Ansel Adams – Oak Tree

So what is enthusiasm, is it what you can achieve through hard work? When I though for a while I concluded that enthusiasm is something which you have it or not. You want to b a good photographer, but in photography there are different sub-branches. Like someone want to be a awesome landscape photographer on the other hand someone else wants to concentrate on portraits, while the third guy love street photography. If you have enthusiasm in one kind of photography you should follow your dream instead of imitating someone else who is famous. There is no harm in imitating but imitation without a zeal does not last long.

Lets assume you want to be a landscape photographer but you do not want to go near the nature or you does not like to hike or some specific reason you does not want to wake up so early in the morning to see those golden moments for landscape photography. Just because you love nice landscape images does not mean that you should also do the same. Instead you can be the guy who may be a better fashion photographer or street photographer.

How you know what you like?

This is the biggest challenge in any art. To know what you really like takes time and effort. You need to try different things to conclude what really you want. As a beginner you should try out everything. You think you like portrait photography, try it out. There are two version of your answer after photography sessions, either you like it or not. If you like it try some more, read on the specific topic, do some workshops, ask fellow photographers what they think about your work. You need to be completely involved in the thing what you are doing. Superficial learning and superficial photography are not good for anyone.

Is learning by Imitation not good?

Learning by imitation is good, but if you have enthusiasm in that genre or type of photography. If you love landscape photography you must check work by Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell or Edward Weston. All these photographers are great in landscape photography. But if you ask Ansel Adams to do some portrait work he may succeed but in the end of the day he will say please ask me to do some landscapes from next time. That’s the beauty about enthusiasm, you learn by reading, watching even hearing. But all you can do if you have some love for the genre. Otherwise as I mentioned earlier it will have a short life.

If I love certain genre means I can not do other things?

If you portrait photography, you still can do landscapes or even macro photography, but as someone said you should be master of one before trying many things. Otherwise it will be like asking a great poet to write a biography. May be he will succeed but it may not be his best work. In each kind of art this fundamental thing is true. You need to be master of one thing

What about commercial aspect?

Some genre of photographs have more commercial value then other, but that is the end part of story. No one ever in art or photography did something great just to make it commercially successful. All the famous photographers are famous because they love what they were doing. No one created an image thinking that it will add tons of money to his bank account. So try to create great images first and money and fame will follow you after that.

What do you think? What is most important while you choose photography as a hobby or profession?

The post What Is Most Important in Photography? appeared first on Digital Photography College.

I have collected photographs of cars in High Dynamic Range. Cars are one of the subjects which are photographed and processed most often using HDR techniques. Check this out and decide whether there should be any place for HDR in this photography world or not.

The post 27 HDR Cars Photos To Inspire You appeared first on Digital Photography College.

If you ever tried photographing butterflies in the nearby butterflies’ house or in your backyard, you already have experienced that those are one the most challenging subject to deal with. Butterflies are very active, they have this tendency to fly away when you are about to press the trigger.

Macro Photography Gears

Macro Lens With Better Focal Length

Before you will start these beautiful insects it is always advisable to buy a macro lens with a focal length 90 mm or up-word. There are many options available to buy macro lens.

For Canon dSLR owner Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens is a good value for money lens. Similarly Nikon dSLR owners can have Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro.

Extension Tubes

Extension tubes help to increase the magnification distance without affecting the image quality. They sit between the camera body and the lens.

The only problem with extension tubes is sometime they may incur a degree of light loss.

Try to buy extension tube supporting autofocus. The most popular extension tubes come in 12 mm, 25 mm or 36 mm.

Close-up Filters

Close-up filters screw up on the front of the lens and act like magnifying glass. These are some of the most inexpensive filters. They come in strength range of +1, +2, +3 or +4. The higher the numbers better the magnification.

There are some serious side effects of close-up filters, like soft edge sharpness, ghosting and chromatic aberration.

Get Some Ideas About Butterflies

Before you start shooting butterflies it is better to know their types and what type of butterflies are seen in your area. As butterflies numbers are in a decline it may happen you have to drive some distance to reach their habitat.

When to Photograph Butterflies?

The easiest time to find butterflies is during the day. But the day time is the most difficult to photograph them as butterflies tend to very active during the day time.

Instead it is good to photograph them in the early morning or during the evening when they are less active.

Tips for Photography

It may happen that you need to search a bit to find butterflies. Butterflies are less active on tall grass or on vegetations. After you located butterflies, move to your position slow. A slight bad move will make the butterfly fly away.

Most of the time use aider aperture to make the background out of focus so that you will get a sharp butterfly image. Sometime it is useful to use a flash to fill light. But natural light is best for most occasions.

Shooting butterflies is sometimes frustrating but will some practice and lot of patience you can take great butterfly images.

The post How to Photograph Butterflies appeared first on Digital Photography College.

Digital photography technology improved a lot in last few years. Today’s small and compact cameras can produce images which are comparable with many expensive dSLR cameras. With thousands of compact cameras in the market it is very hard to choose the best one.

We have done some research to make a list of 10 most popular compact camera of 2012.

If you are looking for a compact camera with best features and value for money this list will help you.

1. Canon PowerShot A2200 Digital Still Camera with 4x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom

Features

• 14.1 megapixels with 4x wide-angle optical zoom (28mm wide)
• Record movies with 720p HD video
• Smart Auto intelligently selects settings from 32 predefined shooting situations
• Large, clear 2.7-inch LCD
• Discreet Mode disables the sound, flash and AF beam for use in quiet areas

2. Sony DSC-RX100 20.2 MP Exmor CMOS Sensor Digital Camera with 3.6x Zoom

Features

• 20.2 MP Exmor”CMOS sensor – extreme low-light shots
• Bright F1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens with 3.6x zoom
• Full HD 1080/60p video with manual control and dual record
• 3-Inch Xtra Fine LCD display with bright whites & true blacks
• Ultra-slim, sophisticated aluminum body

3. Panasonic Lumix TS20 16.1 MP TOUGH Waterproof Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

Features

• Waterproof
• HD Video
• 2.7″ LCD

4. Panasonic Lumix ZS15 12.1 MP High Sensitivity MOS Digital Camera with 16x Optical Zoom

Features

• High Sensitivity MOS Sensor
• Full 1920x1080p HD video
• 3″ LCD

5. Nikon COOLPIX L810 16.1 MP Digital Camera with 26x Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens and 3-inch LCD

Features

• 16.1 Megapixel CCD sensor
• 26x Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens
• 3-inch Ultra high resolution (921,000 dot) LCD
• HD (720p) Movies with Stereo Sound

6. Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Features

• 12.1 Megapixel
• 1080p High-Definition Video
• 5x Optical Zoom

7. Nikon COOLPIX L26 16.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Zoom NIKKOR Glass Lens and 3-inch LCD

Features

• 16.1 Megapixel CCD sensor
• 5x Zoom-NIKKOR glass lens
• 3-inch Bright LCD Monitor
• HD (720p) Movies

8. Panasonic Lumix ZS20 14.1 MP High Sensitivity MOS Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom

Features

• 3-inch LCD display
• High Sensitivity MOS Sensor
• GPS

9. Canon PowerShot SX260 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Image Stabilized Zoom 25mm Wide-Angle Optical Lens and 1080p HD Video

Features

• 12.1 MP High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 Image Processor
• 20x Optical Zoom, 25mm Wide-Angle lens, and Optical Image Stabilization
• 1080 Full HD video in stereo sound with a dedicated movie button; GPS tracker to record image locations on a map via Canon’s software
• Smart AUTO with 58 predefined shooting situations with new FACE ID, High-Speed Burst HQ for continuous capture at a maximum of 10 frames

10. Nikon COOLPIX P510 16.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 42x Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens and GPS Record Location

Features

• 16.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• 42x Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens
• 3-inch Ultra-high-resolution (921,000 Dot) LCD
• Full HD (1080p) Movies with Stereo Sound
• GPS record location information of your pictures and movies
• 3-inch TFT LCD display

11. Canon PowerShot A1300 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Digital Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens with 720p HD Video Recording

Features

• 16.0 MP Image Sensor, DIGIC 4 Image Processor, 5x Optical Zoom, 28mm Wide-Angle lens
• 720p HD video recording with a dedicated movie button
• Smart AUTO with 32 predefined shooting situations, Digital IS reduces effect of camera shake and subject movement
• Scene Modes for creative shots like Fisheye Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, and more.
• Help Button provides simple explanations and easy controls of your settings

12. Canon G12 10 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 Inch Vari-Angle LCD

Features

• 10.0-megapixel sensor and the DIGIC 4 Image Processor combine to create Canon’s HS SYSTEM for improved low light performance
• Shoot 720p HD video in stereo sound; HDMI output
• Canon’s Hybrid IS compensates for angular and shift camera shake during close-up shooting
• 5x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer; 28mm wide-angle lens; optical viewfinder

13. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V 18.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD

Features

• 18.2 megapixels “Exmor R” CMOS sensor for superior low-light performance
• 20X optical zoom
• 3.0-inch LCD
• GPS and Compass record shot location & direction
• Wi-Fi sharing

The post 13 Best Compact Point and Shoot Cameras of 2012 appeared first on Digital Photography College.

These are some simple steps which will help you to take amazing photographs during rainy days.

Composition: Key to every photograph

Like any other type of photography, composition is the essential part when plan to do some rain photography. When you see a subject or a landscape just imagine for a moment how the same will look like when there will be rain. This pre-visualization will help to compose the image correctly.

Rule of third is best for many images and rain photography is no difference. But in many cases you can break the golden rule and make your own. 80/20 is also a great composition technique.

It is same as rule of third; the only difference is that give 80% to the main part and 20% to other parts. This composition is very useful when doing reflection photography. In this case your main subject is reflation and in the rest 20% real world object can be covered.

Color: Grey is not the only color

When it rains the basic color you can see in an image is grey. Then is grey the only color you are going to photograph in the rain? Not really.

Try to see other things which can give you a good color source. Like in a busy street on a rainy day you can capture the bright colors of the umbrellas. The most vibrant color to capture is red. So if you see any red umbrella or something which is red try to add that in your composition.

Camera and lens, what do you need?

If you are going to photograph during rain you need to have a clear plan in your head. You should know what your subject is and what type of images you are going to capture.

What is it like this?

The most challenging job in rain photography is keeping your camera and lens out of water. So try not to change your lens during the whole session. Water drops may damage your lens or your camera sensor.

The other simple trick to keep your camera and lens dry is just use an umbrella. Along with that keep some cloths to dry your equipment when required.

There are also some commercial rain photography gears available.

Carry a raincoat for your camera. I know there are different types of rain covers for camera gears available in the market. But the real problem starts when it actually stars to rain. So buy something which can completely protect your camera and lenses against rains and storm.

One of the product which is very good for this purpose is [amazon_link id="B000EY65UG" target="_blank" ]Vortex Media Storm Jacket Cover for an SLR Camera[/amazon_link]. And the best part, it is not expensive.

Security: Be safe

Coastal area photography when it rains is challenging. It I always better to inform someone where you are going. This simple step can keep you away from many unexpected circumstances.

The post Rain Photography Tips: How to Photograph When It Rains appeared first on Digital Photography College.

Tip 1: Close ups

Make sure to photograph all small but important subjects. For example you should take some good photographs of the wedding ring. Place the wedding ring with a good background. In this case the swallow depth of the field with blurred background gives more importance to the ring.

How to achieve this

To achieve this kind of photographs

1. Put your dSLR camera settings to aperture priority mode.
2. Use a low f-number (Example F 2.8). This will help in creating a shadow depth of the field.
3. Set your metering mode to spot metering. This will help in focusing a single point on the subject.
4. Change your focus point to your main subject. In this case the ring. Most of the dSLR provide this functionality. Check your camera manual for this option.

Tip 2: Photograph the wedding ceremony

Most important thing in a wedding day is the wedding ceremony. The biggest challenge here is that many ceremonies happen inside a church where the light is not so great. Another issue is that you cannot use the flash during wedding ceremony.

To tackle these kinds of situation make sure that you use very high ISO settings. But do not set the ISO to too high. This will add a lot of digital noise to the resulting images.

Tip 3: Take some outdoor portraits

Taking portraits is one of the best parts of wedding photography. When the wedding ceremony is over you can take photographs of the bride and the groom while coming out of the church. To achieve this set the camera to burst mode so that you can capture fast moving subjects.

Take some group shots and nice portraits, but make sure that your composition is good. Bad compositions just kill a good image.

Tip 4: Take photos of family members, guests and children

To make the event flow continues in your photography make sure to take photographs of the guests and family members.

All the time during a wedding photography session you should keep it in mind not to disturb other with your camera work. Also try to avoid flash in your photography.

Keep an eye on the children in the event. You may get some great photographs.

Tip 5: Editing is the king

Apart from taking great photos, another important part is to post process the images. It takes significant amount of time and lot of effort to edit an image correctly.

Make sure that you use the right tools, for example you can use Adobe Photoshop Element. Photoshop is one of the best tools to do your post processing and the basic version of Adobe Photoshop is not expensive. You can buy Adobe Photoshop Element 10 at 63$ from Amazon.

Along with Photoshop you can use several other plugins to make the process fast. For example Nik Software Cokor Efex Pro and Topaz Adjust do a great job.

What do you think about this article? Add your comments and suggestions at the comment section.

The post 5 Easy Tips for Better Wedding Photography appeared first on Digital Photography College.

LensTagger is a free but useful Lightroom plugin which can save your money and time.  LensTagger is similar to ExifTool without those complicated command prompts headache.

LensTagger helps in adding EXIF information like aperture and focal length using a graphical interface. To use LensTagger you need to have ExifTool installed but all the complicated command line headache are taken care by the LensTagger tool itself.

To start the plugin after installation you just have to start LensTagger from -> Plug-In Extras -> LensTagger

Then use the tool to add lens name, Focal length, maximum aperture and F-stop and then just have to press the “Run Command” button. That’s it the plugin will then do all the background processing to add all EXIF information.  The interface is very clean and easy to understand.

If you are still in doubt check this link to get all the explanations on how to use the plugin. The best part of LensTagger plugin is that it is free and not like other expensive tools like PowerExif. The other big issue with many other paid options is that those are not compatible with Mac OS. If your only requirement is to add EXIF data for your manual lenses then LensTagger is the best free option available.

Download LensTagger from the official site.

Download ExifTool from here.

The post LensTagger Lightroom Plugin Adds Missing EXIF Data for Manual Lenses appeared first on Digital Photography College.

1923 Leica O-Series just set a new world record and became the world’s most expensive camera ever sold. The camera was sold at approximately $2.79 million after tax. The funny thing is the exact camera was sold for $1.89 million last year at the exact same WestLicht Photographica Auction. And the first O-Series was auctioned back in 2007 just for $435,000.

The whole auction was recorded in video. Check out the aggressive bidding for world most expensive camera ever.

The post Most Expensive Camera In The World Sold For $2.79 Million appeared first on Digital Photography College.

Even though he uses technology to a level, the photographer says “composition and emotion of the image is the most important.”  He is motivated by the compliments “when people doubt whether the sun-rays or the endless tree-lined avenues in my photos are for real”

Here are some of his work:

The post Lars Van De Goor: Top Forest Photography appeared first on Digital Photography College.

Stop Motion and Time Lapse photography is nothing new, but this music video used these techniques to create some unique experience. The video is shot for the song representing Israel in Euro Vision Song Contest 2012. Produced by Firma Production this is definitely a must watch.

The post Music Video Using Stop Motion And Time Lapse Photography Techniques appeared first on Digital Photography College.