Learn & Master Photography Series

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY INTERACTIVE LESSON EDITION OFFERS PHOTO ENTHUSIASTS SOLID TEACHINGS AND ADVANCED TECHNIQUES WITH VINCE WALLACE

Nashville, Tennessee…June 16,  2011…Legacy Learning Systems, the award-winning multimedia and new technology company based in Nashville, Tennessee announces the release of Learn & Master Photography, the sixth edition to the popular instruction courses. Legacy Learning Systems is known for producing instructional multimedia training courses and apps with a mission to bring personal dreams and talents within reach while maintaining a fun and exciting learning experience based on personal interaction, new technologies, steadfast techniques and engaging instructors.

The Learn & Master Photography is a 15 instructional DVD set which contains 24 sessions, two photography sample CDs with hi-res images for editing, an exclusive Lesson Book highlighting each session and access to a free online student support site. The instructional package is so complete that users find it the only one they need to master the art of photography.

The course takes the user through step-by-step video sessions with renowned photographer Vince Wallace. It starts with the beginner skill level and moves to the advanced techniques used by professional photographers.  The interactive course gives instructions on how to best capture light, emotion and imagery in an easy and personal way. Key elements include understanding how to create illusions of three dimensions, composing photographs and taking in-studio shots. Many sessions include assignments to apply the skills learned. There is no other course on the market today which covers all the elements of photography including design elements, color theory, capturing movement, lense types and the components of a digital SLR camera. It is designed not just for beginners but also for those who have also been taking photographs for a period of time. The Learn & Master Photography edition allows the user to study the sessions remotely on the DVDs.

“We are delighted to be working with nationally recognized photographer Vince Wallace on this exciting new edition to the Learn & Master series,” said Gabriel Smith, CEO of Legacy Learning Systems.  “We are confident Learn & Master Photography will give new meaning to the saying A Picture Paints A Thousand Words and look forward to many success stories from our users.”

Learn & Master Photography includes:

The twenty four sessions on 15 DVDs are the heart of the course. The producers of the sessions filmed the specific instruction one would receive when shadowing a professional photographer. The DVDs allow for repeat sessions in the highest of quality.

The Lesson Book is full of photographs and illustrated photo techniques to add to a user’s visual learning. It contains information on all the assignments in the video sessions so it can be read at the user’s own pace. There is also a glossary of photography terms.

The two CDs of hi-res images provide practice images for the user to experiment with.

Professional instruction with photographer Vince Wallace gives photo enthusiasts the rare opportunity to study with a real professional at their own pace and without expensive private photography lessons. Wallace is a masterful landscape and commercial photographer with a very impressive portfolio as well as an inspiring teacher and communicator.

ABOUT LEGACY LEARNING SYSTEMS:

Legacy Learning Systems is a Nashville based multimedia company with a mission to bring personal dreams within reach. The company produces multi-media self-education courses and develops award-winning apps. The Learn & Master series have included lessons for guitar, drums, piano, ballroom dancing, painting, photography and their spotlight series and have gone on to sell over 100,000 courses. The Gibson’s Learn & Master Guitar course is the winner of the Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s “Players Choice” Award, two Telly Awards and AEGIS Award for Excellence in Education.  The self-education courses are so popular that celebrities like actress Patricia Heaton and others have talked about them on national television and ordered various other courses. For more information go tohttp://www.learnandmaster.com

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How To Take Great Landscape Shots When It's Raining

 Article from - www.lenscraft.co.uk

When people first get involved with photography, especially landscape photography, they tend to gravitate towards nice weather shooting. If it’s rainy or stormy then just put their cameras away and wait for another day. Perhaps this is partly to do with cameras and water not mixing too well. Perhaps it’s also because they don’t realise what great opportunities there are in poor weather Rain and bad weather can offer the photographer some of the most atmospheric shots if you know where to look and how to protect your equipment.



Take this shot of Yewbarrow near Wastwater in the Lake District. I was out walking in stormy conditions when the clouds started to break and the low winter sun broke through to light up the hills. This sort of dramatic lighting tends to be common when a storm is clearing but in order to take advantage of it you need to be in location before the storm breaks. You also need to have your camera with you which means protecting it against the elements.

This particular shot was taken using a Sony NEX-5 and 18-55mm lens. This is a small camera/lens combination so I can easily carry it in my backpack and even in the pocket of some of my jackets. I also used a 0.6ND graduated filter on the front of the lens to help darken the sky. Whilst I normally use Lee filters, if I am minimising my equipment for walking or bad weather shooting, I use the cheaper and smaller Cokin P series. When it’s raining you find you need to regularly wipe down the filters and this can cause scratches. I don’t mind needing replacing a Cokin Filter every 6 months or so but don’t like the idea of replacing my Lee Filters this often.

As for carrying my equipment, I use an "Exped Drybag" which can be purchased in various sizes from many outdoor shops or on the internet. These are waterproof (not water resistant) bags which have a strip along the top with a clip at each end. Turn the top over 3 times and clip it together and it is supposed to be water tight to around 10 meters (but I won’t be purposely testing this claim). I use two of these bags, one for the camera and one for the filters. Even if I am carrying the camera in my pocket I will still use these bags. If it’s raining you can also keep the camera in the bag for protection until the moment you take the shot. This will minimise rain on the lens or in the camera itself (which can be a bigger problem).

Cityscapes

While Landscape photography in poor weather can be very dramatic and satisfying, the city can be really exciting. My tool of choice here is a Panasonic Lumix LX5. It’s a tiny compact camera but has a high quality lens and shoots RAW, but there are lots more options in this segment of the market. The main reason I like this camera for urban work is that it’s small and can easily fit in my jacket pocket. Because of its size and ease of use I can use it in ways that just aren’t practical with an SLR. Take a look at this shot. Had I been using an SLR I am sure it would have attracted attention and the man in the shot would have avoided me. Instead he treated me as one of the many tourists snapping away.

The small size of the camera was important in being ignored by people but it’s also important in helping keep your equipment dry in the rain. It’s easy to stuff a small camera inside a plastic bag or hide it under your coat.

Protect you and your gear

The other accessory you might find useful is an umbrella which has a number of benefits. Firstly you can use it to shelter and keep your camera dry. Holding an umbrella (or having your other half hold it – sorry Sue) over you whilst shooting can prevent this. To some extent it also helps you hide a small camera as well so you can blend into the crowd. The city images you see here were all shot with the camera in one hand and the Umbrella in the other.



I would also suggest you carry at least one soft cloth you can use to dry off the lens or the camera itself in case it gets wet. I usually carry two cloths as I find one can quickly get wet if I have to wipe down the camera body to put it back in a water proof bag.

Work quick

When shooting in the rain speed becomes important. It’s good to be able to pull out the camera, take the shot and put it away again. This means having the camera ready to work as soon as you pull it out. Give some thought to the levels of light available to you. Because rain and bad weather often restrict light you might find yourself shooting with a higher ISO, wider aperture or possibly both. I usually shoot in aperture priority as its quick and I only need worry about achieving a fast enough shutter speed. Take a few moments to check the shutter speeds/exposure every so often to ensure you don’t need to make any adjustments.

Another tip to help improve your speed of shooting in the rain is to use the camera in Manual Focus if you have the option. My approach is to set the focus point at 2 meters and select an aperture that gives me sharp focus through to infinity. Once I have set this I can switch the camera on inside my jacket and when I take it out I can immediately start shooting without worrying about the focus. I also like to couple this with a continuous shoot mode so I can take multiple shots, one of which should come out as I had hoped.

Back at home

When you have finished your shooting and return home remember to remove your camera kit from your bag and allow both bag and camera to dry naturally. Avoid the temptation to return the camera to the bag within 24 hours as it’s quite possible the bag will still be wet.

Words and images by Robin Whalley - www.lenscraft.co.uk

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Are you that soul behind the camera

A Photographer, is a person who takes photographs using a camera. A professional photographer uses photography to earn money whilst amateur photographers take photographs for pleasure and to record an event, emotion, place, or person. (source wikipedia)

For me photographer is more to “the soul” behind the camera. Those who’s not only clicking the camera but also put a heart and soul to tells stories, sending messages,or create a certain atmosphere into a photographs.

So, as our appreciation to photography,we’re from shutter skills would like to invites all of you photographers around the globe to join the list of people with photography passion that we called “The Soul Behind The Camera”

It does not matter whether  you are a newbie, an amateurs or a pro, if you would like to be listed in our next post, here is how to do it:

1. Post a link to a picture of you holding a camera (just like the above picture,its like a “theme” for the post)
2. Post a link of your flickr,twitter or other personal site that shows your works in photography
3. Give us a reason why you should be listed or why you love photography.

All the above should be posted on below comment box before August 21,2010 and all will be featured on our next post.

Here are some benefits that you can get by join this invitation :

1. Recognition (your works/photography will be recognized by others through the post)
2. Traffic (you will certainly get more traffic to your sites)
3. Source of  inspiration ( your photography will be our source of inspiration for future post material and don’t forget that we always gives credit to the original photographer)
4. Chain ( another chain for you to grow your connection with other people who have the same passion in photography)
5. Free (it is a free of charge promotion)

So, what are you waiting for ? hop in and share your great works with us,and please also share this invitation to all of your friends who have the same passion as we are, the more the merrier. 

Thank  you

Read more: http://shutterskills.com/are-you-that-soul-behind-the-camera.html#ixzz1DxkZBJGu

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22 night photography tips for beginners

Quick and easy digital photography tips for better photos in the dark. From night photography settings for your DSLR to ideas for creative low light pictures.

Find out how to take photos at night with these camera and photography tips for beginners. Whether you want to learn how to take photos of the night sky, find out how to paint with light or just want to know the right camera settings for high quality pictures, this guide will shed light on the common questions and popular techniques…

1 Get high quality night shots 
If you want the best night shots you need to shoot in the best image quality, and that means RAW. By shooting in RAW your images will retain the most ‘information’, which gives you greater scope for enhancing your shots in Adobe Camera Raw and other raw-processing software. RAW is especially beneficial when taking night shots as it gives more flexibility when you want to change things such as colour temperature (or White Balance) or accurately increase (brighten) or decrease (darken) your exposures.

2 Use a tripod for sharp pictures
Shooting at night obviously means there will be less light and therefore slow shutter speeds, anywhere from 1-30 seconds – that’s way too slow to shoot hand-held. So you’ll need to attach your digital camera securely to a tripod if you want sharp results. Make sure your tripod is set up correctly and rock solid – it’s easy to end up with soft images because you haven’t double-checked. Hang your camera bag off the hook on the bottom of the centre column if you can. And don’t hold onto your tripod as you’re shooting with slow shutter speeds because any slight movement can mean blurred photos.

3 Pick your night photography locations in advance
Before you venture out into the night, it will pay dividends and save you valuable time later if you plan ahead. Pick good locations beforehand by scouting out the best spots in your local town to find the most interesting lights and architecture, or if you’re looking to shoot traffic light trails, check which roads are busiest, when is the best time for traffic, and which is the best (and safest) position to take photos from. Check out the photo galleries here on PhotoRadar for inspiration, to see how other photographers have tackled the local city lights at night.

4 Use the lens sweet spot
Use the ‘sweet spot’ range of apertures for your lenses – this is usually between f/8 and f/16, but take test shots to find out. Even pro-level lenses don’t produce the best results when used at their maximum and minimum apertures. By using apertures in the middle of the available range you’ll increase your chances of capturing the sharpest shots with your lens.

5 Night photography settings
To take control of your exposures it’s best to shoot in Manual mode so you can choose the best narrow aperture and slow shutter speed for night photography. Begin by composing and focusing your shot, set a narrow aperture around f/16, then dial in the right shutter speed until the Exposure Level Mark is in the middle of the Exposure Level Indicator. Take some shots and review them on your LCD. Remember this is what your camera thinks is the best exposure, but if your shots are looking too bright, underexpose by 1-2 stops so that they actually look dark!

6 How to get a 'starburst' effect on street lights
Using a narrow aperture (around f/16) will not only ensure a deeper depth of field, so your shots are sharp from foreground to background, but will also make street lights ‘sparkle’ in your scenes to give your pictures an added magical effect. See the shot below…

7 Composition at night
Carefully study the scene before you start taking photos. Are parts of the scene in darkness? Do areas of the shot become more interesting, brightly lit or colourful as it gets darker? If so, don’t be afraid to zoom in on the most photogenic areas. Zoom in with your wide-angle zoom lens or ‘zoom with your feet’ – just move closer to your subject…

8 Use Mirror Lock-up
The slightest movement can create unwanted camera shake, and this even includes the mirror moving up and down inside your digital SLR. You can quickly enable Mirror Lock-up (look for it in your camera menu’s Custom Functions menu) to get around this potential pitfall.

9 Don’t touch your camera!
When taking long exposures at night, even touching your camera to press the shutter button can create enough movement to leave you with blurred results. Use your digital camera’s built-in self-timer to trigger the shutter after you’ve pressed the button to avoid any problems. For shots that rely on accurate timing, use a remote release instead (below).

10 Creative ideas for people shots
Invariably we photographers go out of our way to avoid capturing people in our scenic shots. However, when it comes to night photography, including crowds of people in your frame can add contrast and interest to your pictures. If people are stationary, try using them as a creative silhouette to enhance photos. Or, if people are walking through, try using a shutter speed of around 1/4-1/2 sec so they’re ‘creatively’ blurred.

11 Which ISO setting is best for night photography?
The ISO setting you need depends on the type of night photos you’re taking. If you’re shooting city scenes with long exposures, you’ll be using a tripod, so you can keep the ISO at 100 or 200. This will also keep noise levels down – ideal for retaining maximum detail in scenic night shots. If you’re shooting an outdoor performance at night and working handheld, you’ll need to bump up the ISO (try ISO 1000 or ISO 1600) to ensure a fast enough shutter speed for capturing sharp shots.

12 Motion blur shots
Capturing motion blur on camera can transform drab scenes into dramatic works of art. The good news is, like most night photography, you simply need to use your digital camera on a tripod and select a slow shutter speed (try between 2-5 secs, depending on the speed of the vehicles that you’re shooting) to take creative motion shots at night.

13 Auto or manual focus?
For night shots it’s best to use both autofocus (AF) and manual focus (MF). Use AF to focus on to part of the scene, then switch to MF to keep the focus locked. That way your camera won’t be ‘hunting’ to achieve autofocus if the light or scene changes or a good surge of traffic drives past. When shooting in the dark you’ll need to find part of your scene that is bright enough for your camera to be able to achieve AF. If you’re having problems, switch to MF and use Live View to zoom in on your LCD and check your focusing is good before taking multiple long exposures.

14 Timings for night photography
The time of night can make all the difference when it comes to capturing traffic light trails. There will be more traffic in your local city centre between 5-6pm – for once you’ll be wishing for rush-hour traffic! Set up in a safe place on a busy road and experiment with 10-30 sec exposures to see which captures the densest light trails. Try and fire the shutter as double-decker buses drive past as their interior and rear lights will produce thick streaks high and low in your frame. Note that early in the evening, there will still be a little light in the sky – even if it looks dark to the naked eye. Which of these images do you prefer? Chances are, it's the first shot, with the lighter blue sky and busier street.

15 White Balance settings at night
If you’re using Auto White Balance, it’s easy for your DSLR to get confused with what it thinks is the best White Balance (WB) setting when shooting under street lights at night. To ensure consistent results, manually set WB; try the Cloudy (6000K) setting to warm up your scenes (making them more orange) or Tungsten (3200K) to cool down the temperature (making them look more blue).

16 Switch IS off
Image Stabilisation (IS) on lenses is useful for reducing camera shake when you’re shooting hand-held, but it can have the opposite effect when you’re using a tripod and taking long exposures – the gyroscopic sensors inside most IS lenses actually creating unwanted movement. Switch IS off and you won’t have to worry! Doing so will also increase battery life – helpful in cold conditions.

17 How to photograph star trails
While traffic light trails exposures are 30 seconds long, star trails can take over 30 minutes! There are two methods to shoot star trails, in one long exposure, or in a series of shorter exposures joined together.  With the single exposure method it’s best to use your camera’s Long Exposure Noise Reduction function. The problem with one long exposure is the sky can become quite light by the end. Or you can take a series of exposures and mix them together using a piece of software called Startrails (www.startrails.de). Use an aperture of f/4 and an ISO of 400 to let plenty of light in. Take a series of 30-second exposures on Bulb (in Manual mode) and in continuous shooting mode (with Long Exposure Noise Reduction turned off).  Sequences need to last an hour or more for a good visual effect.

18 Reflections at night
To give your night shots a boost, look out for water in front of buildings, rivers or lakes, for reflections that double the amount of lights and colour in your images. Even wonderful wet, wintry weather can help to turn drab pavements and courtyards into interesting reflective surfaces, which in turn creates some foreground interest.

19 Special effects
Try the zoom burst technique to capture artistic effects of night lights. For this you’ll need a zoom lens, your 18-55mm or 17-85mm kit lens will do nicely, and a slow shutter speed – depending on available light, around 1/15-1/4 sec is a good start. Start with your lens at its wide-angle end, then zoom in as you press the shutter button. Alternatively, start zoomed in, then press the shutter button and zoom out. Experiment and you’ll soon be capturing zoom-tastic results!

20 Painting with light technique
On a night with no moon, any rocks, trees and statues in your landscape shots can become silhouettes against the sky, so try lighting them up using a torch. With a tungsten bulb, the 'painted' feature takes on a golden colour. By covering the torch with a blue CTB (Colour Temperature Blue) gel, you can create a more natural, moonlight effect.
For the best torchlit pictures:
• Arrive before it gets dark to find the best composition.
• Switch to Manual exposure mode and start with an exposure of around 120 seconds at f/8. Work the aperture up or down from there or change the shutter speed to adjust the exposure. The timing isn't an exact science – just count in your head!
• Keep the torch beam in motion, otherwise you'll have patches and blotchy light over the suubject

21 Keep your camera working in cold weather
Battery power is drastically reduced when shooting in cold conditions – and when taking long exposures. To avoid being caught out and missing the perfect shot, keep a spare battery or two in your jacket pocket so you’re ready to quickly switch when a battery inevitably dies. We often find that by warming up the original, cold battery in our pocket, it will come back to life so you can use it for another brief burst of shots if you get desperate. We know we don't need to say it, but don't forget to keep yourself warm too – and if you’re in a busy area or shooting near roads, wear a hi-visibility vest for extra safety.

22 Digital darkroom tips
When processing your RAW night photos in Adobe Camera Raw, don’t be afraid to pump up the Temperature slider to increase the intensity of the lights and colours. Nudging up the Vibrance and Saturation sliders a bit will boost colours too – just don't overdo it. Use the Recovery slider after these tweaks to combat clipped (over-exposed) highlights, which can often appear after you’ve carried out colour and tone enhancements.

Night photography tips for beginners – page 1
Night photography tips for beginners – page 2

Read more: http://www.photoradar.com/techniques/technique/22-night-photography-tips-for-beginners#ixzz1DcVVYp86

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Photo ideas: photographing water splashes with flash

A creative and cool photo project to try in the comfort of your own home. Take your first steps in high-speed flash photography with this fun technique…

This is a classic. If you've always wanted to know how to photograph water splashes, freezing the action with high-speed flash, this is the tutorial for you. Learn the right camera and flash settings and discover the simple splash photography set up you need for pin-sharp pictures.

A glass container
A flat-sided glass container such as a small fish tank or vase is ideal. Make sure it’s big enough to drop your object into. If there’s a curve to the glass, you’ll get unwanted distortion.

Coloured backdrops
A piece of coloured cardboard is perfect as a backdrop. Try to choose a shade that complements the colour of the object you’re dropping for added creative impact.

Off-camera flash
This technique relies on off-camera flash. Use a cable such as the Nikon SC-17, below, to connect your flash to your camera. There are a variety of other tools that can do this, too.

Flash diffuser
To diffuse the harshness of the flashlight, use a diffuser. At a pinch you could even try a piece of tracing paper or the end of a plastic milk bottle stuck to the end of your flashgun.

1. Set up the props
The high, sturdy and waterproof surfaces of your kitchen worktops are ideal for this project. Working with water and expensive camera equipment has the potential for disaster, so being organised and methodical is the best way to avoid a catastrophe. A glass container with flat sides is essential, just like the flat-sided vase used here. For a backdrop, a thin sheet of coloured cardboard is perfect – it’s cheap and more than adequate. As with most home projects, some gaffer tape is vital for keeping backdrops and off-camera flashes in place.
 

2. Set up your gear
A solid tripod is crucial, along with a lens that will enable you to work in close proximity to your subject – the Nikkor 60mm macro used here was perfect. The trick to this technique is getting the lighting right with off-camera flash. Position the flash to the side, and slightly behind the vase, with a diffuser attached to soften the light. Set the flashgun to one quarter power (see above). You’ll need to watch out for lens flare. To light the other side, use a simple home-made reflector – a piece of card covered in tin foil is perfect. This should be positioned in such a way as to bounce light from the flash back onto the subject.
 

3. Camera settings to manual…
For the best results you want total control, so switch everything to manual. Focus is critical, so work out where your point of focus will be and use a pen to pre-focus on that point. Keep your shutter speed as fast as possible without going out of sync – in most cases this will be 1/250 sec. Select an aperture of about f/8, which will give enough depth of field to keep everything sharp. Take some test shots, assess your exposure using your SLR’s histogram, and tweak the flash power as required.
 

4. Drop and shoot
There’s an element of trial and error in capturing the perfect splash. So ensure you’ve got plenty of space on your memory card just in case. Switch your drive mode to continuous and take three or four shots as you release the object – in this case a lime. After a few attempts you should find your groove. Take the time to zoom into your shots on your SLR’s LCD to check the focus is correct.

Top tip: timing is everything
Timing is really crucial in this technique, as you can see in these three photos. These were all taken within a fraction of a second of one another with very different results – spot-on (above), too early (below left) and too late (below right). You’ll need to take plenty of shots to capture the perfect splash, so be patient.

Bitten by the high-speed photography bug? Then a high-speed trigger such as the Shutter Beam might be just what you need (from www.warehouseexpress.com for a cool £600). This neat piece of kit can be set up to trigger the shutter when its infra red beam is broken, which is ideal for capturing splash and drop shots like this. It’s not cheap, but it’s got many other useful applications.

While you’ve got your water-studio set up, why not try a few classic drop shots too? The basic principles are the same – you’ll just need to rig up a container that will allow liquid to slowly drip onto the surface of the water. Also, try experimenting with different liquids such as emulsion paint or milk – their viscosity is different and will alter the characteristics of your splashes. Go to Photo ideas: amazing water drop photography to see how it's done…

Read more: http://www.photoradar.com/techniques/technique/photo-ideas-photographing-water-splashes-with-flash#ixzz1DaFkGK21

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How To Tap Into Your Creative Mojo

Whether you’re a newbie or you’ve been a pro for years, there may be a point when you need a little help tapping into your creative mojo! Hey, even us right-brainers need to refresh our creativity from time to time!

Here are a few ideas to help boost your creativity:

Your camera is your friend

So take him (or her) everywhere with you!I know you’ve heard this before, but here’s the thing:it is easy to remember to bring your camera to scenic places or special events.Try taking it to places that aren’t obviously photogenic.This will train your eye to look out for beautiful things – light, patterns, mood, expressions, compositions – no matter where you are. Finding the best way to photograph different kinds of scenes, light and people is a great experience.

A 365 Project (one photo a day) or weekly photo project may be a great way to do this. Here are some tips, if you want to get started. There are also many dedicated websites, such ashttp://365project.org, where you can share your photos, find inspiration and get encouragement from others.

Blog stalk

It’s an awful term, but it gets the point across! Research photographers from around the World and check out their recent work on their blogs. Photographers seldomly update their websites, but most update their blogs regularly. Bookmark the blogs you like or sign up for the RSS feed, so you can go back to them from time-to-time.

Don’t blog stalk to copy someone else’s creative eye; blog stalk to gain inspiration and develop your own creative vision.

And remember, you don’t have to limit yourself to photography blogs.You can look at design blogs, food blogs or just about any site that has photos.

Photo Walk

A Photo Walk is just as it sounds:you walk around and shoot whatever you see.You can either join a Photo Walk group, start a group, or just do this with a friend.Challenge yourself by going to different types of locations and going at different times of the day to get different types light.I prefer locations that make me have to search for art, like an abandoned construction site or a subway.

When you’re on a Photo Walk, you can see how someone else shoots – such as, what catches their eye, what angles are they shooting from, how are they composing the shot, what settings do they use, and what are they shooting?

After the Photo Walk, share your best shots with each other to see how you interpreted the same location or subjects.

I like doing photo walks with friends, but there are organized photo walks just about anywhere.You can start withhttp://worldwidephotowalk.com/ or do an online search for one close to you.

Photography Clubs

Mingling with fellow photographers and “talking shop” helps you learn.Don’t think of them as competition.We all share the same interest, the same passion.

Some clubs offer discounted courses, monthly meetings, guest speakers, or publications.They are definitely worth the small membership fee!

If you’re anything like me – where your love of photography runs through your veins – you will enjoy these activities and learn a-plenty!So bring on the creative mojo, baby

Read more: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-tap-into-your-creative-mojo#ixzz1DRrhCb3O

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Be a better Photographer

If your New Year's resolution is to improve your photography, check out our suggestions that could help you become a better photographer in 2011…

A new year is a fantastic excuse to find the motivation to improve your photography skills. It can be difficult to think of fresh new ways to better your creativity, but we've come up with 10 photo ideas for you which could kick-start your photography and make 2011 your best year yet.

The mark of a new year is a fantastic time to start a new photography project. It can be agonising making a decision on what to start,  and it creates a lot of pressure if you just focus on one subject. We recommend starting several projects and letting (at least) one come naturally to the fore.

If you know you're the kind of person to start projects with good intent but never actually get round to finishing them, why not challenge yourself to an exhibition at a local gallery, or, that you will enter a portfolio into a competition?

We're all guilty of doing it, we get good at one type of photography and start to get stuck in a rut. Whether it's landscapes, portraits or something else that's your main focus, it can do your creativity a world of good to try something completely out of your comfort zone.

Always shooting landscapes? Challenge yourself to photograph strangers in the street and you could be amazed by the results. On the flip side, fashion photographers who are always studio bound may be surprised by what they might find on the outside world.

A good place to start is our user galleries, where you can search by genre.
 

If you struggle to find motivation for a project, starting a photoblog could give you the focus you need. Knowing that there are people out there looking at your work and looking forward to seeing new photos, could be just what you need to get moving.

We'd recommend you choose one genre of photography to base your blog around to target niche audiences really well. Whether it be on street photography, your travel snaps or something more regular like this morning's breakfast, if you're creative enough you could soon build up a respectable audience.
 

You probably walk past a thousand photography opportunities every day without even realising it. Make time every day, week, month or whatever you can spare to spend some time walking around your local area looking for something unique to shoot.

It might be unusual patterns in the road, street scenes, people or something else entirely - but once you open your eyes up to the possibilities you'll probably start seeing things you've never noticed before.

Let's face it, a good majority of our images end up languishing in a forgotten corner of our hard drives never to be looked at again.

Why not make 2011 the year you finally get round to printing off your best work. You could create your own photobook, make up large scale prints or do something more creative like a wall display.

Whatever you do, it'll not only force you to look through, and re-evaluate, your old work, it'll show off your images far better than Facebook ever will.
 

No matter what field of photography you're interested in, there's bound to be a photographer that inspires you. Carefully study the work of others by checking libraries for books and finding photography exhibitions to visit.

If you're lucky enough to live somewhere like London where there a number of photography exhibitions happening at one time, you could make it a weekly, or monthly event. Don't forget, entrance to most exhibitions is also free.

Don't forget about your contemporaries too. Check the galleries of PhotoRadar for inspirational images from other users. Join the forums to get advice and tips from other users and offer critique in return. Other photography sites like Flickr also provide much inspiration due to the sheer number of uploads per day.

Be influenced and inspired by the work of others, but don't diretly copy or be a slave to style. If it's been done before, don't duplicate it but immersing yourself in high-quality photography will spur you on to create your own top-class work.

Get the year off to a good start with these 25 inspirational photo galleries.
 

One of the easiest ways to get a regular dose of inspirational photography and critique of your own work is to join a photography club.

A fantastic way to meet like minded individuals, you can also discuss ideas and compare techniques. Many also have specially organised events from professional photographers and the opportunities to join other members in holding exhibitions.

Whether you're stuck indoors on a rainy day or just want to learn how to improve every shot, getting to grips with Photoshop is a must.

Along with basic tweaks to enhance all your images, you can also do creative things like recreate a tilt-shift lens look, restore old photographs and transform your images to black and white. And don't miss these free Photoshop downloads for photographers.

Luckily, we have hundreds of tutorials to get you started right here on PhotoRadar. Learn the basics to begin with and move on to more complicated ideas once you're confident.

Whether you're an Elements user or a full CS user, we have plenty of tips over at the Techniques and Videos section.
 

If you've stood in the freezing cold snow for half an hour waiting for the exact right conditions for your photograph, you will have the tendency to believe it's the best you've ever taken. But a photograph should be able to stand up to viewing without you being there to relate the conditions you were in at the time.

Are your images composed with enough care? Are there any distractions in the scene that you should have spotted before you pressed the shutter release? Is it critically sharp rather than almost sharp enough?

Although you're probably itching to check your photos on the same day you shot them, it will do your editing skills a favour if you don't. By giving yourself more breathing space you'll become more objective in your assessment.
 

One of the best things about entering competitions is it gives you the ability to measure what other people think of your photography. As long as it's done in the right spirit, entering large-scale competitions such as Digital Camera Photographer of the Year gives you the opportunity to have your work judged amongst some of the finest work in the world.

Shooting to fit a competition's category criteria is a great way to flex your creative muscle. Other entrants can often give you feedback as well. See the winning images from this year's competition to give you some inspiration for next year.

It's not just our competition that you can enter though, check out what else has been judged in high esteem this year with Best Photos 2010: A year in competition winners and find the 10 best photography competitions to enter in 2011.

Read more: http://www.photoradar.com/techniques/technique/be-a-better-photographer-in-2011#ixzz1DAOyMEJt

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