Every one who gets interested in photography is some one who loves nature and he/she wants to capture the beauty into there camera. I myself started of as an amateur sometime around 5 years ago. It takes a lot of reading and practice to master the art of photography.

Let us start with some basic pointers of photography and then build upon into the finer details. Always remember the more you read and practice the better you will learn to use camera and compose you shot.

Basics

• Types of cameras
• How does a SLR camera work

Exposure

• Aperture
• Shutter Speed
• Depth Of Field (DOF)

Composition

• Rule of Third
• Framing your photo
• Your Background
• Portrait Photography
• Landscape Photography

Accessories

• Lens
• Tripods
• Flash
• Filters

In photography, a filter is a camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that can be inserted in the optical path. The filter can be a square or rectangle shape mounted in a holder accessory, or, more commonly, a glass or plastic disk with a metal or plastic ring frame, which can be screwed in front of the lens.

62 mm ultraviolet, polarizing, and fluorescent lens filters.

Filters allow added control for the photographer of the images being produced. Sometimes they are used to make only subtle changes to images; other times the image would simply not be possible without them.

Uses of filters in photography

Clear and ultraviolet

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A flash is a device used in photography that produces an instantaneous flash of artificial light (typically around 1/1000 to 1/200 of a second)[citation needed] at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. While flashes can be used for a variety of reasons (e.g., capturing quickly moving objects, creating a different temperature light than the ambient light) they are mostly used to illuminate scenes that do not have enough available light to adequately expose the photograph. The term flash can either refer to the flash of light itself, or as a colloquialism for the electronic flash unit which discharges the flash of light. The vast majority of flash units today are electronic, having evolved from single-use flash-bulbs and flammable powders.

Types of flashes

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In photography, a tripod is a three-legged stand for a camera, used to stabilize and elevate the camera.

A well-known rule in photography is that you can hold a camera by hand if the shutter speed is shorter than about the inverse of the focal length used (t < 1/f). So, if you’d use a 50mm standard lens to photograph a scene, you could handhold the camera when taking a picture if the shutter speed is about 1/50 second or shorter. If you use a too long exposure time without a tripod, the photo will appear to be blurry.

This rule works fairly well, although with a bit of practice (holding a camera steady) you can usually do better. For example, by not holding your breath but rather slowly exhaling while taking a photo you will cause less camera shake. Also, by firmly supporting both arms by your torso, the camera will be more steady.

The need for a tripod

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Landscape Photography Tips

1. Maximize your Depth of Field While there may be times that you want to get a little more creative and experiment with narrow depth of fields in your Landscape Photography – the normal approach is to ensure that as much of your scene is in focus as possible. The simplest way to do this is to choose a small Aperture setting (a large number) as the smaller your aperture the greater the depth of field in your shots.Do keep in mind that smaller apertures mean less light is hitting your image sensor at any point in time so they will mean you need to compensate either by increasing your ISO or lengthening your shutter speed (or both). PS: of course there are times when you can get some great results with a very shallow DOF in a landscape setting (see the picture of the double yellow line below). Photo by hkvam

2. Use a Tripod

As a result of the longer shutter speed that you may need to select to compensate for a small aperture you will need to find a way of ensuring your camera is completely still during the exposure. In fact even if you’re able to shoot at a fast shutter speed the practice of using a tripod can be beneficial to you. Also consider a cable or wireless shutter release mechanism for extra camera stillness.Related Reading – Introduction to TripodsGet more tips and tutorials like this one by subscribing to Digital Photography School via email or RSS

3. Look for a Focal Point

All shots need some sort of focal point to them and landscapes are no different – in fact landscape photographs without them end up looking rather empty and will leave your viewers eye wondering through the image with nowhere to rest (and they’ll generally move on quickly). Read the rest of this entry »

Portrait photography (also known as portraiture) is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is the person’s face, although the entire body and the background may be included. A portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the camera.Some of the techniques which I usually follow are:- CAPTURE THE MOMENTCatch somebody doing something they love, even if it’s not staged. Street photography is one of my favorite genres because it captures life as it happens — unstaged and unposed.- COLORS Read the rest of this entry »