Shopping for your first serious camera can be intimidating with all the different options out there…
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Photo Tips | Shallow Focus
Using shallow focus, created by using a wide aperture such at f1.8 or f2.8, is a great way to bring clarity and emphasis to a photo…
Read MoreLong Exposure Photography Equipment
Learning how to shoot long exposure photographs is a great way to add some motion and experimentation into your work. Whether it is day or night…
Read More5 Photography Accessories for Your Camera
The camera, and lenses, are only the beginning to making sure you are prepared to get the photos you want while out shooting…
Read MoreUse Leading Lines
Our eyes naturally follow lines of contrast and lines in general. Using lines within your photograph can keep a viewer engaged and lead them to the subject. These lines often give you a sense of place, through materials and other elements, while also emphasizing the main subject. Leading lines may seem simple and possibly obvious but they can prove to be incredibly powerful in truly creating an engaging experience out of an otherwise static photograph.
Using shallow focus and leading lines can create a sense of mystery with lines leading into the unknown. Looking up at a subject will typically create lines leading to a point, when it comes to buildings, and this could be a specific detail you would like to highlight. Exposing for highlights can bring a lot of contrast to and image and truly draw out the lines throughout the photograph and put leading lines to use in bringing emphasis and clarity to your subject.
How do you use this technique?
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Expose For Highlights
Why would you ever want to expose your photos for highlights, and lose details and information in the shadows?
One of the best reasons to expose for highlights is to create contrast. This can come in a bunch of different forms, you can separate your subject and background through the contrast of light and dark. You can embed a sense mystery and uncertainty through silhouettes or cast shadows.
You can expose for highlights within a space to give a sense of time and space, or use it to skew a viewers understanding of what they're truly looking at. This can often create a frame within the image, which might hold a little hint of a subject within it that can spark a viewer's imagination
Sometimes you just simply have to expose to the brightest part of the scene so it doesn't overtake the rest. We don't always want all the details surrounding a subject, even if we cannot physically remove them we can let them fall into shadow if there is enough contrast between the highlights and shadows. This approach can provide a great deal of clarity or add incredibly valuable mystery and drama.
How do you use this technique?
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Look Up
A great way to get a different perspective on a subject is to get low and look up at it. This is a great way to give a strong sense of importance to your subject, as they tower over you. You will also discover that there often is something much more interesting to be found by looking up at a subject.
If you are out exploring or on vacation and want to bring home an unique photo of a subject that has been photographed many times before, give this perspective a try. Try to also get the standard photo of the subject so you have that as well. You can certainly take this approach for almost any subject and have the possibility of getting a truly unique photograph that can really empower your subject.
Shooting at eye level may be easiest for most people, but you're often missing out on so much of the world around you. Get down low and look up for a new perspective on life. Share what you find...
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Use Shallow Focus
Using shallow focus, created by using a wide aperture, is a great way to bring clarity and emphasis to a photo. With your focus on your subject and the background blurred, you can remove distractions and bring clarity to your subject.
This type of focus in a photograph can allow a viewer to use their imagination to fill in the blanks about the blurred background details or be able to not have worry about anything other than the subject. Shallow focus can also allow you to be very specific with important details in your subject, especially in close up photographs.
Give it a try and share a link to your top 5 examples in the comments below.
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