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Slow Down

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Photo by Steve BerardiIn today’s fast-paced world of instant gratification, it’s easy to get sucked in and join the rush. And although being in a rush can help you get a lot of things done, it also makes you miss out on truly experiencing moments. It’s like you moved so quickly that you were never really “there.”

Lately, I’ve really tried to slow down in a lot of areas in life in order to be more present and experience moments more fully. I’ve slowed down my normal hiking pace and I’ve been stopping more frequently to take a look around. As a result, I feel like I’ve seen many places more deeply and have seen things I wouldn’t have noticed at all if I was in a rush. [Read more…] about Slow Down

Learning From “Bad Photos”

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Photos by Steve BerardiIn teaching photography, a lot of attention is always paid to the “good photos” — pointing out what made the photo “good.” We don’t really hear much about the “bad photo” ever, but I think you can learn things from any photograph.

I’m putting “good” and “bad” in quotes here because, like I’ve said before, I don’t really think there are good and bad photos. I think it’s more of a personal choice about whether or not a photo triggers some feeling in you. So, in that sense, when I say “bad photo” here, what I really mean is a photo you took that you personally don’t like for some reason—it doesn’t say what you want it to say about your subject. [Read more…] about Learning From “Bad Photos”

Simplify

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Photo by Steve Berardi
Photo by Steve Berardi

The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.” —Walt Whitman

One of the first lessons I learned when I got into photography is to simplify your composition. Decide what your subject is, and then compose your shot so it only includes your subject or things that support the subject (for example, natural lines that lead the viewer’s eyes to the subject).

A common problem is trying to include too much in one photo. This makes it hard for the viewer to figure out what the subject is, and how to navigate the image. You want to make it as easy as possible for the viewer.

So, here are some ways to simplify your composition: [Read more…] about Simplify

Adding An Artistic Element

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Photo by Vic Berardi
Photo by Vic Berardi
As nature photographers, many times we feel just getting an acceptable photo of an elusive subject is good enough. However, sometimes a bit of patience, luck and perseverance can bring about an enlightening experience.

For example, I recently had an encounter with a dragonfly known as a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps). We all know photographing dragonflies can be a very daunting and sometimes humbling experience. The Prince Baskettail can be especially frustrating because it seems to be forever on the move and rarely rests for any length of time. Occasionally though, luck comes at surprising times and the most important thing to remember at those times is to take full advantage of it and to always keep trying for the best possible photo while keeping in mind to never pressure your subject to fly off. [Read more…] about Adding An Artistic Element

How To Show Depth In Close-Ups

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Photo by Steve Berardi
Photo by Steve Berardi
In a previous post, I talked about how to show depth in landscape photos. But depth isn’t just important for landscapes, it’s also something you might want to do in close-up photos because it makes your subject appear more three-dimensional.

So, how do you show depth in close-ups? Simple: just photograph your subject from an angle. This happens to be one way to show depth in landscapes too 🙂

For example, compare the photo at the beginning of this post with this one: [Read more…] about How To Show Depth In Close-Ups

Creative White Balance

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Photo by Steve Berardi
Photo by Steve Berardi
White balance is something that’s often overlooked in photography. It’s what controls the color temperature of your photos: an image with a red or orange tint is considered “warm” whereas an image with more bluish colors is considered “cold.” You can adjust the white balance to make an image warmer or colder.

It’s called “white” balance because it’s often thought of as the color temperature of the white colors in your image—so a “correct” white balance would be one where the natural whites in your image are actually white and don’t have a red or blue tint. But, it’s important to remember that the white balance affects the entire image, not just the white colors.

The camera is usually pretty good at guessing the correct or most natural-looking white balance, but sometimes it’s not, and other times it’s mostly correct but you might still want to adjust the color temperature to emphasize the feeling of a photograph. [Read more…] about Creative White Balance