PHOTOGRAPHY

Learning photography starts with knowing the gadget with which you can freeze and capture that moment in time—your camera. But before that, you have to understand the fundamentals of photography; aspects such as focal length, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc. Wikipedia is one of the best resources to learn about these terminologies. Knowing

what they mean will give you a better understanding of exposure control, and will allow you to move away from the basic Auto mode and scene presets in favor of Program and Manual modes with which you can get more creative. After you’ve got your basics

clear or if you’re already a level up from a beginner, move on to learning the art of composition and framing subjects. It’s the composition that makes photos stand out. composed well, even a photo taken with a simple point-and-shoot camera can look outstanding. Composition is a vast subject and can’t be learnt in a day; it’s an on-going process that you have to keep developing and improving. Websites like ‘www.digital-photographyschool. com’ and ‘www. all-things-photography.

com’ have excellent articles and tips on photography techniques and composition. You’ll fi nd articles on how to photograph fi reworks, waterfalls, beaches, children, pets, water drops, silhouettes, etc. with examples. There are also some specifi c topics such as how to photograph a spider’s web, mushrooms and subjects in candle light.

These aren’t rules that you have to follow, but some useful tips from experts that will

help you capture better photos. Black and white, food, wildlife, wedding, sports, interiors and glamour are some of the vast areas of photography that you can pursue as a career. There aren't many dedicated websites that will give you a detailed insight into these subjects, but you can fi nd articles on these subjects on various websites. For example, an article on wedding photography at ‘www.digitalphotography-

school.com’ talks about the equipment required, the most precious moments during the wedding, checklist of what you need to arrange for, etc. But on a broader level, you need to learn about flashguns and lighting, lenses suitable for wedding photography, customs and traditions of various religions, wedding rituals, studying the venue, black and

white conversion, photo retouching, and so

on. We suggest you join a reputed institute,

read books and train under a professional

to hone your skills. If you’re an amateur

looking out for a good online resource, you

can take up online courses at websites

such as ‘www.schoolofphotography.com’

and ‘www.betterphoto.com’, which have

excellent lessons on diverse subjects.

Online Web albums like Picasa

and Flickr are excellent platforms for

showcasing your talent. Put up your best

work on these websites and post your

images to groups that interest you. Make

sure you copyright and watermark your

photos and add as many tags as possible

to describe your photo. This will increase

the probability of people coming across

your photos when they use search engines.

You’ll fi nd people appreciating your work

by the number of votes and comments

your photos get. The search tool on Flickr

and Picasa can also be a good resource to

improve your composition. For instance,

you can search for ‘bird in fl ight’ and see

what kind of photos others have shot and

fi nd out the exposure settings they have

utlized.

Some photos come out

great and can be used as

is straight off the camera,

but certain photos have to

be cropped and enhanced

so that the colors and

details stand out. You may

want to remove blemishes

from the skin, make teeth

appear whiter, or make skin

appear smoother. You don’t

need to be a Photoshop

guru, but you should have

basic skills and know-how

to use Adobe Photoshop

Lightroom or Apple Aperture

for enhancing photos and

managing digital assets.

Lightroom is a very powerful

tool for photographers

and it doesn’t take too

long to master. ‘www.

lightroomkillertips.com’

has some very good tips

and articles, and is a great

site for both beginners and

advanced Lightroom users.

Photography is an

expensive hobby, and if

you’re planning to take it

up as a profession, the initial investment

is high. DSLR cameras, lenses, fl ash guns

and studio lighting equipment don’t come

cheap. If you’re a hobbyist or an amateur,

you can start off with a basic model like

the Canon EOS 1000D or Nikon D3100 and

invest in a decent zoom lens with image

stabilization (55-250 mm), but if you’re

planning to invest in high-end cameras,

lenses or fl ashguns, read detailed reviews

on websites like ‘www.dpreview.com’ or

‘www.kenrockwell.com’ before buying

anything. DPReview has very good

comparisons and buying guides, which are

good references for all types of users. We

all see things from a diff erent perspective

and there’s a unique artist in each one of

us. Keep enhancing your skills, develop

your own style and you’ll soon get there.