Photography Tips and Tricks

Have you ever tried Googling "photography tips" and been deluged with a hundred or so links to websites promising you a wealth of techniques? I'm sure they have a lot to offer, but all you really ever need to know is condensed right here:

1. Pictures too red? Change white balance to Tungsten.

2. Pictures too blue? Change white balance to Fluorescent-H/Incandescent.

3. Make outdoor pictures look vivid and warm: Switch to Cloudy (not Sunny) WB.

4. Tack sharp - photography jargon for really sharp photos.

5. Number One Priority: Tack sharp pictures. (Unless you have some other photo effect in mind.)

6. How to take tack sharp pictures (especially in low light):

* Use a tripod

* ... And if your dSLR has it, use the Mirror lock-up function. (What does this do? This "locks" the mirror in place so it doesn't move until you finish taking the picture, so there's less movement in the photo. But you'll have to press the shutter button twice. First to lock the mirror, and second to release the shutter.)

* If that can't be done, use your camera's Self-Timer to avoid camera shake when pressing the shutter button ...

* ... And forget about the LCD. Use the viewfinder and press that camera against your face!

* For all you neck-strap camera people: There's a way of holding your camera and wrapping the neck strap around you arm to get a steady, hand-held shot. Slip the strap onto your supporting arm (that's the left for us righties), wrap it a couple of times around your arm, and stretch it nice and tight.

7. My all-time favorite piece of unsolicited advice: Avoid increasing your ISO, even in low light. This is the next step to taking tack sharp photos. (Plus, it challenges everything you know about taking low-light shots, haha!)

8. Shooting landscapes, beach sunsets, etc. - Avoid putting the horizon dead-center. Put it in the bottom or upper 2/3 of the picture, depending on what you want to put emphasis on. If you want the photo to be about the sunset, put the horizon on the bottom 2/3. If you're focusing more on the water, put the horizon on the upper 2/3. If that's a little confusing, just remember: No dead-center horizons.