Surefire Tips on Capturing Action Shots

Do you find it quite a challenge to shoot great action shots?

Whether you are shooting a fast moving car or pictures of a soccer match, you may find it some challenges to produce nice photos of those subjects.

In fact, the first thing you’ll realize is that digital Cameras are bad for action shots. That is why first time digical camera users  often grumble  about how lousy their action shots turn out.

Through some ample combination of careful  lighting, focusing , positioning  and shutter-speed adjustments, you can take the exact  stop action shots. Even if you never take sports photos, knowing how to freeze action allow you capture birds in flight, water splashes,  and fleeting childhood moments.

Worry not, the best way to master your digital camera's many buttons and screen menus is through hands-on experience. If setting your camera's shutter to 1/500th of a second gets you that perfect image of your baby mid-bounce, you're more likely to remember how to activate shutter-priority mode next time. So don't spend your time memorizing settings. Instead, remember the following principles for good action photography. Over time, making the camera do your bidding becomes second nature.

1. Move in close.
Using a zoom lens, digital zoom, or your own body, get as close to the action as possible to eliminate distracting backgrounds.

2. Increase your camera's shutter speed.
If your camera has manual mode, shutter-priority mode, or even a preset action mode, use it to prevent blurring caused by movement.

3. Anticipate the action.
When you see the perfect moment on your camera's screen, it's way too late to press the shutter, especially if your camera has a substantial shutter lag. Even if you use burst mode to fire off a bunch of shots in a row, the time to begin taking your shot is about a second before the best action is likely to occur. It takes practice, but you will get the hang of it.

4. Do as much as possible before you take the shot.
Prefocusing and spot metering are easy on most digital cameras. Get in the habit of setting them during breaks in the action. Once your camera has focus and/or exposure locked in, you can concentrate on getting the shot without the drag of shutter lag.

5. Above all, persevere.
Don't get frustrated if many action shots don't turn out, even when you use these techniques. Pros shoot dozens, sometimes hundreds, of frames just to get one good picture. By its very nature, action photography produces lots of wasted shots. Just remember you've got a digital camera, so mistakes don't cost you a thing.
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You must understand the sport game before you start shooting. You have to know how points are scored, what cause penalties, etc. This way, you will understand where the best action is likely to happen.  Don’t forget to capture the emotion. Be ready to capture player’s faces on winning, or other emotional action in the game. They should make your photos looks alive!

On the next time you take such shots, do keep the above tips in mind, and I’m pretty sure your results will get better.

People Skills for Portrait Photography

Taking great portraits is as much about people skills as it is about technical ability, or using the latest and greatest photographic equipment.  Sure, refining your technical skills and knowledge may expand the extent of your capabilities, and using superior equipment may indeed boost your edge.  But, unless you can first see through your subject's eyes, and understand her as a unique individual, and then build rapport with her so you can unveil and accentuate her finest qualities, your portraits will remain mediocre at best.  Some lessons learned along my journey as a photographer may help those who choose to follow.

1.  If using a tripod, compose your portrait and then take one step just to the side and forward from the camera.  Do not look through the viewfinder as you capture your subject's image.  This allows you to make eye contact initially with your subject, and then direct her in mood, expression, position, and the angle of gaze you are aiming for.  When your subject interacts with your camera, the result can be a cold or lifeless rendering, but when you engage your subject through eye contact, expression, gestures and words, the result can be a warm and candid reflection, charged with mood or emotion.

2.  If you are not using a tripod, you really should redouble your effort to maintain constant interaction with your subject.  Many photographers tend to keep their eyes in the viewfinder of the camera, but this leads to your subject interacting more with the front glass in your lens than with you.  Again, you do not want the sterile and lifeless rendering that most often comes when the camera serves to isolate you the photographer from your subject.  Interaction with an inanimate object (your camera) can never be a substitute for interaction with another human being (you), when your goal is to capture the essence of your subject, and reflect the attitude and emotion she was feeling at that moment in time.

3.  Allow your subject to be herself.  A little girl dressed up in fairy wings for a special picture is very cute, and I suppose there is a place in this world for cute.  But, contrast this with the little girl who just loves to dance.  You put her in her everyday clothes, stand her in front of a plain backdrop, put on her favorite music and say to her, "can you show me how to dance to this song?"  You should have no difficulty in capturing timeless expressions there.  Now imagine a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy whose true passion in all of life is sailing.  You dress him up in a tailored suit; formally pose him in front of a low key backdrop, seated in a Chippendale chair, and use classic loop lighting.  What would be said of this portrait years later?  "Who was this guy, an executive?"  But just suppose, you photographed this same guy in his favorite t-shirt and blue jeans, at the helm of his beloved sail boat, on a beautiful late afternoon, just as the boat was coming about?  What would be said of this portrait years later?  "This was Charlie, doing what he loved most!  That was such a glorious day."  The point is, "keep it honest".  Fantasy can be cute, but your subject being herself, years later this will be much more meaningful.

4.  Allow your subject's expression to be honest.  A frown or a grimace that is genuinely felt can be more interesting than a smile that is forced.  I try to never just pose my subject and then say, "Okay, now smile for me."  If you want your subject to smile then tell a joke, put on a face, or perhaps merely smile at her and she will smile back at you.  People generally tend to reflect in their face what they see in yours, but in my experience this is not always so.  Nevertheless, interaction with your subject is the key.  That being said, the next time you have a difficult subject ask him to tell you a joke, to bring out a smile, if that's the expression you are after.  If you are a professional, you know that smiles sell, but if you're an amateur, you are under no pressure to sell, so make your portraits interesting.  Not everything in the world is to smile about.

5.  Direct your portraits.  Take control of the composition of your portraits!  Do not be afraid to tell or show your subject what you want.  Sometimes showing is best.  I often find that actually demonstrating a pose I have in mind, works better than trying to direct my subject through words alone.  If you are photographing a group, your life will be easier, if you arrange and pose the adults first.  Then, work your way from oldest (or more mature and settled) to youngest of the children.  The point to remember is, as the photographer, you should take charge of the shot.  The success or failure of the portrait will be your responsibility, so take charge.

Engage your subject to establish and build rapport with her, to take your photos to a higher level.  Make your portraits more meaningful by keeping them honest, and natural.  We all know a fantasy photo can be cute, and a formally posed portrait can be graceful and dignified, if that is your subject's personality.  But, a portrait that is true to the subject is always more meaningful.  Allow your subject to be herself, and never force an expression.  Learn to take charge and direct your portraits and you will move far ahead in your journey as a photographer.  Practice your people skills with each portrait you take.  People skills are the prerequisite to all else, if you want to take great portraits.  Good day and happy clicking!

All About Photography

Photography is the art of reproducing pictures of people, objects or places in their exact likeness. These images can be transferred on any photosensitive material. Photography includes taking and printing pictures.

The backbone of photography is the camera, the instrument or device that works on the principle of optics. The camera and photographic techniques have undergone phenomenal changes since the time the first camera was made. The earlier model did not contain the film; instead, it had a small light-shield box with lens and translucent screen on either side. The image that traveled through the lens was stored on the screen. Known as 'camera obscura,' it was no more than a sketching device for artists.

Then the scientists discovered the quality of silver nitrate that changes its color when exposed to light. This was the beginning of photogram, a method of making permanent images.

They would place objects on the paper dipped in silver nitrate and expose it to the sunlight. After sometime the area covered under the object stayed white while the rest of the space turned black. However, the image formed was temporary, so the method did not last long.

Over the centuries, the principles, the method and the material used in photography went through many changes. After experimenting with various methods like Daguerre and calotype process, finally collodion, or the wet plate technique was universally accepted.

Modern photography has given a totally new meaning to the entire perception of life and privacy. Photography has made it possible to capture and preserve special moments, in private and in public life. History became more authentic with pictures, and photographs served as evidence in many cases. People made their family tree in their albums. Suddenly life was so much more fun and meaningful.

With the tremendous technological advances in the art of photography, it is no more just fun and frolic but has acquired the dimensions of a full-fledged profession. Photography has many branches and types, such as:

- Aerial photography is the art of taking photographs from the air.

- Art photography is devoted to beautiful pictures for the sake of beauty only.

- Studio or advertising photography is dedicated to promotion of products and institutions.

- Photojournalism takes pictures of events to support the news story and to create awareness among the people.

- Outdoor and travel photography is focused on taking pictures of landscapes and natural places.

- Sports photography records images of the sporting events and games that take place in the world.

- Some types of photography like the macro and scientific and macro or close up photography are restricted to specific fields and are not widely known.

The charm of photography lies as much in the end product as in the process of taking pictures. Looking at an album is like taking a trip down memory lane; it makes us feel highly nostalgic and emotional.