Technology Explained, Practice
Daniela Bowker
Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! ...

When you hear the term 'high-res' thrown about with such abandon when it comes to images for web use, have you ever stopped to think just how big or how high quality and image meant for the web needs to be?

Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! Saving images for the web
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring

There's an assumption that high-contrast images are more dynamic, more compelling, more inviting. Have a go at some low-contrast photography. You might surprise yourself with the results.

Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring
Feature Articles, Theory
Daniela Bowker
Seeking balance in your photos

Balance doesn't mean symmetry; it means an internal consistency and tension within your photos. And it's a vital element of composition. 

Seeking balance in your photos
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Training your photographic luck

Great photos might be down to a little bit of luck, but most of that 'luck' you make yourself. Don't believe us? Read on...

Training your photographic luck
Feature Articles, Practice
Daniela Bowker
The ups and downs and ins and outs of ...

Photographing buildings doesn't have to mean wide-angle lenses and fretting about correcting for the keystone effect. Any lens, and angle. Don't believe us? Let us show you!

The ups and downs and ins and outs of photographing buildings

photo guide

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Learn photography step-by-step

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instruct2.jpg

I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’ve got a new favourite website: instructables! It uses a flickr-style, very web 2.0 approach to doing ‘do it yourself’ guides: Hover-over-image items for descriptions of what you are looking at, and many of the instructables available guide you through projects baby-step by baby-step.

There are a lot of them available already, mostly for geek projects. Luckily, there are some wicked photography DIY projects as well – well worth a peek!  

 

instruct2.jpgSome of my favourite instructables include Photographing in the Ultraviolet spectrum, how to make a macro attachment for a digital compact, converting your Holga to a 35mm (more about holgas), a pretty good guide to creating QuickTime VR panoramas (although, if I were you, I’d use CleVR instead…), a superb guide to taking infra-red photos with your digital compact cameras, building a light tent.

There are also a few truly cheeky guides, such as how you can use a condom to water-proof your camera (it works, but most condoms are not fully translucent, so you’d struggle to get decent-quality photos with this technique)

instruct1.jpgThe instructable to introduction to band photography is decent as well, and well worth a look – but it’s not as good as Photocritic’s discussions of the same, obviously :-)

A quick search on instructables for ‘Photography’ comes up with 51 DIY guides of varying quality – great reading material for a lazy sunday morning!

(thanks, sam, for reminding me to do a post on Instructables! He wrote the condom-waterproof guide and the IR photo guide. Give it some love!)