One of the key ingredients for an outdoor sunset/sunrise photograph to be successful is that it needs to be interesting.  Put yourself in the buyers position, they want a cool photograph to illustrate something or to make something more interesting.  A photograph like this one is kinda boring.

However if you take some time to look around at your surroundings, similar to what we talked about in Get off the Trail, you may see some opportunities that will make your pictures stand out and give them something unique.  Take for example this photo, it was taken about twenty feet from the first photograph and about 30 minutes later.  I think we both agree this is the better of the two photographs, and it will sell better.  By changing the perspective and bringing some objects into the foreground I made the image more interesting, and more likely to sell.  I also used a longer then normal lens to eliminate some of the grass at the edge or where I was to clean up the image.  By using the 24-70 lens I was able to get pass the grass and other debris near me without getting wet wadding out to a better vantage point.  While this is not something I normally do, it was cold and I really wanted to stay dry.

Using the same location would have made a great setting for a portrait session as well as an interesting landscape photo, but that is another post.  The thing to remember is do not get stuck in the mindset that a certain focal length can only be used for certain uses.  Sometimes a medium zoom like the 24-70 will be appropriate, and sometimes a 14-24 will be more appropriate.  It is all about learning your gear and knowing its limitations and strengths.  That is all for today, please feel free to leave any comments below.

Buy Nikon Lenses

Last night I was looking around on the internet and I came across an interesting site for photography.  What it is a challenge for photograhers everywhere to take one picture a day, and share it with the community.  They do not have to be award winning photographs, that is not what it is about.  The site is about just get out there and do it, a little everyday.  The site is called mostly365.com, to participate users take a picture a day, then upload it to one of many different sites such as flickr or twitpic.  The user then tweets it using the hashtag #mostly365.  While there is no direct income to be made from this challenge, it is good exposure for your portfolio, and can be a great motivator to photograph something everyday.

The “nifty fifty” as many photographers call it is the lens that is considered by most professionals to be a necessity and the first lens to purchase for a beginner.  Don’t let the price fool you, the 50mm 1.8 lens has been made for many years and still takes amazing pictures. Personally, some of my best selling pictures have been made using this lens.  It always has a place in my camera bag when I am on a shoot.

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Preventing Blurry Pictures

Using a tripod whenever possible is usually a good idea for getting the sharpest pictures possible.  Unfortunately using a tripod is not the only thing necessary for pictures to be their sharpest.  There are a couple common reasons that  movement blur is introduced into pictures when using a tripod.

The reason that is hardest to control is movement of the subject while the shutter is open.  Sports photographers will often photograph subjects at 1/500th of a second or faster to minimize motion blur from the players running, but that often requires a very shallow depth of field or a high ISO.  But what about when you need to use a low ISO and a smaller aperture?  As many nature photographers know, sometimes the best thing to do it try again another day.  If you have some control over your subject you may be able to freeze the movement with your flash, but this will require additional equipment then you may have planned on using.

Bumping the tripod is another common reason for the picture ending up blurry.  These are two pictures I took with everything the same, the only difference is I bumped the tripod while the shutter was open during one of the pictures.

When I was taking the picture on the left I bumped the tripod, causing the blur.  They are about one second exposures so in both pictures it is critical to use a tripod and not to bump it.

The third common reason for motion blur when you are shooting with a tripod is pushing the release.  For you readers that was in the military or have done a lot of shooting this is a problem you are probably very familiar with.  Taking a picture  is much like firing a rifle, when it comes to the release.  When you press the button to take a picture you want to do so in a smooth controlled manner.  Stabbing at the button with your finger, or pushing fast will move the camera just enough to create a slight blur many times.  The correct way is to squeeze the shutter release is to be firm, yet controlled.  The way it was described to me is squeeze the release the same way you would squeeze a baby’s hand, gentle and controlled.  Also you only want to be squeezing with the finger touching the release, not your whole hand.

So while tripods are great and should be used for stock photos whenever possible, pictures may still have some motion blur.  Pay attention to these three things though and the number of pictures that are blurry should be much lower.

Buy a Tripod

It is that time of year, when Christmas is over and New Years day is almost here.  We covered some good things about getting started, and some simple tips for making your photography better.  This was the first year of this site being active, and it was a good start for hopefully many years to follow.

In the next year I hope to start doing product reviews,where we look at certain products in depth, use them, and show what they are capable of and how they will help you.  I also hope to create a few videos, things like behind the scenes of photo shoots and how to use certain items.  Finally I may get some other photographers from other areas of photography, like weddings or portraits, to write a post or two for us.

Lets face it, everybody needs some inspiration from time to time in finding ideas for what to photograph.  So where do you go when you hit that block?  I thought we would talk about a couple of my favorite places to look for ideas about what to photograph. Now I m not buy any means recommending let you go out and do exact copies of pictures that you find. What I am saying is you can use these places to find ideas for pictures by expanding on the concept behind the picture, or by improving on the picture. Nobody likes an exact copy of another picture, but if the original picture is poorly done and you feel you can do a better job then by all means redo the picture.

1.  Magazines are great sources for ideas, they are in most waiting areas for you to browse. Don’t be afraid to look through magazine’s you would not normally read for fresh ideas.

2. TV/Videos are also good sources for ideas. For me, outdoor shows on the local channel give me a lot of ideas, because like me they are working on a limited budget. I also like watching movies with Scarlet Johansonn, but I usually end up distracted from looking for photo ideas for some reason.

3. Blogs, Forums, and other Websites can also be great sources for ideas. Find a website that is about your photography subject and see what type of pictures they use and what they are talking about.

4. Learning new techniques is a great way come up with new ideas for photos.  Normally do landscapes?  Try doing macro photography.  Always do location shoot?  Try some table top photography to learn what it is like working out of a garage or corner of your room.  Learning new techniques is also a great way to expand your knowledge in the field you normally work in, even if they do not directly relate.

5.  Go do something you enjoy.  Come back a few days later with a fresh set of eyes and you just might be surprised what you see.

Do you have other ways to help you find new ideas?  Leave a comment below, I would love to hear what helps you.

A few days ago I got a magazine in the mail and on the back was a picture that most likely was a stock photo.  It was a lone Christmas tree in a field with lights on it, covered in snow.  It got me thinking about how easy of a photo that could be to take, and how easy it would be to mess up a photo like that.  Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be to think I just nailed a shoot, then find out later I did something wrong and need to redo the whole shoot.  So I thought I would do a post about some tips and ideas for getting this right.

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Everybody eventually has one or two lenses that are their favorite lenses. But sometimes it makes sense to upgrade to a better or newer lens.  Recently I had the opportunity to upgrade from the 80-200 to a new 70-200 with image stabilization, and I am glad I finally made the move.  There comes a time as you progress as a photographer that your equipment’s limits are hindering your abilities to create images that push the boundaries of your abilities. At that time sometimes it takes a new piece of gear to get the creative juices running again.  The other main reason people often want a new lens is there is a problem with the lens they are currently using.

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In case you haven’t read our post on why to use a tripod for stock photos, you may want to head over there and read that before continuing on with this post.

One of the hardest things about picking the right tripod, is determining what your needs are and how it will be used.  A stock photographer that does mainly macro work will probably have different ideas about what the ideal tripod is than an outdoor photographer who packs his gear for miles.  The macro photographer will be looking for something sturdy with tiny adjustments available, where the outdoor photographer wants something light and sturdy.  Once you have determined how you want to use the tripod then this guide will help you pick the correct tripod.

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One of the first things I was taught when I started to learn photography was that if my focal length was shorter than my shutter speed I needed to rest the camera on something, or adjust my settings to achieve a higher shutter speed.  Let me give an example, if my focal length is 75mm my shutter speed should not be below 1/80th of a second to achieve acceptable sharpness.  Ideally my shutter speed should be at least twice my focal length if I am hand holding the camera.  Now this was based on using a 35mm film camera, so using most new DSLRs I have to figure in the crop factor which increases the effective focal length. So a 50mm lens on a camera with a crop factor of 1.5 (a popular crop factor) gives me an effective focal length of 75mm.  Hopefully I haven’t lost you yet, and there are ways around that rule such as using your flash to freeze motion.  But anyway, if you are going to be using a slow shutter speed you should be using a tripod.

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