Tip: Star-shaped Sun Effect

Have you ever wondered how to get that star-shaped sun effect that you see in many pictures?? I have! Well, I stumbled across a DPS thread yesterday that shared this exact tip. So, I am passing this tip along to you! :D

You can achieve this look directly in camera by simply changing the size of your aperture to its smallest opening (largest f-stop, such as f22). After learning of this, I immediately went outside and tried it. And lo and behold, it does work! The above shot was taken yesterday during midday with an f-stop of 22.

Now how simple was that???? Try it with both a small aperture and a larger aperture and see the change! :)

Btw...according to the thread, this would not damage your sensor if you use a very high shutter speed.

Tip: Flash & Light

Ah, the core of photography -- LIGHT. The word 'photography' comes from the greek words 'photos' - light and 'graph' - to draw. Basically, photography means "drawing with light". A great photographer knows how to capture light in a way that will create a beautiful, captivating image. Personally, I have a ways to go in mastering it! But I am excited to keep learning and growing! :)

Okay, the tip of the week (I taught this to the kids during our last class): Do NOT use your in-camera flash! Yep, that's it for this week's tip. Easy, peezy, right??

I particularly love what Pioneer Woman Photography has to say about flash:

And while we’re on the subject, I never use flash. This is one huge difference between the casual point-and-shoot user and the more serious enthusiast. Flash—at least the kind that hits the subject dead-on—almost always washes out the subject and eliminates the interesting shadows and details that make photos really fabulous. I never use my flash. Ever, ever, ever. If I don’t have enough light to take a shot, I just don’t take it—I dislike flash that much. Oh, and don’t use the flash. Lastly, whatever you do…avoid using your flash.

To reiterate, in-camera/direct flash produces harsh, unflattering light on your subjects. Use available light as much as possible (natural light, candlelight, lamplights, etc). And also, learn the various "temperature" of light (ie: Kelvin scale). This is helpful with regards to white balance!

If you can afford one, use an external flash that can bounce light off a wall. Or for those on a budget (like myself!), I would recommend purchasing a pop-up flash diffuser. I use a Lumiquest Diffuser and have found it very nice to use when I absolutely need extra light. But I must say that I RARELY ever use it -- because I try to take advantage of available light. :) Another great product I am looking into is Prof. Kobre's Light Scoop (only $29.95)! And lastly, one of the best photography websites for light is Strobist.com. (warning: due to possible inappropriate image content, parents please moderate for your younger photographers!)

Below are shots I took for a "fine china" product session. Last week, a friend of mine asked me to photograph one of her fine china settings. I was so challenged by it that I took out my own china to shoot some photos of mine. LOL! I am showing these shots as examples of how light affects your image.

Tip: De-fogging

Tuesdays have now become my official tip-sharing day on my photoblog! You know... "T", for tip and Tuesday. Clever, I'd say. :) I thought of trying to give it a cute name, but the only thing that came to mind at this hour was "Tipsy Tuesday", and that isn't going to do! So, I guess I'll settle for just "tip". Yeah, I know...unique and so exciting. :D

Well, onto the tip of the week, DE-FOGGING!

Unless you own an expensive lens, this is a very important tip to learn and will add some punch to your photos from the get go. From what I've learned, most digital cameras give off a "haze" in photos. Removing this haze is called de-fogging. By de-fogging, you will increase the contrast in larger parts of the picture (not sharpening the details), in effect giving it a more clean, vibrant look.

De-fogging is the first thing I do to my photos after I've downloaded the originals to my computer. Here's what you do. It will only take a minute!

In Photoshop, go to Filters -> Sharpen -> Unsharpen Mask and enter these numbers:

• Amount: 20
• Radius: 60
• Threshold: 0

Click OK and you're done. Yep, that's it. Easy as pie!

Below are a couple of examples. The top photos are the originals. The second photos are de-fogged. You will notice that the de-fogged photos are more defined and not as flat. You may need to view them in full-size and next to each other to better see the difference. Believe me, it's quite noticeable. :) HTH!

Photoshop - to edit or not to edit...

....that is the question!

So, what do many photographers think about using a photo editing software to edit their pictures?? Opinions run from being a "purist" (getting it right in camera from the start and no need to post edit) to believing that photography is an art form; and using a tool such as Photoshop is okay by them to enhance their artistic creativities and style.

I am one of those photographers who fall into both camps. To me, a good photographer must know how to get the fundamentals of photography right. No amount of post editing can fix an image if you do not have a good picture to start with! But, I also believe that Photoshop does have its place and can definitely take your photography/artistic skills up a level.

As a beginner photographer, I am continuing my focus on the the basics. Although, I must confess....I do utilize Photoshop often. :D In the end, it's all a matter of personal preference. Had I not been already using Photoshop for years (web designing) prior to getting into photography, I don't think I would be utilizing Photoshop into my photos as much as I do already (it has a high learning curve). :)

Above are before/after photos to showcase how post editing can take up your photos a notch. Isn't this young maiden such a beauty??? She is the eldest daughter to one of our dear friends at church. This was taken at a House Warming-Birthday-Adoption celebration at our other dear friends' home several weeks ago. It was a totally fun time!!

Showing Work: Gallery Print

There are a wide variety of ways to show your work, be it clients, friends, family, etc. One fun way is creating gallery prints of some of your favorite photos. As you would imagine, this can be done using Photoshop and is very easy to do.

Creating a gallery print involves changing the canvas size and using the marquee tool around the image and changing the stroke width using a white or light grey color. The final touch is to add your logo or text to name your gallery print. Voila!

The above photo is another photos taken during the LaRose Tea Party. It is a shot of the table we sat at. So cute! Click photo to view larger size.

Moving Toward Manual Settings

If you have not tried shooting in manual mode before, you are limiting yourself as a photographer (IMHO). I personally do not (yet!) shoot in manual mode on a regular basis. As of this writing, I've actually only shot in manual once since I got my D40 in July. My personal goal is to be comfortable shooting in all modes. I've started with program mode, then moved to aperature priority (where I'm at now -- totally loving AP!) and will work my way through shutter priority then up to manual. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll be adventurous and daring and try manual next. Oooh!

The purpose of this post is to share with newbie photographers a great tutorial series on getting into manual mode. DPS has just recently posted a series titled "Moving Toward Manual Settings (a beginner's guide)", written by photographer, Natalie Norton. She has a great photoblog, btw!

Checkout this series at the links below:

1. Understanding Aperture
2. Understanding Shutter speed
3. Understanding ISO
   

The above photo was taken on 7/24 and was my first time ever using manual mode. Actually...it was a lot EASIER than I thought it would be! So why don't I continue using manual, you might ask?? I've read great tips from many veteran photographers who have all expressed the importance of becoming familiar with all the modes in your camera as you are starting out, primarily the semi-manual & manual modes (Program/AP/SP/Manual). This also helps you better understand the relationship with the "exposure triangle" (aperture/ss/iso) since you are able to control more of the settings yourself.

So....ENJOY moving toward manual! I'll be there alongside with ya!

Tip: In Camera Settings

I felt led to share some tips that have greatly helped me in the beginning stages of my photography journey. So, here's my first photography tip! Woo-hoo!

To get beautiful, warm, and vivid colors straight out of your camera (SOOC), I would encourage newbie photographers to look into utilizing the custom "optimized image" settings on their camera. Since I own a Nikon, I will share my current settings from my D40. Canon and other users, I would suggest googling "in camera settings" for your particular model and see what you find. The DPS forum should also have some great posts on this for a wide variety of camera models.

Keep in mind, these settings may still have to be adjusted a bit depending on what you're photographing (especially when it comes to low light), but this is a great starter point. I learned about the following setting through a member in a SOOC Flickr group I belong to. He also was a D40 user.

• Color Mode IIIa (sRGB)
• Saturation: HardSharpening: 2
• Contrast: AutoWhite Balance:
• Auto -1 (for a warmer tone)
• Exposure Compensation: Right around +0.3 or -0.3, depending on the light

This setting has worked beautifully for me. The above photos are examples of this setting and are SOOC -- no post editing at all. They were all taken indoors. Ken Rockwell's custom settings are great as well! I used his settings when I first bought my camera.

I hope many find this tip helpful! Enjoy! :)