Digital photography do it yourself projects

A lot of times Photography involves being creative thinking outside of the box. there are many reasons why a photographer might need to come up with ideas to make a photograph better. Maybe certain a équipment  costs too much or we don't have time to go and buy what we need and so on . So creating our own equipment on the fly is a natural part of photography.

When I first started photographing products an object for web sites I had no clue that I can create almost anything I needed and so my mind set that was completely narrowed down to buying whatever I needed- until I noticed some great blogs that showed what other photographers for doing. And that changed everything - I would leave comments and they must have seemed funny who those who wrote the blog posts, I acted like I had just witnessed  the first alien on earth! To me it was just such a brilliant idea - I think it was something simple like a light diffusion item lol

I guess what I'm getting at is that once you learn some of the simple projects , it really opens up your eyes and from there its not a big deal to just think about building your own things frequently. My goal over the next year through 2013 is to collect all the different Do It Yourself photography projects and just put them all together in a nice Book or guide the other photographers come look at. Of course I'll be posting them on here along the way!
So stay tuned :)

Beginner DSLR Guide

How Understanding Your DSLR Translates To Better Photographs

Developing a more in depth relationship with your digital camera will ultimately allow you to think in very practical terms when forming your own unique photography style. Before we move on to framing and lighting techniques, we must know how manipulating the manual settings will bring out the features and aspects of a shot that we find most interesting. When we imagine a photograph of an animal, or bride or what ever it is we want to shoot, we should always have an idea of what exactly we are trying to capture in that moment.

Once we get a feel for the type of shot and the feeling or mood we want to portray, we must know how to highlight the element in a way that draws the viewer in , while expressing our artistic ideas of the shot. Not knowing how to manipulate our dslr's settings properly is like a painter that is stuck using 2 colors and a single brush - there is just no way to convey more in depth moods and aspects without using all of the tools available to us.

The 1st Step In Understanding Manual DSLR Settings

Many new photographers become overwhelmed initially, but actually, learning the different settings is not that difficult. Not only will you find some easy to understand descriptions of the 4 major manual settings, but there are some great photography tricks and effects tutorials included that will involve the use of the settings. Simply follow the step by step instructions inside the guide and instantly learn how various settings actually work!

After you create a few digital photography effects using the settings, all you have to do is experiment with them, making slight adjustments to see what works. It really is that easy, there are really no rules to photography. Its all about YOUR style and how YOU see certain shots. All you have to do is get started and try out some different techniques. After that you will see manual settings in a more manageable way , giving you more confidence and freedom in your digital photography.

Digital Photography For Beginners

Digital SLR Manual Settings

Free Online Digital Photography Courses

Collecting Digital Photography Information Online

There is an abundance of information and photography courses for those that want to learn how to use their digital camera and create many different types of digital photography. The main thing to consider when choosing which free online digital photography course you should start with is what you would like to accomplish with your digital camera.

Here are some of the main different digital photography techniques:

• Portrait Photography
  
• Product Photography
• Artistic Photography
• Special Effects Photography
• Wedding/Event Photography

Some of the differences between these photography styles can be as simple as lighting and camera settings, while other differences can be more difficult , like studio setups and advanced photography techniques. But regardless of the type of shooting you want to do, there are some things that you should focus on right from the beginning. Things like your cameras "manual" settings, lighting techniques and information, the actual make-up of a digital slr, and other basic information that will help you to become more familiar with a digital camera in general.

Free Online Digital Photography Courses 

Finding a complete digital photography course online for free might be kind of tough - BUT there are some great tutorials and reports that tackle certain areas of photography. A great way to learn about your digital camera and photography techniques for free is to assemble your own "course".  By finding free guides that focus on 1 particular aspect of photography, you can easily learn everything you need to know about digital photography, while getting different views and expertise from the pro's.

Selecting A Digital Camera

If you have not yet purchased your first digital camera - or maybe you have but you want something better or you may want to know if the one you have will work for the particular style of photography you are interested in - regardless of the reason, understanding the differences in slr's is the perfect first step. Get a more in depth understanding of certain features and the impact they will have on your style of photography.

For the most part, all digital cameras share a very similar foundation that can be found in virtually every model and type. They all work the same way when it comes to a 'single lens reflex', they all have the same manual settings, white balance, aperture, iso and shutter speed. 

Some of the main differences will be the number of mega pixels , program modes and scene selections.In this tutorial you will find out how to get exactly what you need without spending too much money. Eventually every photographer will end up paying more for the digital camera they use - but this is usually after becoming very familiar with digital photography and knowing exactly what they like and what they are most comfortable with.

Selecting A Digital Camera For Beginners

Digital Photography Buying Guides for 2013

Digital SLR Basics

The more you know about the camera itself the better suited you will be to understand future techniques and photography applications. Understanding how a digital camera works from the inside out will greatly increase your ability to perform the advanced functions that are required to create fantastic and professional photographs.

Know the "WHY" and the "HOW"  - knowing why the camera does what it does and knowing how the camera works should be your first goal. Check out this link for great dslr resources and guides for beginner digital photographers. Everything is easy to find and understand and you will most likely find that learning about your digital camera is FUN and EASY!

Digital SLR  For Beginners

Digital Photography Lighting Techniques

No matter what type of photography you do, lighting will always be a huge factor in the outcome of your pictures. Realizing the importance of how light effects your photography sooner , rather than later, will ultimately determine the rate at which you become a more advanced photographer. Because there are so many variables that determine the lighting techniques that you should use, it really is important that we understand EXACTLY how certain lighting techniques work to improve our photographs as well as create desired effects.

One of the best things you can do as a beginner photographer is to understand how lighting is used in all the various photography situations - not just the the type of photography you wish to do. Even if you simply do some quick reading on the different lighting techniques and setups, this will help to develop your future thinking and ideas when different situations arise. One of the best things a photographer can do is to become acquainted with as many different ideas and techniques as possible.

Understanding Lighting In Photography Course

Digital Photo Editing Tips and Tricks

One of the most enjoyable aspects of digital photography is the ability to create amazing works of art from virtually ANY photograph. It was a real surprise for me personally, when I first realized just how much can be done with a photo and just about any photo editing tool. I started out doing simple touch ups to family photos - red eye removal and brightening and such. And as with anything else I do, I naturally began to play with all the different tools listed on the side bar of my sisters photoshop software.

Ill admit it, it was seriously frustrating at first - at first NOTHING is simple. And I couldnt, for the life of me understand why everything seemed to be so complicated. But after checking out a couple guides and Photoshop tutorials, I got the hang of it and photo editing has become a huge part of my photography experience. 

Check out all the free photoshop and trick photography tutorials and resources here:

Photo Editing Tips and Tricks