1)  Focus in on the details

For great photos of autumn leaves try zooming in or moving closer for a tighter view. This helps to keep the attention on the leaves, while removing any distracting surrounding elements. To get even closer try using the macro setting on your camera.

2)  Use leaves as a prop

This is great way of entertaining kids and getting more natural looking portraits as they play.  For portraits taken on a blanket of autumn leaves, try photographing while laying on the ground for a more interesting perspective.  Shooting from this angle will also help you capture the leaves in the foreground for a stronger portrait.

3)  Use contrasting colours

When photographing autumn scenes, try taking advantage of contrasting colours for more eye catching images.  Blue is the opposite of yellow and orange, so when you’re photographing scenes with yellows and oranges, try including some blue sky in the background for a more vibrant result.  Green is the opposite of red, so when you’re photographing scenes with bright reds, try including some grass or green trees in the background for more dynamic looking images.

4)  Keep backgrounds simple

Try to analyse each scene before you take a photo to make sure you’re not including too much detail in the background.  This is especially true for portraits, where evenly lit, simple backgrounds work well.  If you can change the aperture on your camera, use a wide aperture to help create a blurred background. This will give your portrait a stunning blurred background of autumn tones, which helps to keep the attention on the person you’re photographing.

5)  Take advantage of reflections

Capture autumn scenes in a less conventional way by photographing the reflections of a scene on water. This is also a great way to give your photos a more painterly, impressionistic feel.

6)  Find the best light

Early morning and late afternoon are the best times of the day to photograph in soft, flattering light.  However, if you’re shooting portraits in the midday sun, you can avoid harsh shadows by turning a person’s back to the sun. Another option is to use the shade of trees or a tree trunk to block a person’s face from the sun.

7)  Cloudy days for softer light

The clouds on an overcast day help to create soft, even lighting, without dark shadows or bright highlights. Another advantage of a cloudy day is that you can shoot at any time of the day, without having to worry about harsh shadows caused by the sun.

8)  Change your white balance settings

Try using your cloudy white balance setting (even when it’s sunny) to capture more intense autumn colours.  This is especially important when you are photographing autumn scenes where strong colours dominate the scene. Using auto white balance will result in colours which are much less vibrant than they appear to your eyes.

9)  Look out for slow shutter speeds

Because the sun sets earlier in autumn it’s important to keep an eye out for slow shutter speeds to avoid blurred images.  Shooting early or late in the day, or in deep shadow, can result in longer shutter speeds because of the low light level.  To avoid blurred images try using a higher ISO setting or use a tripod to ensure you capture sharp images.  If you don’t have a tripod, try leaning against a tree, a fence or a picnic table to steady yourself.

10)  Use a polarising filter for intense colours

For more intense colours and increased contrast, use a polarising filter (if you have one).  Another way of increasing the saturation of autumn colours is to slightly underexpose your images. Of course, if you’re not happy with the colour in the photos you can always increase the contrast and colour saturation in your image editing program.

During this hands-on, one on one Baby Portrait Photography Tuition, Julie will give you professional tips as you photograph your baby in the comfort of your own home (or other preferred location). During the session you’ll create adorable portraits of your baby which your friends and family will love!

Here are some benefits you’ll receive from the tuition:

• Receive hands-on practical tips while photographing your baby
• Learn how to use flattering light to create beautiful baby portraits
• Learn tips for composing stronger baby portraits
• Learn how to pose your baby for more professional looking images
• Learn to choose backgrounds which will complement your baby’s features
• Discover how choosing the right clothing and props can create more interesting baby portraits

Requirements: Your baby, and any camera, from SLR, compact camera, to iphone or mobile phone camera. Beginner to intermediate levels are welcome.

Tuition fee: $220 for 2 hours of one on one photography tuition

 To book your Hands-on Baby Portrait Tuition please contact Julie or phone 0413 803 571.

Would you like to learn how to take more creative and professional photos of your family?

Julie G Photography has just introduced hands-on family portrait photography tuition. The tuition has been designed to give you professional tips and techniques to help you create more exciting family portraits. The tuition can be arranged in the comfort and convenience of your home, or at an outdoor location such as a park or the beach.  As well as improving your photography skills, you’ll have an opportunity to get some nice shots of your family in a fun, friendly session.

Here are some benefits you’ll receive from the tuition:

• Receive professional insights while photographing your family
• Learn how to control lighting with more professional results
• Learn how to compose better portraits
• Learn how good posing can help you create more flattering family portraits
• Learn how interesting backgrounds can help you create more impact in your portraits
• Discover how clothing can be used to create more dynamic portraits

Requirements: Use any camera you own, from SLR, compact camera, to iphone or mobile phone camera. A minimum of one family member is required for the photography tuition.  Beginner to intermediate levels are welcome.

Tuition Fee: $220 for two hours of one on one tuition

To book your Hands-On Family Portrait Tuition please contact Julie or phone 0413 803 571.

Opposite colours (called complementary colours) attract the eye, helping to create dynamic images with strong visual appeal. Examples of complementary colours are red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple. Images with these colours often have a vibrant, up-beat or happy feeling.

Similar colours (called analogous colours) can be just as appealing, but with more subtle results. Some examples are blue and green, red and orange, and purple and blue.  Images with these colours can portray feelings such as serenity, sadness or mystery.

The Colour Wheel

To help you understand how different colours work together, you can use a colour wheel (above left) to help you visualize which colour combinations will give you the best results.  You’ll notice that complementary colours are positioned opposite each other on the colour wheel, and analogous colours are close to each other.  Try printing a colour wheel to keep in your camera bag, so you can begin challenging yourself to get more creative with colour.  It’s worth remembering that the colours you use don’t need to be exactly opposite or right next to each other to be effective.  Colours which are close to or almost opposite each other will have a similar effect.

Here are some ideas for incorporating more colour into your photography:

Portraits: Use clothing or accessories, such as scarves, hats, or jewellery, which are similar or opposite in colour to a person’s skin colour, eye colour or hair colour. Look around you for coloured walls, fences, grass, water, or any element you can use as a background, which will enhance the portrait. When using colour in portraits, make sure the colours you include add something to the portrait, and don’t take too much attention away from the person’s face. Examples of complementary colours: a person with blue eyes against an orange wall, a person wearing a red t-shirt on green grass, or a person wearing a purple dress on a yellow lounge.  Examples of analogous colours: a person with green eyes against a blue sky, a person with blue eyes against some green grass, or a person wearing a red dress on an orange/brown lounge.

 

Landscapes: Examine the scene for any similar or opposite colours you can make use of.  Use foreground elements such as rocks, trees, grass, sand, etc which are either similar or opposite in colour, depending on the mood you want to portray.  Foreground elements can also help lead the viewer’s eye through an image. Examples of complementary colours: blue water with orange rocks, an orange desert against a blue sky, or a field of yellow flowers against a blue sky. Examples of analogous colours: a green tree with a blue sky, some orange rocks on yellow sand, or some red flowers against an orange sky.

 

So, next time you’re out and about photographing, don’t forget to use a splash of colour to help add some creativity and life to your images!

 

Picture this ….. you’re at a wedding, photographing a beautiful bride as she walks down the aisle,  when suddenly your camera fails!  All the excitement of the day comes crashing down around you, you feel like you’re in one of those nightmares, where you can’t move and everything’s happening in slow motion!

Back when I was photographing weddings, I found people would get very emotional when I told them my profession.  They’d say things like ‘oh, what a lovely job it must be, all that romance, the lovely people, the beautiful locations’.  No-one mentions the fact that, unlike most professions, your success rate needs to be 100% all the time, every time!  There are simply no excuses for missing a shot at a wedding, so while redundancies are a must, there’s no escaping that feeling in the back of your mind that something could go awfully wrong at any moment.

• Carrying heavy bags and equipment helps to keep you fit.  You know you’re doing really well when you can outsource this exercise to your assistant, who’s nearly always younger and fitter than you anyway.
• Photographing outside in all conditions allows you to experience the full force of nature, you make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D, as you burn and swelter in summer, and in winter you test your skills at avoiding camera shake while you shivver.
• You get to spend quality time on clients’ floors photographing children or pets. If you’re lucky, you might get a lick on the lens by the family dog, ensuring your opinion of yourself remains a humble one.
• With every second person with an SLR camera calling themselves a “professional” you find you have lots of new colleagues to share your business with.
• With so much equipment, you find yourself developing OCD tendencies as you make sure you haven’t forgotten anything on the way to a shoot.
• Getting up way too early for a fashion shoot keeps you focused on the important things - will you have enough time to get your coffee?
• Hearing ‘you can just Photoshop that, can’t you?’ fills you with dread, as you realise, if you say yes, you could be spending hours editing just one photo!
• Thinking about what piece of equipment might fail helps keep your nervous system alert and encourages creative thinking.
• You find yourself getting to know every image intimately, as you spend much more time retouching than photographing.  You’re comforted, knowing you could always apply for a second job as a retoucher.
• You spend your hard earned money on the latest camera only to discover your client already had that camera months ago!

So, next time you hear someone talking about how wonderful it would be to be a photographer, spare a thought for the rest of us, those of us in the real world, you know - the experienced retouchers who photograph people on the side.