We’ll go through some basics, but also work through some ideas about how you can achieve better results when you take photos, this is a  great opportunity to get immediate results seeing your photography improve quickly.

You will also get a handy hints and tips booklet to take away with you to remind you what we have talked about and it also has some ideas to help you try new things with your camera and continue to improve.

The cost of the 2 hour course is £100.  We also take time to review the images that you have taken.

All you need to do this course is a digital camera

The image below is what took me to that stage of the competition.

The Ends Of the Earth

ISO can best be described as pure magic. It makes the camera sensor more sensitive to light. The low-light sensitivity is one area in which technology is moving forward  as Professional Photographers have pushed manufacturers toward this objective.

A low ISO such as 50 or 100 will produce a darker image than having an ISO of 800. However, ISO comes at a high price. If a photographer uses a high ISO such as 800 or above, digital noise becomes visible on the image.

Digital noise is a grainy look on an image and is never really desirable. Different cameras deal with digital noise better than others, but most entry-level cameras should not be raised above ISO 400 unless the aperture and shutter speed cannot offer an acceptable alternative. In short, ISO is a last-resort bit of magic for more light.

High end cameras cope with the noise much better and are now capable of shooting images at 1600, 3200 and higher with still very low digital noise on an image.

So today try using your ISO  on different settings to get used to the difference it  can make to an image. The only way to learn is to try.

I am also running some “Learn to take Better Photos”  workshops. These can be booked on a 1 to 1 basis or as part of a group and are tailored to suit your exact requirements depending on what level of photography you are at.

These cost £100  for 3 hours and can be done at a variety of locations to suit you, these always take place with myself Alex Sharp

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy and Healthy 2012.

This may seem obvious, but to get close to your subject you’re better off using a lens designed for the job. I use the  Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2,8 Di MACRO 1:1 it’s a great lens that  gives you pin-sharp images and the blurred backgrounds you’re looking for when shooting macro work. For those of you shooting with a compact camera, most compacts now have a macro mode (usually a flower icon on your mode dial) which you can switch to when working close up.

Use a tripod

You need to keep your camera steady and there are various supports out there that will do this,  but whether you choose a tripod, a bean bag or something else to keep your shot steady, it will become even more important when you start using longer shutter speeds, as will a shutter release cable, as with a shutter release cable,  you don’t even need to worry about camera shake when you press the shutter button.

So get out there and take a look at the world in close up.

My next trip is in about 10 weeks time when we fly out to the Maldives for some more diving, so I will be taking the Canon 5D  under water in an ikelite housing to see how many different fish, sharks, rays, turtles etc I can find.

More images coming this week,

Alex

For those of you interested in where you may be able to purchase any of my stock photography from for use on websites, magazines, calendars , cards etc. , I work with a variety of libraries and galleries,

www.gettyimages.com

www.Alamy.com

www.advocate-art.com – London

www.agefotostock.com – offices in Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, New York

www.waldhaeusl.com – Austria

To name just a few.

If you would like a print of any of the images on my website, please just let me know and it can be ordered online through the security of Paypal.

Alex