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IN PHOTOGRAPHY, TIMING IS EVERYTHING.

PHOTOGRAPHY is a hobby for everyone who loves photography. Some photographer they call themselves as a professional photographer because they have a professional degree in photography and some they gain thru experience and learn a lot of photography techniques. Learning photography requires a lot of patience, reading techniques & tips from the internet. I am also a professional photographer after reading a lot of techniques in the book of Scott Kelby "The Digital Photography" Volumes 1 to 3 and Watching Scott & Matt D-TOWN TV Episodes(http://kelbytv.com/dtowntv). These two guys are really amazing, they help us to understand what is beyond photography. I did all the tricks and tips by Scott & Matt and apply most of it in an actual photography scenario. As a serious photographer I want to share some techniques in photography based on my experience while I’m learning.... “The ART of PHOTOGRAPHY”. And by the way, I’m using CANON 500D or T1i SLR Camera. This camera may not be the best in canon, but it delivers high quality pictures with less price. Okay, let's start learning photography.... In my experience in photography, I started to learn my T1i SLR Camera first. It is important to know your gadget and understand what is capable of doing in the photography. Below are the Tips & Techniques, just keep browsing. I hope it will help you to get sharp photos. And please don't forget to read and browse the last part of this page. Thanks for helping me by helping others.

Super Sharp Photos Tips

• In pictures style there are Standard, Landscape, and Portrait to set up their Sharpness, Saturation, Contrast, and Colors. Use Standard when you shoot objects, use Landscape when you shoot scenery and use Portrait when you shoot people and animals. My Tips on this is: For Landscape use sharpness to the max like +7, Saturation +4, and colors +4. For Portrait use sharpness +7, saturation +2, colors +1. For Standard use sharpness +7, saturation +3, colors +3. Using this setup will give you sharpness photos and colorful photos.

Shooting Mode Tips

• Aperture priority mode is the best in shooting people because you can select the f/stop that you need. Focus your subject and blurry background if you shoot at lower f/stop. Shooting landscape also is perfect for aperture priority since you can sharp photos from foreground to background by selecting higher f/stops.

• Shutter priority mode is the best for sports and wildlife photography. The higher shutter speeds you select it will freeze the subjects and sharp photos. The Rules is: do not shoot below 1/60 of a second, if you shoot below that use a tripod. In sports photography do not shoot below 1/1000 of a second to get a super sharp photos.

• Manual Mode is best use for studio or indoor shooting. You can also switch to this mode in outdoor shooting if you know both the rules of aperture priority and shutter priority modes.

Landscape Tips

• Set your camera at Aperture priority mode.

• Shoot at least f/16 through f/22 to get foreground and background sharp photos.

• Shoot at Sunrise or sunsets.

• Shoot with sturdy tripod. This is important since you are going to shoot below 1/60 of a second in low light condition.

• Use the lowest ISO to avoid noise photos.

• Set your camera custom white balance in A2,G1 to get more amber and green.

• Get a good lens rather than a fast lens. But if no options to do that, then use whatever lens is attached in your camera.

Night Photography Tips

• Set your camera at Manual Mode.

• Set your shutter speeds at 30 seconds or go lower than that. Try as many as you can with different shutter speeds and decide later which one you like.

• Set your aperture at least f/11 through f/22. Again take a shots with diffrent aperture then decide later.

• Set your ISO at 100.

• Turn Off your IS because it will give vibration only.

• No need to get a star filter, shooting at f/22 will give you a star on every lights in the night.

• Get a Tripod and set it up.

• Remove your AV Filter or any kind of filter attached to your camera.

• Set up the Grid Line and press your Live view botton. The importance of leveling your shots either horizontal or vertical shooting. But if you have it in your tripod to level your camera then there is no need to this option.

• Use your cable to trigger the shutter botton or use a remote control if you have one. If both you dont' have it, use the camera timer to trigger the shutter botton.

Panorama Tips

• Use the same set up for Landscapes photography tips.

• Shoot at vertical position of your camera.

• Shoot the next angle at least 20% of each every photos.

• Photo Merge or combine the photos using Adobe Photoshops software.

Sports Photography Tips

• Shoot at Shutter priority mode or Tv.

• Set your ISO into Auto. It is important to set in Auto ISO, so that your Shutter speed stays at 1/1000 of a second always. Your ISO will change depends on the light source you get during your sports photography.

• Shoot at jpeg only.

• Set your camera in Continuous mode or burst mode.

• Set your camera at AI Servo.

• Get extended battery grip for more shots or frames per seconds(fps).

• Just remember not to shoot below 1/1000 of a second.

• This set up is good for daylight sports, in night sports use the best camera who can handle higher ISO because you will be needing more ISO to give more light. High ISO more noise.

Panning Tips

• Use the same tips on sports photography above except use a shutter speed at 1/250 to 1/350 of a second.

• Use this with cars and motorbikes sports photography to get a spinning wheels and blurry background.

• Dont' be dissapointed on the first results of your photos since this will requires a lot of practise in panning and it is not easy. But once you did it, again you want to do it again and again and again till you got super sharp panning photos.

Wildlife Photography Tips

• Use the same tips on sports photogaphy above except that you can use a shutter speed below 1/1000 of a second but not that below the rule of 1/60 of a second. Hand holding rules must be observed in photography always in order not to get a blurry and useless photos.

• Use 1/1000 of a second if you shoot Birds. They moved very fast.

• If it happens that your shutter speeds goes below 1/60 of a second, just shoot multiple shots and I'm sure one of them will super sharp. First is blury,Second blurry, third is sharp, fourth blurry again and fifth blurry again. As I said at least you got one which is usefull.

Flash, Overpowering the sun Tips.

• Set up your camera at Program mode or "P".

• Turn off your built in Flash or your Canon 580Ex speedlite flash.

• Set ISO at 100.

• Look at the view finder of your subject, press half the shutter botton and see what's the aperture and shutter speeds. Let's say f/5.6 and 1/125 of a second. Then just remember this setup because you will use this later.

• Now, turn the mode into Manual.

• Setup the aperture manually to f/5.6 and shutter speeds at 1/125 of a second.

• Take the shots at your subject. If it is still overexposed, try to put the aperture at f/8, again if still overexposed, try to put the aperture at f/8 or f/11, until you got the right underexposed of your subject.

• Take note do not change your shutter speeds and ISO.

• Turn on the built in flash or your canon 580EX speedlite flash. Start at full power of your flash. If it is still bright, reduce the output power of your flash and take the shots again. Until you got the right light of your subject.

Lens Tips

• If you shoot indoors like church, museum or anywhere with low light and Flash is not allowed, use super fast lens like 50mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/1.8. They are cheap but super sharp photos.

• Use UV filters on any lens that you owned. It will protect your lens from scratch or any sudden drops or accident. Trust me, you will thank me later.

• Use lens hood for protection from any banging against the chair, table or wall. It also protect your shooting from sun glares.

• Every lens has a sweet spots on getting super sharp photos. Sweet spots usually at 2 stops above your lowest f/stops lens. If you have f/2.8, that means your sweet spots is f/5.6, where you can get sharper photos at all time.

• Dont' just buy a lens which is not a Canon L Series lens. The "L" series lens will always give you the best results in photography. Try to save money untill you reach to that point that you can afford the "L" series lens like Canon 70-200mm 2.8L II IS USM. You will never regret when you buy this lens.

• Buying good lenses are always better quality photos, durability lens, and long life on lenses. That means you can use that lens for 10-15 yrs without any problem at all. Camera body might always comes with a news version every 3 months but lenses, takes a year to have a new version again. And besides, what they say "Good lens, Good photos".

Built-in Flash Tips

• Your built-in flash can lower the power as a fill-in flash on your subject. If your camera has button for +/- flash, then press the dial to lower the output. You can also lower the built-in flash by pressing the Menu>>Flash Control>>Built-in flash func. setting>>flash exp comp....and change to -1 or -2, depends on what you like for your photos.

• You can buy STR111 Strobies on-camera flash diffuser to control the light that comes out from your camera flash. Not bad for a price of $7.95 which is very affordable. Click on the picture above to check the price update at BHphotovideo.com

HDR Tips

• Set your camera to aperture priority mode or "Av".

• Set your auto exposure bracketing or AEB. Press the Menu, AEB, press dial to the right to set at -2,0,+2. This will take 3 shots. Some camera might have 5 shots.

• Use the Tripod.

• Set ISO at 100.

• Use your Live view button to see your leveling on your subject.

• Use remote control or cable release.

• Take the shots. Just remember it will fire 3 times. Do not touch the camera until it finished firing.

• After you download to your computer, you need Photomatix Pro software in order to combine the shots. You need to do some tone mapping. And that's it, HDR on your computer.

Camera Hand-holding Tips

• Tucked your elbow towards your body to get sharper shots. This will help your camera more steadier when it anchors from your body.

• Have you ever seen an NBI or FBI sharp shooter? How they hold their .45 caliber guns when they are in the operations? They hold it with two hands, left hands is supporting the right hand in order to shoot the bad guys correctly and accurately. That's how you handle your camera too, in order to get sharp photos.

• Gently finger squeezing and rolling your shutter button will also help to reduce vibration and get a sharp photos.

Tripod/Monopod Tips

• Use a sturdy Tripod/Monopod.

• A Tripod that can be converted to Monopod will be the best choice for easy carrying your tripod. You Dont' have to carry two pieces (Tripod and a monopod) while travelling. This Giottos Tripod/Monopod can removed the other leg and connect it to the center column to become a monopod. Very easy to assemble again back to Tripod.

• My best choice is Giottos. It has Tripod/Monopod convertion plus QR or Quick Release. Easy to use whenever you need set up a Tripod or a Monopod.

• Not so expensive, only medium range price for dollar. Click on the picture to get exact price at BHphotovideo.com

Fireworks Tips.

• Set up your camera at Manual mode or "M".

• Set your camera to F11. ISO at 100 only.

• Set your camera to BULB or "B".

• Set your camera to a remote control and use your remote control for taking the shots.

• Put your camera on a MF or Manual Focus and set it into infinity.

• And take a pictures when the fireworks starts. Wait for another fireworks, then you call it as multiple burst. As soon as the fireworks stop, press your remote control to stop also. If you need more fireworks in multiple burst, get a black paper that can cover your camera, then remove it again when the fireworks is there again. Just be careful not to touch the camera in doing this, because any shake will cause a blurry fireworks.

• Click on the picture to see more fireworks images.

Macro or Close up Tips.

• Macro lens are good but if you are in trouble with your budget, a Canon Close up 500D lens will be your second option. It is 5x times cheaper than the macro lens.

• Shooting close up subject is one of the challenge from any photographer. Why? Because of the Depth of Field challenge.

• The flower that I took has original "RAIN DROPS". Trust me, you will find very hard to get a flower that has a rain drops on it. But my tips on this one is "Fake It". Get water spray bottle, then sprinkle it with the flower, booom there you go, you have a rain drops on it.

• Used aperture priority or "AE". Let's say f/5.6 and 1/80 of a second at 180mm distance. If you use close up lens 500D, it will be more beautiful. Try buy one and enjoy your macro photography.

• Click on the right picture to get exact price at BHphotovideo.com

• Click on the left picture to see more flowers photos.

Portrait Retouched Tips.

• Adobe Photoshop CS4 is the way to get this stunning retouched portraiture. Follow my steps below.

• Open the file, press Ctrl J to copy the layer. Click Filter >>> Blur >>> Surface Blur, then Adjust your Radius to 25 pixels and Threshold to 10 levels.

• Now, clcik again the Filter >>> Sharpen >>> Unsharp Mask, adjust the Amount to 150%, Radius to 10 pixels and Threshold to 10 Levels.

• Used spot healing brush tools to remove unwanted spots on the face. Try zooming the file in order to see the spots of the face.

• After that, adjust the color tones and light with curve tools.

• Then that will give you the "Retouched Portraiture".

POSTEROUS PHOTOS BLOG

Let's "posterous photo blog" what you learn from my Tips & Techniques by sending it by email at post@emilpaje.posterous.com Your photos will be directly posted at my photos blog websites. Just put the Subject as the Title of your photos, attached the photos, then put your name as the "Photographer" and the date of your taken photo.

Browse and see it by your own eyes from my web photo blog emilpaje.posterous.com

Help me by helping others

If you find this photography tips a very helpful for you, then help me help my charity bantaybata163. Please feel free to donate any amount. You can visit their website atwww.bantaybata163.com