10 Tips To Improve Your Photography

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1217/534293350_5ac363167b.jpg Photography can be a wonderful hobby and a great career but when you’re starting out you may need some tips to take those pictures that really blow your mind and wow the crowd. Here are ten tips that will hopefully help you take excellent pictures: 1: Take Pictures- Most of us use digital cameras today, and it doesn't cost anything to take more pictures. Always take lots and lots of pictures, there's no need to hold back, with digital images, you can always delete unwanted images if they are not to your expectations. Most photographers will tell you that lot of their impressive shots were accidents. So take out your camera and take lot of pictures. 2: Fill the Frame- Pick a point of interest in your image and focus on it, get close to it and leave out anything that is not adding interest to your picture. This will make your subject stand out. There are some cameras that can help you with this technique using a Mode called Super Macro. This allows you get within a few inches of the subject and keeps the image crystal clear. This technique also works well with portraits, by getting close to your subject you can show great details such as facial expressions, moods, certain marks etc. 3: Angle your shots- Always explore your subject before taking a picture by walking around it and looking at it from different sides. Take your time and make your pictures interesting by shooting at different angles. Creating unique angles will give a new perspective to your subject and will make your pictures stand out. 4: Rule of thirds- One of the first things that you would learn in any photography class in rule of thirds. Imagine your viewfinder/ screen to be divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines. While taking a photograph put your subject on intersection of these lines. This technique creates a much more interesting composition as compared to always having your subject in the middle. 5: Attention to Background- Always pay close attention to the background of your picture. Move your subject or change your angle to avoid a distracting background or to incorporate an interesting one. For example: Avoid having a tree or pole look like its coming out of someone's head. Avoid having your subject disappear in your background due to lack of contrast. Avoid having the glare from the sun block out your subjects head. In most cases, you want to have a distinct background and have your subject "pop" in front of it. 6: See the Light- Light is a very vital part of photography. If you want to improve your photography learn to see and identify the light. Wherever you go look around you and try to identify the light; its source, its color, etc. Look specifically for shadows and highlights. Having some experience with light would allow you to set your exposure and white balance correctly. Having the correct exposure and white balance can make all the difference in a photo. Use shadows and highlights to your advantage. Beware of accidentally casting your shadow in pictures. 7: Frame your photographs- Look for different ways to frame your subject with the surroundings. Shoot through branches, doors, trees, windows, arches, etc and use them as a frame for your subject. This creates unique and interesting images. 8: Post Processing- Some people like it others hate it. Nonetheless, post processing is an important part of digital photography. If you are interested in getting most out of your photography you should make yourself familiar with some of the basic post processing techniques. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are two very common softwares that are used by many photographers for post processing. 9: Envision the final product- While taking a picture try to envision how the picture will come out in the end, after the shoot and post processing. For example, if you want your final product to be black and white and you plan to achieve that in post processing, try to imagine that before taking the shot. This kind of planning makes a big difference in the final outcome of your work. 10: Tell a Story/Pick a Theme- Tell a story through your pictures. What makes a photographer great is his/her ability to effectively convey a message through their pictures. If someone is looking at your pictures of a particular shoot he/she should be able to grasp what you are saying through your pictures. For example, if someone is looking at your wedding shoot he/she should be able to see how wedding progressed and how people interacted with each other and the location. Viewer should be able to spot important people and events. Conclusion: Photography is a beautiful art. Art is not bound by any rules and regulations, it flows freely from an artist to its creation. There are no strict rules of photography there are only guidelines to help artists learn. Therefore, break all the rules if you have to and just have fun with photography. Don’t let anything hold you back and you may be surprised by how great the outcome is. source: http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/10-Tips-to-Improve-Your-Photography/2641089 Read more...

Iceland volcano eruption not likely to disrupt air travel

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/13887331_11n1.jpg?w=600&h=400 STOCKHOLM, May 21 (Xinhua) — An eruption has started in Iceland’s most active volcano Grimsvotn, according to reports reaching here from Reykjavik on Saturday. The smoke from the eruption can be seen from many places in south Iceland, Iceland’s television channel RUV said in a report. Iceland’s Meteorological Office also confirmed that an eruption had begun in Grimsvotn. “All indications are that an eruption will start in this area,” Icelandic geologist Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson was quoted as saying earlier on Saturday by the local media. But scientists in Iceland believed that the new eruption in Grimsvotn could be small and would not lead to a repeat of the air travel chaos in Europe one year ago, which was caused by ashes from the Eyjafjallajokul volcano’s eruption. Located in the middle of the Vatnajokull glacier, Grimsvotn is the most active volcano in Iceland, with major eruptions recorded in 1922, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1945, 1954, 1983, 1998 and 2004. Most of the eruptions lasted one to three weeks. Eruption has started in Grímsvötn An eruption began at Grímsvötn volcano at approximately 17:30 UTC, May 21st 2011. Eruptions in Grímsvötn start as subglacial eruptions, which quickly break the ice cover. At 21:00 UTC, the eruption plume had risen to an altitude of over 65,000 ft (~20 km). Initially, the plume is expected to drift to the east and subsequently to the north. Thus, the ash is not expected to impact aviation in Europe, at least not during the first 24 hours. The figure on the right (above) shows an image of the eruption cloud at 22:00 UTC. The image is from the Icelandic Met Office weather radar located at Keflavik International Airport, at 220 km distance from the volcano. The cloud extends above a large part of Vatnajökull ice cap. The line marks the approximate location of Grímsvötn volcano. The last eruption in Grímsvötn occurred in November 2004. Grímsvötn is Iceland’s most frequently erupting volcano. The figure below shows tremor activity in Grímsvötn associated with the eruption. Note that seismic activity increases after 17:30 UTC. SOurce: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/05/21/iceland-volcano-eruption-not-likely-to-disrupt-air-travel/ Read more...

Bernard Hopkins Vs. Jean Pascal II: Hopkins Becomes Oldest Man To Win Title With Decision Victory

http://www.2tickets.ca/images_spectacles/carre/jean-pascal-vs-bernard-hopkins.jpg Bernard Hopkins made history at the Bell Centre in Montreal by becoming the oldest man in boxing history to win a major world championship. Hopkins bested defending light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal by unanimous decision in their rematch of their controversial December 2010 bout. Heading into the night the record for the oldest man to win a boxing title was held by George Foreman for his KO of Michael Moorer. Hopkins came out to start the fight in his usual form, taking it easy in the early rounds and looking to figure out the rhythm of the fight while the always aggressive Pascal came forward throwing hard shots. In round four it was Pascal that landed a hard punch early that appeared to hurt Hopkins. Unlike their first bout, a fight which saw Bernard knocked down twice, Hopkins was able to stay on his feet and avoid taking too much damage. Starting with round five, the complexion of the fight changed. Hopkins started to fire his straight right hand and land it with regularity as Pascal appeared to fade. The straight right hand would be Bernard's go-to punch as the fight wore on and Pascal was never able to make the adjustment to avoid that shot. Jean's endurance appeared to be an issue as the fight wore on and he missed more and more with his wild power punches while Bernard's simple attack and skillful (and old-timey) rough house tactics frustrated the younger champion. The pattern would repeat as the fight wore on into the championship rounds. In the twelfth round, with Pascal seemingly needing a knockout to get his hand raised, the champion came out hard and stunned his older foe with some hard shots. Unfortunately for Jean Pascal, he did not have it in him to continue the assault and Hopkins made it to the final bell still upright. SB Nation had scored the bout 116-112 for Hopkins and when the official scorecards were read, they seemed to be in agreement. The judges had the bout 115-113, 116-112 and 115-114 all for the new light heavyweight champion of the world, "The Executioner" Bernard Hopkins. It was a monumental night for boxing, one that showed that there is more to the fight game than power punching and speed. Bernard Hopkins, a man who made his entire career on ring savvy and the ability to control the spacing and pacing of a fight, truly did it his way. A fact that the boxing world will forever remember. Source: http://www.sbnation.com/mma/2011/5/22/2183800/bernard-hopkins-oldest-champion-jean-pascal Read more...

New Zealand Doomsday

New Zealand Doomsday – New Zealand doomsday prediction by Harold Camping is about to be proven right or wrong by 6pm tonight. New Zealand doomsday will start with a massive earthquake. According to Harold Camping’s calculation based from “hidden” numbers and text from the scriptures, the end of the world will start with a massive and destructive earthquake in New Zealand.

A New Zealand apocalypse is another of Camping’s judgement day prediction this 2012. Camping made a previous “prediction” way back in 1994 about a judgement day coming but none of his predictions actually came true.

This doomsday New Zealand news has attracted a couple of attention that some conducted a survey of around 10,000 people if they believe in the end of the world. 79% do not believe of an end ever. With camping declaring a May 21 2011 end of the world “absolutely going to happen”, what do you think of this New Zealand doomsday? Source: http://a11news.com/6948/new-zealand-doomsday/ Read more...

New Zealand region yet to suffer destruction forecast by Oakland-based doomsday predictor

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef01538e9c8672970b-800wi Christmas Island and other locations near New Zealand, where self-styled scriptural scholar Harold Camping predicted that the apocalypse would strike by Friday night Los Angeles time, so far remain free of "super terrible" earthquakes. The 89-year-old Oakland-based doomsday predictor told his followers that destruction would begin on May 21, wherever it happens to be 6 p.m. New Zealand is 19 hours ahead of Pacific Daily Savings Time. As of 10:30 p.m. PDT -- 7:30 p.m. May 21 on Christmas Island, also known as Kiritimati -- no earthquakes had been reported within the last hour and a half, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which tracks seismic activity worldwide. The Times' Christopher Goffard reported that Camping had warned: The earthquakes will then roll on, time zone by time zone. The saved, perhaps 2% to 3% of the world population, will be whisked to God, while the rest will be obliterated in what he calls "a super horror story." Camping reads neither Hebrew nor Greek, the two main languages of the Bible, but insists his arithmetic is ironclad. He calculates that God gave humanity 7,000 years to prepare for its destiny, just as Noah had seven days to prepare for the flood, and that May 21 is the terminus of human history if one counts time by the Jewish calendar. There are other signs of the end, he teaches. Gay rights. The rebirth of Israel, and the Jewish state's rejection of Jesus. source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/05/new-zealand-earthquake-christmas-island-harold-camping-may-21-rapture-doomsday.html Read more...