Showing posts with label Photography Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photography Tips. Show all posts

Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Reading List 6

Three more websites worth exploring for those readers interested in street photography, and overcoming writer’s block.

Fifty-two weeks on the streets

Phil Coomes, is picture editor the BBC mobile website, and has an interesting piece on street photography, with many examples of the genre that is worth checking out.

Phil writes about an open street photography challenge in which leading photographers issue weekly projects that are open to all interested photographers to participate in. Participating photographers upload their images to Flickr where members of the challenge can view the photographs and comment on the work of others, and recieve comments on their own work.

There are some great images on the site, and whether you choose to join the weekly challenge, or just want to get some ideas or inspiration from the works of others, I highly recommend you take a look for yourself. Read more...

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io9.Com is a website for Sci-Fi enthusiasts, and staff writer, Charlie Jane Anders has put together a great article describing ten types of writer's block with great advice on how to overcome them. Of course, the information is perfect for writers across all styles of writing - including bloggers, which is why it caught my attention and why I'm including information about it here. 

Charlie writes: "Part of why Writer's Block sounds so dreadful and insurmountable is the fact that nobody ever takes it apart. People lump several different types of creative problems into one broad category. In fact, there's no such thing as "Writer's Block," and treating a broad range of creative slowdowns as a single ailment just creates something monolithic and huge. Each type of creative slowdown has a different cause — and thus, a different solution."

Charlie Anders then proceeds to examine the concept of writer's block and pulls it apart to examine its consituent parts to provide a better understanding of the problems and how to deal with them. Read more here...

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Street Photography for the Purist is a free 160 page eBook on the art of street photography. Written by Chris Weeks, a professional photographer living in Los Angeles who has made his remarkable insight into street photography available on deviantart.
The ebook was first written and published in 2006 but the information is as relevant and inspiration now as it was then.
All the work in the book is in black and white and it serves as much as a source creative ideas as a training manual describing the art of street photography both as remarkably easy as well as incredibly difficult.

The book features contributions by photographers such as :  Severin Koller, Michael Kaiser, Matthew Craig, Rainer Pawellek, Deborah Delasio, Errol Lyons-Rainey, Darren Abate, Massimiliano Mortillaro, Bernhard Wolf.
Chris has an interesting writing style and is not afraid to express himself - often in quite colorful language, so be prepared for numerous expletives and personal opinions that may make your enjoyment of the book less than fullsome. However, Chris and the other writers impart lots of good ideas and it is well worth persisting with if you are interesting in street photography.

Thanks to Seven by Five (7x5) for bringing this to our attention.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

The Reading List 4

Welcome to another roundup of the some of the more interesting discoveries I’ve made as I wander the digital highways and byways of the Internet. This week I am focussing (non pun intended) on photography.

The first two items are two of the most useful eBooks that have come to my attention in a long time. What is more, both eBooks are available as free downloads.

Going Candid

A book about street photography in the digital age. Forget what you know about street photography and read how Thomas Leuthard (85mm) explores the street with his camera. You will find a wealth of useful tips and tricks on how to approach people, getting closer to them and get the best out of you street experience.

As Thomas himself writes: [his] "...workflow starts without a camera and ends in the galleries of this World. It's not about the Decisive Moment or how you set up your camera. It's more about the approach of getting a successful street photographer who will build a successful community around the World.

It's all about sharing and socializing. You will be taken to a journey through the big cities of this World looking into the eyes of strangers. Candid is the key word and you will not be disappointed. Stay tuned for an exclusive book which will change your life as a street photographer."

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As if giving away one eBook is not enough, Thomas Leuthard has topped this with a second eBook that at 99 pages is even bigger than Going Candid, and filled with just as much interesting and useful information.

Collecting Souls

Thomas writes: "While the first book was about the basics, this book is more advanced and contains a lot of personal thoughts and ideas.

I tried to explain what Street Photography means to me and how I see it. It contains more than 30 short chapters about the different areas and topics of street photography. It should help beginners to understand the process of making story telling photos and to improve your personal style as a street photographer.

Together with the first book it will be a good reference for anyone who wants to become a street photographer."

Now there's an understatement if ever I saw one! 

Thomas Leuthard online
85mm.ch website…
Twitter: @85mm_ch

Thanks to the Seven by Five website for bringing these books to my attention. Seven by Five have provided a list of great photography eBooks (including the two above) that are well worth checking out. Some are free, and others can be bought for a small fee.

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10 Things Henri Cartier-Bresson Can Teach You About Street Photography
Eric Kim has put together a great photo essay outlining titled: 10 Things Henri Cartier-Bresson Can Teach You About Street Photography. You will find it online here...

Among Eric's suggestions: Focus on geometry, Be patient, Travel, Stick to one lens, Take photos of children (see image), Be unobtrusive, See the world like a painter, Don’t crop,  Don’t worry about processing, and Always strive for more.

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There is much to discover in the downloads available here and on the websites, so if you are interested at all in improving your photographic skill, I highly recommend all three sites.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Website of The Week: Digital Photography School

Screen shot of the Digital Photography School website
The Digital Photography School website has been on my blog roll for over a year, and has become my first ‘port of call’ whenever I want to catch up on the latest camera reviews, photography tips, or tech tips on how to get the best out of my camera. To quote from the home page of the DPS:

Welcome to Digital Photography School! Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography.

This is a massive site, and it might take you some time to get your head around it, so my advice is to start your reading or research in that part of the site that you are particularly interested in right now. For example, if you are looking to purchase your first or new camera, start with the reviews. Of course, it helps if you have some idea of the brand or type of camera you are thinking of buying, before you start wading your way through the hundreds of camera reviews on the site.

If you already have a camera, and want to learn more about how to get the best shots out of it, head over to the Tips and Tutorials section and search there for a specific question relating to your needs.

In the Post Production area of the site you will discover and endless array of advice to help you turn your images into the best possible photographs they can be after they have been downloaded onto your computer.

There is much to discover on the Digital Photography School site, and all skill levels are catered for. It doesn’t matter if you only own a ‘point and shoot’ camera, I am confident that you will find something of interest here to help you improve your photographic skills.

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Here are just a few of the hundreds of photography books that are available via Amazon.Com to help you with your photographic skills.
The Digital Photography Book The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 BetterPhoto Basics: The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Photos Like a Pro
Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera Understanding Close-Up Photography: Creative Close Encounters with Or Without a Macro Lens Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second

Saturday, July 25, 2009

The Week That Was #5

Welcome to my weekly collection of The Odd, The Useful, and The Downright Bizarre.


The Odd: The Floor of The Standard Grill, New York City. Their website is nothing to shout about, but apparently the floors are! The image shows a photograph of one of the floor areas of the New York City eatery, The Standard Grill. Located under the High Line, on the corner of Washington and West 13 Street, at 848 Washington Street. The floor is covered entirely in pennies. (Note: click on the image to view full size).


The Useful: Capturing great photographs of your vacation or family holiday has never been easier if you own a digital camera. However, if you want to improve your photographic skills higher than the usual ‘happy snaps’ that pass for most holiday photos, take a few minutes to read through the tips on the following two Microsoft At Home pages, here; 8 tips for better holiday photos, and here, 8 tips for super vacation snapshots.


The Downright Bizarre: The World's Worst Travel Gear. Spot Cool Stuff is a website that examines products and places of interest for the most discerning traveller. Sometimes, though, a product can be so mind boggling terrible that there is something good about the horribleness of it. Like the Shenis, a device that let’s women urinate while standing up - in public. You can even see a photograph or watch a video of the Shenis in action if you are game! Warning: Adult content. Not for the fainthearted!


Wherever you are, whatever you are doing – enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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