Trying to photograph an amazing landscape? Just when you’re about to take the shot, you see people posing a selfie in front of it, that blocks your view. So, what do you do? Wait for their selfie session to get over, isn’t it? Well, we’ve all been there.
But, do you know – having people in the scene you’re photographing is not always a hindrance to creating aesthetically pleasing photographs? Yes, you read it right! Adding a human element in your scene engages the viewer as it adds life or motion to a still photo, captures local stories, balances the composition of the image, provides a reference for scale, adds depth to the photograph, conveys popular activities of a place and more.
Wondering, how to decide whether to keep people in the frame or not? Just check whether they fit in with the composition of the image – will they attract the viewer’s attention to your image by letting them think – who are those people in the photograph and what are they doing at that place?
So, let’s dive in and understand both the things – people in photographs that help in creating amazing photographs and people in photographs that don’t go well with the composition of the image.
Girls fill the negative space in the foreground and the photo also makes the viewer think – what the two girls are talking about (Uttarakhand)
Biker adds motion/speed to a nature photograph (Mussoorie)
Depicts activities of the locals – woman in blue fishing (Meghalaya)
Tells more about the place – a Sage walking towards the holy River Ganga to quench his thirst for spirituality (Rishikesh)
Shows Occupational Hazard – Fishermen trying to take the boat out into the sea when it gets hit by the wave (Goa)
Girl in purple shirt filling a can with the holy Ganga water provides a reference for scale by depicting how grand/magnificent nature is (Rishikesh)
Another example that gives a reference for scale (Meghalaya)
Yet another example that gives a reference for scale- Group of travellers facing inside the frame also takes the viewer’s attention inside the photo (Kashmir)
Girl on the tree holding leaves depicts the local attire (Kashmir ki Kali)
Traveller exploring/wandering through the streets – Girl in pink adds life, colour to the still streets of Mussoorie (Street Photography)
Now, take a look at the below 2 photographs where having people in the frame spoil the composition
If the man wouldn’t have been cut in the image – the photograph would have been more amazing (Kashmir)
The people are a distraction in the below image or else the photograph of the leafless tree with a cloudy sky would have created a more dramatic effect
Pro-tip: Well, there’s a trick for removing people in the scene who’re not adding any value to your photograph by setting slower shutter speed (long exposure).
We bring you ‘Jo & His Camera’ Comic Strips wherein a Magical Camera gives DSLR photography tutorials to Jo.
Click on the below Image to see the Comic wherein the Camera explains Jo, the concept of Including People into Travel Photographs with the help of practical examples.
When you do photography: Remember the 5E’s – Explore, Experiment, Experience, Enjoy & Express.
Do Share The Learning – Like It, Post It, Pin It, Tweet It!
Have you photographed a place where people in the scene enhanced the composition and helped in creating a more attractive image? Do share such photographs and your experience with us in the comment box below.
Did this blog help you with some ideas to improve your photography skills? For more useful photography tips, examples, ideas & inspiration, please subscribe below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email. Thank you!
As photographers, we have the power to capture the beauty of our universe and share it with the world!
Astrophotography is the photography of astronomical objects, celestial events, and areas of the night sky which includes Moon Photography, Star Trails Photography, Milky Way Photography, Northern Lights Photography and more. We’ve already covered Sun Photography in our earlier blog, now let’s dive into Moon Photography.
Moon is beautiful and mysterious in all its phases – be it the Full Moon, Crescent Moon, isn’t it? Well, if you’re a night owl – you’ll love photographing the moon.
How to photograph the moon? (Pro tips for Moon Photography)
For instance, set aperture to f/11, if you’re using ISO 400, then set shutter speed to 1/400 secs; if ISO 1600 then shutter speed of 1/1600 sec and so on
You can experiment with settings like for ISO begin from 400 till 1600 and go for mid-range aperture: f/8 – f/11
For instance, your settings are aperture: f/11, ISO 800, Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec, then try a different setting by increasing the exposure, maybe you can use f/11, ISO 1600, Shutter Speed: 1/1600 sec or less
Try both the possibilities to shoot the moon – Live View mode and through the Viewfinder to check what works best for you in the given lighting conditions
How to focus to infinity without indicator
If you don’t have the infinity symbol ∞ on your camera, then you can find the infinity focus and mark it on your camera. Here’s how:
Note: After I marked the infinity focus on my focus ring (Canon 1500D) – I found out that when I move my focus ring to the extreme left (hard stop of the camera’s focus ring which is the place at which the focus ring will turn no further) and then move it back by a centimeter to the right, there lies my infinity focus.
(Always try to get sharp images coz if your images aren’t sharp, even post-processing in Lightroom won’t help to correct/enhance your image)
Take a look at the below pictures and Camera Settings that were used to photograph the moon:
Phase of the Moon: First Quarter
(It is a primary Moon phase when we can see exactly half of the Moon’s visible surface illuminated)
Camera Settings – Aperture: f/5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/1600 sec, ISO: 1600, Focal length: 250mm, Exposure Compensation: -5
Phase of the Moon: First Quarter (with a different setting)
Camera Settings – Aperture: f/5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec, ISO: 1600, Focal length: 250mm, Exposure Compensation: -5
Phase of the Moon: Waxing Gibbous
(It is the intermediate phase, Waxing means moon is getting bigger; Gibbous refers to the shape, which is less than the full circle of a Full Moon, but larger than the semicircle shape of the Moon at the Third Quarter)
Camera Settings – (Looney 11 Rule was used) Aperture: f/11, Shutter Speed: 1/1600 sec, ISO: 1600, Focal length: 250mm
Photograph of the White Desert of Kutch (India) using Wide-angle lens
Camera Settings – Aperture: f/5, Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec, ISO: 100, Focal length: 46mm
We bring you ‘Jo & His Camera’ Comic Strips wherein a Magical Camera gives DSLR photography tutorials to Jo.
Click on the below Image to see the Comic wherein the Camera explains Jo, the concept of Moon Photography with the help of practical examples.
When you do photography: Remember the 5E’s – Explore, Experiment, Experience, Enjoy & Express to develop your own style as a photographer.
Do Share The Learning – Like It, Post It, Pin It, Tweet It!
So, have you photographed the moon yet? If yes – do share your moon photographs and the settings you used to photograph it, in the comment box below.
Did this blog help you with some ideas to improve your photography skills? For more useful photography tips, examples, ideas & inspiration, please subscribe below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email. Thank you!
Looking for photography inspiration? Well, our world is full of inspiration – sometimes we find it within, sometimes in nature, wildlife, people and so on.
To sharpen your photography skills, you visit photography tutorials websites and check out famous photographers’ works on the internet and social media.
One of the best places to get inspired is ‘Movies’; you get entertained while learning composition skills from their excellent cinematography, isn’t it? Talking about sunrise photography, I fell in love with the opening scene of a beautiful lake at sunrise in the popular Hollywood movie ‘The Notebook’.
You can capture the beauty of the Blue Hour which occurs before sunrise and after sunset; it lasts between 20 – 40 mins before sunrise and between 20 – 40 mins after sunset before it gets too dark. Sometimes, you may also see orange, yellow, pink colours near the horizon.
The Golden Hour aka Magic Hour is also a great photo op that occurs after sunrise and before sunset; it lasts for about 40 mins after sunrise and 40 mins before sunset.
Take a look at the below photographs and Camera Settings that were used to capture them:
Before Sunset
Camera Settings – Aperture: f/22, Shutter Speed: 1/100 sec, ISO: 100, Focal length: 55mm
Shining Clouds before Sunset
Camera Settings – Aperture: f/32, Shutter Speed: 1/100 sec, ISO: 100, Focal length: 220mm
Setting Sun
Camera Settings-Aperture: f/5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/3200 sec, ISO: 800, Focal length: 250mm
Dramatic Sky after Sunset
Camera Settings-Aperture: f/8, Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec, ISO: 800, Focal length: 55mm
Afternoon Sun Flare in the Dark Woods
Camera Settings-Aperture: f/4.5, Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec, ISO: 800
(Post processing was done in Lightroom to adjust exposure (brightness))
Sunrise in the City
Camera Settings-Aperture: f/11, Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec, ISO: 200, Focal length: 105mm, Metering mode: Spot
Pro tips for Sun Photography
We bring you ‘Jo & His Camera’ Comic Strips wherein a Magical Camera gives DSLR photography tutorials to Jo.
Click on the below Image to see the Comic wherein the Camera explains Jo, the concept of Sunrise and Sunset Photography with the help of practical examples.
When you do photography: Remember the 5E’s – Explore, Experiment, Experience, Enjoy & Express.
Do Share The Learning – Like It, Post It, Pin It, Tweet It!
So, what’s your favourite time to be out amidst nature and photograph it – is it Blue Hour, Golden Hour, Sunrise or Sunset?
Did this blog help you with some ideas to improve your photography skills? For more useful photography tips, examples, ideas & inspiration, please subscribe below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email. Thank you!
