phewse photoblog

I found some really great photoblogs today through the use of Photoblogs.org. I always love clicking through others’ work—here are some of my favorites:

• The G8 - Some excellent use of color here, but also some excellent black and whites, such as this shots.
• What The Heck Journal - Martin Andreasen has some really incredible shots—I just love the gritty feeling all of his images give off. This one is one of my favorites.
• Kwerfeldein Photography - Some great portraits, but also some very nice landscapes as well.
• Moodaholic - The names says it all—these photos have such great moods to them and are very rich in feeling. I like this panoramic

Any photoblogs that you really enjoy? Let me know in the comments section.

In no particular order, here are my top 5 ways to improve your photos that have definitely helped me in the past.

• Use a prime lens
  Get yourself a prime lens (one that doesn’t zoom), or, if you can’t switch lenses, set it to one focal length and don’t change it. This will force you to move around and try new angles and perspectives. It will push you out of your comfort zone, and it will give you a little different view on the world.
• Go somewhere new
  There are only so many times you can take photos of the flowers in your backyard—try going somewhere new for a change! Whether it’s the next neighborhood over, a new town, or a new continent, it will make you adjust your photography to accomodate new subjects and will give you a chance to break out of any habits you’ve gotten stuck in.
• Learn how to use your camera
  Now, this one may seem kind of stupid, but it’s not. Even the greatest cameras in the world won’t do a darn thing if you don’t know how to use them. Read your manual and know everything your camera does; that way, when you’re out in the field you don’t need to worry about pulling out your manual to, say, set your exposure compensation or set the aperture, you can just concentrate on taking photos.
• Pick a theme
  Pick something to take photos of, and do it! One book I read said that he had an ongoing theme of trying to find letters of the alphabet in nature. Maybe you can take pictures of red boats, or one room houses. Either way, by choosing one thing to take photos of, it will make you keep trying to find new ways to photograph it.
• Photograph, photograph, photograph
  With the advent of the digital age, it barely costs anything to take hundreds of photos as compared to one. Instead of taking one photo of a person, take fifty! By taking more photos, you’ll learn what you like and what you don’t and your photography skills will increase immensely.

There have been a couple of books that I have found particularly helpful in my photographic pursuits. One, Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson, is a great book on all the basics of photography, everything from composition to exposure and available light. The best part of the book however is the many photos illustrating all the concepts. Practically every page has a photo, and it always relates to the concept at hand.

The other book is The A-Z of Creative Photography by Lee Frost. Once again, this book is chock-full of information with many photos as well. Another great book to fill your photography bookshelf.