Photography Blog

Dallas, Texas is huge. If would take some time to find five photography spots that outshine all the others. This article presents the most interesting places for you to photograph. If you want to take photos that make a statement and/or preserves a great memory or two, read on.

1. Dallas Arboretum – Who doesn’t like to take stills of gorgeous plants and one-of-a-kind flowers? You can do both at the arboretum. There are eight main gardens and five lessor gardens to choose from at the Arboretum. You can take a step back to the era when the cowboys ruled Texas in the “Texas Town” garden. Complete with playhouses, this one is perfect for families and you are sure to snap a memory or two. You might also want to visit the Jonssson color garden where the vibrancy of the flowers will have you oohhing and ahhing to beat the band. You can photograph any of the 2000 varieties of the azalea plant that are so theatrically designed. Then there is the Sunken garden, a spot that is magnificent and will be a delight to photograph.

2. Deep Ellum – You know this place is southern because the name is a countrified version of the phrase deep elm. But that is where the country ends in this neighborhood. The streets are filled with the unique individuals who march to the beat of a drum only they can hear. The streets are lined with walls covered in magnificent graffiti. Reminiscent of New York but without the grit and grime. The walls, the people and the dwellings all make for interesting subject matter.

3. Japanese Gardens – Although the gardens are technically in Fort Worth, Texas, it is only a short drive. For the photographic opportunities presented here it is well worth the trip. You may be thinking that this is just another place filled with plants, shrubs and trees and you would be way off the mark. Well, they are there but it is nothing like any garden you have seen before. The structure of the trees and shrubs are molded using Japanese gardening techniques. The vegetation, stone, earth and the water all combine to present a breathtaking tableau. H=You could even get pictures of the KOI fish…that is if you can stop petting them.

4. Dealy Plaza – The site of the Assassination of President Kennedy has the historical value you will want to include in any album of a visit to Dallas. The Red Brick school building is still the same as it was on November 22,1963. All that has changed is the height of the trees.

5. The Water Gardens – It may take an entire day trip, but the water gardens are worth the efforts…these gardens are beautiful. Near the convention center, these are a work of architectural art that lends itself readily to being photographed. The angles and substructures make for an exciting roll of film. Each season adds its own splendor to the garden.

If you are a photographer, I can assure you that you will get some magnificent pictures if visiting these locations. So have fun, take great pictures, and make sure to pick up your trash to keep each area beautiful for future visitors.

Photographing animals is difficult. It requires a good deal of patience, and demands a different approach to snapping other subjects.

This article focuses primarily on dogs and cats, and should be read in conjunction with my other articles “the basic principles of lighting”, and “framing the subject”.

Lighting

Correctly lighting an animal requires a slightly different approach to lighting a human subject; fur does not reflect light in the same way as skin. The exact position of the main light source and level of modelling is subordinate to the need to capture texture (e.g. their noses do not cast shadows on their faces). The main light source still needs to fall from above and to one side, but the exact angle of the light is less critical, and stronger and more direct illumination can and should be used.

I recommend the use of flash light combined with good daylight to make fur shine. Cats and dogs do not appear to be aware of flash light, nor worried by it. There are however, two potential problems to avoid: “red-eye” and “black halo”.

Red-eye is caused by the reflection of light from the retina of the eye. This can be minimised by using an off-camera flash (if you have one), positioned slightly above, below, and/or to one side of the axis of the camera. Most modern cameras with built-in flash units have a red-eye reduction mode. This uses a series of pre-exposure flashes to close the subject’s iris. The use of flash as a fill-in with bright daylight also minimises red-eye.

Black-halo is the hard shadow cast by the use of flash in low light conditions. The way to avoid this is to ensure that the flash isn’t the main (brightest) light source.

Exposure and focus (dark subjects)

Modern cameras are fully automatic in this respect, but most do not perform well when the subject is something like a black dog. I use an expensive Leica, but it still underexposes, and hunts for a focus lock when photographing my (black) dogs.

If your camera has a spot metering facility, use it. If you have a manual override capability, try “bracketing” (i.e. repeat each shot and deliberately over expose). If you have control over shutter speeds, use a fast setting. Similarly, if your camera allows manual focusing, try doing this yourself.

Underexposure can be corrected using Photoshop (etc), provided that the lighting was more or less right (i.e. under exposure due to backlighting cannot be corrected).

Poor focus cannot be corrected retrospectively.

Correct angle of view

The height from which the photograph is shot is very important. Too often I see aerial shots of small dogs and cats photographed by their towering 6-foot owner. The simple rule is – try to get the camera on the same level as the subject.

With cats and smaller dogs, it can be easier to place them on a table or any other suitable item of furniture or support. Sometimes you have to get down on the floor, but many animals will think you are playing a game.

Encouraging co-operation

The hardest part of pet portrait photography is getting the subject’s co-operation.

The pet owner should know the best way to accomplish this; the place in which their pet is most likely to feel comfortable, whether they are more amenable before or after feeding/exercise, what commands or noises they will respond to.

My personal tips are:-

1. If possible, work in the place and at a time that best suits the pet.

2. Leave the commands/noises to one person, preferably the photographer. There is nothing worse than instructions coming from all around the animal.

3. Don’t dangle food/toys in front of the subject – they will inevitably move to get them.

4. One way of getting pets to stay still for a few seconds is to rub something tasty on their jaws. They will almost certainly stop to lick their lips.

Posing the subject

If your dog has been trained to sit or stand, that can be very helpful, but mostly, you will need to be very patient and wait for the required pose to happen.

With male dogs, watch-out for “things popping out”, and reposition if it does.

Don’t photograph cats lying down. They often tuck their legs under their bodies, which results in the overall body shape becoming little more than a fury blob.

Be objective; it’s too easy to see nothing more than the pet you love, and overlook the fact that the shot you are about to take is dull.

Portraits by John Burton

Today’s digital cameras offer a bewildering array of different settings to consider before you even take a shot. This can be really confusing if you’re a beginner, and the temptation is to assume it’s all too difficult and just let the camera make all the decisions for you.

What you might not realize is that while there are a large number of settings that you can change on the average digital camera, there is a much more limited subset of really important settings, and you can learn what these do pretty quickly. This is worthwhile, because while modern cameras are clever, you’ll need to take control of your camera in order to really take your photography to the next level.

In this article, we’ll look at three of the most important and talked-about camera settings.

# Camera Modes

‘Mode’ is the most important camera setting of all. This is because mode is a ‘parent’ setting that affects which other settings are selectable by you, and which the camera will control automatically.
With the exception of the smallest compacts, most cameras will have a mode selector dial, and this will be located on the top or back of the camera. While the terminology will change from manufacturer to manufacturer, every camera will have the following modes: automatic; program; manual; aperture-priority, and shutter-priority.

Today’s cameras almost always have a selection of ‘scene’ modes as well, such as night, sports, pets, portrait and so on. If there are only a few scene modes they will be on the mode dial as well; otherwise they will probably be only selectable from within the camera’s menu system.

Most people use their camera in automatic mode most of the time. This means that the camera is doing absolutely everything for you. If you really want to take your photography above the level of basic, uninspiring snapshots, you’ll need to stop using automatic mode, and at least learn about aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes. In these two modes you are able to set (respectively) aperture and shutter speed, and ISO (in both).

# ISO

In the days of film, photographers had to choose what sort of film to use. Among other things, film comes in varieties which are either more or less sensitive to light. Films which are more sensitive to light are called ‘faster’ films, and while they are much more versatile, the downside is that they are ‘grainier’, which limits the degree to which they can be enlarged and still look good.

ISO is the digital equivalent to film speed. A low ISO number (such as 100) mean low sensitivity to light but higher-quality, less ‘noisy’ (this is the digital equivalent of grainy) results. A high ISO number (such as 800) means high sensitivity to light, but noisier pictures. You should try to use low ISOs whenever there is enough light to do so, and only use higher ISO when you are forced to. Note that in automatic mode, this is not a setting you can change for yourself.

# White Balance

You will probably have heard of ‘white balance’ before. To understand the concept of white balance, you need to know that not all light is the same. Light comes in a variety of different ‘temperatures’. An easy way to think of this is to imagine a continuum of light, with warm (orangey-yellow) tones on one end, cool (bluey-green) tones on the other, and neutral (colorless) light in between.

What setting white balance does is tell your camera what sort of light you are shooting in. The settings have names such as ‘daylight’, ‘cloudy’, and ‘tungsten’. Your camera then compensates for this temperature of light, allowing you to produce neutral photos in the nominated type of light. Without white balance, photos would have a particular color cast depending on the light they are shot in.

While it’s important to understand white balance, in practice it’s not a setting you need to change often. This is because all cameras have an ‘auto white balance’ mode which is pretty good at picking the right white balance for the light you are in.

In this photography online course we will be understanding some more image parameters and improving digital camera image quality.

Saturation: Saturation is the intensity of a particular color. An image with color saturation as zero is a gray-scale image. Some digital cameras have a sharp contrast setting that increases the saturation of all colors in an image. This attribute can be used in Photoshop also. Some image viewers also make available this option.

This feature is helpful in the still images of flowers and fruits. It depicts the natural color of the subject better. If you reduce the saturation of an object digitally; it gives a rustic effect to the photograph. The rustic effect is particularly useful when you are photographing bus, train or truck. You could also reduce the saturation and increase contrast to give a grunge feel to the picture image. This is useful for portraits or the pictures of pets.

You can also use some filters along with digital camera lenses. These increase the saturation of a particular color. For SLR and dSLR camera, obtainable filters are green, red and blue.  Some digital cameras such as Nikon Coolpix P50 and Canon Power shot SD850 IS offer saturation controls for these colors as well as custom color options.

Hue: Some dSLR cameras have hue option, which shifts all colors by a certain degree. You can do this using an image editing software also. This feature can be used for unreal digital photography to match with the tone of the event.

Contrast: Contrast increases the glowing element of a colour in terms of its brightness. A high contrast in an image makes the subject in focus to stand out against a background or it brings into focus a wide array of subjects such as photo of a marketplace. The better the contrast, better are the details brought out.

Sharpness: It is also called as acutance. It is a measure of the sharpness with which a film can imitate the edge of an object. A greater sharpness gives a grainier image while a reduced sharpness gives a washed out appearance. Sharp images are appealing in close-ups whereas it looks not natural in portraits.

Tone: The tone in an image sets the mood of the image. The tone could be warm or cool. A warm tone tends to be more redder with predominant colors red, yellow and orange. A cool tone tens to be bluer with soft and mellow colors. Warm tone is considered masculine where as cool tone is considered as feminine.

Black and white: This is a standard feature in digital cameras and dSLR cameras. This color scheme does have a charm attached to it but it is often overused. It is always a best idea to take a color photograph and then convert it into grayscale on computer. You can increase contrast to improve detailing in grayscale images.

Sepia: In olden photographs, a chemical was used to make the photographs last longer. This generates the sepia tone in photographs. Modern digital cameras and dSLRs have this feature readymade in them 

No matter whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur like me certainly one of one of the most hard shots to take is a portrait. Shooting a portrait that captures the subject’s personality is definitely an art. A few of the best ones I’ve ever noticed are portraits that break the rules and step away from the box, not for your shock or “odd” worth but for that change of viewpoint that could frequently truly portray your subject in a unique light that let’s their individuality be displayed.

Here are some portrait photography tips and tricks I’ve employed in the past to take good portraits. I hope they’ll fire up your own imagination.

Change Your Point of view

Most portraits are taken at eye level of the subject. Attempt a different height and transform things around. Shoot down on your topic from above or lay down on the floor and shoot up and see what happens.

Eye Contact

The eyes definitely effect the sense of the portrait. A subject looking directly into the camera lens features a much different feel than one who’s focused on some thing outside of the camera frame. Have your subject focus on something outside the frame to add awareness. What are they looking at? What’s making them laugh? What exactly are they so intently enthusiastic about? Is it a point or someone? A different idea to test is having your subject concentrate on anything from the frame with them. A book, a pet, a kid. Anything to interact with and generate curiosity as well as a story.

Break the Rules

The rule of thirds in composition was established due to the fact it truly is pleasing to the eye. Use that rule much more as a guideline or break it completely by framing your issue to just one side and you will have a completely diverse picture.

Change Things Up We all have preconceptions of the photographic portrait. Posed in a very static environment that we’re familiar with. Modify issues up and get your subject moving or undertaking a thing a bit outside of their usual comfort zone. Stand on just one foot, jump up and down, stand on the chair, play with a hat. Sounds silly, but these portrait photography tips and tricks will get subject to laugh and move in a unique way and you may get some away from the normal shots.

Before adjusting those lenses, choosing those filters and pressing that button, keep in mind that there is more to photography than just taking images. Here are eleven practical photography tips that are easy to keep in mind.

P – ick a subject. It is ture that spontaneity is of beautiful value, but being particular is also an important concept. Do not fail to have a focal point as cluttered ideas on an image are not appealing. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but don’t confuse this with having a thousand stories. An image is a story, just one story. You may have a whole series of different plots to focus on, but a beautiful image tells a single story to its audience.

H – old on tight. Keep a tight and steady grip on your gears! You don’t want to ruin a beautiful shot by having shaky hands that produce blurry images, do you?

O – versee the scene. Avoid being merely passive at taking pictures. Adjust background objects or rearrange subjects if needed.

T – ravel. No, you don’t always have to get on a plane and search far and wide to take the best images. At times, let your mind do it; let your eyes, or even your heart, travel farther than your body could. Explore and have fun while at it. Don’t just stick with horizontal shots; go for vertical shots, top views, and low-level views, too. You may find that the best photographs are those of the common, everyday objects shot at unique and out-of-this-world angles.

O – utdoor techniques. Most people think that a flash is only used in dark settings and that there is no sense in using the flash outside on a bright and sunny day. However, using the flash in this kind of setting is actually very much needed. The flash allows for the subject to stand out and not be kept in the shadows, especially when light is present behind it.

G – et to the right angle. While it’s nice to explore angle shots, know that some shots are best taken traditionally. Taking a photo, for instance, of a pet, perhaps a puppy, is best done in eye level. A group photo is best taken at eye level as well, not from below or above – unless, of course, a specific effect is desired.

R – eframe. Most digital cameras automatically focus on whatever is in the middle of the shot. But really, a realistic focus is best shown in an off-center focus. This works best for scenery shots. For instance, a distant tree or a fa- away cottage is placed off-center, giving more room for other details such as the field around the tree or the narrow pathway to the cottage to be seen.

A – ccentuate details. Don’t be afraid to get extra close to a subject. A close-up exceeds a full-body shot in quality by a mile. While a full shot may still look good, it shows just about the same thing that can be seen by the naked eye. However, a photograph shot up-close shows more in-depth character and detail, and provides lesser room for any background distraction. Opt to use the macro mode to create an even better focus effect.

P – lay with light. Know how to utilize natural light as well as artificial light. Be aware of angles and shadows. You definitely do not want a lamppost shadow right across the face of your subject. Watch out for overexposure and glass reflections, too. Study your lights well.

H – ang out! Just relax and chill out. No need to stress yourself finding the perfect thing to shoot. Wherever you are and whatever there is, just enjoy. There’s no use pressuring yourself. Keep a good shot and delete the ugly. No need stressing over these matters.

Y – ou’re the man/woman! In every moment you capture, put in it any touch of your identity. Two photographs of the same object taken by two different photographers still do have distinct differences when examined closely. Put your heart into everything — from choosing a subject to working on the lighting. Personal preference makes a big effect against photo subjects that don’t mean anything to its photographer. The best works of art are usually those which makers are attached to.

With these photography tips, there’s no reason why you should fail at taking beautiful, truly amazing images.

The very first thing to do if you want to make money from your photographs is learn how to create great images.  In the world of fashion photography – sharpness sells. The subject of how to take a great image is too complex for this article, however the following points are important:
• Have a good camera with manual controls.
• Know how to use it and use it well.
• Have a good eye for detail, composition and color.
• Always be ready to grab an opportunity when it presents itself.

If you happen to be driving through amazing Canadian roads and come across a deer (or a bunch of them), get your camera! Watch for sunsets, moonrise, cloud formations and tree shapes. Keep a sharp eye on your pets for weird and funny poses.  Visit flower shops and exhibitions. Flower pictures are many photographers’ bread and butter and they can be easily photographed. Greeting card markets love photos of flowers, gardens, sunsets, sky scrapers and cute photos of animals. Wildlife and nature are great for calendars and geographic magazines as well as educational fields.

Diversity and quality are the biggest aspects in photography. The wider the range of topics you cover, the more likely you will get a sale. Anyone can make a good living from stock photos. Freelance photographer Dmitri Markine sells just as many photos taken from his own backyard as from exotic and far away locations. If you love travelling, put your holidays to work for you. Travel guides, brochures and websites could be possible markets for your photos. Take photographs everywhere you go!

So what to do with that fantastic shot? The edges are sharp as razor, while the clarity would bring joy to many publishers; the main thing to aim for with any image is to sell it to multiple markets. This is taken care of if you submit to a stock agency. They sell to large corporations as well as small business. It’s a perfect way to gain some exposure and see what’s out there.  You don’t have to be responsible for selling your own stuff, but to have more sales, it’s always good to try to sell the photos yourself (websites,galleries,etc).

It is important for any photographer to keep a portfolio of his work to show. You never know when you’ll meet a prospective buyer who wants to look at your work. No one will not be impressed if you have to dig through a dusty desk to scrape them together or use email to send them to clients. Have a printed portfolio as well as a web based portfolio.  When you do get a sale, don’t charge a large amount just because the picture only took a few minutes of your time. You’ve spent years learning your craft. You spend a considerable amount on equipment, advertising and education and your photos are worth a decent figure.

If you really know what you are talking about and can take a fantastic shot, think of submitting it to a publication or a magazine, along with all the details of the precise equipment you used and a step-by step guide of your procedure. A bit of a challenge perhaps, but worth the effort. There are many other markets to consider too; all kind of magazines, newspapers, travel guides and books. So grab your camera and don’t stop shooting! Photography is an art and the more you practice the better you will become. No famous photographers became like that overnight. We all spent sleepless nights perfecting our craft

Roy Keane’s Dog:

If you are the fans of football and Man Utd club, you may know Roy Keane and his pet dog Triggs. His pet dog is the most active one at 2006. Every afternoon, Roy Keane has a walk with his dog along the country lane at Cheshire. The local reporters of entertainment media seize the opportunity to take photos. At the beginning, Triggs feels a little shy and don’t like to take photos. But after several time, he usually joyful rushed to the front of reporters and enjoy the photography. So that it became the most famous dog in the world. Also the lovely and smart dog influenced Roy for many years. He claimed that the dog is his best friend and trust it more than his team members. But unfortunately, the lovely dog died at September 2010.

The adventure of Michael Gerard Tyson:

Boxer Mike Tyson kept a white tiger with 00 one month. One of handlers told Tyson that if tiger isn’t well-behaved, you could pinch its ear and tell it you are the boss. But one day in 2001, the strongest man in the world was scared by his pet tiger. The tiger got angry without any reasons and throw him on the ground, and tread on his head with the incrassate paw. Tyson knew that he could loss his life if the tiger hit his head. Then, he calmed down and stroked gently the big pet for four hours. Finally, he escaped from the danger.

Hatwig’s boa constrictor:

Hatwig is a very famous pole vault competitor in America. And his pet is a boa constrictor which is about one point three meters in length. He loves to collect reptiles when he was a child. In the basement, he kept about one hundred sneaks. What’s more, he could sleep with the boa constrictor.

Kobe Bryan’s dog:

Both of Kobe and his wife Vanessa very like to keep dog. Wishing to please his wife, Kobe bought a yorkshire terrier which took about 00 to his wife. The dog is a kind of active and agile dog with more than one hundred years history. You could take time to keep its elegant and noble appearance and dress it up as a Princess.

Michael Schumacher’s small zoo:

The whole family of Michael Schumacher love animals very much. His house has so many different animals, such as dog, horse, fish, birds, rabbit and so on. It seems like a small zoo. Among the animals, the dog named Floh is his most favorite. It is not a famous dog of the world. However, it is vagrant dog which was abandoned by its master. The couple found it on the way to racing circuit. It named Floh because it is verminous dog when they found it.

Animal is our friend and we should protect them. No matter who you are, you should have a heart with love. In that way, we could live in the world in harmony and goodliness.

 Assuming you have set the ISO to a specific level, eg. ISO 100, the metering system in your camera measures the amount of light in the photo and tells you the aperture and shutter speed needed for a correct exposure. There are usually 3 types of metering methods used in today’s DSLR cameras.

Multi-Segment Metering

Most cameras use multi-segment metering as the default metering system. In Nikon cameras this is called Matrix Metering. In Canon cameras it is referred to as Evaluative Metering. Other brands of camera may have slightly different terminology. This metering system measures the brightness in several areas in the photo and finds an average (emphasis varies depending on the camera). This type of metering can be fooled by more challenging lighting conditions such as strong backlighting.

Strong backlighting conditions are where the amount of light on the background is far more intense than the amount of light on the foreground area. This usually happens when you shoot a subject indoors, with a brightly lit outdoor background.

Ideal lighting conditions are where there is a similar amount of light illuminating both the background and foreground. Ideal lighting is where the camera’s multi-segment metering does a good job.

Spot Metering

Nikon calls it Spot Metering, while Canon calls it Partial Metering. For pinpoint control on the area for which the camera measures brightness, use spot metering if it’s available. This metering system only samples a very small point within the photo (usually in the center) instead of several areas. You can press the shutter release halfway to meter the desired area, hold the AE lock button, and then re-frame the shot.

Alternatively, take an exposure reading with spot metering, note the aperture and shutter speed, and switch to manual exposure mode. This enables you to focus on a subject which isn’t what you measured the exposure on.

Center Weighted Metering

This metering method is designed for a simple straightforward portrait of a person, positioned in the center of the frame. It measures the center area (in some cameras, the amount of area measured can be set by the user) and bases its exposure recommendation on this area.

Exposure Compensation

Normally, exposure compensation is used in the semi-auto modes such as Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority. This puts a certain degree of control (though not as complete as Manual exposure) in the hands of the photographer. In Aperture Priority mode, you can tell the camera to expose brighter by pressing the EV button (usually indicated by a +/- icon) and shifting the control dial towards the positive (eg. +1 which means 1 stop brighter). This is helpful in backlit conditions. In Nikon cameras the range of adjustment is all the way to +5.

In Manual exposure mode, you are essentially performing exposure compensation if you are using a Aperture/Shutter combination that is not what is advised by the exposure meter.

Andy Lim conducts practical hands-on photography workshops for groups as well as private classes at SimpleSLR PhotoClass. For an online photography course that is extensive, yet easy to understand, Digital Photography Success teaches you how to get your photos from just average to a professional level. From landscape to children and pets, to night shots and fireworks, specific scenes are discussed and technical terms are simple to follow.

 A common element in many waterfall pictures is the silky smooth appearance of the water. This is not difficult to capture, with the right tools and techniques.

Tripod

Without a tripod, pictures of silky smooth moving water would not be possible. This is because we typically use shutter speeds of 2 seconds or more, which is not possible to hand-hold without getting camera shake. The general rule of thumb for a steady shot without a tripod is the one-over-focal-length rule. If you are using a 24mm lens, the slowest shutter speed you should use is 1/24. This actually means 1/30 which is an actual shutter speed setting. Similarly if you are using a 200mm lens, you should not use any shutter speed lower than 1/200. Of course, if your lens has VR (vibration reduction) or IS (image stabilizer) you can bend this rule by a few stops. Or you have hands as steady as a rock.

Polarizing Filter or ND Filter

Circular polarizing filters are designed to reduce reflections and increase saturation. As a side effect, they also cut down about 1.5 stops of light coming through the lens.

ND filters are neutral density filters, available in different strengths. They act like sunglasses for your lens by cutting down the light coming into the lens.

Both these filters enable the shutter speed to drop to the levels that are needed to create the motion blur in the water. The circular polarizing filter has an added benefit in that it minimizes the reflective wet surfaces on the rocks, and prevents hot spots, giving you a clearer shot.

Remote Release

You can use a remote release to trip the shutter, or take advantage of the self timer. Both methods can be used to enable hands-free operation of the camera when the shutter opens. This is crucial for sharp, shake-free shots. If your DSLR has a mirror lock-up function, use it as it adds another layer of stability by locking up the mirror before the shutter opens, further minimizing vibrations.

Timing and Location

Finally it’s time to use these tools to get the shot. Shooting a time when the sun is not too strong will give you the best chance of slowing down the shutter speed. This is because even at ISO100 and F22, your shutter speed may not reach the required levels if there is too much light. A shutter speed range of 2 seconds to 5 seconds is your target. Shooting in forest cover will also increase the possibility of lower light levels.

Vary your shutter speeds for different moods. There are many other variables to fine-tune, like composition, color balance and foreground interest. So keep on experimenting to get the perfect waterfall shot.

Smoothing Ripples

You can also apply this technique on other water surfaces, like lakes and dams. Ripples on a lake can be smoothed out by using a long exposure. The result is a mirror-like calmness. Reflections on this surface are sometimes rendered as wavy surreal reflections.

Andy Lim conducts practical hands-on photography workshops for groups as well as private classes at SimpleSLR PhotoClass. For an online photography course that is extensive, yet easy to understand, Digital Photography Success teaches you how to get your photos from just average to a professional level. From landscape to children and pets, to night shots and fireworks, specific scenes are discussed and technical terms are simple to follow.