5 Digital Photography Tips That Can Make A Difference

5-tips-blog

Digital Photography - A Bit of History

A long time ago in a land far far away there was no such thing as digital photography but only film photography.  But would you believe the first digital camera came about in the late 1950s?

Yes, it was actually during the Cold War that politicians on both sides realized we needed a camera attached to our satellites so we could spy on the enemy. Very clever, right? Well, the problem was who could develop the film while in space to send the photos back down to Earth without the satellites having to come back down? So you can see how digital photography came into play. They found that they could record photographs and signal it back to Earth where they could decode it into an image to be viewed.

The concept in having digital photography here on Earth began in 1973 with engineer Steve Sasson, who worked for Eastman Kodak, used a CCD to produce a digital image. Although he could produce a digital image on tape, it was not invented for film yet and therefore was not ready for the consumer market until much later.

Realist artist Melissa SchatzmannMy Love/Hate Relationship with Digital Photography

When I first began taking photography classes during my college days the ideas of 'digital photography' were never talked about.

As amateur photographers we had to carefully select which photos we would develop whether it be black and white or coloured film processing. It could get expensive!

I do have to admit that I really loved the old 35mm film cameras because I liked having tangible pictures to look at and share with my family and friends. Sure, you might add that I can print my digital photos too so I can share them... but I don't. I think because I take so many photos now with my digital camera that I don't take the time out to carefully select each image I want to print. Besides that, I think if I did, I would be over populated with photos in my house!

Would you believe I haven't printed out any pictures to put in an album since my son was 3 years old (he is 9 now). And while I do share a lot of my photos on social media or via email, those images seem to get tucked away amongst the thousands of other digital photos I have taken over the years either on backup hard drives or SD cards. I feel as we move forward in technology too, I am forever having to keep up with the next best thing in backing up and storing my digital images.

In contrast, however, I LOVE digital photography.  I love being able to take numerous photos of one subject without worrying about film costs.

I love how  I can crop, colour correct or sharpen an image.

I love how I can view my photo just as soon as I take it.

I love how I can take a photo on my cell phone and email it at a drop of a hat to show everyone.

I love being able to combine many photos into one in order use it as a photo reference for one of my drawings.

So there you have it! My love/hate relationship with digital photography. <SIGH> As anything in life there are the advantages and disadvantages to everything...EXCEPT chocolate...and don't tell me there are any...I am believer! 😉

 

Over the past 25 years of being a photographer (more serious in the past 10 years of those), I have learned many tips about taking professional photos especially when using them as references in my drawings or paintings.

So these are my top 5 digital photography tips I recommend.

 

Tip #1  - Move It From The Middle

Giraffe photo - Toronto Metro ZooPerhaps you have heard of the photographer's 'rule of thirds', having your subject off to one side can create a more balanced and eye-pleasing photo.  You will see in the photo samples below that my subject is always looking into the larger space. It wouldn't look right if my subject was cropped closer on the side they were looking into. As for the giraffe photo to the left, the way it is arching from the right allows me to create a more interesting composition. Having the subject directly in the middle would look too static with your eyes not going anywhere else.  You want to draw your eye into the image. You can't help but to see the entire photo instead of just the subject.  Remember that a background can play a huge role too even if it may be blurred out.

It has always been our instinct to capture our subject as being in the middle because it is the main subject that we tend to focus on....thus, we center it within the frame.  This is where composition comes into play as we need to strategically become aware of the subject's surroundings in creating a more eye-pleasing photo.

And of course, there are rules to be broken. If you find that the subject(s) you are taking looks better in the middle then do it.

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When to break the rule

You will see in the photo below how I centred my subject in the middle.  This is okay for this composition since I have created the offset of the pumpkin and the leaves. If, however, I had the baby just plunked in the center with nothing around him, it would have created a very boring and static photo.

Kaden - Hallowe'en photo image

 

Tip #2 - Notice the Background

kaden - sheldon - fountain

As I mentioned above, a backgroun can create just as much interest as the subject does. In the photo to the left, these are my two sons, Kaden & Sheldon. While my older son quickly scooped up his younger brother and took him into the fountain, you wouldn't get the whole story if I were to center it and leave out the sprays of the fountain spurting up from the left.

The bottom left image was taken in Niagara Falls, U.S.A. You can see that I also wanted to capture the bright spotlights coming across from the Canadian side of the falls with it's brightly lit high-rise buildings. The water going over the falls at night with the mist and lights in the background created a nice and balanced photo that is pleasing to the eye.

The cheetah photo on the bottom right is an interesting shot. I liked how the cheetah was almost the same shades of fall colours and with the black spots it created an interesting focal point amongst the yellow and black colours of the trees behind it. You can't help but to look at the background and then back to the Cheetah.

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Tip #3 - Get closer and notice the detail

butterfly close-up - digital photographyI love getting closer to my subjects and will use my zoom lens more than any other lens.

Butterflies are small, so to be able to capture the beauty of the details you need to get up close. Having a macro lens or zoom lens is the best way to capture butterflies. You don't want to be too close physically or you would scare them away.  This is what I would call an in-action shot. You will need to be patient especially if you want to capture them in flight.

Flowers are always a best subject of mine. Too many people tend to take photos of flowers being in the middle or coming from the top of them. Try being more creative. You will see that I have allowed some space at the top of my flower so it doesn't appear cut-off. Never take a shot of flowers with a flash. You will be able to capture the beauty of the colours and shadows of a flower by using natural sunlight.

The tiger on the bottom right was captured with my 300mm zoom lens at the Toronto Zoo.  I love zooming in and cutting off my frame when capturing certain subjects. If you are unable to get in closer with using a zoom lens you can zoom in later and crop in a photo software program. You will be amazed at the difference when you crop out everything around the subject.

Rose - photography Tiger - Toronto Zoo

Tip #4 - Be aware of your lighting conditions

kadenThis is a big one that most professional photographers will mention in their photo tips.  While the 'best' time to take natural light shots is the hour immediately after sunrise and the hour before sunset, you can use natural light between those hours if done properly.  Having the sun too bright can cause strong shadows, eye squinting or drowned out images.

This shot of my son, Kaden, was taken under some trees which created a nice muted light over him.

So while you can use natural light (outside or near brightly lit windows), using your flash can also have its advantages.

The cat photo below was taken with a flash. While she was laying by a large patio window, her face was being shadowed over. You can see how strong and bright the sun was on her back which I still wanted to capture.

The photo of the sleeping lion was an interesting one. There were a lot of shadowed trees casting over him that created the perfect shadows. I quickly closed in on the lion with my zoom lens and snapped away before he heard me and woke up!

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Tip #5 -  Be patient/be quick for the right moment

SwanThere have been so many times that I have waited and waited so I could capture that right moment and of course, there have been times that I have had to be very quick at taking the shot so I wouldn't miss it.

The swan photo to the left was taken at Presquile Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. While I  waited for the perfect moment I also had to be aware of the male swan who was closely watching me too! You will see that while the mother swan is off centred, the entire image is within a centred shot.  Aren't those Cygnets so cute?

The photo of the seagull was captured in flight which took a lot of patience for me. You can also see that I didn't want to crop it too close and to be able to include the some of the blue sky and fluffy clouds.

The photo at the bottom right was taken at Niagara Falls, Canada. You can see that I did not take this photo with a flash and allowed the effects of the lighting and my camera to create more of a silhouette with the falls in the background.  I was able to capture too, the glimpse of the rainbow running centered between father and son.

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