Photography
Photography is one of my favorite interest. This interest has made me to understand light and color behavior for different environmental changes. Many times, the same light source will be different at different times of the day. I am still learning to take better pictures. My challenges are always to take better pictures in indoor lights with good Depth of Field (DOF). Many times, I framed/composed with some thing in mind and I got a totally different picture when clicked.
I am still a very basic amateur in this field. Learning techniques to use my camera (Nikon D610, AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G, Sigma 24mm & Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight ) to take better pictures. I have a dream to master photography. There's lot to learn in this area right from composition, selection of equipment, and correct/prompt usage of various parameters/controls of the equipment. My earlier gear was nikon D200, AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, Tamron AF-D 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 for Nikon. I bought most of my gear from bhphotovideo.com and amazon.com
In my view photography is a language which is spoken through pictures and an art which uses controlled light . Every picture does speak some thing to his viewer. Best photographers are not the one who carry heavy photo gear or costly equipment but the one who take great pictures. Equipment does matter only, when you need a very high quality picture with near accurate color/light reproduction.
These are my tips and tricks of photography which i use to enhance my photography
- Think before you take a picture, what's your target/subject, how you want your subject to look or to be placed with respect to surroundings.
- Take as many pictures as possible to understand how your equipment behaves to various light conditions.
- Choose the right settings on your equipment. As far as I know, this can be attained easily with lots of practice with the equipment. There are lots of tips and tricks on the web which can guide you to set you camera to have the right shot.
- There are couple of tricks like the "Rule of the thirds" rule etc which have evolved over time as the best thumb rules to get amazing pictures. Go through those topics.
- Shutter speed and Aperture are two important controls of any camera which will enable you to control dept of field and get better focus on the targeted subjects. Without understanding how this aperture and shutter speed affect you final picture, one may not be able to have control on the output.
- There are some more things to know, like, hyper focal distance, under/over exposures, multiple exposure, manual flash control etc which will enable to have complete control over the final output.
- choose the right equipment. This does not mean to buy the costliest gear. Some of the best pictures, which I have seen are taken with point and shoot cameras. According to your budget/taste/requirement choose the equipment.
Useful photography basics
Good photography is mostly about light, timing, composition, and keeping the subject clear. Modern cameras and phones are very capable, but the same fundamentals still matter: steady hands, clean lenses, intentional framing, and paying attention to the direction and quality of light.
- Use natural light when possible. Window light, open shade, early morning, and late evening usually give softer and more pleasing results than harsh mid-day light.
- Watch the background. Before clicking, scan the edges of the frame for distracting objects, bright spots, or things growing out of the subject's head.
- Focus on the eyes for portraits. A portrait feels sharp when the eyes are sharp, even if the background is soft.
- Keep the camera steady. Use a faster shutter speed for people, kids, pets, and indoor action. If the subject is still, lean against a wall or use a tripod.
- Take fewer but better variations. Try one wide shot, one medium shot, one close detail, and one different angle instead of taking the same picture repeatedly.
Exposure and camera settings
Exposure is controlled by aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Aperture affects depth of field, shutter speed controls motion blur, and ISO increases brightness at the cost of noise. For important photos, check the image on the screen and zoom in once to confirm focus.
- Aperture: Use a lower f-number for portraits and background blur. Use a higher f-number for landscapes, groups, or scenes where more needs to be in focus.
- Shutter speed: Use faster speeds for motion. A simple starting point is 1/125 for still people, 1/250 or faster for kids, and 1/500 or faster for action.
- ISO: Keep ISO low in bright light. In low light, raise ISO rather than getting a blurry image.
- RAW/JPEG: RAW gives more editing flexibility. JPEG or HEIF is convenient for quick sharing and smaller files.
Phone photography tips
Phone cameras are excellent for family, travel, food, and everyday photos. Clean the lens often, tap to focus, lower exposure slightly in bright scenes, and avoid heavy digital zoom. Portrait mode is useful, but always take one regular photo too in case the background blur looks artificial.
Editing and photo management
- Start with small edits: crop, straighten, adjust exposure, reduce highlights, lift shadows, and correct white balance.
- Avoid over-saturation and heavy sharpening; natural-looking edits usually age better.
- Back up important photos in at least two places, such as an external drive and a cloud library.
- For family photos, organize by year and event so they can be found later.
Ethics and privacy
Be thoughtful when photographing people, children, private homes, license plates, or events. Ask permission when needed, avoid sharing sensitive locations, and respect places where photography is restricted.