Perfect Photography Tricks And Tips You Should Know

Don’t expect to go from an amateur to a professional in a month. Learning photographic techniques takes time and experimentation. You can figure out everything you need so as not to fall victim to simple and silly photographic mistakes that can cause bad shots or even cause you to miss capturing a special moment.

Get quick with your shutter finger. The longer it takes to shoot the picture, the greater the chance of something going amiss. Your subject could move, go away or something else such as lighting can affect the shot you wanted to take. The quicker you can take photos, the better.

Don’t make your photographic techniques too complicated; simplifying your process can get you better pictures. There are times when a wonderful photo can be taken without much adjustment in motion or color settings.

Keep your picture-taking process as simple as you can. You can take great pictures without changing your color or motion settings.

Check out what other photographers are doing to get ideas to improve your own photography. The photos taken by other people can give you ideas about the many ways there are to capture a scene.

A lot of people think a bright and sunny day is perfect picture-taking weather, but in reality, shooting directly into bright sunlight is a guaranteed way to wreck almost any photograph. Not only does it cast awkward shadows and glaring, it also causes uneven highlights, and causes your subjects to squint when facing the camera. Early morning or twilight are much better choices for photo shoots.

Your arms should be close against your body when you are holding the camera, and make sure your hands are on the sides and bottom of the camera. This helps prevent blurry photographs by keeping the movement of your camera to a minimum. If you place your hands beneath the camera, you will be less likely to drop the camera.

It’s best to use a blurred background when taking portrait shots. If your background isn’t blurred, it may draw the viewer’s eye to the background and away from the subject. The easiest way to do this is to increase the distance between subject and background.

Framing is very important when you are considering your photo’s composition. Make sure to not have distracting background items, but zoom in on your major focal point. This will make sure that people do not get distracted from the main focal point, as well as keep your photographs well styled without the background clutter.

You can move from area to area around the shot so you are able to find a more interesting shot. Try shooting the subject matter from above it, below it, to the right of it, to the left of it, etc.

Do you want to work with exposure? Learn the uses of the different shutter speeds. M, S, A, and P settings all exist on your camera. The label “P” is the setting for program mode. This setting has your camera determine your shutter and aperture speeds automatically. When you don’t know what you’ll be taking pictures of, it’s best to use this mode.

Above all else, photography is an art form meant to be enjoyed. Your photos should be a capsule of a particular time and place in your life. You should be able to look at these photos and instantly remember where you were and what you were thinking when you shot them. You will be so happy if you are having a good time when you are snapping pictures.

Consider joining a photography based club, or simply going out and taking some pictures with a fellow photographer. While you can gain a lot of knowledge from another person, you should not let them influence your style. You can even compare photographs of the same subject with another photographer and discuss the differences.

Remain completely immobile when it’s time to click the shutter to get that ultimate photograph. Even the slightest movement can destroy a great shot. Get in the habit of holding your breath and being conscious of your movements before you press the shutter button.

Though there are techniques that can help you be a better photographer, they are not secrets and can be learned easily. You will gain more and more experience as you take your pictures. Using a digital camera allows you to look at photographs before deciding whether or not they are good enough to develop. You will get better and better as time goes on, taking shots of everything and judging them later on to evaluate how you might have gotten a better photo.

There are no big secrets to becoming a great photographer. Keep snapping images and you gain experience with every click. Luckily, with digital cameras, you can get lots of no-risk practice. You don’t necessarily have to develop every single picture, just keep what you like. Editing, browsing, and critiquing your photographs after you’ve taken them will eventually lead you to taking better pictures.

Get creative with different perspectives and scales in your photography. You can make any object look interesting by placing it in an unusual context. Develop your compositions in order to create a unique outlook on a common object.

Whether you want to pursue photography as a profession or just want to take better amateur photos, you should learn everything there is to know about photo composition. Lackluster composition can ruin the potential of a shot, just as any piece of art in any medium needs good composition. Try studying and applying the rules of composition to all your photos to get better at photography.

Never underestimate the advantages of natural light in your photo compositions. Choose a time when the sun remains lower in the sky, such as the morning or the afternoon. At the height of the day the sun will produce unwanted shadows in your photos, plus your subject may have issues avoiding squinting if the light is too strong. Give yourself and your subject a break by positioning them parallel to the sun so that light enters the picture from the side.

Shoot quickly when you take a photo. To capture good action shots, you need to have your shutter speed feature set to high. Don’t miss a golden opportunity before it leaves once more. Animals can run away, people will get tired of holding their smile, or that perfect candid moment will be lost. Don’t worry about perfecting the settings if it means risking losing a good shot.

When you want a great photo, make sure your camera is well-focused on its subject. If you want your pictures to have the best composure, and reflect your personal style, stay focused. For beginners, your best photos will have the subject in the center and fully in view. Don’t worry about the background.

Use manual white balance for taking your photos. This has quite an impact on the picture’s mood, and it allows you to control what your picture will look like. While you’ll have to adjust to this new setting, you’ll no doubt be pleased with the end results.

When people or animals in pictures have red eye, it basically makes the entire photo unattractive. Red eye can be prevented by completely avoiding flash when possible. If you must use flash, you should inform the person not to look straight at the lens. Many cameras have a special setting that prevents red eye.

Always keep your focus on the subject to ensure great photos. A key building block to learning how to express your personal style through photography is understanding the importance of camera focus. Until you gain some expertise, stick with centering your subject in full view. Let the background figure itself out.

Identify the theme or concept of every photography session. Take some time to write ideas and notes that you could use for shooting better photos. The more careful you are when it comes to detail and execution, the better your photograph will be. Approaching photography in this way can create motivation and inspiration that will enhance the final product.

Photo Editing

It is possible to use more than a face photo when photographing humans. Focusing a camera lens on other parts of the body can really create a striking photo if done correctly.

Your photos should be edited by you. There are many different kinds of photo editing software programs available. A good photo editing program will offer a variety of settings. Make sure that it is simple to use.

Mobile phone cameras are way better than they were five years ago, but lighting remains a problem. Most of the time, cameras in cell phones don’t have any flash available, so you will need to make good use of your available light. Zooming in on your subject can also be helpful to avoid sunspots or shadows.

To help add depth to your landscape photographs put something interesting in your foreground. Including something simple, like a rock or a leaf, could add an additional view of the photo. Your audience will have the impression of looking at the actual landscape, rather than a flat representation of it.

Be careful of using digital zoom features rather than optical zoom when getting close-up shots. Understand that you are sacrificing image quality when you enable digital zooming. The digital mode adds pixels to the image, which can decrease your image quality. You can find out how specifically to disable your camera from doing this by consulting your owner’s manual.

Get up close and personal. As you frame shots, see if you can zoom in or draw nearer to the subject. You want the subject of the photo to completely fill the frame. If there is too much in the background, it will make the regular picture too cluttered. The details will be more noticeable and secure when the subject is closer.

You should have an idea what you are going to use your photograph for before you take it. For example, will the final photo be displayed horizontally or vertically? Sometimes, you can edit this and change it after the fact, but it will always be easier if you just shoot the photo the right way to begin with.

If you plan to shoot images in dimly lit settings, increase the shutter speed on your camera. This way you will not be taking blurred pictures. For the best results, set the shutter to 1/250th of a second, or at least 1/200th.

Find inspiration in the everyday. Try to use your abilities and photographic skills to turn ordinary items into extraordinary photos. You are free to experiment with new techniques and styles when you shoot something mundane, such as the kitchen counter or a basket of laundry. It is up to you how different and unique your photograph is. In fact, make it a challenge to make them as unique as can be.

Understand your flash range when in the dark. When you aren’t aware of your range, your photos may show up dark. Before you start to take nighttime photos, be sure that you fully understand how your flash operates.

Learning photography can’t be rushed, especially taking an excellent shot. The shot will present itself at the right time. Trying to force the issue will just leave you with lousy photos full of flaws.

As this article indicates, it’s easy to improve the quality of your photographs. It requires research, practice, and trying to improve your skills. When you see how good your photos are, all that effort will feel worth it.

Nighttime photography can totally change how a subject looks. When shooting in low light situations, proper exposure procedures are needed. Sometimes, additional forms of lighting will need to be procured. To get great nighttime shots, you can use flashes or external lights, shoot with a slower shutter speed, and carry a tripod.

Find a wedding photographer here


The Tutoring Center, San Ramon CA

Math help in San Ramon, CA.

Children learn to speak by mimicking their surroundings and making associations between objects and those sounds. Eventually, they learn to read by associating sounds with letters and letters with words. And finally, they’ll begin to write by taking the words they want to say and putting them to paper. This is a little harder than it seems because in English we have a lot of homophones: words that sound the same but have different spelling and meaning. For a little basic grammar and writing help, The Tutoring Center in San Ramon wants to review three of the most commonly misused homophones: their, there, and they’re.

‘Their’ is used to show possession. It is just like my, your, his, her, its and our. These are called possessive adjectives. Here is a little trick: use the word ‘our’ instead of ‘their’. If the sentence still makes sense, then ‘their’ is almost certainly correct. This trick works because ‘our’ and ‘their’ are both possessive adjectives used for plurals.

- Can you show the guests to their cabins?
"Can you show the guests to our cabins" also sounds ok hence ‘their’ is correct.

The word ‘there’ is similar to the word ‘here’ in that it represents a place. It has two main uses: (1) it is a specified place (like in the first example below), and (2) it is an unspecified place (like in the second example). Also, like in the second and third examples, the word there can be used to show that something exists.

- The rest of your friends are over there.
(specified place)
- There are two pieces of chocolate.
(unspecified place and existence)
- There are four sodas left in the cooler.
(specified place and existence)

‘They're’ is a shortened version of ‘they are’. The apostrophe replaces the letter ‘a’. Only use ‘they're’ if you can substitute it with ‘they are’.

- They're not leaving on Saturday at all.
 "They are not leaving..." also sounds ok.

It seems simple, but misuse of these three words is incredibly too common. In order to write the best you possibly can, it takes a lot of practice and studying. If you would like more information about one-to-one instruction in San Ramon, or academic programs in any subject this summer, contact our experts today at 925-362-3320.

Schedule your Free Diagnostic Assessment Today!
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Where are all the People?
(10 minutes)

“Where are all the People?” If Evolution were true, based on population growth statistics, there should be BILLIONS more people on Earth today than there are, and we should be BURIED in skeletons and artifacts of those who came before us.

Feel free to contact me here.


Saturday, July 10, 2010

Just Bending Air

As a kid, nothing compared to the torment of waiting months for the opening night of a movie you’ve been dying to see. The anticipation of losing yourself in a world guessed but never fully imagined sends your mind into a frenzy of wonder and excitement contained only by your will to carry-on until that Friday night. And if, by some stroke of luck, the movie is based on characters you cherish and the story is one you know so well you could retell it in your sleep you know that nothing short of magic awaits you in that theater after the lights go down, the people recline and the boring rubble of trailers have ceased. This, I imagine, is how the target audience of The Last Airbender approached their experience as they descended on the theatrical rendering of the Nickelodeon series of basically the same name. What I wonder, is, just how deep did the disappointment cut?

In an attempt to explain the fantastical eastern inspired world of elemental kingdoms, hybrid creatures and a child-monk resurrected to save the land, director M. Night Shyamalan opted to open with the very basics, setting a trend for the entire film. A scroll of introductory block wording leads the way into a shallow opening, now setting the tone of film. Within the first five minutes the principles have met and are out on their mission to save world and within the next five minutes absolutely nobody cares. These character outlines scurry through scene after scene with no real urgency or insight into their quest, each other, themselves or the incredible world around them. It’s the lack of weight and regard for their circumstances and cultures, cultures whose connection with their ruling element have no identifiable correspondence or purpose other than obvious color matching and stereotypical costuming, that make taking The Last Airbender seriously absolutely impossible. The dominant Fire Nation could be Roman or Chinese or Indian or whatever as long as they’re fiery, angry and with enough trace references to the Orient. This mishmash of ethnicities had its 15 minutes of controversy well before the releasing of the film and continued to confuse well into the film. How the only Caucasians in this world came together to form a coalition of the willing is beyond me. Their Anglo features stand out greatly against the casted Asian Diaspora, which may serve to help them stand out and based off their performances they need every distraction available. Another particular stand out was the abundance of close-ups on Aang (Noah Ringer) to capture “overwhelming emotions” but these aren’t just regular close-ups where the subject’s face actually fits on the screen, no we’re talking lengthy shots of extreme close-ups where Aang carries on conversations with the top and bottom portions of his face missing. The multitude of annoyances are far too frequent to recall and far too unimportant in the grander scheme of actually surviving this film. For reasons unbeknownst to those in search of logic it seems this film was given up on by all production parties involved, save for the F/X department. Everything acts as a mere device to keep things moving to the finish line where no prize awaits upon crossing.

This film is a disservice to all, movie goers taking a chance on new world to explore, the fans for not pursuing the fertile material from the original series and the director who has destroyed his chances of gaining any trust with audiences by completely throwing this opportunity away. Avatar: The Last Air bender is an engaging exhibition of the Hero’s Journey where the virtues of “self-belief”, friendship, courage, spirituality and justice are upheld in every episode. To extinguish every possible spark that sincerely captivates the minds of viewers to not only believe in the story and its characters but to also believe in these virtues is a crime against storytelling and the filmmaking process. To know what talent lies in the mind of the once gifted director proves that this exercise is nothing short of pure laziness, unfairly condemning the potential of this film to the legion of frequent displays of incompetence. Despite the multitude of missteps made previously this one disappointments me most of all. I expected Mr. Shyamalan to be better than this.

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The celestial kingdom is the highest of the three LDS kingdoms of glory where a person will live eternally with Heavenly Father and Jesus. The primary goal of faithful Mormons is to “inherit” the Celestial Kingdom on Judgment Day. This “will depend on the depth of your conversion, expressed by your obedience to the Lord’s commandments.  …Such a goal is not achieved in one attempt, it is the result of a lifetime of righteousness and constancy of purpose.” (True to the Faith, p. 92) When faithful and worthy Mormons enter Paradise in the spirit world after death, they must continue their work to further their eternal progress until Judgment Day.

Within the Celestial kingdom, there exists another three levels for a Mormon to strive to attain. The highest level is Exaltation or Eternal Life. This is the level where a Mormon can receive an eternal family and become a god like Heavenly Father.


Travis Portz

Hello! I am a software engineer at Oracle, where I build distributed systems for the Oracle Bare Metal Cloud.

I have a Master's degree from University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I developed algorithms in the areas of image processing and computer vision.

I am a highly skilled programmer with significant professional experience and a solid background in mathematics.


The feeling of unworthiness only comes from our personality, (our lower self). When we accept the wholeness and the connection with our Higher-Self, this feeling cannot subside. Yet, when we are feeling separate it can produce intense fear, as our emotional body is connected with the astral plane of the earth. These fears move in waves throughout the planet and affect all life, human or sub-human, on that level.

You can help yourself and others by invoking protection from your higher-Self. If you place your sense of power outside yourself, looking for other’s approval or believing that you need to reach a certain material status to have value, you lose your own sense of power. When you retain your power through your connection with higher consciousness you become an active channel of Grace and Blessing for yourself and everyone around you.


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05/22/2017 7:04PM

Preakness 2017: How the race was run

Classic Empire and Always Dreaming, breaking from adjoining stalls, get away cleanly and are hustled to the front, respectively, by Julien Leparoux and John Velazquez.

Heading into the clubhouse turn, Classic Empire, showing a bit more speed than usual, brings the fight to the 6-5 favorite, while Javier Castellano takes up residence in the catbird’s seat aboard longshot Cloud Computing.  Meanwhile, Senior Investment bides his time near the back of the pack, well off the developing pace duel.

Classic Empire bursts to the lead off the final turn while Always Dreaming begins to tire and Cloud Computing is wheeled to the outside for the stretch run.

Coming to the eighth pole, Classic Empire has a clear lead, but Cloud Computing has clear sailing and a full head of steam, while Senior Investment starts rolling from the back of the pack.

Just a few jumps from the wire, Cloud Computing pokes his head in front, denying Classic Empire.


Spanish robber unwittingly thwarts getaway after counting money in the bank

A bank robber bought the bank staff time while he calculated his takings

LAST UPDATED: 21 Apr, 2017 @ 17:34

COUNTDOWN: Robber foils getaway by checking amount before fleeing

A BANK robber foiled his own getaway after insisting on counting the money he demanded.

José Luis García Morato was recognised in the La Caixa bank in Puerto Serrano, Cadiz, following a knifepoint robbery in which he took €500.

Instead of fleeing the scene quickly, the masked bandit began to count his haul at the cash desk, giving witnesses good time to clock his measurements and ring the police.

He also revealed his voice after telling the cashier he needed the money to pay his drug dealer following a party the night before.

The Guardia Civil arrested Garcia soon after in a local neighbourhood, who was already wanted on an arrest warrant for not serving other offences.


P ressure is a funny thing. Pilots face pressure on approach to crazy runways. Actors face pressure in front of heckling theatregoers. And sushi bloggers face pressure - real, real pressure - when visiting Japan and trying to figure out where to eat.

"Passion" is an important word, because - like good sushi - it's tough to fake. If you happen to be a chef going through the motions at a place like Sushi of Gari, you're not going to fool a discerning customer. But if you're passionate about your food, despite the insane work days, the prohibitive cost and the fickle nature of human beings, that should shine through. And at Ato, it does. The menu takes Japanese dishes, and to unfortunately quote the most overused word in food lexicon, elevates them by combining the French methods and inspired sauces William is so passionate about. Like any good entertainment vehicle, there is a second act. Nigiri, perfectly formed through meticulous handling by William behind the bar. That sushi bar has four seats, with sushi prep and an open kitchen in front, and a half dozen tables lined against the windows and wall behind. It's worth noting, that at 700 square feet, Ato will make you feel like you're in a 4D ride at Disney World.

Tokyo, Japan. Roppongi.

$250+. Omakase only.

Date of visit: November 2, 2016

Sea Trout with carrot puree

True to its roots as a French and Japanese restaurant, Ato offers both prix fixe and omakase options. The former features strictly tasting plates, while the latter includes those tasting plates plus a cavalcade of perfectly formed nigiri.  And though it's nominally called an Omakase, I would certainly consider it closer to Kaiseki, the traditional Japanese tea meal, which focuses on the immaculate presentation of fresh ingredients.

Presentation is certainly top of mind at Ato. The Sea Trout (pictured above) is placed on a pillow of carrot puree, with neither component overshadowing the other. The seared Bass, miso and potato puree is a french take on a dish that Nobu (RIP) made famous, without the immense portion size that hammers the flavours. Even dishes that sound iffy on paper were a pleasant surprise, like Sawara (Spanish mackerel), paired with dijon to produce a far more effective combination than, say, something like the Sushi Donut, which is an affront to all that is decent in this world.

Despite his passion for french food, I was actually more impressed with the preparation of the nigiri. That preparation - like that of any good itamae - starts far in advance of dinner service. Neta (fancy term for the topping) is aged to enhance flavour, a fact that Shen is all too willing to share (more later).  Aging isn't always the answer - for instance, I wouldn't touch aged salmon, but with anything in the mackerel family, it works well. And when it comes to serving customers, Chef  William meticulously forms each piece of nigiri so that the neta and the shari (sushi rice) come together in harmony. At lesser sushi restaurants, the fish sits on top like a hat. At Ato, the slope of the fish matches perfectly to that of the rice, as you'll see in the pictures below.

Obviously, taste is a key component as well, and the rice at Ato was served slightly less than warm, which is my preferred temperature, though I would add that my reservation was at 5:45.  To come full circle, yes passion is important, but so is skill; it would be a shame if  Chef  William ever completely removed sushi from his menu, because he clearly has talent.

Other sushi restaurants in the area

Nobu Next Door

Ato's space is located in the heart of  SoHo, and like many restaurants south of Houston (pronounced HOW-sten), space is limited (700 sq ft limited, to be exact). That limitation is the customer's gain, as the kitchen and sushi counter are visible from every seat in the restaurant. Though I've seen complaints about service online, I  had nothing but positive experiences. First, the restaurant is jointly owned and operated by Chef  William and Katar Varivarn, the Front of  House manager. For obvious reasons, having owners ingrained in the operations is a critical component of good customer service. Second, despite the sheer volume of courses, and the fact that he's running an active kitchen, Chef  William clearly explained the ingredients and process behind each dish. For a meal as complex as the omakase served at Ato, that information is valuable and far beyond the scope that I receive at other, more famous (and more expensive) sushi restaurants. One final note - Ato is a great spot for a romantic or formal dinner among friends, but it's effectively a three man operation, so be prepared for 3 hours (or more). Though that could have just been me chatting up a storm like usual.

The map

The atmosphere

The food

Clockwise from top: Aji (horse mackerel), Saba, Chu Toro

Top: Uni and Ikura chirashi. Bottom: Ika and Wagyu beef.


Help really worried!!

Kelly jo

14 dpo and period is 2 days late. Had symptoms for a while, neasea, cramps, sore breats and nipples, bloating and felt gassy. Done several HPT since 7 dpo all bfn. But now clear liquid keeps coming out my nipples.

Is it a sign of pregnancy or what? Really worried.