Category Archives for "Photography Tips"

Leading Lines

By Kenith Png | Landscape

Have you ever wondered how to evoke interest in a subject using composition? Or simply add depth to your photographs? Leading lines might be the answer!

Leading Lines is a compositional technique where lines are used to draw attention to the main subject of an image, or out of the image. The lines, which may be seen through paths and bridges, present a path for the viewer’s eye to follow.

They can also be used to connect foreground, mid ground and background of an image together, creating a sense of depth among the photograph.

All around us, Leading Lines can be found. Man-made examples include roads, fences, paths, bridges, lamp posts, buildings, power lines and bookshelves. Natural examples include waves, canyons, shorelines, sand dunes, trees, tall grass, cliffs, sun rays and flower beds.

If you want to place emphasis on a subject, be sure to position it where the leading lines converge in a photograph.

Leading Lines is a fantastic technique for creating a visual journey, depth and placing emphasis on a subject.

I hope this tip on Leading Lines helps you be more creative with your photography!

What is White Balance?

By Kenith Png | Landscape

Have your photos ever turned out with an undesired blueish or yellowish look? Have you ever been puzzled by this? Well, the answer could be White Balance!

White Balance (WB) is an aspect of photography that many beginners are unaware of. However, learning what it is can be highly valuable. Simply put, the function of White Balance is to achieve the most faithful colours in your images. This is done by telling your camera what colour the light is. 

Images are lit by different sources of light, such as a warm fire (more red) or a cool fluorescent light (more blue). Our eyes automatically adjust to these different sources so quickly that we don’t notice the changes in colour.

Cameras, however, don’t make adjustments. We need to set the White Balance. There are basic White Balance settings which can be used for different light conditions;

Auto — In this mode, the camera automatically adjusts the White Balance.

Tungsten (incandescent) light — Use this setting under tungsten light bulbs. This mode makes the image much cooler (bluer) to compensate for the warm hue of the tungsten light.

White fluorescent light — Use this under fluorescent light or when the photos look too green or blue.

Daylight — Used for scenes lit by sunlight and clear skies. This mode does not make photos as cool as fluorescent and tungsten modes.

Flash — Used for electronic flash.

Cloudy — Used in shade or cloudy areas. Also ideal for sunsets and sunrises.

Shade — Used for the same situations as cloudy, adding warmer colours to the photo.

White Balance can also be adjusted in post-processing softwares such as Lightroom and Photoshop, under the temperature/tint section when the image is shot in RAW.

Adjusting White Balance can also help you be more creative when taking images. For example, giving an image a cooler cast can create a sad tone, while having a warmer image may illustrate joy and liveliness.

I hope this lesson in White Balance has broadened your knowledge of and helped you be more creative with your photography.

What is Shutter Speed?

By Kenith Png | Landscape

Shutter Speed is one of the three pillars of photography, also known as the Exposure Triangle. The other two are Aperture and ISO.

It is defined as the length of time that the camera shutter is open to expose light into the camera sensor. Measured in seconds, the Shutter Speed controls two aspects — motion and exposure.

Motion is created by making the Shutter Speed fast or slow;

Using a faster shutter speed freeze frames any motion.

Using a slower shutter speed exaggerates motion blur, where moving objects appear blurred along the direction of motion.​

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The brightness or darkness of the image (exposure) can be controlled by adjusting the shutter speed.

A faster shutter speed results in a darker image, because less light hits the camera's sensor in such a short duration.

A slow shutter speed results in a brighter image, because more light hits the camera's sensor over a longer a longer period of time.

I hope this rundown on Shutter Speed will help you with get more creative with your photography.



What is ISO?

By Kenith Png | Landscape

ISO is one of the three pillars of photography, along with Shutter Speed and Aperture. ISO is the sensitivity of your sensor. We usually increase the ISO in low light situations such as indoors or during dusk and dawn. When your sensor is more sensitive, less light is required to enter the camera to create a well exposed image.

There are two main aspects controlled by ISO, which are visual noise and exposure.

Noise is how grainy the image is. The higher the ISO, the more grainy it is. A low ISO results in smoother photos. Ideally, keep your ISO low and only increase it when there is less light in the environment.

ISO also affects exposure;

The higher the ISO, the brighter the image.

The lower the ISO, the darker the image.​

Below, you can see how changing the ISO affects the exposure.​

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I hope this tip on ISO will help you get more creative with your photography.

What is Aperture?

By Kelvin Chong | Landscape

Aperture is one of the three pillars of photography, the others being shutter speed and ISO. It is simply a hole which allows light into the camera. Aperture is measured by the f/stop.

In photography, aperture controls two aspects which are depth of field and exposure.

Depth of field affects how blurry the background is:

If a lower f/stop is used (e.g. f2.8), the depth of field is shallower, resulting in a blurrier background. A shallow depth of field is perfect for portraits where you want a subject to stand out. By blurring out the background, distracting details in the background are minimised.

If a higher f/stop is used (e.g. f8), the depth of field is deeper, resulting in a sharper background. This is ideal for landscape photos where you want sharp details in both the foreground and background. Also ideal for large group photos where there are two or more rows of people and you want everyone’s face to be clearly visible.

Below is an an image with a lower f/stop of 2.8. Notice how the detail of the plant is blurry. To the right is an image with a higher f/stop of 13. Notice how the detail of the plant is sharper.

Exposure determines how bright or dark a photograph is;

If a lower f/stop is used (such as f/2.8), the image will be brighter. This happens because the aperture is wider, resulting in more light entering the camera.

If a higher f/stop is used (such as f/13), the image will be darker. This happens because the aperture is smaller, resulting in less light entering the camera.

Below, you can see how the exposure changes when only the aperture is changed.

Have a go! Whip out your DSLR and put it on full manual mode (including ISO). Experiment by changing only the aperture and seeing how it impacts the depth of field and exposure.

If you want to solely change the depth of field, try shooting in Aperture value mode (likely marked on your DSLR’s dial by ‘Av’ on Canon and Pentax cameras, while by ‘A’ on Nikon and Olympus cameras). In this mode, the camera will automatically set the exposure level by compensating in accordance to which f/stop you use.

I hope this tip on Aperture will help you get more creative with your photography.

White on White

By Ade | Landscape

The image is of the humble Shasta Daisy picked from a neighbors’ garden. I am very much a novice hobby photographer and fairly new to Macro having only had my lens a couple of months. I enjoy trying to give my images a more creative feel rather than producing just a record of the subject. I am still experimenting with different styles whilst I am learning but can see that I will try more white on white as I love the elegant simplicity and gently calmness that this style conveys to me.

This photo was taken indoors on a white table top against a white wall.  I used natural light from a large window to the side facing the flower. I also used a flash on camera with a home made diffuser directing light down from above .

Equipment & Settings used:
Canon EOS 5D Mark III paired with the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro Lens IS USM
Shutter Speed : 160 secs
Aperture : f/18
ISO : 160
Flash: Canon 600 EX-RT Flash

Photographer:
Dianne Kelsey

Little House

By Ade | Landscape

I drive past this location weekly and love how the scene changes with the seasons. This year the owners planted canola around the little house and it looks amazing. I have photographed this little house at different times of the year but a few weeks back I was driving past and noticed the last of the light from sunset illuminating the trees in the background. So I stopped and captured that. Continue reading

Red Tulips

By Ade | Landscape

As you gaze into this photo, come with me on a journey to Araluen Botanic Park, quietly nestled in the hills of Perth. Here you will see heaven kissed earth, a beautiful tapestry of colour, beauty and nature. For months my heart had been longing, begging my presence to come, to explore, to taste, to see, to feel, to touch, this magical little wonderland. Finally I took the moment, camera in hand, escaping the treadmill of busy city life. Monday 14 September 2015…..      Continue reading