Nature Scenes

I went out and took some nature pictures. I researched some autumn ideas. A lot of the suggestions told me to get some good sun pictures, but unfortunately the sun was not out making some of my pictures look kind of gloomy. To make my pictures look almost warmer I increased my exposure and saturation when I edited my pictures later that evening, so I ended up with some pretty nice pictures. 

 Things I learned about Nature Shots:

- Get down on the ground and take pictures from a lower angle 

- For autumn try to some colourful leaves 

- Set your ISO higher to make your pictures look warmer

- Avoid Flare 

- Use a tripod and slow shutter speeds 

I ran into a few problems while taking some of my pictures. The main reason was because i have not completely mastered how to use my camera. Like when i was taking these picture of the berries, I accidentally swited my camera dial to landscape mode. Landscape mode takes in the whole landscape so my camera was focusing on everything but the berries, (as you can see in the first picture of the berries) which was what I wanted it to focus on! I soon figured out what I was doing wrong and switched the dial to the proper mode and got some good pictures. The main problem was that the sun was not out, so I didn't really get to play with my ISO, and see the different types of looks it would have given my picture. Maybe next time i go outside and take pictures the sun will be out so i can try it then.

Websites that I used:
http://www.quepublishing.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1157519
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/nature-landscape-photos/
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/10/01/9-creative-photo-ideas-to-try-in-october-2013/

                                                                                                         

Portraits

The first type of photography that I researched was portraits. Last year in my digital pictures class, we did a portraits unit. I really enjoyed taking portraits so I decided that i wanted to learn more about them.

I googled portraits and found a whole bunch of photography websites where they give you tips and suggestions to make your portraits more interesting/fun. 

Some portrait tips:

- You shouldn't have to complex backgrounds. It takes the main focus away from your subject. 

- Bring a chair or a stool when taking your portrait pictures. It can make your subject feel more relaxed  

  so it easier to get some nice shots of them. 

- If you have a shy/nervous subject giving them something to hold when taking their picture can make  

  them feel a bit more comfortable 

- Some photographers make their subject fill the whole frame in some of their portraits. You shouldn't  

  do this often, but it can be a nice change from the usual portraits. 
- To make your portraits more fun, you could experiment with your subjects facial expressions to make 

  your portraits more amusing or more intense. 

- Switch your camera into burst or continuous shooting mode.

- Focus on one body part. Get right in close so that you can photograph only one part of your subject.

- Use props.

- Take pictures of your subject doing something that they love 

-  Where your subject is looking is very important when taking portraits. You should take some portraits  where you subject is looking right at, some where your subject is focusing on something outside of  the view of your camera, or looking at something within the camera frame. 

After learning these things about Portraits, I asked  Danielle and Serena Algera, my two younger sisters to model for me. We went to my grandparents house, because they have a very nice backyard. Unfortunately my camera wasn't fully charged and died while I was taking pictures. However i still managed to get a couple that I liked. Ill know for next time to make sure that my camera is fully charged. I was able to do most of the stuff i learned about Portraits successfully. I might go out one more time since my time was cut short last time. Unfortunately it wasn't that warm out when we went so I didn't have very nice lighting because the sun was not out. This was a bit of a disappointment because a lot of the websites that i went to suggested bright lighting to add some warmth to the photo. I hope that next time I go out it will be a bit sunnier. 

Websites that I used:
http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-portrait-photography
http://digital-photography-school.com/give-your-subject-space-to-look-into