takes a little while to get to that point. Understanding how it runs, what steps need to be learned, how to shoot indoor and outdoor pictures, or just limiting ourselves to a point-and-click style of photography are all part of knowing what to do. To not understand any of this is doing great injustice to the camera, which is made for better use. To avoid not learning, or simply not knowing, how to take a picture - we need to follow ten top shooting tips.

1. Too many novice or amateur photographers rely entirely on photo-editing tools to digitally enhance the photograph. Do not depend on this - in the back of the mind will always be the thought, "if it does not turn out, I can always fix it with software". The pleasure of photography should begin with the way the picture is shot, along with its emotional connection, not the result of the digital manipulation with a half-done picture. There is nothing the matter with the photo-editing tools, only what we do with them to make our photos look good.

2. Underexposure lacks color quality, so it really should be avoided. What happens is the sensors fail to read the colors that form the image. However, if given a choice, several photographers choose underexposing above overexposure. This is because even if underexposed, the details of the photograph are still recorded. In addition, it can still go into an editing program over overexposed photographs.

3. Digital cameras use millions of assorted pixels to produce the final image, with each sensor designed to capture a certain tonal range. When we do not allow full light to fall on the sensor, we are doing a great injustice to the image. Most of the pixels are unable to capture the tonal range in their full sweep and brightness, which ends up lowering the picture quality. The choice of sensor size is equivalent to choosing between assortments of formats - 35mm, medium and large format cameras. There are many different sensor size options regarding depth of field, image noise, diffraction, cost and size/weight.

4. When focusing on a subject, there are three factors which affect the depth of field: focal length of the lens; distance from the camera to the subject; and the size of the aperture or setting of the f-stop. You must focus on the subject, and not on people or objects around the subject. The subject at a greater distance will have greater depth of field than one that is close-up. This will reduce the noise level in your photographs. Also, less worry needs to be given to being out of focus, bringing in clarity and sharpness to the image.

5. When a picture is overexposed, too much detail is too high in tonal range. Just as under exposure makes a picture dark and toneless, over exposure makes colors too rich giving the picture an artificial hue - causing highlight to lose their detail. Over exposures also blanks out light and dark effects, along with the tones that give an image a natural look causing everything to look gray with less saturation.

6. Exposure warning lights have a purpose - with the word "warning." We must learn to look and respect under exposure warning lights just like a red flashing light at an intersection. These are especially good for beginners who can change the exposure until the blinking areas disappear. Later, the user can start using their own insights in deciding the exposure levels.

7. The camera can take a great picture, but we as the photographer prepare before then. The best photographs are those whose parameters are decided by the human mind. No amount of automation can change this fact. We, too, should gradually move away from automated functions and start making our own combinations when it comes to exposure, color, noise etc. Only then will we find gradual, but unmistaken, improvement in the quality of photographs taken.

8. Thinking of the composition should be the focus before clicking the button. Composition is the art of focusing on the subject using frames, movement, lights etc. We can learn composition techniques either from a senior photographer or from a book. Then we should start practicing them with new techniques. We will find an automatic improvement in the quality of our photographs.

9. To constantly improve one's photography skills, take as many different pictures as you can - all the time. Take enough pictures that you can tell how they will turn through experience, fixing them in advance.

10. The last one tip is to think ahead, think what you want to shoot, think how it is to be shot, think about its exposure, color, noise - all about visualization. We must learn to critically examine each image that we shoot as if it were our last. Try and find out the weaknesses of the photograph. Shoot again to remove the weaknesses - until we are completely satisfied.

All The Secrets To Art Photography

Art photography is a recently new form of art that has just started to become incredibly popular over the last couple of years as the advancements in digital photography has jumped a level or two. So what is art photography? Basically it's just a form of picture taking that is rendered in a certain way to reflect something 'arty' and that also has some kind of hidden meaning behind it that makes it more special than just a normal everyday photograph.

Many people refer art photography to pictorialism, which then intern means the method of constructing a picture keeping in mind that the picture take must be a form of art or can be turned into a art piece later using computer related technology. In fact this method of taking photos ceased to exist for quite sometime when important artists came to believe that more emphasis was being placed on design rather than on the picture.

With digital work, art photography is becoming more prevalent nowadays and, with the help of a computer, certain effects can be deliberately achieved so photographs can be made to look like an oil painting or as pastel, but this is governed mainly by the expertise of the photographer's own abilities.

Buying art photography at a gallery is relatively a simple task and with the advent of online art photography galleries, buyers can locate photographs that best suit their individual desires and tastes without the need of commuting or attending art exhibitions. Art photography is basically art that is creative, more so when it is visually aesthetic and is mostly appreciated for a having lots of imaginative and intellectual content.

There are two types of cameras that a photographer chooses to use, manual and automatic. The photos are processed by hand and only experienced printers have the ability to make sure the photo is not damaged and comes out perfect in the end.

Many photographers choose to take black and white photos for their art photography as they believe that they can play on more emotions that have the ability to affect the human psyche in a more effective manner. However those photographers who tend to use more color in their photos believe the opposite is true that in fact color has the ability to create more emotions and inevitably stir more senses in the brain that black and white could ever achieve. If you are starting out in the world of art photography than it's best to implement both(perhaps in the same photos if possible)

Some Of The Reasons Why You Should Start a Photo Blog Now

Web logs or blogs have quickly become one of the most common forms of self expression. They allow people to post their thoughts on the Internet, to be viewed by the world at large. Usually they are done in text, but now technology has opened a whole new generation of blogs, known as photo blogs.

Remember the old expression, "a picture speaks a thousand words"? Photo blogging is the embodiment of this concept. Instead of people voicing the stories that they want to share by writing them out, they do so using photographs. These pictures can often convey sentiments that are hard to express in words and invoke the emotions of those who view them. Not all of them are dramatic portraits that required years of skill to take. They can be as simple as a mother smiling with tears in her eyes, as she holds a new baby in her arms. A picture like this sends a lot of messages, from the appreciation of new life, to the huge responsibilities that parents hold, as symbolized by the child in the mother's arms.

Many photo bloggers are expert photographers and share their art with the world through their blogs. Many of these photographers have received acclaim for their skills and have been recognized as the true artists that they are. They post pictures that they have taken all over the world, from serene mountain scenes, to violent confrontations. All of their pictures convey certain messages by the images that they contain.

Amateur photographers also use photo blogging as a way to establish themselves as artists. They may not be able to travel the world over to obtain their pictures, but can still take them locally to convey their messages. A picture taken of children at play in a schoolyard can carry invoke all kinds of emotions if taken at the right angle and with varying light. Even a picture as simple as a person deep in thought while walking a dog can convey the message of a how an animal can be happy while attached to a leash, while also showing how humans can suffer although they are free to do what they want.

Photo blogging has become so popular that forums have been created for them. Here people can talk about blogging, get advice on techniques or share their pictures. So much for the old photo albums that you used to pull out when you had a visitor. Now you can share all of your favorite photographs with the millions of people that surf the web just to view them.

If you love to take pictures and are proud of your work, consider starting a photo blog. It may be the most rewarding way for you to enjoy your hobby and display your craft.

4 Simple Tips To Taking Great Pictures

Are you interested in developing your photography skills and becoming an expert at photo shooting? You may be just starting out or just bought a digital camera. After snapping up numerous photos, you are beginning to wonder why your pictures do not look that great after all.

When you look into a picture that pleases the eye, can you detect the subtlety that makes it appealing? We all know a well taken photo when we see one. Here are some tips that you can use. These tips apply to both digital and traditional cameras.

Here are four tips for a better picture.

1. Get a little closer, do not be shy. One of the biggest mistakes most beginning photographers make is shooting from so far away. They leave too much distance between themselves and their subjects. Instead, get up close and personal. Fill up as much of the camera frame, with your subject, as you can. You can always reshape, trim, and resize a good quality shot. But you cannot continue to blow up a distant subject and hope that it will come into focus. It just won't happen.

2. Focus your shot on only one subject. Determine what the main subject of the photo will be, and catch that image. Try and find the one key subject, person, or event that accurately portrays the feeling you are trying to capture.

3. In addition to getting one subject, in your photos, you will want to make the background of the photo as simple as possible. Busy, distracting backgrounds pull the attention away from the central theme of your photo. The subject of your photo is absolutely the most important element, and anything that detracts from the subject can ruin your shot.

4. Subject placement. Most people place the subject at the exact center of the frame. There is nothing wrong with this. However this often leads to a bland and uninteresting picture. You may use a method called the rule of thirds. Imagine having a camera lens split into 9 equal sized boxes, 3 across and 3 down (like having a tic tac toe game printed right on your camera lens). Where those "tic tac toe" lines cross, should become the focusing point of your subject, when you are arranging to take your photo.

Based on this tip, every time you compose a shot, the main subject of your photo should be located primarily on one of these "third" lines.

These are just four very fundamental tips and strategies to help improve your photos. Photography skills can always be improved and is never ending. You have to keep on practicing and shooting in order to improve your photography skills. Get a critic and show them your pictures. Then you will able to improve your skills. You can even post your photos to online forums for them to rate your pictures. Take advantage of these and hopefully you will become the next award winning photographer.

Drained

I tried my best to conquer, I tried my best to win
I thought my mind was powerful, seems its just oblivion

I'm sorry for the burdens I have laid on you
I tried my best to see that our love would be true

I had my friends and loved ones once upon a time
I risked my own sweet life just so you'd be mine

I have my reasons for being with you
I wish I could explain it, I'll try to prove it soon

I used to be so mighty, I used to be so great
but of course when you came around I lost my

ruling place. You will not admit it, as you shut me
up, You are my true copy such mimicking luck

The stars had crossed our paths yours upon mine
or perhaps it was something greater, you'll know

in your own time. And as I lie here weakened by
your words the Almighty in me will repeat itself

before I turn into one of your works, You always
tell me you're the best as you brag and gloat

I see my strength being drained, as a zombie I
will mope. Like for everyone else, I am your true

source, You rely on me, although I'm dumb and weak
I shall show you someday, I will make you see. And

when I do recover, and be the great one I truly am
I will love you forever and ever till the end.

Sugar In The Sea

And they too were lifted up
As the promise always said
And the labels that belonged
Are laid to rest and gone
And what happened in the glistening
Was the gentle sweet relief
Now brilliant tiny stars
On the gentle midnight reef
And thoughts and remembrances
Like fire all a glow
Now imprints for our hearts to hold
Of them that had to go
No solitude or singleness
No searching for the calm
No tears and labors emptiness
No hatred to disarm
Desire and all restlessness
Now sugar in the sea
And so, my friend, we wait behind
Till we can be so free

Life's Little Moments

The tiny grip of an infant's hand,

The smile on their face the first time they stand.

The joy on your face for the first laugh they make,

The pride you feel for the wobbly steps they take.

The first tear they shed over a skinned-up knee,

For all the things your there to see.

The happiness a smile can bring,

When a bedtime story is a necessary thing.

And when their teens and yell at anything you do,

Your grateful for the occasional I love you.

The joyful day she walks down the isle,

And all you can do is stand there and smile.

Now your little girl is a mother too,

And finally understands what you went through.

The cycle continues, never ending,

And you played your part with love and understanding.

Living yestersdays past

Look at how the years go by so fast.
Time sneaks by wearing youth’s mask.
Seems like just yesterday I was a boy,
with dreams and schemes I knew would last.
Funny how dreams fade,
when into life’s sea they are cast,
and a boy with golden tomorrows
is soon a man living yesterdays past.

So many faces in and out of my life.
How quickly they come and they go.
Someone who once so close to me,
is now a stranger I don't even know.
An endless sea of faces, of lover, friend and foe.
Who upon you leave scars and traces
in ways only you can know.

So my life carries on.
The plot grows weary, the play much too long.
Tasting the tears of wasted years a life gone wrong.
Living in a world of concrete and steel,
people devoid of emotion who can no longer feel.
Life carries on, even after the dream has gone.
Until the soul meets the vision
of the dreams gone so wrong.

If I cried a tear

If I cried a tear from my broken heart,
a lonely tear for a world fallen apart.
Would you ease my pain and my misery,
would you care and comfort me ?

If I cried atear of painful sorrow, If
I lost all hope for a new tomorrow.
Would you dry my tear's and ease my pain,
Would you make me smile once again ?

If I cried a tear from within my soul,
The flame turned dark and icy cold.
Would you relight the embers deep inside,
would you dry the tear I have cried ?

If I cried a tear full of pain & misery,
A tear so dark like the flame inside of me.
would you chase away the gray clouds & the rain,
would you bring back my beautiful rainbows again?

If I cried a tear of nothing...
it just ran down my face.
A tear longing for a warm, gentle embrace.
would you be there in my time of need,would you...
I beg?
I plead?

Journey of Addiction

The hours pass quickly until days turn into months and months become years,
Until there is too much wasted time and too many things that haven't been said.
The silence speaks volumes
As memories flicker ever so briefly-
slowly fading into a past that I can hardly remember.
Pictures become ancient-
from a time that no longer exists and perhaps never did.
Stories sound fictitious-
as if from a childhood someone else experienced.
The truth shouts bitterly in the back of my head-
as venom rolls heartily in the pit of my stomach.
The past is no more-
joy will not travel from that path again.
The divergent road has rounded the bend
far from sight-
to a dark destination.
I fear your journey has taken you deeper into the wooded trail-
beyond the chance of a safe return.
I call out to you-
but the noise is so loud that you can not hear-
the crowd so thick you do not care.
My time is done-
I must move on alone
Leaving you to thrive on empty promises and smoke screened dreams.
Your present and future are becoming your past-
I long for you to find your way home
Where you are honored, protected and loved as you once have been before.
Safe, unharmed and unafraid of your fate.
The seconds pass slowly
until minutes turn into hours
and hours become your lifetime.
Until there is no more
and it is too late to recover that which has been lost.

Take A Look Around

Take a look around you
Is it everything you dreamed?
Is it what you always wanted?
Is is even what you need?

Look at your life and how you live it
Did it turn out as you liked?
Or are you a perfect stranger
Living someone else's life?

Do you see yourself as others do?
Or do you look inside?
Cause if you go by looks alone
Shallowness may be your only guide

Next time you look into the mirror
Look past everything you see
Look deep inside at who you are
And who you want to be

Shadows Of The Past

Shadows of the past fall behind me

Tossed aside on the road less traveled

Before me is the path to my future

Footsteps line my dreams unraveled

In the distance I see what I have lost

Growing darker with the fading sun

The moon calls the stars to join him

For every new light, one wish undone

Past the sky I look toward the heavens

To God this one question I ask

If what I wanted is no longer possible

My future will you please unmask

This is something that I can not answer

It can only be answered inside of you

Past choices will effect your journey

And the pain you put someone else through

Don't give up, stay strong and have faith

Your purpose I'll promise you'll find

The key is to let go of yesterday

Look forward and never behind

I keep walking, careful not to turn

As the sun once again starts to rise

Unclear of tomorrow or the future

But with a faith that is newly energized...

Changing Scenes In My Life

It seems like just last night I had all these friends

From childhood to my teens
Playing tag and ghost in the grave yard

sharing deep moments and sneaking out
Buying toys to real brass

I grew up around things you might never have witnessed
But these things are the things that taught me right from wrong

It shows people who I am and who I will always be
From family to strangers

All these people have taught me from their mistakes

From his hope to his anger
All I know is that through all these tough years

I had an angel near my side
But I want that angel to take their sides

So that through the rest of their lives
They will both have a happy and safe ride

Till it's time for us to say goodbye
From birth to death

From hurt to hate
No matter how hard it is

It's never to late...

Life Paints A Picture

Everyone's life is a picture,
Painted by only one person,

Life itself.
The picture shows everything you're doing,

And everything you have done.
But sometimes, Life gets tired.

And doesn't want to paint a picture.
So, Life sends problems to stop you,

If you give up, your picture is finished.
If you keep going, so does your picture.

So the question is:
How soon do you want to see your picture?

Do you want to see it now?
When it could be so much more?

Or later, when there's so much more than before?
It's your choice,

I'll keep going.

The Faces of Fire

The fire sprints across the plain,

it's breath destroying

all in it's path.

Destructive.

It's red tongue

laps up the brush,

leaving behind only ashes.

Yet miles away,

the fire sits calmly

warming

a cold family's hands.

It is their solace

for all the pain.

The fire burns

in the family's hearts,

angered by their loss.

It dances and leaps,

yet in the end,

always dies.

Which Path Too Take?

I walked through the woods,

and stopped at the two paths in the forest.

Which one should I take?

The path to the right or the path to the left.

I knew I wasn't dammed,

so I asked my God to lead me through

and I choose the one with the most light on the path.

Which was the path to the right and

I set forth on my journey.

I realized the scenery of beauty and calmness,

trees were swaying in the wind.

Birds were singing their fine songs of happiness.

I then walked further and noticed a coyote killing a bird.

I then thought how nature could be cruel at times to survive.

I turned away to realize,

I think God wanted me to know life is beautiful.

But sometimes we suffer or die of cruelty in this world

in order for someone else to survive!

Remember When...

Remember when we were so in LOVE?
I do, because you were the one I could trust.

Remember when you would hold me tight?
I do, I didn't want you to let go I wanted it to last all night.

Remember when we use to argue about the stupidest things?
I do, because when you got mad it was the cutest thing!

Remember when our love was so strong?
I do, because i thought nothing could go wrong.

Remember when you said you loved me?
I do, I had a great feeling come to me.

Remember when you said you wouldn't lie?
I do, because when i found out all i did was cry.

Remember when you broke my heart?
I do, because you tore my world apart

Remember when you said if we break-up we can still be friends?
I tried but you thought i wanted you back so we had to end.

I took you for granted, I thought I had you,
But I didn't instead I ended up loosing you.

You treated me wrong after we broke-up,
How could you?, all i ever wanted to do was make up.

This is the last time you'll hear from me,
Well, unless you be a man and apologize so we can agree.

Life's too short we live what we can,
Just remember call me if you need a hand.

I'm lost without you

At first we loved, but not again.

We met at the mall,

and we talked ever since.

We stood starring at each other,

I wondered the time, we'd

Stand together. Holding hands

as we walk down the street,

I wondered when our lips

Would meet.

My heart is broken, u seem

to ignore, The pain I

have, when u left me sore.

Our love was strong In which now your

heart is blind to see, now I feel

that your love has forgotten

completely about me.

Well all in all I'm heartbroken

Without u by my side,

I wish we could love each

other like we did that one time.

The Game Of Love

What we thought was love and happiness?
Is now gone all that's left is to move on.

Say goodbye and walk away.
Take your wounded pride put it aside.

The game of love you have lost.
Your broken heart is the cost.
Count your blessings and pray.

maybe You will win at the game of love one day.
Just learn when to walk away.

Your strong enough to say good bye.

Don't hold back it's okay to cry love hurts sometimes...