tips | Foreign Students

Macro Photography: How to Take Close-Up Photos

Submitted by Trevor on Mon 04/07/11

Macro photography... anybody here know what that means? Correct - close-up photography! Looking at objects from close quarters opens up a whole new world.

Remember when you were at school and your chemistry teacher gave you slides of crystals to look at under a microscope, and how wonderful the form was? Nowadays macro photography is within the realms of most of us. Even low cost digital cameras have a macro mode- set your camera and as you view the image on the screen move in as close as you can until the camera will no longer focus. Take the picture and then crop it in Photoshop or other similar program to make it even better.

The Art of Photographing Women

Submitted by Trevor on Fri 17/06/11

This week we're going to focus on photographing women! What, you might ask, is the difference between taking a good photo of a man and a woman? The answer is nothing really, except if you want to make the picture softer for a woman and stronger for a man, to make him appear more masculine. This is the secret of advertising photography, particularly when it comes to cosmetics. Clients spend hundred of thousands of pounds getting the image just right, because it has been proven time and time again that a good ‘sexy' image sells anything, from clothing to insurance.

Easy, Stunning Panoramic Photos

Submitted by Trevor on Fri 10/06/11

This week we're going to look at one of the clever things you can do with your iPhone or iPad. Firstly, you need the inexpensive programme called You Gotta See This! Download it through the App Store. Once installed, it uses the iPad's built-in camera to take a series of still pictures at short intervals (like a motor drive on a regular SLR) and stitches them all together to form a collage - you can choose the type of collage from a number of presets.

As you are taking the picture you can move the camera up and down, left and right, and get the most wonderful effects. But if you just hold the iPad vertically and rotate around the same spot, you can get a 360º panorama which will look great on your wall once printed and framed.

The Art of Photographing People

Submitted by Trevor on Fri 27/05/11

This week we are talking about people. Human nature is to be interested in others, hence the popularity of Facebook, magazines such as Hello and OK, television soaps and so on. Sit in a café and watch others all around you gazing, talking, eating, drinking, smoking, whatever. They're all doing something! And behind the face of each and every one there is a story, good or bad, happy or sad. And it's the mood and personality that is reflected in the face.

"The Essence of Good Photography"

Submitted by Trevor on Fri 20/05/11

Hi there. My name is Trevor and I am a professional fashion photographer. Often I use 'ordinary' people (as distinct from professional models) for my photos and over the next few weeks you'll see some of the results. I'll be giving you some tips for taking better photographs, analysing some of my own and even telling you how you can get some amazing pictures using your iPhone or iPad2. Your comments are always welcome and if you e-mail some of your photos, on any subject, to info@foreignstudents.com we will feature a selection of the best ones!