Browsing all posts in "photography 101".

Photography 101 – How to Read a Histogram

I happened to be driving through the “fashionable” part of Arizona a while back (Scottsdale, for those of you familiar with the state), and saw a professional photographer arranging a wedding party in front of a fountain. The photographer was holding up an external, hand-held light meter to judge the exposure settings to be used. [...]

Book Review – Photography by John Freeman

If you are a beginner photographer looking for a good book that covers the basics, or an intermediate photographer looking to further improve your knowledge base, then I recommend Photography: The New Complete Guide to Taking Photographs by John Freeman. This is actually one of the first books that I picked up when I was [...]

Composition Tips – Balance

Balance is a key concept when composing a photograph. However, “balance” does not necessarily mean “centered” or “symmetrical”. A photograph can be balanced even when the subject of focus is to one side. A photograph can be off-balance even if the subjects are perfectly aligned. Let’s look at some examples. In the shot of the [...]

Stops 101

When I was new to photography, I was very confused whenever someone said they needed to “stop down” or “stop up” a shot. Basically, all the term “stop” refers to is the change in the brightness of the light, or exposure, of the photograph. Doubling the light is one stop up (or brighter), reducing the [...]

Three Things I Wish I Knew Then

Sherry (who writes for PhotoBlog) and I were talking a couple of weeks ago about the things that we wished we knew, or that someone had told us, about photography when we first got started. Those tips or pieces of advice that would have helped us to avoid confusion or mistakes when we were first [...]

Things to Consider When Buying Your First Camera

Here at Beyond Megapixels, we strive to provide a simple, unfettered look at the world of photography, and attempt to offer information geared toward beginners as well as more advanced photographers. In the hundreds of articles currently residing in Beyond Megapixels’ archives, there are posts focusing on such topics as technique, composition, recommended gear, and [...]

Event Photography – Restaurants

First off (and good morning to you all!), I’m looking for some advice. I need a Canon zoom lens that works well in low light levels. I’m thinking of the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens. Has anyone had any experience with this lens? Would you recommend something else? The reason I [...]

Macro Photography 101, Part 2

In Part 1 of Macro Photography 101, we discussed what a true macro lens is. In Part 2, we will be discussing depth of field, lighting, and specialist lens in Macro Photography. DEPTH OF FIELD We all know that when you use a wide open aperture then you will get a shallow depth of field [...]

Macro Photography 101

Macro photography can be a confusing topic for many beginners. For one thing, almost all the lenses nowadays have the word macro printed on the barrel. Does this mean that it’s automatically a macro lens? What is a true macro lens? These are some of the topics that we will tackle in this article. MAGNIFICATION [...]

Child Photography 101

CC Photo by maessiveThings you should know about child photography: + Children make for better portrait subjects than adults. Why? Not only are they completely adorable, they don’t pose. I’ve met enough adults that just won’t relax and stop posing. + Children can smell insincerity. They can smell fear. I used to teach kindergarten, so [...]