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How To Make Your Subject Stand Out

July 23, 2012 by Steve Berardi 9 Comments

Photography is all about making your subject stand out. You want the viewer to easily recognize your subject, and appreciate its beauty. There are lots of ways to draw attention to your subject, but here are a few of my favorites:

Contrast

Desert Sunflower / Photo by Steve Berardi
Desert Sunflower / Photo by Steve Berardi

One of the simplest ways to make your subject stand out is to photograph it in front of a contrasting background. Ideally, you want the colors to be complementary, but any kind of contrast will usually work. For example, in the photo on the right, I really wanted that yellow Desert Sunflower to stand out, so I photographed it in front of some purple flowers (Desert Sand Verbena). [Read more…] about How To Make Your Subject Stand Out

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: aperture, closeup, composition, contrast, depth of field, image, isolate, landscape, out, photo, scale, stand, story, subject

3 Quick Tips For Photographing Insects

July 10, 2012 by Steve Berardi 11 Comments

Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) / Photo by Steve Berardi
Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) / Photo by Steve Berardi
Now that we’re in the middle of summer (here in the northern hemisphere), there’s lots of insects flying around. Some of them are cool looking and some are just really annoying (like those pesky mosquitoes!).

But, if you’re looking to photograph some of the not so annoying ones, here are a few tips: [Read more…] about 3 Quick Tips For Photographing Insects

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How To Recover Photos From a Corrupt Memory Card

June 26, 2012 by Steve Berardi 14 Comments

Compact Flash Memory CardAlthough there are ways to reduce the risk of memory card problems, you can never escape them completely.

Sooner or later, you’re going to come home from a wonderful day in the wilderness with a memory card loaded with great photos, but when you try to download those shots to your computer, your memory card will fail for whatever reason.

Well, when your memory card decides to stop cooperating with you, here are a few things you can try to save your photos: [Read more…] about How To Recover Photos From a Corrupt Memory Card

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: damaged, error, flash memory, memory card, memory card reader, photography, recover deleted photos, recover lost photos, recovery software, Tips, unreadable

How a Light Diffuser Can Help Your Close-Up Photos

June 19, 2012 by Steve Berardi 7 Comments

In a previous post, I talked about how you can build a light diffuser out of a shower curtain and wire clothes hanger. You can use this diffuser to help cast a soft light on your subjects, which helps eliminate harsh shadows and really makes the colors of your subject pop. It’s especially helpful for photographing wildflowers.

Here’s an example of the difference this diffuser can make: [Read more…] about How a Light Diffuser Can Help Your Close-Up Photos

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: balanced, blown, close, close up, control, curtain, diffuser, exposure, flower, harsh, highlights, light, Macro, out, shadows, shower, soft, wildflower

What To Photograph On An Overcast Day

June 12, 2012 by Steve Berardi 24 Comments

Photo by Steven Burke (used under the CC-Attr-NC-ND license)
Photo by Steven Burke (used under the CC-Attr-NC-ND license)
In Southern California, we have this thing called “June Gloom” where pretty much every day in the month of June is overcast or cloudy. Some people call it our punishment for having bright sunny days for the rest of the year.

But, I look forward to the overcast skies because although they produce some gloomy feelings, they also create some very unique lighting conditions that bring out some of the best colors found in nature. [Read more…] about What To Photograph On An Overcast Day

Filed Under: Landscapes, Tips, Wildflowers Tagged With: balanced light, clouds, cloudy days, diffused light, green, Landscapes, natural light, natural light diffuser, overcast, overcast day, rainy days, streams, Tips, waterfalls, weather, wildflowers

Quick Tip For Recharging Your Creativity

June 5, 2012 by Steve Berardi 8 Comments

Photo by Steve Berardi
Photo by Steve Berardi
In a previous post, I talked about something you could do when you need inpsiration: look at a ton of photos.

Well, if you’ve already tried looking at a hundred photos, and still don’t feel that creative energy kicking in, then there’s something else you can try that I just recently discovered:

Limit yourself to just one lens and one camera body.

So, instead of taking all your lenses (or even just a couple) on your next hike, just take ONE. And, preferably choose a prime lens (a lens with a fixed focal length), so you eliminate even more variables. [Read more…] about Quick Tip For Recharging Your Creativity

Filed Under: Philosophy, Tips Tagged With: camera, create, creative, creativity, idea, inspiration, inspire, lens, limit, limitation, photo, tip

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