Filed under e-books, Landscape Photography by photography on March 25, 2011 at 3:47 am
no comments
The Landscape Photography Guide
Have you ever wondered how professional landscape photographers manage to get those stunning photos with beautiful and vibrant colours, smooth and silky water and those incredible compositions?
Don’t look any further. In this ebook I will reveal all the tricks of the pros which will allow you to take your landscape photography to the next level. This step by step guide will start with the basics and finish off with detailed tricks, the professionals use to create their powerful compositions.
* Find out what lansdscape photography is all about
* The basics of photography and why they are so important
* How ISO Speed, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Focal Length and Depth of Field correlate.
* How to use Hyperfocal Distance in order to gain maximum image sharpness
* The importance of filters for your camera and which ones you cannot live without
* How and when to use Graduated, Polarizing, Neutral Density and UltraViolet filters
* The best times to take landscape photos
* Usage of Histogram, blinkies and exposing to the right
* Tips especially for those using digital cameras
* Cropped or full frame sensors?
* How to take panoramic photos
* Find out how to interpret satellite images, weather forecast and swell info
* Safety considerations of your camera gear and yourself
* Using RAW vs JPG files
* How light controls everything
* Advanced compositions to create jawdropping images
* Check-list for your camera
* How to capture water for seascape and waterfall shots
* Shooting for post-processing
* Complete guide to blending images
* How to create natural looking HDR Photographs
* List of valuable ressources on the internet that help you prepared for your shoot
Plus more than a dozen special tips & tricks which will help you produce award-winning images.
About The Author
As a completely self-taught photographer, I spent the early days with an old film camera of my dads’ Soon I realized that it did not fulfil my visions on a technical level anymore. It was then that I made the leap into the professional photography world. At that time I also started my personal photography website kajophotography.com.
My first professional camera was the Fujifilm S5 PRO and I have now moved on to a Nikon D300 and a Nikon D700 as of late. I have won numerous awards and my work has been exhibited in various photography magazines around Australia and in the United States, in an exhibition of the Australian Centre for Photography, in the NSW Parliament House and I have been accepted as a member in the famous Australian Institute of Professional Photography. I had the honour to shoot at the side of Moose Peterson, Laurie Excell, Michael Reichman, Jean Paul Caponigro, Stephen Johnson and other famous American photographers – many of them highly decorated and considered to be America’s most important landscape photographers.
My passion belongs to landscape photography, particularly long exposures, as I love the possibility to record time. Something us humans can not do by ourselves.

Filed under Tips by photography on April 2, 2010 at 1:08 am
no comments
I could waffle on about a whole heap of things here however I will get straight to the most important thing for any photo.
1. Focus
Of all the things to get right this is the most important. Unless you are going for a special effect, photos that are out of focus are hard to look at and generally disappointing.
When we look at photos our eyes are automatically drawn towards people and bright colours; with faces our eyes are automatically drawn towards the eyes. The trick with photos of people is to make sure that the face, or more importantly the eyes, are in focus.
Because of this, most of the major manufacturers are including facial recognition software in their digital cameras – if you have one of these cameras then fantastic. For most of us we would turn this feature on and leave it on.
If you don’t have this feature or you are not taking picture of faces then the following is pretty important;
A lot of cameras will give you and option for how the Auto Focus works – from just using the centre of the picture to measuring even points across the screen. Take a little time to read the instruction manual about these features.
Generally in a compact camera the most important part of the screen for focus is the centre of the screen. When you point the camera at an object and press the shutter button (the one you use to take the picture) halfway down this puts the camera into auto focus mode. If the auto focus gets it’s readings from the centre of the screen then whatever is in the centre will be in focus.
Generally once the camera has found focus it will hold that focus until you press the button fully down to take the picture.
This is why when you take a photo of someone who is moving they might be in focus when you go to take the shot, but out of focus when the photo is actually taken.
To use this feature to your advantage put the main subject or person in the centre of the screen. Hold down the shutter button half way until they are in focus and then compose your picture. (you might want, for example, your person to the extreme left or right of the picture so you can show off other objects)
This may take a little practise but it does become easier to do over time.
When taking photos of people that are moving I like to take several shots until I know I have one that works (tip – the auto review function is your friend turn it on and use it)
Filed under Tips by photography on March 31, 2010 at 9:45 pm
one comment
The idea of this site is not to turn you into a professional photographer. There are plenty of books and other sites that will offer to do that for you. The truth is that being a professional photographer takes lots of time, practise and talent.
Most of us just want to take good honest photographs. The aim of this website is to help you take better photographs – photographs of friends, family, events and places that you can enjoy for years.
1. Focus
Of all the things to get right this is the most important. Unless you are going for a special effect, photos that are out of focus are hard to look at and generally disappointing.
When we look at photos our eyes are automatically drawn towards people and bright colours; with faces our eyes are automatically drawn towards the eyes. The trick with photos of people is to make sure that the face, or more importantly the eyes, are in focus.
Because of this, most of the major manufacturers are including facial recognition software in their digital cameras – if you have one of these cameras then fantastic. For most of us we would turn this feature on and leave it on.
If you don’t have this feature or you are not taking picture of faces then the following is pretty important;
A lot of cameras will give you and option for how the Auto Focus works – from just using the centre of the picture to measuring even points across the screen. Take a little time to read the instruction manual about these features.
Generally in a compact camera the most important part of the screen for focus is the centre of the screen. When you point the camera at an object and press the shutter button (the one you use to take the picture) halfway down this puts the camera into auto focus mode. If the auto focus gets it’s readings from the centre of the screen then whatever is in the centre will be in focus.
Generally once the camera has found focus it will hold that focus until you press the button fully down to take the picture.
This is why when you take a photo of someone who is moving they might be in focus when you go to take the shot, but out of focus when the photo is actually taken.
To use this feature to your advantage put the main subject or person in the centre of the screen. Hold down the shutter button half way until they are in focus and then compose your picture. (you might want, for example, your person to the extreme left or right of the picture so you can show off other objects)
This may take a little practise but it does become easier to do over time.
When taking photos of people that are moving I like to take several shots until I know I have one that works (tip – the auto review function is your friend turn it on and use it)
2. Exposure
Next to focus, exposure is the biggest problem with most photos. Exposure is how much light the camera has collected and it generally causes 2 problems when it is not right – photos that are too dark and photos that are too bright.
Modern point and shoot cameras tend to be very good at setting the correct exposure during the daytime; unless of course you are going for a special effect or shooting in very high contrast situations. Where the biggest problems with exposure occur, with these cameras, is at night time and the use of the flash.
Generally the operation of the built in flash is one of the biggest disappointments of digital photography. It tends to be too bright for most close up shots; people look washed out, the harsh direct light is very unflattering. Large group shots tend to be unevenly lit and people in the background become part of the night.
To solve the problem of the overbright flash check if your camera has a manual exposure setting or a flash level setting. If you have either of these you can turn the flash down so it’s a more natural amount of light. The problem with adjusting the flash or exposure settings is that you may forget to set them back to normal again once you are finished or if you need extra flash.
I have a very simple and elegant solution to the problem of harsh flash and it is particularly useful when taking photos at parties. I take a square of toilet paper or tissue – fold it over 2 or three times and hold it over the flash while taking photos. This is a real simple trick – though it takes a little practise to get it right. The results are a very soft diffused even lighting that can be very flattering.
Remember that coloured tissue/toilet paper will change the colour or your pictures. I only ever use white as these work the best for my photography.
For large group photos at night try to find some natural sources of light to help the flash out. The light from a camera flash only has a certain reach so try getting extra light to make sure everyone is lit. Necessity is the mother of invention and you can have a lot of fun with this. Some ideas include: placing people under street lamps, neon signs or use your car head lights – anything that comes to hand.
3. Pause
Before you take the picture, while your finger is on the button, stop. Stop and take one final check of your image.
Before I send out a letter or an e-mail I like to look it over one last time to make sure that it says exactly what I want it to say in the fewest words possible.
In order to take good photographs you should be thinking the same way. What is my main subject? Is it clear? Is it in focus? Is there anything that is in the photograph that distracts from the main subject?
Take care to look at the background and the foreground. Our eyes are selective they see only what the brain tells us to see, but cameras are all inclusive – they see what’s really there. It’s often not till we look at the photos later that we notice a cluttered and distracting feature in the background that could have easily been shifted or put of frame if we had of noticed it while taking the photo.
It’s important not to let this technique stop you from taking spontaneous snapshots. Sometimes if you pause you lose the moment or the action that you were trying to capture. I have some great photographs that I took with no thought given to composure.
This method is often referred to as the “spray and pray” method as in “if I take enough photos hopefully some of them will turn out ok”. And sometimes they do; again, sometimes this is the only way to capture a truly spontaneous moment.
However if you want to improve your success rate; when you can – pause- take the time to check that you are getting the most out of your camera, and your own ability.
Don’t just look at the subject, look in front of the subject, look behind the subject. Sometimes moving the camera just a couple of centimetres will give you a better frame.
Make sure that you are holding the camera steady – in low light brace the camera or yourself against something.
The more you practise this the better you’ll become and the faster you’ll get at it. After a while it’ll be second nature.
Filed under Tips by photography on October 13, 2009 at 12:33 pm
no comments
Have you ever gotten back developed photos from the drugstore or film company only to discover that several shots turned out poorly-or not at all? Most camera buffs have experienced this type of disappointment frequently. Over time, though, picture takers become familiar with helpful techniques that can make photos come out much better than the earlier snapshots. Here are a few helpful hints you may want to try:
1. Get to know your camera. Read the instruction guide carefully, and contact the manufacturer with any questions you might have. Practice taking shots at varying angles and distances until you figure out how to get the best results. Work with the lighting options, including flash, for balance of perspective and shading. Keep fresh batteries and check them often to make sure they don’t give up just when you’re ready for that all-time spectacular, spontaneous shot of a twelve-point buck jumping over your parked truck.
2. Size up your subjects. Learn how to place people and objects in your viewfinder, as well as how to center landscapes. A basic book on photography or even a few suggestions in your camera kit can teach you how to juxtapose people within a pose to get the best results.
3. Practice until you get good at it. Keep a spare roll of film on hand and take pictures of anything cute or challenging. That will help you get used to the camera, and equipment if applicable, so that you will be ready for the big picture when the opportunity comes along. You may want to get a tripod or another piece of stabilizing equipment to hold the camera steady for photographs of yourself or group shots.
4. Ask a pro. It wouldn’t hurt to ask a professional photographer for a few hints in exchange for lunch. You may want to keep this in mind for upcoming special events, like weddings, birthdays, or holiday celebrations. You also can call a camera shop or pick up a book at the library if you want to learn more than the basics.
5. Protect your camera. Don’t let it get wet, of course. Also avoid leaving it in the car where it can get damaged by heat or cold, as well as get jostled by frisky kids or pets. Keep your camera in a carrying case, and store it safely in a closet or cupboard where it cannot get hurt at home. Don’t let anyone else use your camera unless you’re willing to take the chance of getting it back damaged, broken, or not at all.
Remember to take care of your photos after they have been developed. Store them in photo albums with acid-free paper backing, and arrange them in an order that will help you locate specific prints when desired. Keep the negatives on hand for a year or two in case someone wants a duplicate picture.
Author Resource:- For more information on photography equipment and supplies and making the most of your photo shots, visit The Camera Cart at
http://www.cameracart.com