One sure way to get better at photography is to take pictures continuously. Often our cameras sit on the shelf unused for days and weeks at a time. Granted, the point and shoot capabilities of today’s cameras makes it easy to ‘grab and go’ the next time a special occasion crops up. However while taking pictures really is easy, taking better pictures requires a little practice.

If you are like me, having the desire to take pictures doesn’t mean that an inspiring subject is readily available. There are a lot of avenues that can provide motivation and direction to our picture taking endeavors; contests and classes chief among them. However not every photographer feels comfortable with (or has the time for) these choices.

I’d like to suggest a different route, an option available to every photographer no matter their skill level or the equipment in their bag; a series-based self-assignment that can be carried out over a period of time. In the last several years this kind of exercise has become very popular with photographers and often is called a daily photo blog or a ‘365 project’.

In its most basic form, a daily photo blog is one where a photographer captures and posts a single image every day. There is often no theme just a new picture captured and posted every day. The cool thing is that a photographer can take this basic concept and personalize it to their heart’s content.

What makes this kind of challenge beneficial is that it forces the photographer to handle their camera and take pictures no matter what the calendar says. By committing to taking pictures on a set schedule the photographer limits their down time and stays fresh and up to date with their equipment. Further, taking pictures more often can improve the photographer’s eye. It provides a means to continually turn learned skills into practice, and practiced skills become habits.

The flexibility found in this kind of challenge allows photographers a lot of freedom to tailor it to fit their lives. Maybe a picture a day, every day is too much, so change the rules! Make the challenge to take a picture every Tuesday and Thursday. Anything is possible and customizing is encouraged. However the goal is to set a schedule and stick to it.

As an example I like a theme because it keeps me focused. So for my project I have divided the week into several key days: Macro Monday, Lensbaby Thursday, and Black & White Saturday. And for a year I will work to both capture and post an image that meets the day’s theme.

Posting the images somewhere is a vital part of the process; it is the accountability and control of the exercise. Will you miss a day? Probably, but you’ll have to fess up to it on the photo blog. Where the images are posted is wide open to choice. An album set aside for the project on a web gallery site such as Porter’s Photo Finale Collections, or choose to use social sites such as Facebook or Google +. These web solutions make it easy to share your images and progress toward your goal.

If you would like to improve your photo skills and stay sharp with your camera’s operation maybe a daily photo blog is just the ticket. It’s an easy way to stay engaged with photography on all of those days between birthdays, events and holidays!

A final thought: The gallery of images created through one of these projects makes a terrific photo book! Porter’s 12X12″ photo books offer lots of space to display a year’s worth of images.

For more information and examples, please take a look at the 365project.org website. A popular hosting and community site for daily photo blogs.

We are often advised to just wander around searching for inspiration and to shoot what moves us. This is sage advice, but once you discover that source of inspiration, how do we best showcase it?

When it comes to creating an image that resonates, it’s important to understand what your focal point, or topic of interest, is and how to best highlight it in the image. We want what captured your eye to capture others’ attention, too. Here are a few tricks to try:

Employ the Rule of Thirds: The rule of thirds is a basic photography composition concept that states one should view the image in a grid with three horizontal and three vertical lines. You will have nine equal boxes and your subject should fall in one of the four areas where the two lines intersect. This allows you to create a visually interesting image with the viewer’s eye naturally drawn to your primary subject.

Contrast Colors: A using strong color contrast in an image is a powerful way to highlight your focal point. Color can be used in a number of ways; for example, choosing one uniquely colored flower in a soft background or in reverse with a bold background and a muted subject. Either strategy can create stunning results.

Try Textures: Using a background of texture, such as a repeating pattern of stone or brick, can elevate your subject to a new level. Consider scouting a local park or travel downtown where buildings and sidewalks can provide rich texture for your focal point.

Use Depth of Field: Learning how to manipulate depth of field takes a bit of practice but is a very common and extremely effective method of highlighting your subject. Being able to blur the background while keeping the subject sharp immediately draws the eye.

Keep It Clean: Make sure that the background you’ve chosen isn’t busy with numerous secondary subjects that can distract the eye. Test your vision by checking how often your eye is drawn to other items outside of your primary subject. The background should complement, not compete with, your primary focal point.

As you continue to experiment with this process, your style will evolve and your technique will improve. You’ll soon begin showcasing your own unique perspective.

Have you ever wanted to make your own time lapse video montage? Maybe you want to capture something that happens slowly over time such as a flower opening or the sun setting and compress the time into just a few moments of video. Or perhaps you’d like to create a feeling of hyper-motion: for example scenes where the buildings remain sharp and steady while the hustling cars and pedestrians form a blur at their base. It’s actually pretty easy to get into time lapse and it doesn’t take a ton of special equipment.

Shooting a series of still images that will later be stitched together to create a time lapse video is a great example of a project where good planning meets creativity. A good place to start is in deciding what the subject will be. Any scene that has motion is a possibility. For a first attempt, try to settle on a scene that isn’t too ambitious and a location that provides safe continuous shooting for up to several hours.

Use the Right Camera
While just about any camera will work there are advantages to using a DSLR. First, we need a camera that offers both manual exposure and manual focus. Next the capability to set and use a custom white balance is a big plus. Last, DSLR cameras can use cabled or wireless remote releases to trip the shutter button.

Have a Sturdy Camera Support
It can take hours to capture enough still images to create even a few minutes of video. A sturdy tripod will keep a camera locked into the same position for hours on end. It is important that the tripod chosen is able to hold the camera and lens firmly locked in place without any tendency to creep under the combined weight.

A Remote Release
Even with the camera firmly locked onto a tripod using a finger to trip the shutter button can cause vibrations. Using a cabled or wireless remote to trip the shutter prevents this kind of jostling. While it is possible to use a standard remote release and a stop watch to time the individual exposures, a remote release with an intervalometer built-in is desirable.

After assembling all of the parts and pieces the next step is to decide on the subject or scene to capture. A busy street corner shot from above can provide some fast moving subjects while a rosebud that opens over the course of a day offers a chance to explore slow action. Based on the subject or scene the photographer can begin to make camera settings.

This first attempt at time lapse was made using a Canon EOS DSLR and the steps outlined below. It was a snowy day so the still images were captured indoors. After 2 hours of shooting and another 20 minutes compiling the video it became evident that the interval between shots was too long!

#1 Camera Settings - Before mounting the camera to the tripod it is best to make some basic settings.

• Before doing anything else make sure that the camera’s batteries are fully charged!
• For the first attempts at time lapse montage I suggest setting the camera to Large / Fine .jpg file type. If the camera is 16MP or more then Medium / Fine could be sufficient.
•  Set the camera’s lens to manual focus. This prevents the camera from focus hunting before each exposure where it could possibly lock onto an unintended subject in the scene.
•  Take the camera off of auto white balance (AWB). Either use a specific white balance selection from the camera’s menu or create a custom white balance setting. If the camera is mistakenly left in AWB it will analyze the scene before each exposure and possibly change scene color for every frame. Not a great outcome.
•  Set the camera in manual exposure and use aperture and shutter values as read by a handheld light meter or use the camera’s built-in meter. Choosing the shutter speed that will render the moving subjects in the video as intended is an important decision point: Use a fast shutter speed to show sharper moving subjects in the scene with less motion blur. Select a slower shutter speed so that moving subjects in each frame show more motion blur. Use the camera’s meter or a handheld light meter to select an aperture value that provides balanced exposure for the shutter speed selected
• If the scene is anticipated to have constant, even illumination throughout the duration of shooting some photographers will use Shutter Priority (Tv) auto exposure mode.
• Attach the remote cable release or wireless remote release receiver to the camera.

#2 Frame The Scene – Since the camera will be anchored to a specific point for perhaps several hours it is important to frame the scene properly.

• Setup the tripod in the desired location. Keep in mind that it may need to stay in place for hours. Avoid locations that are in the path of foot traffic, doors or vehicles.
•  Consider creating a time lapse travel video. Use a Fat Gecko mount and fix the camera to a car’s dashboard.
• Mount the camera to the tripod. Make sure that the mounting plate is firmly snugged to the camera’s base plate.
•  Using the viewfinder frame the scene. Zoom in and out, adjust tripod attitude until the scene is as you want to frame it. If it is available, a small piece of gaffer’s tape across the zoom ring will prevent the lens from creeping to a new zoom settting over the long capture time.
•  Make sure that focus is sharp and on the main elements of the scene.

#3 Setting The Interval – One of the most difficult settings to suggest is the interval between exposures.

• For the opening rosebud mentioned above, maybe one exposure every minute for several hours will get the job done. For foot traffic on a street perhaps an exposure every 10 to 15 seconds will create the sense of motion the photographer seeks.
•  Once the interval is chosen program it into the intervalometer if one is being used.
•  Initiate the intervalometer or begin to manually trip the remote release based on a stop watch reading.
•  If the remote shutter release is activated manually try to be as accurate as possible with the intervals.
•  How long to keep shooting? Depending on the framing rate that will be used in the finished video, each 100 images captured equals between 3 and 10 seconds of video. In the example setting discussed below, 350 still images created a video of about 45 seconds. Shoot long enough to collect several hundred still frames at a minimum.

#4 Compositing The Time Lapse Video – After capturing the hundreds of still images needed it’s time to composite them into a video.

• Use either Windows Movie Maker or iMovie. Both are usually found preinstalled on most computers. This tutorial will use Windows Movie Maker. (After the first few time lapse projects many photographers will move on to more advanced video editing software.)
•  Open Movie Maker and click on Tools in the menu bar, select Options at the bottom of the drop down list.
•  These settings have to be made BEFORE importing the images into Movie Maker
• Under Advanced change the Picture duration setting to the lowest number – 0.125 and alter the Transition duration to 0.25. Click OK to confirm and save the settings.
•  Experimentation may lead you to choosing longer Picture duration times.
• Choose File / Import into Collections and drill down to your captured image files. Select all and import them into Movie Maker.
•  Make sure that the files are arranged with the earliest in the series at the top left and the last in the series at the bottom right. This can easily be accomplished by right clicking in the Collection view area and selecting Arrange Icons By: End Time.
•  Use the mouse to select Edit / Select All from the top menu. All images in Collection View should become highlighted.
•  Click and hold the first image in the Collection view, drag the image down to the Video track in the timeline at the bottom of the software window.
•  Depending on the number of images in the Collection it can take several moments for the Video timeline to fill. It should show as a white background when finished.
•  Click on the blue “Tasks” icon below the top menu line to open the Movie Tasks dialog box at the upper left of the screen. From the list of tasks, under “3. Finish Movie”, choose to Save To My Computer.
•  Name the movie file and click Next. On this second screen the radio button “Best quality for playback on my compuer (recommended)” is lit. Use this choice or click the radio button for “Other Settings” and select a different, more specific quality level for your final movie file. Click the Next button
•  The movie has been made! Now it’s just a matter of time as the computer crunches the picture files into a movie file. This can take up to an hour for complicated or lengthy compilations or as little as a few minutes for simple under one minute clips.

Creating time lapse videos from still images can be both fun and a creative stretch. This is the same technique many photographers use to create stop-motion animated movies. Search for example videos and where possible learn about the settings that the photographer used and why. Hundreds of tips are available online with a simple search too, make notes on the interesting tips that you find and apply them to your next time lapse project.

The New Year celebrates fresh beginnings and an opportunity to begin anew in almost any area of your life. When it comes to digital photography, January 2012 is the ideal time to get ready for all the memories you’re sure to capture in the coming year. Here are a few tips to help you organize and protect your precious pics:

Centralize Your Digital Library: If you haven’t done so already, you’ll need to designate one particular computer as your primary hub where all your photos will reside. Digital photos continue to demand a great deal of hard drive space so if you find yourself bursting at the seams for storage, it’s time to upgrade with enough room for future growth.

Make sure your computer is protected with a UPS (uninterpretable power supply) to guard against power surges and outages. You’ll also want to ensure your virus protection is up to date and that you have a reliable backup system in place to protect against hard drive crashes.

Collect All Picture-Taking Devices: The average family will have a few digital cameras and multiple mobile phones, all filled with photographs, so survey the people in your home and ask for their tech goodies. Copy all the images to the main computer; don’t worry about the sorting process yet as that will come soon enough. Your teens and tweens may not worry too much about backing up cell phone images on the master computer, and that’s just fine with us! Feel free to skip those cell phones. The goal is to get all the photos that really matter–our cell phones contain important memories and ‘disposable digital shots’ and you can make that decision in the sorting process. Just get everything in one location and you will then be in prime position to decide what to do with them.

Getting Organized: You now have a plethora of digital photographs and this is where the real fun begins. Many people think of organizing pictures as a tedious process, but when the process is underway, they realize it’s a wonderful opportunity to revisit some fantastic memories. You will want to block a bit of time for this process or break it up into a couple of mini sessions. Either way, it will be done quicker than you might expect.

The first round involves simply deleting all the images that are duplicates, blurry or pictures of random events that have no long-term value. Each image can take several megabytes of hard drive space, so don’t be shy about deleting images that you don’t love. This doesn’t mean that you delete anything that you deem less than perfect–some of the most telling images may be ones that are slightly underexposed, off center or quirky. If they resonate with you, they’re keepers. However, if you took ten family photos at an event, you really only need one or two at the most. Pick the best and lose the rest.

Round two involves marking your favorites. Many programs allow you to ‘star’ or select your favorites, so spend a few minutes doing this now. The next time you need a photo for a particular project, you’ll be glad this task is complete! Plus, if you plan on creating photo books or other memory projects as gifts in the coming year, you’re well on your way to having much of the work completed!

The final step involves creating a folder file structure if you haven’t already done so. Some programs like Photoshop Elements will automatically organize your images based on the metadata from the images. So, images will be grouped according to the dates they were taken.

To prepare for the coming year’s pictures, make sure to set up folders so that they have a ‘landing place’ the next time you decide to offload your digital camera card. We suggest creating a 2012 master folder with folders for each month or each season. You can also create folders for specific events (reunions, etc) within the master 2012 folder structure but make sure you actually do this when the time comes to transfer the photos. Resist the urge to just transfer them into a main folder.

Your hard drive will be rid of extraneous photos and your current images won’t be hidden by miscellaneous shots that take up time and space. You’ll go into the New Year organized and ready to capture the best the year has to offer!

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