Life In A Snapshot

Summer is almost over so it’s not the perfect time to go to the beach because anytime of the day it might rain. But who cares if you wanna go to the beach this time? Beach is one of my fave places to go and it is where I can take tons of photos. I just love clicking the shutter button when I am at the beach under a cloudless sky and a crystal clear blue water of the beach. Sometimes it is frustrating though that some photos don’t turn out well so here are some tips for a perfect beach photographs:

1. Look for focal points
2. Timing is important
3. Watch the horizon
4. Head to the beach when others avoid it
5. Exposure bracketing
6. Spot metering
7. Fill flash
8. UV filters
9. Polarizing filters
10. Black and white

source: http://www.digitalphotography.com

Flowers are one of my favorite subjects but I sometimes end up frustrated with my photos. Here’s 8 ways I find helpful in shooting flowers and will definitely bear those in mind the next time I go out and shoot flowers.

Eight Tips for Photographing Flowers:

1. Use a Tripod
2. Wait for an overcast or cloudy sky
3. Position your camera’s sensor so it’s parallel to the most important plane of the flower
4. Use shutter speed of 1/200 or faster
5. Find a good flower with a good background
6. Find a flower that’s good in shape
7. Use a telephoto lens with a minimum focusing distance
8. Use the RGB histogram to check exposure – not the LCD

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It isn’t that easy taking a family portrait especially if the family is big or the location is crowded but here are some things to keep in mind when creating family portraits:

1. Think in “mini-groups”. A family portrait is simply multiple “mini groups” within one large group. Use groups of two’s and three’s to compose your family shot.
2. Remember “levels”. One of the most important elements of a group shot is to vary the levels of your subjects. Placing some faces higher than others will allow you to make the shot more intimate in spacing.
3. Consider “color”. While color coordination is by no means necessary for group shots, it can help the overall flow. Have your subjects go by types of color, such as “vibrant”, “bold”, “pastels”, etc.
4. Watching even lighting, but don’t stress about it. So long as all the eyes are visible, and faces are lit relatively the same, your good to go.
5. Pick shade: As the sun doesn’t set until late in the evening, you’ll have to wait for good sidelight until about 5 pm. If your stuck shooting before this time, find awnings, the shaded back side of buildings, or tree cover to diffuse the harsh sunlight.
6. Move quickly: It’s very helpful to try story-boarding your group shots ahead of time according to the number of people you have. The more people you have in a shot, the less time you have to create it. Story-boarding is more about knowing what you want, than it is about formal posing.
7. Be fun and spontaneous! Plan to take shots of the families walking, striking a dance pose, linking arms, or jumping in the air. These shots capture genuine expressions among the entire group and help to keep your subjects happy and interested.
8. Background work: The larger the party, the less control you have with eliminating your background. Simplify as much as you can by changing the angle you take your shot. Taking the shot from the ground or directly down on your subjects may eliminate enough background to feature the group without distraction.

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