We Learn Photography

FUJIFILM X100T ƒ/8 1/120 23mm ISO200

FUJIFILM X100T ƒ/8 1/40 23mm ISO320

This photo is the first in the 52-week challenge. It's a "self-portrait" in the aspects that it does not include me, but tells a lot about who I am through my environment on what I do. I am a teacher, a photographer, a Mac user, and a computer geek. 

It is usually customary for many of us to set new goals when the years turn over. One of the best things that one can do with improving their skills as a photographer would be to set specific experience goals for themselves. For myself, that will be in the form of another 52-week project which I hope to continually share on this site. A photo a week for a year? I think I can do that. Either way, there are lots of ideas out there. Here are a few for you to perhaps try out: 1. Black and white project: photograph things only in black and white. Your camera should have a monochrome setting in the menu that would allow you to shoot the shot and preview the photos in black and white. This will both challenge you and allow your eye to notice more basic compositional elements. 2. Themed project: Pick a them. Whether it be a color, a shape, a location, etc. Then photograph that theme as much as you can. Look for it wherever you are. Go exploring and try to focus on just that theme. G

In my family history, one of the most consistent activities that occurred during the holidays is that the camera was ever-present. You knew that you were getting your photo taken during this time. As time when on and I began to get into photography, I joined in this trend as well. Soon, however, I started to find myself asking, "what should I focus on for these photos?" This was because every holiday was looking the same. I wanted to somehow make holiday photos a little more interesting. Not just for the viewer, but for me as the photographer. Here are a few tips that I have found useful for keeping holiday photos a bit more interesting for everyone: 1. Start a tradition: These kinds of photos, although kind of cheesy, can be fun. Get the kids in front of the tree, pose everybody with wrapping paper head-pieces, or come up with a new idea. The tradition photos have the less likely chance of promoting any grumbles, as they are "tradition after all". Try t

Any photographer will tell you that light is the most important part of making a great image. I mean, without it, there's no way to make a photo. However, we always need to remember that a camera does not see light the same way we do. Often times, we must master the skills of getting our cameras to see the light the way we do, or at least get close to it. But sometimes we want the light to illuminate in ways that bring the most impact.  Take your Christmas tree as a good example: We often behold the beauty of it in our house surrounded by subtle ambient light, but the tree shines brighter and creates a soft and exciting mood about it. The moment we try to capture it with our camera, we get either a dull shot with little tiny colored or white dots and flat ambient room light,  or we get brilliantly shining lights but a room so dark you can't see the beautiful room light given off by those lights. The problem here is that our eyes can see several shades of light and dar