How To Take Close-up Photos – Using Macro Focus – Aperture Size
How Close Do You Want Me To Get When I Take That Picture?
A friend of mine just loves my pictures of flowers. She always wants to know how I get such wonderful pictures with such amazing detail. My secret, besides taking about 100 shots before I get the right one, is macro focus. This wonderful and versatile tool, which is on most digital cameras sold now (the symbol looks like a flower), is perfect for detail when you want to get up close – REALLY CLOSE. In fact, many cameras being made now can take pictures at about an inch away, something the average traditional camera can’t do. All you need to know are some simple rules and techniques.
1) Turn Off Your Flash
First of all, don’t use flash. The first time you try shooting close and forget to turn your flash off, your
subject will look like a big, white, shiny blob. Children might be fascinated by the ghost you took a picture of, but you probably won’t be. Occasionally, if you happen to have the right angle and are slightly farther away, you may be able to get a good picture with a flash but it’s better to have good natural lighting.
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| The picture on the left was taken with a flash, while the picture on the right was taken using natural lighting. (click on images for high resolution photos) | |
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How To Set White Balance – Perfecting Color In Your Photos
I used to always have the same problem. I’d set up the perfect shot, the right framing, the right subject, the right everything. I’d take the shot, then review it to find that the colors looked dull, washed out, or just plain wrong. I had the same problem many people do, I needed to adjust my white balance.
In this article, I’ll teach you how to ensure the correct white balance when taking pictures.
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Low Light, Long Exposure Photography
Want to learn how to take pictures of fireworks or lightning? Want to be able to take those cool pictures with only a background and the blur of a light or of writing in the air with light? Well you can create all these effects and more using one simple rule: low light, long exposure.
All you need is a tripod and a camera with an adjustable shutter speed. Set up in an area with little or no light (except the subject of your picture, of course) and set the shutter to be very slow (several seconds). Be sure not to move or jerk the camera when your picture is being taken (using a camera remote helps, but is not needed) and you can capture moving lights and objects creating unique, artsy, or just plain cool pictures. Below are a few examples to start with, but there’s really no limit to what you can do.
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Fun Photography Techniques
So, you’ve already started taking pictures and you’re starting to get pretty good. Then you sign on to a photo sharing website and look at the featured photos saying "how did they do that?" Well, here are a few techniques you can use to take pictures that are a little different or more advanced. You can click on the photographs below to see their full-size versions.
The Panning Shot
This picture was taken using the panning technique. Notice how the car is much clearer than the background.
