Hot Photography How-Tos
HowTo: Photograph an Atomic Bomb
George Yoshitake is one of the remaining living cameramen to have photographed the nuclear bomb. His documentation of the military detonation of hundreds of atom bombs from 1956 to 1962 reveals the truly chilling effect of the weapon. Below, images and explanatory captions via the New York Times. Don't miss the melting school bus. Creepy.
How To: Take excellent photographs in low light situations without relying on a flash
You need a flash to add light to dark photography settings, but a flash might make your picture look blown out or overexposed. Here are some good tips, like adjusting your aperture or manual ISO to maximize your available light. A tripod will also help you by allowing a longer shutter speed. Or, use a diffuser made over an old, translucent film canister!
How To: Correctly expose your digital photographs and avoid burred images
There are four variables a digital photographer must keep in mind when shooting pictures to ensure correct exposure: ambient light, shutter speed, f-stop and ISO. Also, keep all your images crisp and sharp, even if you're shooting in a low-light setting.
How To: Build a DIY digital SLR (DSLR) camera cage for smooth and steady video
A DSLR cage from a professional photographer supply store will cost at least a few hundred dollars, but you can build one yourself for around 50 bucks. This tutorial shows you how to use a few pipes, metal struts and a few pieces of hardware and tools to make your own digital SLR cage for shooting steady videos on your digital camera.
How To: Use panning to capture great action shots with movement
When shooting action shots such as runners, bikers, cars, or sports shots, a cool effect that you will see in a lot of professional photography where the person is nice and clear, but the background is blurred to give the intention of being in motion and having a lot of speed. A slow shutter speed is a part of it to capture the image while still showing motion in the photo. In this video you will get tips on how to create the panning effect that will create the desired effect.
How To: Understand aperture values in photography
If you're just getting started in photography or if you're looking to learn a little bit more about your camera, then you may have run into the term "Aperture" or "Aperture Values", or those weird number numbers. Aperture is in the lens of your camera and determines how much light enters into the lens itself and helps to determine your focal length. In this video you will get a small lesson on what Aperture is, and how to calculate focal length and aperture values.
How To: Create a more powerful photo with depth of field
Creating extremely impactful pictures can all be up to Depth of Field. You can either put more or less focus on your subject with various techniques. In this video you will learn how to determine distance with aperture, focal length, and distance from subject techniques.
How To: Take good self-portraits with a digital camera
Self portraits once required a big mirror and hours of introspection. Now, with digital cameras, you can take a great one in only a few minutes! Watch this video for tips on taking a really appealing self portrait with only some simple equipment.
How To: Take photographs of fireworks with a DSLR camera in manual mode
If you want to take awesome photographs with your DSLR camera, all you really need is a tripod and a good location. This tutorial shows you how to adjust the manual settings on your camera to make them ideal for photographing your next fireworks show.
How To: Shoot wedding photography like a pro
In this video, we learn how to shoot wedding photography like a pro. Start off by having the wedding party in front of a clear background. Try taking their picture outside with trees and a clear sky in the background behind them. Use the surroundings to add a special touch to the pictures and use the correct flash so that the wedding party shows more than the background does. Accentuate the background and use white flash absorbers around the wedding party so their faces have more color that s...
How To: Use "fill in" flash
In this video, we learn how to use "fill in" flash. When you are taking a shot of people outside, you will need to have a certain type of aspect on your camera. They will have shine on their face from the sun and it will be washed out with white. When you go to your camera, you need to change the flash settings so that they are compatible with being outside. Now, try taking pictures of your subjects again and you will see a huge difference. The subjects should be easier to see and there shoul...
How To: Take striking pictures with telephoto lenses for digital SLR photography
There's a technique available for digital SLR cameras that most amateur photographers do not know about, or do not use correctly, and that's using a simple telephoto lens (long lens) to create blurry background, great portraits or awesome up-close macro shots. Without the telephoto lens, you lose a lot of the emphasis on your subject, because the background blends in, whereas telephoto lenses help create a degree of depth, blurring out the background, giving concentration on the foreground. I...
How To: Chroma key green screen video
This video tutorial is in the Fine Art category in which you will learn how to chroma key green screen video. Chroma key is the magical process of making images where the background or any object in your scene can be made transparent so that you can replace it with a different image. First shoot some footage in front of your Chroma key backdrop. Then shoot the background footage. Next put the 1st video track over the background track in the editing time line. With Chroma key you can have some...
How To: Capture your holiday in 8 digital photos
In this video, we learn how to capture your holiday in eight digital photos. This is a challenge for most people, but it can help you remember your vacation without taking hundreds of photos. First, make sure you have different lenses to capture shorter and longer distances. Find photographs of the most beautiful places, using travel guides and locals as help on where they are. Capture a beautiful sunset or a memorable church with your camera, this will help you remember your surroundings. Al...
How To: Photograph wildlife
In this video, we learn how to photograph wildlife. When you go to take photos of wildlife, you have to be very careful and quiet so you can get up close to these animals. You don't want to disturb them or make them come charging at you. Use your camera to capture their true beauty in their own serene and peaceful environments. Don't yell out or chase the wildlife, or you will scare them away and you won't get any photos. There are hundreds of amazing photo opportunities out there, you just h...
How To: Avoid camera shake when taking pictures (unless you want the effect)
Camera shake is often an unwanted effect in photography, when a telephoto lens or long shutter speed has been used for a camera that hasn't been stabilized. The images subject to camera shake appear blurry and smeared, which is often considered an error - though some photographers find artistic value in camera shake and purposefully try to cause the effect in their art.
How To: Take beautiful photographs, day or night with a digital camera
Ambient lighting is one of the most important factors in taking a good picture. A picture of one location during a sunny day will look entirely different if you take it at night. You'll want to use the right shutter speed and camera flash to get the best picture possible, regardless of what time of the day it is.
How To: Set up your camera to take beautiful pictures at night
Taking pictures at night is very different than taking them during the day. This video tells you the right way to set up your camera to take beautiful night time shots. Set up your correct exposure and ajust the camera lens to make use of light and setting for your photographs.
How To: Craft your own bokeh lens
A bokeh lens gives a soft and unique lighting style, and can be created at home. This photography lesson teaches you how to use paper and tape on an aperture camera lens to craft your own. Improve your art with this DIY construction tip!
HowTo: Capture Monster Waves on Camera
Waves are like clouds. Perpetually calming, they possess a serene beauty that never grows old. It's no wonder humans capture the planet's daily natural wonders over and over again. Armed with a camera, they just can't resist the classic postcard shot: Sunrise. Sunset. Clouds. Mountains. Beaches. Waves.
How To: Excel in landscape and wildlife photography with professional equipment
It doesn't matter how great a photographer if you don't have the right tools. Even Annie Liebvitz would get only average shots with a lower grade digital camera because it's very limited in terms of settings that you can control.
How To: Photograph a fast car in motion
In this video, we learn how to photograph a fast car in motion. First, place a tripod on the camera and place the camera on top of the tripod. Take some still shots on the hood of the camera and have someone inside of the car. Now, start taking pictures and have the person take their foot off the brakes. Push the car and continue taking pictures on the hook while the car is rolling. When you have enough shots, have the person put their foot back on the brake, then you will be able to view you...
How To: Use & understand depth of field in photography
In this video, we learn how to use and understand depth of field in photography. If you look at a photo, the depth is how deep the picture looks. You can change the depth by changing the aperture to make the depth of field look shorter or longer. The lighting can also change the depth of field and what you can see in the background. A big aperture will give you a large depth of field, with a small amount of light. If you want a big depth of field in a landscape, then you will use a maximum ap...
How To: Use off camera wireless flash
Chris Rutter teaches us how to use off camera wireless flash in this tutorial. First, attach the flash to the camera and aim it towards your subject. For a more flattering result, place the flash gun on a tripod that is placed on the right hand side of the subject. Now, go to your camera and set the control so that the flash with go at the same time you take the picture. Now, turn the camera on and take a picture of your subject again. Your flash should go off at the other location, and your ...
How To: Photograph well-lit isolated objects on a white background
Not all of us have an entire photo studio in our houses. In fact, unless you're a professional photographer, you probably don't have much space at all in which to create solid looking shots.
How To: Take better indoor portraits
James Barry teaches us how to take better indoor portraits. When you are taking these, you want to make sure you have the lighting that is directly onto the subject and the subject's face can be seen. You will have to work with the light and often you will have to add in several lights to get the facial features to all show. Work with your camera to see what it sees and how the light looks through the camera. It will take several minutes to get the portrait to come out correctly. Place the li...
How To: Make a face more symmetrical and balanced in Photoshop
The relationship between one side of your body - including your face - to the other is not like that of a twin to a twin. Rather, most people don't know that the left and right side are more like sisters than twins. This means that one leg may be a millionth of a degree shorter, or that your left ear is slightly smaller than your right.
HowTo: Make Magical Bokeh Photographs
Hongkiat has compiled a collection of beautiful examples of "Bokeh" photography (1, 2):
How To: Use aperture, shutter speed, and ISO on the DSLR
It's true that a high quality digital SLR can take pictures 1000X better than any digital camera can without any previous experience from the photographer, but by understanding some digital SLR camera basics you can improve the quality of your photos greatly, and even take professional-looking ones.
HowTo: Build Your Own Camera Lenses
The prerogative of most fancy, pricey lenses nowadays is ultimate sharpness. However, if you're partial to that soft, out of focus look, you can make your own lenses to achieve this type of effect.
How To: Take spooky glowing night snapshots with your camera
Make sure your camera is set to the Manual Mode. Then, adjust your camera to your desired shutter and aperture settings. Make sure the pop-out flash button in your camera works. Prepare night lights such as sparklers, glow sticks, and flash lights as props.
How To: Take multiplicity or sequence photographs
Multiplicity photography is a type of photography where you take multiple images of the same subject in different parts of the same frame, then combine them digitally to create a photo with multiple different images of the same person, animal, or object in the same setting. This is also called sequence photography when it's used in sports. This video will show you how to do it with a digital camera and Photoshop, creating amazingly cool-looking results.
How To: Use an old flash on a new digital camera
Old camera equipment like flashes and lenses are often praised by modern photographers, but getting them integrated into new digital photography setups can be a challenge. This video will show you some tips for using old flashes with new digital cameras, including a great trick for making your digital camera recognize the flash by covering one specific contact. Don't get a new flash, use an old one with the skills you learn in this video.
How To: Get more megapixels and wider angles with a DSLR
Everyone who has a digital camera, no matter how high-end, wishes that they had more megapixels and wider angles at their disposal. Do you want to increase your megapixel count without buying a really expensive camera or camera parts? This video will show you some tricks for taking pictures with more megapixels and wider angles without buying a nicer camera, which will make your photos look better and make your work more professional. You will need Photoshop, but if you're serious about photo...
How To: Take an infrared photograph with a DSLR camera
Infrared photos are photos that are taken in such a way that they absorb light from beyond the visual spectrum, giving your pictures a cool, surreal effect. This video will teach you everything you need to know to take them yourself. You'll learn how to determine if you have a camera that will work, get the proper filter, and take the photo. It's pretty quick and easy if you have the right equipment, and looks really, really cool.
How To: Make a wide-mouthed screaming face in Photoshop
Munch's The Scream is one of the world's most famous paintings, and at least since it was painted people have had a fascination with images of larger-than-life mouths screaming. This video will show you how to use Photoshop to create some cool screaming face effects, like making the mouth huge and distorted or even making it cover the entire face! The effects are cool and easy, so try it!
How To: Use long exposure photography to paint with sparklers
Long exposure photography has long allowed photographers to do amazing things with light. Now you can do that! This video will show you how to use a long exposure, sparklers, and Photoshop to create amazing psychedelic art on your photographs. This new art form is called light painting or light writing, looks amazing, and is pretty easy to get started doing. Do it!
How To: Light paint with a camera, flashlights, and tripod
Light painting or light writing is one of the coolest of the coolest multimedia arts. It consists of setting a camera for a very long exposure in a dark area, then moving light sources around in front of the camera. When the aperture finally closes, you will have a photo where the light is preserved everywhere it was. Basically, you've drawn on a photo with light. How cool is that? This video will show you how to do it quickly and easily, allowing you and your friends to enjoy this exciting n...
How To: Do a simple, quick light painting with flashlights
Light painting (or light writing) is a relatively new art form combining flashlights and long camera exposures to create amazing still images with designs literally drawn on them in light. This video features an experienced light painter teaching you the basics of the at in only 2 minutes! He covers what you will need, how to use it, and demonstrates the painting of a simple happy face. Now get out there and try it yourself!
How To: Take photos of floating / flying / levitating people
Do you believe you can fly? Or at least, believe that you can take pictures where it looks like you or other people are flying? Or at least jumping really high? This video will show you how to take pictures of flying, floating, levitating, or high-jumping people using a digital camera, tripod, stool, and photo editing software like Photoshop or GIMP. Either way, the effect is surprisingly easy to create and can help you make some really amazing photos.