Digital photography basics, photography ideas and photo editing tutorials
When I was starting out as a photographer, a fledgling beginner trying to make some sense of all those buttons, knobs and wheels on my DSLR, I had an interesting discussion with a senior of few years. He asked me, “Do you understand what a histogram is?” And I replied in all my honesty “not really.” What I got as …
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Often, we spend a fortune on lenses that can shoot at extremely wide apertures. They are generally used for the purpose of isolating a subject from its background. Kind of handy when the background is really boring or when you want to create a sense of dimension in your photos. But really do you always shoot at f/1.8 of for …
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Neutral density filters are like sunglasses for your DSLR. They are primarily used for the purpose of balancing the exposure across the frame. They are imperative when you are about to shoot long exposures on bright, sunny days. They are also imperative for capturing creative long exposures in other lighting conditions. You may have seen the ubiquitous silky smooth waterfall …
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One of my favorite photography topics is silhouette photography; partly because it is one of a number of photography pursuits that clearly attempts at breaking the basic rules of photography; which in this case is by placing the subject directly between the principle light source and the photographer. All photography book, tutorials and sessions will start with the basic rules …
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The need to understand white balance comes from the ugly looking yellow, red or green tones that appear on the shots you take, completely giving the picture a different feel to how you saw the scene with your naked eyes. This happens because different types of light have a different ‘temperature’ and that casts different color tone. Ever clicked a …
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Architectures, famous or otherwise, enthrall a certain type of photographers. At one point or the other, however, we have all tried our hands at capturing architecture pictures, especially of famous buildings. In this article I shall be discussing a few tips and pointers on how to capture better architectural photography shots. We will learn about the different lens types that …
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Forts and palaces have been an inseparable part of India’s erstwhile princely states and empires. At different periods of the history of the nation they have been shaped out of sheer rock surfaces, often painstakingly over years and frequently by investing millions of rupees, in order to defend a kingdom or an empire, or to protect a trade / pilgrimage …
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Underwater photography is an exciting genre that has been pursued up until now only by professional photographers. However with the advent of cheaper cameras with underwater photography capability and easy availability of underwater cases plus other accessories it is fast becoming a favorite pursuit of average photographers too. Underwater photography is at the same time challenging, exciting and rewarding, requiring …
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Coming from personal experience a road trip can often change the perspective one has on life, completely altering one’s thought process and offering a fresh view of things. A road trip can mend relations as easily as it can break them, taken with friends it can also remain as a source for a lifetime of memories. Photographing a road trip …
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If there is one single example of architecture that can truly be considered as an icon for India then it has to be the Taj Mahal. Built out of sheer while marble, the building widely considered as the finest example of Mughal-era architecture imbibing Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles, is actually a mausoleum. Every year millions come to experience …
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It is one of those places on the face of Earth that combines breathtaking natural beauty with dangers lurking at the end of every bad decision; the mighty Himalayas takes an awful toll on man and machine, a merciless piece of land created out of nature’s whim, a place desolate, and yet unforgettable. It is for a reason that they …
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There has been a huge amount of interest generated around how to create time lapse videos using a standard DSLR. Many first time DSLR users have been drawn to this particular aspect of using their cameras. The first thing that we need to understand, before we pursue deeper into time lapse videos and on how to create time lapse videos …
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One of the trickiest issues that plague photographers is the absence of light or to make it a tag easier, insufficient light to shoot pictures in. You would ask what the difference is. Well, absence of light means completely dark and I don’t think there is a camera that can shoot pictures in total darkness. Insufficient light on the other …
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Ever since we started taking pictures seriously we have been intimidated with the rules of composition. Rule of thirds, framing, horizon line, leading lines, point of reference etc. Everyone seems to be obsessed with these rules. Is there a way to shoot great photo compositions without having to always adhere by these rules? Yes there are. Like as Ansel Adams …
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George Gordon Byron had once said ‘I can never get people to understand that poetry is the expression of excited passion, and that there is no such thing as a life of passion any more than a continuous earthquake, or an eternal fever.’ For a landscape photographer, nature’s many wonders act as source for that excited passion that ignites the aesthetic …
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In today’s life in the fast lane, we simply don’t have time to wait for something to happen. The good old adage ‘good things sometimes take time’ seems to be fast losing its sanctification. E.g., those of us who have been spoon-fed the rules of photography and the art of precise focusing on a manual camera, it is overwhelming to …
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Tripods are the perfect accessories to keep your camera steady and leveled when shooting still photographs. A sturdy tripod allows you the luxury to use a long shutter speed, without the occupational hazard of camera shake. It also allows you to shoot waterfalls, sunsets, fireworks and other artistic photos using a deep Depth of Field. It allows you to focus …
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You may have often come across the term model release form. If you’re a budding professional photographer, this term is more relevant for you. This is because professional photographers, especially those who shoot portraits and street photography for commercial purposes, need to know the legal aspects of using such pictures without the specific and signed consent of the people featuring …
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Fast action photos are very exciting to watch. They tend to give off a sense of motion, urgency and speed, which when photographed carefully can, to a large extent, transgress the boundaries of a two dimensional photo and capture the imagination of the viewer. Panning to follow subjects in fast action photos One of the best ways to shoot fast action photos …
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Flower photography is a highly satisfying photography pursuit, rewarding to both the eyes and to the aesthetic mind that appreciates the natural beauty all around us. Choosing the right time & light Harsh light of the sun always casts an unnatural color tone and suppresses details. Soft light like the one during an overcast day are perfect as the conditions create …
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Your first DSLR camera speaks a lot about the kind of photographer you are. The camera body, its weight, features and build quality everything crystallizes to form an opinion about your photography style, your seriousness in pursuing it as a vocation and your bank balance. There is no single important tip when you choose DSLR camera. You will need to …
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Depth of Field (DOF) is the extent of the picture which is acceptably sharp. DOF is an important consideration in any type of photography and is creatively used to add depth, sense of dimension and perspective to the pictures. A number of parameters influence the extent of the DOF or sharpness in the image. In this article we shall be …
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The simple looking shooting mode dial sitting on the top panel of your DSLR can open a world of photographic possibilities for you, that is, if you have the courage to turn the dial and explore what’s in store. One of those possibilities is definitely capturing long exposure photos which are shot using a longer than usual shutter speed, usually …
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Street photography is often considered as a discreet art. To put it in simple words, it is an attempt to capture an evolving world around us, through our lenses, while staying completely out of sight. Street pictures are usually captured at a moment’s notice and require patience, intuition, an eye for the ‘moment’, and familiarity with the equipment in hand. …
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