Perspective is Essential to Every Photograph

Do you ever notice how a subject which appears interesting to you at first is far less interesting once captured with your camera? Often framing is to blame. But if your framing is good, the light is good, and yet the image still feels odd, consider the height from which the image has been captured. It may seem strange at first, but think about it... Not all subjects look their best when they are captured off-eye-level. Animals, especially smaller ones are often much more interesting, when they appear to be at eye-level in your image. Do not be afraid to get lower, or higher, and anywhere in between. Explore all possibilities before taking the shot. Try to get lower for smaller objects. As you shoot straight or up at an object, you increase its dominance in the image, when you shoot down on it, you decrease it. Keep that in mind, and your photographs will have more interest, and will stand out.

Don't Print Daily - Keep your Inkjet from Clogging

Like most folks who shoot photos and print their own, I do not print all that often. Once a week is very common for me, sometimes less frequently than that. After all, we do not always shoot and print, especially since most of us are part time shooters. To keep your printer from clogging its head, this is even more important with Pigment Inks, since they are thicker than Dyes, turn your printer on a few times a week, let it cycle on, and it will run a very small cleaning which will purge just a little ink from the head. This is not wasteful, but will keep ink from drying inside the head, and causing for a lot of headache.

Specs of Dust on Your Camera's Sensor

If you are like me you no doubt shoot with your camera in less-than-ideal environments. While most cameras are fairly well sealed, they still allow for dust to get inside. As the mirror flips up, and the shutter opens, even a fraction of a second is enough to trap specs of dust on the sensor. Now you notice a little spec on every picture you take, and you have to clone it out. You cannot prevent this, but with a good blower you will rid your camera of pesky dust every time. Never try to use any liquid chemicals to clean your sensor. There are expensive tools on the market that will clean your sensor safely, but for far less money, a blower is just as effective, and safe. When cleaning your sensor, flip the camera so that the lens mount is looking towards the ground. This way, once the dust particle has been loosened, gravity will take charge and let it drop away from your sensor. Blow gently into the cavity, and keep the lens mount looking down. This way dust has little chance of settling on the sensor. A few good blows is typically enough. Put the mens back on, and shoot a piece of white paper to check for the dust being gone.

Shoe-mount Bubble Level for your Camera

If you ever struggle with shooting a straight horizon, perhaps your tripod does not have any built-in levels, then this one is for you... Consider acquiring a bubble level which mounts on your camera's hot shoe. Look for a level which give you two mounting options top shoot portrait and landscape, and if you plan to shoot panoramas, look for one with a bubble on top feature which allows you level your tripod base. Remember, if the base is not perfectly level, your pans will not be accurate.

Shooting Panoramas with a Dedicated Bracket

If you are thinking about getting into the business of shooting and stitching panoramas, you need to get yourself a panoramic bracket. I have recently had the pleasure of testing a bracket from a Canadian firm panoramabrackets.com, and was happy I got my hands on it. The product is solidly built, and their 4th generation version is a far improvement from their gen 3 product. This unit is easy to use, it is light, and fairly compact. However, unless you level the tripod base, and have your bracket correctly adjusted to your lens, you will have trouble. I will add a series of tips regarding Pan shooting. Here's a first, get a tripod with a level at its base. When the base is off-level, your ball head, or panhead will follow the curvature and cause your pan to be off center. The longer the pan, the bigger the problem.

Tip of the Day: Vanguard Photography Gear

Have you ever heard of Vanguard USA brand? Probably not. I have not either, until I started looking to get a new photo backpack, which had to be large enough for all my gear, have space in the top for clothing, water and other stuff, and most of all, be durable, and easy to use. As I began researching I came across a company which supposedly produced different photo storage gear, and became intrigued. The company is Vanguard USA. They are not easy to find, and their site leaves much to be desired. Nonetheless, their gear looked interesting, and the bag which I liked in particular seemed spacious and fairly well built. I ordered this bag from Buy.com, and hoped for the best. I got the bag about a week later, and I am still raving about it. The quality of the product is on par with Tamrac, Lowepro, Kata, and other high end brands. The bag, Kenline 60, is huge, more pockets than you will ever use, and extremely comfortable. I am thoroughly impressed, and wanted to pass this onto others searching for a high quality durable home for all your camera gear. Consider their products. Visit Vanguard USA.

Tip of the Day: Landscapes and the Sky

One thing that many people have trouble with when planning their photographic adventures is the sky. More often than not, we check the weather reports and the report calls for a beautiful sunny day which is great, but without a cloud in the sky, deep blue is just not very interesting. Next time you are planning your photographic adventures, look for days with partially cloudy conditions. There is nothing better than the sky breaking through the clouds as it brings out the definition, texture and interesting transitions in the otherwise boring sky. To make things even more interesting, look for days with very light wind, which will assist in architecting interesting patterns in the clouds and if you are shooting near bodies of water there will be a presence of motion which will make for more sweeping views.