Over Exposure or Under Exposure?

This is my attempt to try and diagnose exactly what the problem is: This is the photography Doctor in the house, hoping to heal your wounded family snaps and cure your blank negatives...and on the way, I hope this opinion is a helpful guide on how to improve your photography. *Dear Doctor, why do I only ever seem to get half of the picture that I take? The other half seems to be a blurry black mess. In the dark, Surrey. Dear In, it seems you have a shutter problem: Now let's analyse the situation. Are you using any sort of flash unit when you use the camera? If so, the answer is a simple one: ... more

With the advent of digital photography, the traditional photographic process is dying. And with it, a key element of making great photographs is going too. That is thinking about exposure. This is the key technical point to making good pictures. Not how much your camera cost, or how many mega pixels it does. Making a well exposed negative is an important stepping stone to making a good print. With the treasure that is automation though, well-exposed negatives are becoming less and less common. People will "just press the button" and let inbuilt exposure meters do the rest. The three variables ... more

I think this fits into this topic, but i couldnt find a section on "tips to take great photos"!!! Ever since i bought a digital camera and been obsessed with it.. I've learnt numerous ways to create the perfect photo. It doesnt happen overnight, you have to work at it to make your photos perfect. Here are my tips; 1) Get close to the subject, and frame it. For people, frame the photo from the waist or shoulder up for best results - why does it have to be from top to toe? Also, clutter is a big problem with photographs. Try not to include background clutter - for that adds to eye clutter! Fill ... more

First of all know your camera's limits. Don't expect to be able to get poster size prints from anything smaller than a 35mm camera without loss of definition. Try to fill the frame with your subject. Many times I've seen pictures taken at airshows where the subject (an aircraft flying past) is a speck in the sky. Slow down don't just point and press. Look through the picture at the background, you don't want trees coming out of peoples heads. Use a tripod. In using a tripod you automatically slow down and you get the advantage of having a stable platform for your camera. Use flash for most if ... more

I don't claim to be an expert on all the ins and outs of photography, but here are some things that have worked for me in the past which I have learned along the way: Before you go out to take pictures, decide on your subject matter. There is no point going out on a mission to take photos, ending up in a dark cloisters of a church with 200 speed film and no flash. Once you've decided what it is that you'll be taking photos of, then you can choose your film. Choose whether you want black and white or colour...if you're just starting out, then I would recommend using colour film. Kodak is always ... more