Hello to all! I’ve had a canon power shot… it broke… but was handy to travel with…Have a Sony DSC F505V… useless in the sun (only lcd screen), and too big to carry anywhere that’s not a SPECIFIC outing to take pictures… on a cloudy day or indoors! and have just acquired an Olympus Stylus 820…. am excited about LEARNING.

Photography has always been my postponed hobby… but now I’m reading your comments in the forum, and I see that most cameras are NOT “point and shoot”…

Have I made a mistake in buying such a camera, even though it seems to have good “qualifications”?Are any of your beautiful pictures taken with a “point and shoot”? I’m sure it’s just me having to learn about lighting, etc…

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Hey, here’s a question for you…

What is the difference between a snapshot and a photograph? What are the things that set them apart? What are the defining elements? And can an image be both?

I have some ideas, but some things are still a bit fuzzy. I’d love to hear what you think.

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Hands up those who have read my last post and setting up their Progress Journal? I haven’t been blown over by the wind created by the hand signals, I have to admit. Never mind, I’m sure the some good folk will be working on the project.

by Paulus R. (profile)

Now, joking aside, we are going to get down to the nitty gritty basics in this post. As I said in the previous post we are going to start at ground level so those of you who are new to photography can catch up with more experienced operators. Remember the objective here is to turn your hobby into profit.

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In this post I would like to turn your attention to visual themes. One of the inherent problems amateur photographers face without them really noticing, is their inability to realize that shooting everything willy nilly, is cutting their shooting standard by half. Why? Because they become,‘Jack of all trades and masters of none.’ They need to stop, take stock, and consider a visual theme.

Untitled by Nocturnales

It makes perfect sense really. If you love roses, cats or carols whatever, you take time out and learn to define history, features and facts about your chosen subject. Take a person who has a special interest in cats. To most uniformed people a cat is a companion, hunts mice, purrs and is always hungry. But the cat lover knows a cat purring does mean the cat is always happy. On occasions the purr is a sign of stress, ill health or fright.

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No, I’m not going to batter your brain cells in this post with a tirade on formal composition. You all ready know enough, or can research viewfinder and frame thirds without me wading into the discussion. I do however want to share with you thoughts and ideas about the art of ‘subject placement.’ I see many images on this website and many more elsewhere that would benefit handsomely from judicious subject placement bringing images ‘alive.’

Portrait Angle by Roger Jeakings (profile)

One of the biggest problems learner photographers have is the ability to…

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I thought would to share and idea or two with those budding photographers who have considered a career in the illustrative industry, or would like contribute their images to news media and magazine organizations.

Hannah by Alejandro Cendena Photography (profile)

Seeing your images in print is a rewarding experience, sweetened by a cheque (check) in the mail. During my brief connection with this site I have seen images that are potentially money earners. What is missing is the final step of understanding, the market place option, impact and illustration presentation. In this post I would like to touch lightly on the steps you need to consider to become a free lance photographer, capable of raising your skill standard and matching your photographic prowess with the needs of the news and illustrative media. This is not an easy task and I would be totally remiss in presenting information that I see plastered on the Internet, telling that all you have to do is…

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I have many photog friends who will just say to me, “I am going out shooting today”. I find that I can’t just do that. Go out with nothing in particular in mind. When I have tried, I usually shoot nothing or crap. On the other hand, I will all of a sudden have an idea and go for it. (I do alot of still life for stock and this weighs in to that a lot) When that happens, I usually get shots although, I would say that if I shoot 40 photos, I probably only use 2.

Girl in Spring by Ann (profile)

How do other people find inspiration? Do you start with an idea? Do you just go in search of anything that might strike you? I find that I usually start with an idea and usually one that is a challenge for me. For instance shopping. I then might go out and decide to work on shooting shop windows-dealing with glare, composition etc…Or I start with an emotion. I recently did “a feeling of being alone”.

>> Continue to read “Inspiration and How You Go About Shooting” in our photo community forum…

My husband and I are planning to go to Vietnam and Bali for about a 2-3 weeks this Christmas holiday. Anyone here has any recommendations for some good photo locations at both places?

Read and Discuss “Photo Locations in Vietnam & Bali” in our forum >>