Written on Jan 14th, 2009 by Dave Adams
Cropping, Photoshop
Post Information and Notes
Easily crop your photographs to remove redundant clutter.
- Level:Beginner
- Tools:Photoshop
- Time:5 minutes
One of the easiest ways to give your photographs some added punch and to remove unwanted clutter is to use the crop tool to zoom in on the important element you want to emphasise.
Its not unusual for a composition to include some unwanted items around its edges, and therefore a simple crop can easily rid your image of these blemishes.
Cropping can also be used to alter the shape of a photograph, turning landscape photographs in to portraits, and vice versa. Cropping is also handy for improving a composition by altering the point that elements line up within the photograph.
The photo below is the platform 2 building at Llangollen railway in North Wales. As you can see, there are a number of rogue items around the edges that need to be removed.
Photograph Before Cropping
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[Read more on How to Crop Photos to Improve Composition]
Written on Dec 10th, 2008 by Dave Adams
auction, camera, eBay, grade, Information, Lens, Photography, rate, seller, Tips
Post Information and Notes
Top tips for buying DSLR camera lenses on Ebay and other auction sites
- Level:Beginner
- Tools:Internet
- Time:Hours
Like many photographers using a DSLR, I have a constant desire to buy better lenses for my camera. I’m often drawn to the back of photography magazines and manufacturer websites to look at the prices of the latest and more expensive professional grade lenses.
Unfortunately, my pockets aren’t that deep, so buying a pro-grade lens for my DSLR direct from a shop isn’t really possible, so my alternative source for these lenses is the second hand market and sites such as eBay. However, it can be a minefield trying to buy a lens second hand, so here are some tips to help you avoid some of the pitfalls.
1. Know the lenses you want to buy.
The first step in buying a lens on eBay (or any other auction website,) is to know what type of lens it is you want to buy. You don’t neccessarily need to know the exact model, but a shortlist of lenses in a particular focal length will help narrow down your search. You may want to look at all manufacturers, or you may want to stick to your camera brand, either way write out a list of lenses that you are potentially interested in.
[Read more on Top tips for buying DSLR camera lenses on Ebay]
Written on Dec 7th, 2008 by Dave Adams
Box, camera, diffuser, DIY, flash, harshness, lighting, Photography, Voile
Post Information and Notes
Constructing a DIY flash diffuser for digital photography.
- Level:Beginner
- Tools:Scissors, Voile, Box
- Time:30 minutes
If you have ever taken a photograph using the modern flash thats built into a DSLR camera, you’ll have probably been amazed at its power, and its ability to make most objects appear harshly lit.
For portrait photography, this harsh lighting becomes even more apparant as the flash creates unflattering shadows and highlights on the subject. The harshness can be dampened down however by using a diffuser.
A diffuser is designed to soften the effects of the flash by spreading out and dampening down the amount of light emitted, reducing the creation dark shadows while still allowing a subject to be properly lit.
Pencils without the aid of a diffuser
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As you can see from the above example photograph, a shot taken with the built in flash of a DSLR can leave some very dark shadows. Now look at the same photograph taken with a diffuser attached to the flash. Notice the way the shadows are now lighter.
[Read more on DIY Photography Flash Diffuser]
