Author Archives: Karalee White

Learning Manual Exposure

So you’ve tried and tried taking pictures outside when the lighting is best, but you still are missing the shots. The answer is your exposure. This is a tool you will need to learn how to use. I have a ways to go, but I’m very intrigued by it and want to learn how to take amazing photographs like the pros do in not-so-good light situations. Cameras are amazing little tools. When you really look at it though, it is just a light-proof box with a lens and light-sensitive digital card or film. The light enters the lens (aperture) and … Continue reading →

Front, Side, and Backlighting

What is frontlight? Imagine holding a flashlight. Wherever you point the flashlight, you light up what is in front of you. The sun gives you front lighting on a bright sunny day. This can be the easiest kind of lighting to work with, because it evenly illuminates the subject you are photographing. To get the best color and quality of frontlight, you need to take advantage of the first hour after sunrise and the last few hours of sunset. Overcast frontlighting also illuminates most subjects evenly. This lighting will give you a natural looking portrait and rich flower colors. This … Continue reading →

Exploring Light

Taking photos outside can give you great light. After time, you may realize that morning and early evening light is the best. They vividly reveal textures, shadows, and depth in warm tones. Taking advantage of sudden weather changes can give you even better lighting. An approaching thunderstorm can be great for front or side-lit landscapes. An overcast sky provides great lighting for portraits. This is also a great time to play with your macro setting and take some close up photos of flowers. Snow and fog provide a great atmosphere for a monochromatic photo with a shot of color. A … Continue reading →

The Take On Tripods

Tripods certainly can be a hassle, but they can be a great help for a good, steady shot. Tripods are most handy when sharpness is a must, long exposures, or conveying motion in a scene. Tripods are especially great for low-light situations because the shutter speed is slower. Let’s face it, our hands shake. One little shake will make a magnificent shot turn into a blur. No money for a tripod? Time to get creative. A solid rock or wall can provide a steady base for shooting. Just be extremely cautious. You don’t want your nice camera falling and busting … Continue reading →

Take More, Miss Less

In this case, less is not more. I have spoken about this in past articles. Take more shots! This is just another nice benefit of a digital camera that a film camera doesn’t have. There is no wait to see what your photographs look like. You can delete the bad ones before spending time and money processing. We need to use this tool to our advantage. When photographing large groups of people, it’s really hard to get that one perfect shot. It’s especially difficult when little ones are involved. Take a lot of photos. This will ensure that you will … Continue reading →

Great Photos – Children

Photographing children can be a daunting task at times. With a little patience and flexibility though, you can end a photo session with some amazing photos! The first thing you should consider when taking a child’s photo is location. Are they were they feel comfortable? Are they in a fun place? Now fun on your standards could be completely different from theirs, so knowing the child well will help you in your task. A great place to take children is to a big, open park. Outside shots can add a lot to the photo and create great lighting. Kids love … Continue reading →

Photo Storage

My grandma literally has a chest dresser full of photographs. She has a book case loaded with albums so old that the pages are falling apart and the adhesive is loosing it’s hold. Needless to say, we need some storage help! I have been looking high and low for a good storage system. We have considered buying albums for each of her kids and separating out their photos to give as a gift to them. That is still an option, but it would require a lot of work on my part. So, what is the fastest and most accessible way … Continue reading →

Buying a Scanner

I have realized, now that I have switched over to a digital camera, it would be nice to have photos I have taken in the past in digital format as well. Scanners are the best option for this. With the huge array of scanners out there, how do you know what to look for and eventually buy? The best thing to do is to try them out. That is what it all comes down to. You can do research on the best scanners out there, but it really depends on how the scanner scans your image and if the end … Continue reading →

Using Different Angles

The Rule Of Thirds is one of the most popular rules in photography. It is a great way to produce an eye-pleasing photo. Basically, you divide the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically creating nine boxes. Many cameras offer a grid setting to help you accomplish this. You then place the important aspects of your subject along these lines or in the intersections where the lines meet. When photographing a subject with a great view in the background, placing your subject off center is a great way to capture it all. This is very useful when photographing the family … Continue reading →

Optical and Digital Zoom

Recently, I have been given the task of helping my grandma sort through her dresser full of photos. She could have used a good article on storage tips many years ago, but I’ll touch on that another day. As we go through the piles of photos, I keep noticing the same problems with them. Whoever was behind the camera seemed to be standing so far away! I have noticed that my grandmother still does this. She insists to get the full body shot, along with the whole tree, a few feet of grass, and whatever else she can squeeze into … Continue reading →