Photographing Trees - Tips And Ideas For Tree Photos

Nature photography is a favorite genre of photography, and within nature photography, trees are one of the most common subjects. Trees are widespread, tremendously diverse, and can make both beautiful and majestic subjects of a photo. In some respects, trees are also easy to photograph: they are widely visible, and unlike animals, they sit still, allowing you to carefully compose exactly the photo you wish to capture. The best way to get better at photographing trees is to get out there in the world, look at trees, and take lots of photos of trees. However, there are a few tips and tricks that you may not have thought of, that can help you to take beautiful photos of trees.

Tip #1: Experiment:

The best way to get better at photographing trees is to take photographs of trees. However, getting creative with your composition, angle, and the aspect of the tree that you wish to focus on can help you to discover new ways to produce artistic or powerful photographs of trees. Pick a tree, any tree, and try photographing it in as many ways and from as many angles as possible. Focus on the leaves, the bark, the stems, the roots if they are visible, the fruit or flowers, or the bare branches, depending on season. Compare the bark on the trunk to the bark on smaller branches, or the leaves low on the tree to the leaves higher to the top (if you have a way of getting close enough to photograph them). Try taking photos of the tree from a distance, as well as photos taken from within the tree, looking outward. Photograph the ground under the tree; look up through the tree to the sky. Photograph the miniature ecosystem created by the tree, the moss or lichens growing on the trunk or roots, the animals or other plants that make this tree its home, and the soil or ground in which the tree lives.

Tip #2: Return to each tree at different times of the day and year:

Trees are remarkably dynamic. The color and appearance of deciduous trees changes sharply in the different seasons, as they sprout fresh leaves, as their leaves mature and turn darker green, and then as the leaves turn colors and drop in the fall. Evergreen trees have more subtle changes throughout the year, but are dynamic as well.

Trees also look radically different at different times of day and in different lighting. Trees are light capturing machines, and accordingly, the visual effects as the sun shines on them from different angles throughout the day can be surprisingly complex and interesting.

In some cases you may wish to photograph sunlight filtering through branches or interesting shadows cast by the sun, whereas at other times you may find that an overcast or even rainy day brings out color contrasts that were not evident on a clear day. Inclement weather such as floods, droughts, snow, and ice storms often produce new and beautiful scenes with trees that can be captured in photographs. Although a tree may stand in the same place for years, sometimes you may only have one opportunity to capture a unique occurrence in a photograph.

Tip #3: Know your trees:

Botanical knowledge is not necessary for being a good nature photographer, but it certainly cannot hurt. Some people look at a tree and see just a tree; others might see an oak, or further, specific species like a pin oak, northern red oak, or swamp white oak. Each different species has a particular appearance and growth habit. Knowing more about the biology and ecology of trees can guide and enrich your experience as a photographer in a number of ways.

As you get to know the various species of tree, you will know where to return to later to find beautiful fall colors, spring flowers, or interesting shapes of bare branches in winter, even when you visit at a different time of year when the scene may look more mundane. Knowledge of a tree's ecology and biology, and your own skill at photographing that type of tree often go hand-in-hand. You will find that as you learn more about a tree, you become better capturing interesting aspects of it in pictures, and you will also find that the more you photograph a tree, the more curious you become about the tree itself and its relationships to other living beings.

In summary:

Reading about how to photograph trees can only get you so far. Turn off your computer, get outside, and take some pictures. You do not need to do anything fancy; start with the first tree you find!

Alex Zorach takes photographs of trees both to capture their natural beauty, and to illustrate ecological concepts and environmental issues. He publishes photos as well as writings on politics, religion, and a variety of other subjects on Cazort.net, his personal and opinion website. If you are interested in tree photograph, you are likely to enjoy his collection of pictures of trees, as well as his photographs of a wide variety of other subjects.

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Inside Product Photography Advice: Photographing Camera Equipment

An overlooked area within the field of product photography is the camera itself. Camera equipment and photography equipment poses a unique challenge to the product photographer, which is yet another reason why it's safer not to attempt your catalogue photography in house, relying on the services of a professional photography studio instead.

So what is it that makes cameras and camera equipment so challenging when it comes to photography? There are three main issues which need to be considered. The first issue is that the people who are likely to be looking at your photographs of cameras are likely to be camera enthusiasts, and therefore enthusiastic about quality photography. If the images you're using are of poor quality then this doesn't look inspiring, and is unlikely to appeal to image conscious consumers.

Having high quality photographic images is always important no matter what you're selling and no matter to whom you're marketing it. But cameras and studio equipment from lights to lens needs that edge in order to appeal to people who are likely to be that bit more critical when it comes to image quality.

The second issue that needs to be considered when thinking about camera product photography is that most items of equipment tend to be both dark and detailed. If you look at most medium to high end digital and SLR cameras they tend to be black almost all over. Not only this but there tends to be quite a few buttons, and many of these are black too. This poses a problem, because it can be very difficult to take a photograph of a dark, detailed object and manage to both capture the detail, and make the product look three dimensional. Too many amateur photographs of cameras and similar products either lose the detail, or make the camera seem flat, cheap and uninteresting.

The third area of concern relates to reflections, because there are one or two areas of the camera which are likely to reflect light or to reflect what's in the room or studio. The two most obvious examples here include the lens, and any digital preview screen on the reverse of the camera. The lens doesn't tend to pose a problem as far as reflecting the studio is concerned, because what will generally be seen are simply light circles. But these are important, and by using coloured lights, appropriately angled lighting and the right exposure it's possible to really make the lens stand out. This is important because often the lens is the only real element of colour, and by having a glowing lens with light circles it helps to add a great deal of depth to the image as well as providing a focal point.

The screen at the back poses a different problem though. By switching this off you lose a potential area of colour and interest, and you also pose the risk of having the photographer and studio reflected in the screen, which doesn't look very professional. Switching the camera on though and having an image on the screen doesn't always work, as the quality will appear greatly reduced. It's generally best to use post production editing to superimpose an image onto the area where the screen is on the camera, although this has to be done very carefully indeed in order to make it look natural. Again, any keen camera enthusiast will certainly spot a doctored image, and this will beg many questions as far as the authenticity and honesty of the rest of the image is concerned.

So when it comes to product photography for cameras and photographic equipment it really is far better to make use of a professional photographer and studio, otherwise you could find your business very underexposed.

For low cost, professional product photography solutions visit The Packshot People Ltd.

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Photographing Waterfalls - Ten Tips For Better Waterfall Photos

The highest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls in Venezuela, South America. It measures 3.212 ft (979 meters). Getting a good photo of Angel Falls could be a challenge simply because it is so high. You have to get the right lens, probably a wide angle lens, and you must find the right position from which to shoot. This waterfall is nearly a kilometer in height.

Not everyone wants to travel to Venezuela to capture the world's highest falls, but photographing waterfalls is fun and rewarding when you see the results of your efforts in print.

Here are ten tips that will help you get the best photos from your efforts.

Height adds drama. Even if a trip to South America is out of the question, you can find waterfalls that are dramatic because of how tall they are. (If you live near Norway, you are in luck. Seven of the top twenty highest falls are in Norway.)
Check the Weather. Of course, you don't want to be out in weather that is not conducive to getting good photos, but more importantly, make sure the place your will be traveling to has had enough precipitation. Periods of low rain or snow could lead to a disappointing flow of water.
Plan your trip. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the best time of day for your photo adventure. Even though early morning and late afternoon are usually the best times for lighting, they may not be optimal for the waterfall you have chosen. Find out what the lighting conditions are where you will be shooting to get the best results.
Change your perspective. Normal waterfall photographs take in the whole waterfall, but being creative with your position can get you some stunning results. Try getting above or underneath. You will want to protect your gear if you are in the spray area, but it may be worth the effort. Sometimes there are boats to take you right up to the bottom of the falls, and in other places there are falls that you can go behind.
Composition Changes Photos. Try different focal lengths and positions to add interest. Include scenic objects such as tress and rocks to increase interest as well. Your camera and lens choice can be a major factor in your photo shoot. Again, change lenses to see what the difference is.
Use a filter. Waterfalls offer some very wide ranges of color and lighting. A neutral-density filter may be just the thing for adding depth of color range to your shots. Polarizing filters may also be helpful.
Check your shutter speed. Some of the most dramatic shots are made with either a very slow shutter speed or a very fast shutter speed. Slow gives a nice, silky look. Fast will stop water drops in mid-air to add drama. Try both.
Take a tripod. Steady is good, especially when slowing down the shutter speed. You want smooth and silky, not blurry. Also try using a delayed shutter release or remote release switch when using slow shutter speeds.
Check your white balance. You can make use of camera presets such as cloudy or sunlight, but using a filter can change how the camera perceives the correct white balance. One way to overcome this problem is to shoot in RAW mode. Then you can set the white balance in your post processing using Photoshop or some other editing software.
Use bracketing. Most camera have the ability to bracket exposures up to 3 stops. This will help get all the light ranges into the shot. You will need to combine the bracketed exposures in post processing, or some cameras now have HDR capability built right into the camera software.

No matter which waterfall you choose to photograph, take lots of shots, change lenses, and try different camera settings. The most disappointing experiences are when you get back to your computer and discover you could have made a few minor adjustments and gotten much better results.

Perhaps you need to learn more about your camera? You can find excellent learning resources and photography classes at http://photographyclassesatlanta.org/.
Find a great line-up of Canon lenses at http://canoneoslenses.org/.

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Celebrity Photographers Often Have As Much Talent And Experience As Those They Are Photographing

The images you see in magazines of well known actors, musicians, athletes and political figures are designed to stimulate feelings in the people looking at them. From exhilaration, to joy, to envy, and every feeling in between, these kinds of vibrant and fascinating people have abilities and personalities that can't easily be captured on film. So how is it done?

If you've ever wondered about the person guiding the lens of those fabulous celebrity photographs you see in magazines, then you already know the answer. Celebrity photographers are schooled in and experienced with capturing natural emotion and talent on film. These people have as much natural talent as the men and women they are shooting, and in most cases work in one or two of three unique categories.

Event photography is one of the main areas in which celebrity photographers work. Film premiers, social gatherings, award shows, music festivals and exclusive functions are only a few of the instances that these photographers work. They are chosen by publicists or publications for red carpet events, and sometimes they are hired by the stars themselves for wedding receptions or birthday celebrations.

Photos captured at festivals are what you normally see in magazines. For example, if you have ever watched fashion coverage of a red carpet event in a magazine, it was almost certainly a paid celebrity photographer who took the photos. And the images you see on music stations from their live events? These were also taken by celebrity photographers.

Another important category that celebrity photographers work in is celebrity portraits. Many of these are the more personalized photos you see of celebrities, such as the ones that accompany the interviews you find in magazines. Most of these pictures are the type which are designed to represent the essence of each celebrity, and to offer the viewers a look into who that person really is in their personal life.

Celebrity portraits also are used on album covers, in magazines as mentioned above, and even in celebrity's individual portfolios. They are also designed for the same things that all people use photography for - to capture a wonderful family portrait. After all, celebrities are first and foremost people, and take family pictures much like anyone else.

The third category that celebrity photographers operate in is media press, which is when the photographer takes candid photographs of celebrities. As you know paparazzi photographers have a reputation for annoying celebrities, a reputation that is deserved. But not all of paparazzi photographers have earned this reputation. Quite a few operate under their own ethical standards, and often just take photographs when they have permission. Sadly you never hear about these kind of photographers too often.

The next time you see an awesome image of your favorite performer, actor, singer or politician, now you know a bit more about the talent guiding the camera. Without celebrity photographers, and their true talents, we wouldn't be able to get a glance into who our favorite famous people really are.

Author Bio: There are many needs for a professional photographer, especially for the rich and famous. Los Angeles photographers that can take good celebrity portraits are hard to come by. Search the internet and find a photographers aesthetic that you enjoy.

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There Are Two Great Ways to Reduce Expenses If You Are Photographing With Film

Many people are still photographing with film and the expense of purchasing, processing and printing can run into a small fortune. There are two possible solutions to help save money and time.

First, one of the easiest ways to save money is by controlling the amount of film being used. Basically, take the best possible exposures from the beginning and this will save on the quantity of film you use. How much film goes to waste because of bad exposures, or playing the guessing game on camera settings due to uncertainty or inexperience? It's a good idea to know how your camera works and how to set your camera properly. Therefore, you will prevent unnecessary exposures that lead to a waste of film, time, money and even aggravation. As they say, "Knowledge is Power," so exercise a little power and control the amount of film you are using or wasting.

Second, instead of having the film processed and printed at the lab. Just have the negatives scanned and burned onto a CD. It then becomes a digital product. You can upload the images onto a computer and use a photo software program for deleting or editing. You will be able to make any necessary corrections or enhancements. This is a way to allow viewing the images and make adjustments before any printing takes place. Print what you want because today you have a choice. There is no longer a requirement to print in order to see the image. The marriage of photography and computers has opened doors for not just digital photographers, but for film photographers as well.

They can enjoy the freedom to upload and edit images just like digital photographers. There are numerous differences between photographing and capturing the image with digital and film; but both start out analog before they become zeros and ones. Once the image becomes a digital file, manipulation through software programs is the same. Film photographers have the ability for almost instant viewing which is a plus. One more thing, on the "Green Side" it helps the environment with the use of less paper, so it lessens the demands of trees being cut down and the amount of water usage for needless printing.

The best bet is to learn how to photograph correctly and have your images burned onto a CD for easy access and manipulation. The better photographer you become the less waste in purchasing an unnecessary amount of film and paper. My advice, improve your photography skills is not only an investment in yourself but also more green in your wallet and the environment.

Diane May has been a professional photographer for over 20 years. If you found these two photography tips helpful, drop by to grab a complimentary copy of 5 tips to better photography => http://www.learnphotographyathome.com/

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My Experiences of Photographing Silver Jewellery

Photographing silver jewellery can be extremely difficult, but it can be done on a budget. Let me start out by saying that when I say "on a budget" I do mean about ?700, you can spend far less but in my recent experience it will reduce the quality of your images. In the grand scheme of things ?700 is still cheaper than outsourcing the work and if you are selling items it's an investment you need to make. Let me start by explaining what I have tried to give you an idea of the experience I have had!

I started out with an 8MP digital compact camera, nothing fancy just an ?80 family camera; I mounted it on a ?5 tripod and purchased a very cheap light box tent from eBay, the kit was ?30 and came with a couple of lamps. The resulting images were ok but nothing spectacular, they were visibly amateur, I could have stopped at this point and used Photoshop to edit the images but the site I was working on demanded quality, I needed to get a much better result. After weeks of research and a lot of trial and error I managed to get some fantastic results, let me explain how!

Your camera is an important choice; I decided to buy a ?500 Nikon D3100 DSLR camera, it was an indulgent purchase for an amateur but the results exceed expectations. I am not going to go into the huge range of camera choices but it came down to a Cannon or a Nikon, I decided to buy the Nikon because the price was right, no other reason, there's not much between the entry level DSLR cameras at this level.

Photographing silver jewellery close up is called macro photography (the photography of items up close), the D3100 has a guide mode that allows me to select macro mode and avoid all the jargon around shutter speeds, aperture settings and all the other technical things. I did spend a lot of time learning about the various camera settings and then experimented with the various options but personally found using the cameras macro mode with the flash disabled was perfect. The only tweak I made was the image size, I selected to use the highest quality which results in the largest file size but it will pay dividends when you are editing the images later.

My next problem was that I needed a pure white background; I quickly established that the best way to achieve this was with a light tent. I purchased one for ?150 with two studio lights and an acrylic riser to place the jewellery on. The lights were 500k fluorescent daylight bulbs, lighting is really key here and these bulbs really did the trick. The acrylic is a nice extra as it creates some reflection when you need it.

The tents are usually supplied with some backgrounds in solid colours, I had to iron the white background by placing a towel over it and ironing it on a low heat, and I also made sure it was dust free as even the smallest marks will show up. I set the tent up on a box to give it some height so that I could position my tripod correctly in front and then set the lights up either side of the tent. The key to the lighting is to ensure you don't swamp the tent with too much light by having the lights directly on top of the tent, experiment with the distance a bit but you are looking for an equal distribution of white light without too much glare, silver is very reflective! I had some images where the silver appeared almost gold because the lights were to close.

The tents I purchased came with a cord attached inside to hang items but it was a thin white chord which was difficult to remove in Photoshop so I improvised with cotton but the amount of movement made it impossible to get a decent shot, in the end I used some thin guitar strings (the 'e' string for all you guitar players) and found it was perfect, the movement was minimal and it provided a great stable way to hang earrings. I actually used the acrylic riser to photograph the necklaces by standing it on its side the used some sticky tape behind to secure the chains, bracelets were photographed flat on top of the riser which provided some great reflections adding depth to the images.

When I was working on an individual piece of jewellery I would experiment with distance, angle and height to make sure I had a selection of images to work with later on my computer. I also had to change the position of the lights a lot, some of my pendant's contained Swarovski crystals and I found by moving the lights to point at an angle so some light was leaking into the front of the tent I was able to create sparkle on the crystals. Bluetack also played its part during the day, I used tiny pieces to secure pendants in the positions I wanted, some people suggest beads of wax work just as well here but I used what I had on hand.

The only other issue I had was reflection, the tent I purchased had a front flap that you could pull down so that the camera was just poking in but you will be surprised how much the silver can pick up! To reduce the reflection on pure silver items use the tents front flap and really ensure the light distribution is equal, you might have to work on some of the images a little later in Photoshop!

After an entire day of taking photographs I took hundreds of images up to my PC to review. The first thing that struck me was that the background was far from pure white it was actually grey. This is a combination of factors but lighting is key reason. The way to really make the backgrounds white is to jump into Photoshop, select image > adjustments > levels and move the slider on the right across to the left, the image will fade but the background will whiten, if you get the balance just right you can take to the image with an eraser tool and trim the remaining grey out leaving you with a white background. There are no shortcuts here it takes a lot of tweaking to get it just right, make sure you use the eraser with the soft edges rather than the solid ones it's easier to get in closer to remove the grey.

The other trick I found was to ensure that I used Photoshop to sharpen the chains on my necklaces, I did this by cutting the chains off, placing them on a layer on their own then using the sharpen option. This is to avoid making the actual pendants distort. The final thing was to use the burn tool to add some of the colour back that I lost with the level adjustments but go easy or it will make the silver look dull, just a gentle brushing over with the burn tool will do the trick.

The end results are not as good as a professional photographer would achieve but were perfectly fine for the 640 x 640 maximum image requirements I had for my website. I am sure you will find a lot of advice about compact cameras or scanners which will be fine for second hand jewellery pictures you are selling on eBay but if you are trying to sell silver jewellery then you need to step up the pace as I have found after weeks of experimenting and playing!

Seasonal Secret contains a stunning range of silver jewellery.

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When Photographing Couples

In your photography course, you may have been introduced with the basics of different types of photography. You may have also been taught about the technicalities of photographs. However, there are some intricacies of photography that you can learn only with practice. One of them is capturing the mood of the photograph or presenting the human emotions. When you are snapping photos of human beings, especially of a couple, you should make sure that your photo is reflecting their bonding in the right way. To click the perfect picture of a couple, you need to take note of some simple factors.

Interact with the Couple

This should be the first step, when you are taking couple's photographs. Interact with the couple and know their preferences of location or setting. Also know whether they are engaged or not. If yes, make sure that you capture their emotions in the right way. You can take their snap at the beach, in a park or even in a party. Whatever be the place, it should blend perfectly with the personality of the couple. Also ensure that the dress of the couple is merging rightly with the background, else the photograph will lose the impact.

Purpose of the Photograph

You may shoot a still photograph of two models for the promotion of any products. In that case, your product should get the major focus but the couple's posture should also be taken note of. If you are just shooting a casual couple, your photograph should speak of their friendly bonding. However, when the photo shoot is for an engagement party, the bonding should be reflected in the picture while for married couple, the care and affection is a must. Select the right angle and get the perfect posture to get the job done perfectly.

Guide or Groom the Couple

As a professional, you know the importance of different types of elements for composing a photograph but a common man with no or little knowledge of photography are not aware of that. Therefore, you should guide the couple with the right pose and right location. Help them to be comfortable with the setting of the place so that you can find the best expression at ease. If you are taking random clicks, you should make the couple get engaged in different fun activities. When you are taking random clicks try to shoot some candid moments in which the couple shows a natural pose than an instructed one.

Crop, Edit and Apply Special Effects

Just making the right click is not all. To bring out the best effect from any photograph, you need to edit it and crop out the sections that are not required. Correct the colors and contrasts wherever required. Also take special care of the light and correct it if needed. You should also try to add some special effects in the photograph to make it appear brilliant. Yet, do not overdo with the special effects as it will ruin the natural beauty of the snap.

Rhommel Bernardino is the creator and webmaster of http://photographyarticles.net/. He is a freelance photographer based in Toronto, Canada and has been shooting weddings, events, portraits, fashion, glamour and nudes for the last 5 years. He is also organizes photographic events like photo shootouts and occasionally hosts photography workshops in and around Toronto.

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