Joining photo competitions is a fun way to improve your photography skills plus you also have the chance of winning great prizes. But as years pass the level of photo competitions also advances. More new digital cameras, new techniques and new ideas of enhancing the quality of today’s photo competitions are pooping out everywhere.
In a way photo contests nowadays are not only a collision of skills and uniqueness of the artists. It also tests the diversity of artists to cope the constant changes in the photo contest arena. The gadgets and tools they are using is also a vital factor. Artists should upgrade their equipments if they feel they are lagging behind their competitors. The better equipment you have the more weapons you have on your photo contest arsenal.
Photo Laureates, a world leading photography community introduced these new ideas for photography contests. Modern photographers will surely benefit getting hold on these latest most effective and reliable tips from Photo Laureates.
Night Time Photos
Put the camera on a tripod, set the apperture to F8, lock the shutter open (on bulb setting) and just play with the torches, flashes lighters, sparkles and anything that emits light. You can use the theory same to photograph lightning!
photo laureates advises you to use different shutter speeds and to experiment to create a variety of photography compositions.
Themes
Pick a theme and try to take as many examples as you can for example, “Reflections”.
Zoom during an exposure
Multiple Exposures
Superimpose one picture on another using the multiple exposure setting (this is absent on quite a few cameras) This example was generated by covering half the (tripod mounted) camera lens with a piece of card, making the first exposure and then covering the other half for the second (whilst running to the other side of the room ( the slightly unsightly join caused by the card overlap was removed digitally!
Patterns
Zoom in / get in close to anything that looks like a cool pattern and take that piccie
Macro
Get in close to the subject and fill the frame. You can buy a multiplier lens 2x is good enough, fit that toy your lens or even buy a reversing ring and put the lens on back to front and there is a whole new world of photography opening up.
Filters
Try one of a multitude of filters of which below I have named a few
Polariser - this increases colour saturation on things like the sky or on vegetation, it will reduce or eliminate glare and reflection. The extent to which this filter works depends on the amount it is twisted and works by only letting light of one plane through.
Grey gradient - can bring out detain in the sky in landscapes.
Warm up- gives a picture the autumn evening feel. Can be used to make artificial light look less blue
Cool - opposite to above
Star Burst - makes any point of light a star
Diffuser - gives a soft hazy look
Red / Green / Blue - used for B&W to exaggerate contrast
We advise you to use different filters and to experiment to create a variety of photography compositions that will greatly be a plus on photography contests.
Composites
Take a panoramic view using several frames and stick them all together to get 360 degree coverage (try to take a photo every 30 degrees - this makes the finished product more realistic when assembled). For a 360 degree picture take 12 individual frames - you could do one every hour to give the change in lighting as well as the whole view all in one go.
Odd Weather
Fog, rain, snow, lightning, all give great oppertunities for photos.
Film Type
Try to change from the colour print film you have been using. Try some slide film or B&W film. You could tro a very fast film such as Kodak Ektar 1000, or the B&W Fuji 3200asa. Another possibility is to try colour - or better still B&W infra-red film which can give great results. Be careful though, as some cameras use infra-red to count the number of frames used and this will fog your film.
These new ideas for picture contests are courtesy of Mr. John Warton, senior photo editor at Photo Laureates. To see how Mr. Warton eviews photographs and meet, go to www.thephotochallenge.com
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