Epic Edits Weblogs is another blog that I regularly read for great tips on photography. One of the great article is a list of 9 post processing techniques to improve your photographs. Even though Brian (the guy behind Epic Edits) titled the article “9 Photoshop techniques…”, I believe most of these techniques can be achieved by using many other alternatives (GIMP, Corel Paint Shop Pro etc.).
Reading through the list, I realise that I have been applying many of the techniques to make my photos more visually appealing!
Here’s a quick summary of the techniques:
- High Contrast Color
- High Contrast B&W
- High Color Saturation
- Vintage Look
- Lomo Look
- Oversharpen
- Texturize
- Add Vignette
- Add Noise & Grain
You can see at least 3 techniques used in my post box photograph above. The only technique that I’ve never thought of using is adding Noise & Grain. Most of the time, I’ll be too obsessed about reducing noise.
Have you used any of the above techniques? Why not share with us how it worked for you? Drop us a comment.
Food photography is one of my favorites type of photography. You can see some of my (bad?) attempts on my talented wife’s blog, lilkoala.com. She’s a great aspiring chef!
To be honest, food photography is ALOT more difficult than I initially expected it to be. Have a look at this great video for some ideas on how the professionals do it:
Did you see all the lighting, reflectors and other equipment that was necessary to produce the top-notch results? Lighting, food styling and effects (smoke, seared marks, etc.) are all important to get great food photographs.
Is it a little “deceiving” to use artificial effects to make food look more appealing and attractive in photographs? I guess if you look at it from a portrait photography angle, you often apply make-up to your subjects too. What do you think?
The Hidden Pond by Stuck in Customs
iDigitalPhoto has a great compilation of tips to improve your photos. Here are some of the tips that I find extremely enlightening:
Lighting
Light from the side brings out shapes, textures and structures. That’s why early morning and evening are rich times to photograph.
Color
Our eyes naturally adjust to colored or tinted light sources to make them appear white and so will your digital camera but only within certain limits. (Ahh, so that’s why!)
Flash
Balance the flash with day light for stunning results. Your camera may offer a ‘slow flash’ or ‘synchro flash’ or ‘daylight synchro’ setting.
Direct flash on groups of people produces better-looking images than direct flash on a single person.
Read more >>
Its been quite awhile since we talked about Shutter Speed and Aperture in photography. I came across a great video that demonstrates the relationship between aperture and shutter speed. It reminded me of the importance of the relationship and how it works to make a good exposure.
Have a look at the video and let us know what you think in the comments!
Digital Photography School has a great article on asking yourself some questions before taking a photograph. I’ll be the first to admit that I generally have the habit of being shutter-happy. I guess it’s a bad habit from my point-and-shoot digital camera days.
I’ve been putting in more effort before taking photos lately and this article really helps me in understanding what I should think about before taking a shot.
Here are some of my favorites out of the 10: 
1. What story am I telling?
This is an important question and one that should help you to make any number of decisions in terms of composition, framing, exposure etc. In essence what you’re asking is ‘why am I taking this shot? What is it’s purpose and what am I trying to convey?’ Is it purely a way to keep a record of a moment, are you trying to capture the emotion of a moment, is it possibly a shot to give to someone, is it part of a larger series of shots or will it be the only shot to commemorate the moment etc.
This is the hardest item for me. I’m not much of a storyteller. In fact, I do not have a story to go along with most of my photos. I just want to share what I see with anyone who views my photos. I need to put more effort to add a story to my photographs.
Read more >>
September 29th, 2007 by
Os 
I’ve been shopping around looking for a tripod to add to my growing list of equipment. Photographers simply swear by having a tripod. The photos taken with a tripod are just so much sharper and crisp compared to hand holding your camera. Landscape, still life, night or low light photography all requires a tripod to get sharp images.
There are just too many tripods available in the market. Which tripod is the most suitable for you? Here are some tips:
- Price - This is the most important factor for me personally. Finding a tripod within your budget will narrow down the choices. Don’t buy anything that you can’t afford or you will break your bank account.
- Material - There are 2 good choices, Aluminum and Carbon Fiber. Aluminum tripods are generally more affordable. However, they are also considerable heavier than the Carbon Fiber tripods . Carbon Fiber tripods cost almost double of the aluminum alternatives.
- Weight - Will you be traveling alot or bringing the tripod for photo shoots in many locations? If you answer yes to any of those, you may want to consider Carbon Fibre tripods. They weigh from under 0.7 kg (1.6 lbs) to 2 kg (4.4 lbs) . If you’ll only be needing the tripod in your studio, aluminum will do the job just fine and save you a bunch for other accessories. Aluminum generally weighs from 2.3 kg (5 lbs) onwards.
Read more >>
September 26th, 2007 by
Os Strobist is probably one of the best sources online for lighting techniques! Best of all, they look after your wallets by recommending more affordable ways to achieve professional lighting. This has to be one of my favorites sites that I go to visit daily.
Over 700 articles suitable for beginners like me, to professionals. If you’re serious about studio or flash photography, you have go read their articles. You’ll thank me soon enough 
September 13th, 2007 by
Os
Fashion photographer, technologist and author Kris Krug hosted a session on photography during a Canadian blogging conference Northern Voice. In the session, Kris talks about alot of tips and tricks that he has learnt over the years. Have a look at the video, plenty of photography goodness for pros and amateurs.The video taken by blogger Robert Scoble for Podtech.Source: Podtech
September 7th, 2007 by
Os 
Into the Night - Thomas Hawk
Thomas Hawk has written up a great how-to article on taking photos with blur effects by leaving your shutter open a longer.
In short, you’ll need the following to take sharp images with a long shutter speed:
- a tripod to minimize handshake blur
- a cable release remote, wireless remove. You can also use the self timer but you’ll need to set the shutter speed manually. Thomas used the Bulb Mode on a Canon DSLR instead.
Head on over to read the full article with more tips!
Source: Thomas Hawk
Shiny Flower Macro By Cobalt123
When composing photographs, try to keep it as simple as possible. By keeping a photograph simple, you will often create an effect of singling out the subject from its surroundings. Simplicity is one of the basic photography composition techniques along with “Rule of Thirds“.
Read more >>
