Photography in a Rainforest

The amazing thing about walking in a rainforest is how your eyes deceive you into thinking that the light levels in there are fairly comparable with a regular kind of daylight exterior location. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

As soon as you pull the camera out of its bag and check the exposure levels, you will be amazed at how little light there really is. Long exposures are the only way to work and a tripod is a must.

We are all so used to seeing rainforest shots that appear to be well lit with the light streaming through the canopy that we sub-consciously imagine this to be the reality.

My experience of this environment shows that in order to achieve a low ISO setting it is necessary to work with shutter speeds of several seconds duration. If noise or grain levels are not a problem for you, then you may be able to get away with something in the order of 1/8th of a second, but clearly a tripod is still a good idea for such long exposures.

The discipline of working with a tripod for every shot is a good one. As most of us are used to hand-holding, a tripod causes one to take a breath, slow down and consider the important matter of exactly where to place the camera for achieving the coverage of the particular subject we are after capturing. We will work much slower than we may be used to, but the rewards of taking our time can be enormous.

The Australian rainforests seem to be relatively safe places to be, though I found that one slightly distressing experience was my encounter with several little blood sucking leeches. These little guys hang around under leaves and when a possible host passes by they propel themselves in their general direction with a great deal of determination and precision. I found myself (after stalking some twisted vines in a particularly dark area just off the track) to have fallen victim just below my neck when I put my hand there and felt this soft squidgy little body attached to me. Not knowing what it was at first, I panicked in trying to persuade him to leave the vicinity immediately. Instead of this he fell down into my shirt and straightaway latched on to my tummy area and started another feed there! After successfully knocking him away I became I slightly paranoid about any other of his chums finding me irresistible too. Despite extreme care not to brush against the undergrowth, when I arrived back at my car 2 hours later, I was bleeding in 4 different places - and I hadn't even managed to exploit them in a similar way and get any shots of them. Maybe the answer would have been to take a companion to act as a model with the little blighters.

If you ever find yourself fortunate enough to be in a rainforest......in the rain, beware the blood suckers amongst the wildlife, but enjoy the experience!

Original article

How to Photograph Fireworks Displays

It's easy to shoot fireworks and achieve spectacular results. Below are some useful tips on how to photograph fireworks displays.

The most important tip to taking great shots of fireworks displays is to secure your digital camera to something that will ensure that it doesn't move while taking your shot. This is especially important while shooting fireworks because this involves the use of longer shutter speeds which not only capture the movement of the fireworks but also any movement of your camera. You can still your camera and prevent it from shaking by using a tripod.

To ensure that your camera remains completely still during fireworks shots, invest in a remote release device. Alternatively, you can still take a shot without touching your camera, simply by using the self timer. However, this will require that you anticipate your shots well and be ready for a lot of hits and misses.

When photographing fireworks, one of the most difficult things you will need to learn is where to aim your camera and frame your shot. This is challenging because you need to aim your camera before the fireworks that you will be shooting go off. This calls for anticipating the shot correctly, by first scoping out your location early enough. You will also need to watch the horizons and determine whether a vertical or horizontal shot is best.

When shooting fireworks, another challenge you may face is having your camera trained on the right section of the sky at the right time. This is especially tricky when photographing with a longer focal length and attempting to take shots that are more tightly cropped. When it comes to the right camera aperture settings, you should use apertures in the mid to small range because the light emitted by fireworks is rather bright. You therefore don't need a fast lens and can shoot somewhere in the range of f/8 to f/16.

To take a great shot of fireworks displays, you will need to get your shutter speed just right as well. Remember that a good photo of fireworks requires nice long exposure to be able to capture the movement in the moving display. Shoot fireworks at a low ISO as this is likely to provide you with the cleanest shots possible. The general rule of thumb is to stick to ISO 100. And always remember to switch off your flash before shooting fireworks displays.

For more information on photography, please visit: http://www.photography-tips-and-resources.com/.

Joan One is a freelance journalist and creative writer who immensely enjoys writing and researching into any topic under the Sun. She specializes in writing "green" eco-friendly topics aimed at enabling environmentally conscious readers to find simple ways to reduce their carbon footprint and help save our planet.

Original article

Practical Digital Stock Photography Tips

Here are some useful digital stock photography tips to enable you to begin or improve your photography.

· Concepts - It is important to take some time to think about your concept. Study images by other photographers in magazines, websites, adverts, newspapers etc to get an idea of what your competition is doing. While doing your research, be sure to jot down your findings. Look for inspiration in other's work, without copying it.

· Lighting - Before you begin to shoot, ensure that your lighting is just right. Even if you will be shooting in natural light, you may want to wait to achieve the right lighting conditions. Try various setups to find what works best for you and keep in mind that even lighting is more useful for those who will buy your stock photography.

· Colors and Look - In digital stock photography, aesthetics are of great importance, and as such colorful and attractive images always sell better. Stock imaging isn't just about showing how things are, but how they would ideally look like. As such, you should aim at images that portray the world in an improved version of reality.

· Composition - In terms of composition photography tips, you will find that photos are generally more interesting when shot from unusual view points.

· Camera Settings - Take your shots using the manual modes on your DSLR. To avoid noise, check your settings and use low ISO. Before you press the shutter button, ensure that the ISO, white balance, speed settings and aperture settings are correct. Before taking an image, determine the proper settings for instance for when freezing an action, showing motion or even isolating the subject from its background.

· Post Processing in RAW - In order to improve your images and make them pop, you may have to make a couple of adjustments. For instance, when you set your camera to Raw format, you are more likely to have a better outcome than having to improve a JPEG image that is already compressed. While in the Raw format, you get to enjoy more control because you can improve tint, contrast, alter the white balance, increase or decrease shadows, increase or reduce saturation and so much more.

· Consistency - Be consistent in order to improve your digital stock photography skills. And always keep in mind that as with any other craft, practice does make perfect in this field of photography. You should therefore set yourself some goals and shoot a couple of images each day.

For more information on photography, please visit: http://www.photography-tips-and-resources.com/.

Joan One is a freelance journalist and creative writer who immensely enjoys writing and researching into any topic under the Sun. She specializes in writing "green" eco-friendly topics aimed at enabling environmentally conscious readers to find simple ways to reduce their carbon footprint and help save our planet.

Original article