If you’ve worked through the basics and your photos still aren’t consistently sharp, it can start to feel frustrating.At this stage, it’s usually not one obvious issue, but a combination of settings and situations that are slightly more nuanced. The good news is that once you understand what’s going on, you can make small adjustments […]
Why are my photos not sharpIf you’ve ever taken a photo that looked sharp on the back of your camera, only to realise later that it’s slightly blurry, you’re definitely not alone.This is one of the most common frustrations I see on my photography workshops. The good news? It’s usually caused by a handful of […]
Want to get off Auto mode but not sure where to start? Here’s a simple, practical way to take more control of your camera without feeling overwhelmed.
Auto mode works well in straightforward situations, but it can only make technical decisions, not creative ones. Here’s why moving beyond Auto helps you take more control of your photography.
Ever tried to take a long exposure photo but don’t have an ND filter? You’re not alone – and the good news is, you absolutely can still create that soft, dreamy motion blur without one. In this guide, I’ll show you how to take long exposure photos without an ND filter using simple techniques. Why […]
What does a polarising filter do?A polarising filter is a really useful addition to your kit if you enjoy landscape photography. It works by reducing atmospheric haze and cutting out reflected light – both of which can make a big difference to your images.One of the most noticeable effects is in the sky. A polarising […]
WHITE BALANCE This is really meant as a quick intro for people not familiar with this setting. Light can be different temperatures and degrees of warmth from cool to warm. You will have encountered this when buying light bulbs. The colour temperature of light is measured in degrees Kelvin as shown in this chart from Digital […]
This is a photo I took of a friend’s lovely white Alsatian (Luna?). You might not be able to tell at this low resolution but it is nice and sharp. Although the auto focus on modern digital cameras is awesome, you do need some knowledge on how to take advantage of it to avoid operator error. […]
1/3 sec; f/22, ISO 100 How to Photograph Waterfalls: Get That Smooth, Silky Water Effect Photographing waterfalls using a slow shutter speed is a great way to create that smooth, silky water effect. It’s a technique that can look complicated, but once you understand a few key settings, it becomes much easier to achieve. Shutter […]
Had a new camera for Christmas?If you are one of the lucky people who have been given your first D-SLR or mirrorless camera as a gift this Christmas, you are probably part excited and part apprehensive about getting to grips with it. Whilst it’s fine to use it on AUTO for a while and enjoy the feeling of […]
I often find myself recommending “superzoom” lenses to students on Love Your Lens courses and one to one lessons and thought it might be useful to take a closer look at them. First off, what does “superzoom” mean? The term is commonly used to describe a lens that goes from a wide view to a […]
In just over 24 hours I’ll be heading to a beautiful mountain village in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy to photograph a wedding for a lovely couple who live in the UK but are marrying near where the groom was born. I’ve photographed lots of weddings in the UK and one a long time […]
“You’re buying another camera?!” I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard this recently, but this time I had a good excuse: old age. Well OK I’m not ready to retire just yet, but certain bits of me are starting to protest every time I heave my camera bag onto my shoulder or lift my […]
We recently made a much anticipated visit to the Dr Who Experience in Cardiff, where fans get to take part in an adventure with the latest Doctor and then look at real props, costumes and prosthetics used in the show. Our kids are Dr Who crazy and were beyond excited and fascinated. All of the exhibits […]
Most of the images in my “how to” blogs are taken using a professional level D-SLR and some pretty fancy lenses and I imagine I can hear people saying, “well, she’s got expensive kit, no wonder her pictures are good!” I can’t deny that good equipment does improve photo quality, although you have to know […]
According to my site analytics blog posts with pictures of cute babies and children on get far more views than those with (toy) meerkats, so I won’t be using my little Sylvanian family again! They enjoyed their little trip to the Riviera (side of our pond) but are glad to be reunited with their dad on the […]
In Part 1 we looked at how Aperture plays a big role in how to get blurred backgrounds in photos. Low f/numbers (large apertures) give us a narrow depth of field and high f/numbers result in a wider depth of field. This sounds pretty straight forward, but like lots of techie things it’s not quite […]
How to get blurred backgrounds in photos is high on the list for people who want to take better images and it’s one of the things that distinguishes good pictures from snapshots. It can be easy to achieve but if you really want to understand what you are doing and how to control the amount of blur, you should read […]
