What is Street Photography?

Street photography can involve random, spontaneous, chance events in public places. It can involve people and how they behave, becoming a document recording life in a specific time, period and place. However, street photography doesn’t need people. You could take an aesthetic approach to looking at buildings, architecture, colours, lights and shapes.

Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street in London, England, UK, Credit: Alexander Spatari, Getty Images

Pioneered by people like Paul Martin, there are a number of other famous photographers who are known for street photography including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Garry Winogrand, and Tony Ray-Jones. Have a look through some of their photographs for inspiration, and notice how fashions have changed over the years.

Which camera should I take to the street?

The camera – It’s up to you and will depend on your personal sensibilities about your presence in public. Some recommend a small camera and minimal amounts of kit, for obvious reasons. Other street photographers have used larger DSLRs like the Nikon D5, and even cameras with a flashgun – hardly subtle! Bruce Gilden is famous for using flash in his street photography. If you don’t already have a camera, and think Street Photography is going to be your primary interest, then have a look at our guide to the best cameras for street photography.

You can use whatever camera you have with you, be that a smartphone, a real camera (more fun), and use autofocus (assuming the camera has it). You may prefer to use a camera with an optical or electronic viewfinder, such as a Digital SLR or Mirrorless camera, or you may prefer to “shoot from the hip” and use a camera with a tilting screen, so you can shoot from down low or high up.

Damien Demolder shows you how to set up your camera for street photography in this guide.

How should I prepare for Street Photography?

Perhaps it goes without saying, but ensure your camera battery is charged, and your memory card has plenty of space. Also make sure your mobile phone has enough charge in case you need it.

The main thing is to be familiar with your camera and to use the camera you have. If you have a choice between different models, use that which brings you the most joy, or you’re most comfortable using in public spaces. Wear comfortable, practical clothes and footwear, as you’ll most likely cover some ground.

Photo taken in London, United Kingdom, Credit: Daniel Gotz EyeEm, Getty Images

Make sure you’re familiar with the environment you’re photographing, it may make sense to walk around the area with your camera in your pocket the first time you go somewhere to spot good places to shoot, as well as assess the area for safety. Don’t worry about the weather: shooting in the rain, dawn, dusk, at night, present whole new worlds of atmosphere for image capture.

Ethical street photography

No matter your subject – people or places, before heading out to photograph on the streets, be sure that you are mindful of street photography law and understand how to be an ethical street photographer.

Four “Simple” Steps for Street Photography

1. Look
2. Wait
3. Snap
4. Edit

The bike handlebars make for an interesting frame in this photo. Credit: Bonfanti Diego, Getty Images

1 – Look

It’s no good approaching street photography by staring at your phone. Put it away! Hold onto your camera, ready to shoot when needed. Be in the moment, observe people and watch events as they unfold. Interesting sights that could combine to make an interesting photo will emerge. You could look for juxtaposition, between the subject, such as a person and the surroundings, this could be matching, or contrasting colours. Be on the lookout for interesting people, streets, art, and buildings, or anything else that can make for an interesting composition or framing device.

Waiting is important in Street Photography. Protests can make for a great subject for street photography. Credit: FilippoBacci, Getty Images

2 – Wait

Patience is key. Be ready for something to happen at any time and expect the unexpected. Often, you’ll need to wait for something to happen. More than this, the shot is in the eye of the beholder: wait in a spot and tune your attention to the optical quality of what is unfolding before you. Light, colour, shapes, contrasts, mood, energy. A unique and stunning shot could be had in the blink of an eye – don’t miss it.

At times you will move to another location, or frame the scene differently by moving your camera for something interesting to appear. Wait for a change in the light to alter the tone of the scene. You can revisit locations at different times of the day for this. Depending on your style, you can avoid or wait for the rush hours to capture the movement energy of cars and people en masse to your composition.

Capture the moment in Street Photography – Credit: Tara Moore, Getty Images

3 – Snap

Take the photo and use a quick enough shutter speed (1/200s), use a bright enough aperture (f/2.8 or similar), use whatever ISO speed is needed to keep your shutter speed quick enough. Noise doesn’t matter in street photography. Being ready in the moment to capture it is what you are there for. In any case, you can always convert the photo to black and white if noise is excessive.

For more inspiration read about black and white street photography here.

Couple on the tube, edited and converted to monochrome. Photo: Joshua Waller

4 – Edit (this is optional)

You can present your images just as they are, especially if you just want a record of people and places, or carry out ‘reportage’ photography. To get the most from them though, you’ll want to edit your photos; be it for contrast, to boost colours, crop images, or convert them into black and white (monochrome). Find out how to make your street photos stand out.

Photo: Matthew Henry / Unsplash

What makes good street photography?

Good street photography showcases given moments of time out on the street, in its surroundings. Street photos show defined subjects and tell their story. Stay aware of the environment and evolving situations. This includes looking at colours, shapes, lights, shadows and how they change, but also observing people and how they move, the shapes they embody.

Some of the best street photography is unplanned and candid. Don’t envisage a particular shot and wait for it to appear – alas, life does not indulge such fantasies! Tune in to what is, follow it for a while and shoot reality just when it catches your own unique and splendid eye.

Practice makes perfect…

Don’t be discouraged. This takes a lot of practice. In the urban environment, a striking photo can come out of nowhere, yet at others only ordinary, or worse images result. This is often the case for everybody; don’t worry about it. Understandably, we don’t see the average and worse photos taken by professional and established photographers. Rest assured that they have hundreds, if not thousands of sub-standard photographs not for public viewing. The one viral or award winning image that sets them apart is all it takes. These could never be shot without the majority in between that are duffers.

Street photography, Credit: SolStock, Getty Images

If at first, you don’t succeed, try again later or another day. Know well the environment that you are entering. When interacting with other people, remember that a smile goes a long way.

Shoot all walks of life, all types of people, warts and all. You’re capturing reality and presenting a view of the world as you see it. Taking photos of a community and life around you is a great way to have fun with photography.

For those who have never engaged in urban photography before, it may prove to be a very novel and stimulating personal experience indeed. Watching, holding one’s attention and attuning the eye to the scene before you, without regard for time but with a camera at the ready, is like being what they call in sport “in the zone”. Call it what you will, but it is in these conditions – completely absorbed in what we’re striving for – that people surpass what they think they are capable of. Just ask an angler, a golfer, a photographer…

Street photography and the law – make sure you read our guide to street photography and the law, as well as our guide on how to be street smart when out taking street photographs.

More inspirational tips and ideas to inspire your street photography

Street photography is such a popular form of photography, that Amateur Photographer has covered it numerous times, so you’ll find lots of street photography articles on this website, but here are some of our favourites that we think you should have a look at for some more inspiration! Simply click the titles below.

Tips from three professional street photographers:

Paola’s aim is to record fleeting moments that capture the environment and atmosphere. Sony A7R III, 55mm, 1/160sec at f/1.8, ISO 100

Black and white street photography tips from Brian Lloyd Duckett and Edmond Terakopian:

Photo: Brian Lloyd Duckett, Black and White Street Photography

Alan Schaller shares how to create your own recognisable style:

Photo: Alan Schaller

10 commandments of street photography:

People often read my body language and get a sense that I am no threat to them, Antonio Olmos

David Gibson on great street photography:

Shin Noguichi has used matching colours, Tokyo 2016

Heather Buckley on challenging the rules of street photography:

Acrobats, Street Photography, Brighton-based Heather Buckley

The 12 best cities for street photography around the world

Jessica Knowlden/Unsplash

Analogue Street Photography Tips – Street photographers share their street-shooting secrets

Image credit: Simon Murphy

Terms to learn:

• Shooting from the hip – In photographic circles this refers to holding a camera at waist level, or the same level as your hip, and by using a tilting screen you can see what you are taking a photograph of.
• Pop – Making an image “pop” means making the photo stand out, making it more striking or dynamic. This could be by increasing contrast, saturation, and colour, but there are other ways that images can stand out.

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – is designed to take your knowledge of photography to the next level, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. You’ll find further articles in this series.

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: Understanding white balance settings and colour
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Beginners guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Beginners guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Beginners guide to Macro Photography

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

If you’re looking for a great lens for street photography, have a look at the best lenses for street photography, or have a look at the best cameras for street photography. 

Why not try using smartphones for street photography?

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The post Complete guide to street photography appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

What is landscape photography? 

Landscape photography is the art of capturing the natural scenery or landscape. Typically it depicts a wider, open space rather than small details. It can include people, animals or man-made structures, but the main focus of the image is always the great outdoors. It can be your way of showing how you see the world around you and capture the beauty of the environment.

Beautiful landscape at sunset, Londrangar, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland, Credit: Arctic Images, Getty Images

What kit do I need for landscape photography?

• A camera plus a lens that has a wide-angle view of 28mm or wider is a great place to start, but some will want an even wider view, so a 24mm or wider lens would be a good choice, particularly for capturing vast scenes and big open spaces. Find the best camera for landscapes, plus the best wide-angle lenses.
• A tripod will help, especially if you want to capture scenes with water, which are smoothed by longer exposures; or when you want to use a lower ISO speed for maximum image quality. Shutter speed is a lesser concern when your camera is stable and steady on a tripod.
• Filters – use a polariser if you want deeper blues and fewer reflections from leaves and water. Graduated filters are great for darkening the bright skies but leaving the rest of your image unaltered. If you want even longer exposures, then an ND filter will be needed.
• Clothing – weather appropriate apparel is just as essential as your camera, as you may spend hours walking around to find the best viewpoint or waiting for the light to hit your scene just the right way.

Camera settings for landscape photography

Landscape photography is all about light, location and composition. Where you place objects or how you frame the scene before you are key components, but also what camera settings you use, play an important part in getting a sharp, detailed shot.

Remember the elements that make up your exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO speed, as there are some recommendations here that will help when shooting landscape photography. For a refresher, have a look at our guide to exposure.

Here are the 4 main camera settings to pay attention to in landscape photography:

• Aperture
• ISO speed
• Shutter speed
• Focus

Close-up of the lens, showing aperture blades. Credit: Dimitri Otis, Getty Images

Aperture and depth-of-field

Depth-of-field – to ensure a lot of the scene is in focus, with as much of it as possible sharp and in detail, you want to use a smaller aperture. Closing the lens aperture down to f/8 – f/16 will help you get more of the scene in focus from the front of the image (things close to you) to the back of the image (things furthest away). This is known as pan-focus (Canon), where everything in the image is in focus.

But beware of diffraction – if you stop the aperture down too far, such as f/18-f/22 or more you will suffer from diffraction, and get softer images. When diffraction becomes an issue depends on your camera sensor size – see our macro photography guide if you missed our definition of diffraction.

Side note: Diffraction tends to kick in at f/11 on Micro Four Thirds, f/16 on APS-C, and f/22 on Full-frame cameras.

ISO speed

As we’ve said previously, the lowest ISO speed available will give the best results (with the most detail, and lowest noise). However, be aware that the camera you use may have a different low ISO speed to another camera.

On most, the lowest ISO speed is ISO100, but on some the lowest is ISO200. If you are tempted to use a “LOW” or (L) ISO speed on your camera, be aware that this is often an “extended” ISO speed, and results in reduced dynamic range.

So check what your actual low ISO speed is on your camera, if you’re not sure where to find this information, have a look at our review of your camera as it will say what the standard ISO range is, and what the extended ISO range is. Normally you want to avoid using the extended ISO range.

On many Olympus and Panasonic cameras, the low ISO speed is ISO200, and ISO100 is extended, which is shown as “Low” or L.100. You’ll also need to check on Fujifilm cameras, as some of these have the lowest (native, non-extended) ISO speed as ISO160.

A slower shutter speed has helped smooth the waterfall in this scene, Gljufrabui waterfall, Iceland. Credit: (C) Marco Bottigelli, Getty Images

Shutter speed

With a tripod, you can use slower shutter speeds, and by using the self-timer you don’t need to worry about camera shake when pressing the shutter release button, alternatively you can connect your camera to your smartphone and use it as a remote control. Another thing to be aware of is your camera strap – if this is big, then this could cause the camera to move if it’s windy.

If you use slower shutter speeds, you can favourably blur the water, but any movement (in trees or scenery) will become blurred, too. To get really slow shutter speeds on brighter days, then you’ll need to use an ND filter.

Portugal, Azores archipelago, Flores island, hike to Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro waterfalls (or Poço da Alagoinha or Lagoa das Patas) – This image shows the location in focus from the front to the back. Credit: Francesco Riccardo Locomino, Getty Images

Focus and front-to-back focus

To keep things simple, by using one focus point, you can control and know where you are focusing in your image. You will want to focus so that you can get as much as possible from the front of the image to the back of the image in focus. Newer cameras often include “focus peaking” a useful tool that shows which elements of your scene are in focus by highlighting the edges with a bright colour. Don’t worry too much if you don’t achieve perfection but try and focus on the main area of interest in the frame.

What makes for good landscape photography?

Light and location play a massive part in landscape photography, but are not the only aspects to think about when shooting landscapes. Breaking down what you include in your image can take your landscape photography from average to spectacular.

Here are 6 main things to consider when composing your shot:

1. Light (and weather)
2. Location
3. Points-of-interest
4. Leading lines
5. Level (Horizon)
6. Composition

Stob Ban in Glen Nevis taken from Sgurr a’Mhaim with mid-Autumn sun illuminating the glen below with layers of Glencoe mountains in the background. Credit: Scott Robertson, Getty Images

Light, weather

Shooting in the “golden hour” (the hour before sunset or dusk, and the first hour after sunrise, dawn) will give you a warm golden looking landscape, on the other hand “blue hour” after the sun has set or before the sun has risen, will give you images with a blue tone. Just before or just after sunrise or sunset is also a great time to shoot, as the sky changes different colours. For more examples have a look at our guide to outdoor light with David Noton.

Weather can dramatically change the light in the scene, as well as the look of a landscape image, so don’t be afraid of shooting when there is mist, fog, or even during or after a rain shower. A break in the clouds can turn a dull image into a striking image as can be seen in the example above. If your camera and lens are not weather-sealed, make sure you have a waterproof backpack or plastic bag to offer some protection for your kit in the worst of the weather.

…and Location

Shoot somewhere dull, and even with the best lighting possible, the best camera possible, and the best settings, you’ll still most likely end up with a dull photo. Landscape photography tends to include travel, and finding the most pleasant-looking locations and landscapes is part of the exciting appeal of landscape photography, whether that’s near you, or further away.

Check out some recommendations for the best landscape photography locations in the UK here.

Brecon Beacons national park, Wales, Credit: WLDavies, Getty Images

Points-of-interest

To include people or not? By including people you can give a sense of scale, as well as potentially date the photograph to a certain period – depending on how visible the subject’s clothing/style/fashion is. The same goes for any other man-made objects included, such as buildings or vehicles. By including a subject or a person in the shot you add an additional element and give a sense of balance to the image.

Neist Point Lighthouse, Isle of Skye, Glendale – June 9, 2019: The last sunbeam at Neist Point Lighthouse. Credit: Juan Maria Coy Vergara, Getty Images – Following the coastline your eye ends on the lighthouse.

Leading lines

If you think of the elements in an image as guiding the viewer through the frame, you can look for leading lines in your scene, such as a road leading towards an impressive mountain range, a river leading to a waterfall, or even the formation of rocks and land leading you through the image.

Lavender field in Valensole, Haute Provence, France. Credit: Matteo Colombo, Getty Images

On the level?

Watch for the horizon and keep the camera level – use the camera’s built-in axis or dual-axis level if it has this, or look for the spirit level built into your tripod. If you don’t have these features, then you could pick up a simple spirit-level hot-shoe attachment for not much money.

Alternatively, you can switch on an on-screen grid display if your camera has this feature. If you don’t manage to get it perfect in-camera, then you can always edit the image later to straighten up the image. Some modern cameras have a built-in horizon correction feature, so check your manual to see if yours has this.

Composition

All of these factors play a part in how you compose and frame your image, and how you place the elements in front of you into the photograph. If you’re just starting out in landscape photography, then using the “Rule of thirds” is a great place to start, but don’t be afraid to experiment with different framing. See our guide to the art of photography and composition for more ideas.

Other things to think about: You don’t always have to shoot vast landscapes. Instead you could zoom in to look at the finer detail, and this is where a macro or telephoto zoom lens could come in useful. If there is water in the scene, then look for reflections.

Aerial landscape photography: If you have access to a drone, then shooting from a high-angle can give a totally different look to your images. See our guide to aerial landscape photography for more information.

Intimate landscapes: Landscape photography doesn’t have to just be wide-angle, sweeping vistas. Try honing in on a smaller part of a scene for a more interesting alternative. See this guide to Intimate landscape photography.

Square landscapes: Landscape photos also do not have to be taken in landscape orientation. Changing to portrait or even square format can make an interesting composition. Transform your landscapes with square format here.

Editing Landscape images

It’s likely that you’ll need to (or want to) edit your photos to ensure you’re showing the landscape how you want to show it. Slight tweaks to contrast, saturation, and exposure to improve dynamic range in the image can make your images look better. You can also correct the image if it’s not entirely level.

Dynamic range – ensuring correct exposure, and correcting when the image is over-exposed. See our guide to dynamic range by James Paterson.

Expanding dynamic range – If you shoot using raw you have the ability to correct any errors in exposure or white balance. There is also the ability to expand the dynamic range in the image, which means you can recover shadows and dark areas in the image as well as recover highlights in the brighter areas.

Another option is to use exposure bracketing to help with this, but make sure you use a tripod so your images line up. Have a look at our guide to maximising dynamic range. Shooting raw also gives you the ability to tweak the sharpness and noise levels to get the very best out of the photo.

Landscape Photography Competitions

You can enter competitions to win prizes and recognition, as well as learn from others. Look out for landscape photography competitions such as the famous Landscape Photographer of the Year, and the landscape photography round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year Competition (APOY). Other general photography competitions feature Landscape categories, so have a look at our complete guide to the best photography competitions to enter.

More Landscape Photography Inspiration…

You’ll find a range of landscape photography articles here, and you can learn from professional photographers. We have articles from famous landscape photographers including Ansel Adams, William Garnett, Michael Kenna, Colin Prior, with AP contributors including Jeremy Walker, David Clapp, Verity Milligan, Rachael Talibart and Lizzie Shepherd to name a few. If you want to learn from the greats, make sure you have a look at their work.

For even more inspiration have a look at some of the landscape photography books available. You’ll find AP’s own book on “Landscapes” is a great resource for learning even more.

Bookazine – Improve Your Photography – Landscapes

Landscape photography holidays – try out your skills

Improve your landscape photography skills on one of our upcoming AP Photography Holidays! Experience the very best of what the UK and the rest of the world offer – from coastal landscapes to grand mountainscapes – with guidance from some of the best photographers in the world. See more Photography Holidays here.

Frequently asked questions (for reference)

What is RAW?

What is a raw image? Cameras will by default save images as JPEG files, which are processed by the camera to produce the best-looking image, but this results in less control to edit and adjust the image. Shooting in the raw file format, you are getting the “raw” (uncooked, unprocessed) image from the camera, and therefore can edit it to your own personal tastes, as well as recover shadow or highlight detail that might have otherwise been lost if you’d only taken a JPEG image.

What is exposure bracketing?

Exposure bracketing is when you take several different images, but at different exposures. Most mirrorless and DSLR cameras have this feature, and it lets you take the same shot at different exposures, so for example, you could take one at -1EV, one at the normal exposure, and one at +1EV, allowing you to capture the darker and brighter parts of the image with more detail. You can then combine these images later in a photo editing package for an extended dynamic range. However, to get the best results your camera needs to stay in the same position for every shot, which is why a tripod is extremely useful for this.

What is dynamic range?

Dynamic range in an image is the record of light levels from dark to light. The greater the dynamic range in an image, the more the camera has been able to capture the tones from dark black to bright white. In landscape photography, this becomes particularly important as there is often a big difference in light levels between the brightest area of the image (often the sun), and the darkest areas of the image.

AP Improve Your Photography Series

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – This series is designed to take you from the beginnings of photography, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), to take you to the next level, whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, make sure you check out all the articles in this series.

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: How to get perfect colours – white balance explained
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Beginners guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Complete guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Complete guide to Macro Photography
• Part 11: Complete guide to Street Photography

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

Lead image credit: Stob Ban in Glen Nevis taken from Sgurr a’Mhaim with mid Autumn sun illuminating the glen below with layers of Glencoe mountains in the background. Scott Robertson, Getty Images

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The post Complete Guide to Landscape Photography appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Follow this guide and capture outstanding wildlife photographs.

Wildlife photography starts with research

The key to becoming a better wildlife photographer is to first know your subject. Learn about their habitat, diet, and behaviour, when they’re on the move etc. Is the animal dangerous, timid, or aggressive, are they found in packs or alone? Not only will this ensure you are fully prepared when out in the field, but you also will become better at anticipating their movements, keeping safe and, ultimately, taking great photographs.

It’s a good idea to seek out other wildlife photographers to learn from the best. Photographers like Mattias Klum, Will Burrard Lucas, Frans Lanting and Amy Gulick, to name just a few, will fill you with inspiration.

Have a look at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year past and present winners too as there are many wonderful images there. There is a vast array of articles on wildlife and nature photography in the Wildlife Photography section of this website, and if you know what type(s) of animal you want to photograph, then you should be able to find a specific guide to photographing them: be they birds, nocturnal animals, or Rhinos in Africa.

What kit do I need for wildlife photography?

If you are new to photography then you may think you need lots of fancy and expensive long lenses to shoot wildlife. This really is not the case. All you need to get going is a camera and lens.

We’ve spoken to many wildlife photographers who started out with kit they already had. For example, wildlife photographer Sam Hobson made his name using a wide-angle lens (not your typical go-to lens for wildlife). His wide-angle award winning Bristol city fox images are incredible and well worth checking out.

If you do want to invest in a more traditional long-zoom wildlife lens the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM is a great budget option. One of these second-hand can be picked up for around $800 / £600. There’s also a range of other lenses that are well suited to wildlife use, or for a simpler option, an ultra-zoom camera could be a good option. For more options check out our guide to the best budget telephoto lenses for wildlife and best lenses for wildlife photography.

An extender can help you get that extra bit of reach, as long as your lens is compatible.

For those with a smaller budget, an extender is worth considering. This piece of kit fits in between your lens and camera body so make sure you purchase one that is compatible with your camera system, and existing lens.

An extender’s job is to increase the focal length of a lens. For example, a 2x extender on a 200mm lens will convert the lens to 400mm. An x1.4 extender on a 200mm lens will increase the lens to 280mm. It’s worth noting that the extender will decrease your widest aperture setting. For example, if your lens can open up to f/2.8 with an x1.4 extender aperture setting will become f/4. With a x2 extender, you will lose 2 aperture stops so your widest setting will become f/5.6.

Extenders vary in price, and we’d recommend hunting around on the second-hand market to save money.

Which camera is best for wildlife photography for beginners?

The same applies: All you need is a camera and lens. You can check out our picks of the best cameras for wildlife photography, which have everything from budget-friendly models for beginners to the absolute best professional cameras on the market.

Watch and observe wildlife

It’s better to resist the temptation to start snapping as soon as you spot an animal. Stand back, observe and assess the subject and environment first. Watch how the animal behaves. Are they okay with your presence? Where is the light coming from? Where is the best background? Is their behaviour predictable? Are you in the best position?

Sometimes by slowing down and shooting less, we can achieve more. Be prepared to return to the same location and have perseverance to get a good shot. Don’t feel disheartened if you don’t achieve what you want right away – Rome wasn’t built in a day!

You also need to know when to stop. The welfare of the animal needs to be put above your needs to get a great shot. For example, mothers with newborns will feel very threatened if you are too close, and avoid clambering around on rocks when birds are nesting. This is why you need to research thoroughly as there is no excuse for ignorance. Leave each environment you’ve been in with no trace.

Read this guide to being an ethical wildlife photographer.

Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) at clifftop edge, Hermaness National Nature Reserve, Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland.

Wildlife camera setup and settings

What settings should I use for wildlife photography?

There is no right or wrong shooting mode for photographing wildlife. Each photographer will have their own approach – ensuring that the camera is setup and ready to go is the main thing. We want to be ready to capture action as it happens.

As a good starting point, I find it easiest to shoot in Shutter priority mode. In this mode you can fully control the shutter speed and leave the camera to work out the best aperture and ISO speed setting. Although your camera calculates these settings, you need to be aware of what your aperture and ISO speed settings are reading.

• Put your camera into Shutter priority (S or Tv)
• Check the light – increase your ISO setting if need be.
• Open the aperture wider if you need more light.

Using shutter priority will be of particular benefit for fast-moving subjects, and using a fast shutter speed such as 1/500s is a good starting point (more on this below). If you know your subject is slow moving, then you might want to use aperture priority so that you can more easily control the amount in focus in the shot.

If you don’t yet have a grasp on what shutter speed, aperture and ISO are, we suggest you spend some time getting to know these settings on your camera and to experiment with seeing the different effects they can achieve. For a refresher, have a look at our guide to exposure, aperture, ISO, shutter speeds and more.

Sumatran Tiger looks up at the treetops. Experiment with how you like to shoot with your camera. We recommend you trying aperture priority as a starting point. Justin Lo, Getty Images

Make sure it’s sharp

There are three main things to consider for achieving sharp wildlife shots, the shutter speed, aperture setting, and focus:

Use a fast shutter speed:

Make sure the shutter speed is reading at least 1/500sec if the animal you are photographing is moving or for very fast movements 1/1000sec. If it is stationary then you’ll be fine with a setting of 1/200sec or above (depending on the lens you’re using).

To capture and freeze the fast movement of a Hummingbird you may need to use a shutter speed of 1/2000sec

Aperture setting

How much of the animal do you want sharp? For example, if you are close and focus on the eye at f/2.8, the eye will be sharp but the face will blur. This can look great if that’s what you desire, but for other features like the nose to be sharp then you’ll need to close the aperture down. In this example, the Rhesus Macaque monkey in the foreground is in focus and the one behind is soft, as the image was taken at f/2.8 (on a full-frame camera).

In this image, the aperture has kept the foreground Rhesus Macaque monkey sharp and blurred the other in the background. Image credit: Claire Gillo.

Focus

You want to be spot-on with focus. Our preferred method is to use the single-point AF setting on our camera and set the focus to continuous AF tracking. That way if your subject is moving (even little movements) you’ll have more chance of keeping it sharp. Trying to predict where your subject will move into the frame helps with this aspect and again this is where your research will help.

The latest mirrorless cameras from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Fujifilm offer subject detection AF for a variety of wildlife, depending on the camera model chosen, and subjects include birds (Olympus and Fujifilm), pets (cats and dogs), along with other animals. AND the system is designed to detect and focus on the subject’s eyes! This can help you greatly in this genre of photography!

Track your subject and predict where they will enter the frame to achieve sharp shots. Image credit: Jeremy Woodhouse, Getty Images

Motion and when not to be sharp

There are some circumstances in wildlife photography when a slow shutter speed is more appropriate than a fast one. For example, capturing the motion of flocks of birds flying across the sky, or panning with a moving animal to blur the background and give the feeling of motion. You can experiment with this technique to produce something different from the norm.

With the right subject slowing down the shutter speed setting can get you some great results. Image credit: John Fan Photography, Getty Images

Push the ISO

Any photographer will tell you that they love a low ISO setting as they then don’t have to deal with noise. However, when it comes to shooting moving subjects like wildlife you have to be prepared to push the ISO up and embrace the grain. It’s more important to have your subject sharp and a little grainy than completely unusable. If your image has too much noise, then you can always process the raw files, and reduce it further.

Technical perfection should not be the main aim of wildlife photography. Many great images of animals have been captured which are slightly blurred. The quality of a shot should be assessed on other factors, too – if it tells a story, is unusual or dramatic, then you’ll be inclined to overlook minor flaws.

It is more important to capture your wildlife shot than to worry about grain, consider using a higher ISO setting and embrace the noise. Image credit: Claire Gillo

The background is essential!

The background setting of your wildlife image is undoubtedly just as important as the main subject, whatever your approach, as it can completely change the look of an image. To shoot a strong animal portrait then look for a plain background to frame your subject against. In some circumstances (certainly not all) you may even be able to drop in a plain background behind the subject(s).

The background is just as important as your subject. Plain backdrops create the ideal setting. Image credit: Lillian King, Getty Images

For example, if you set up a bird feeder in the garden you could do so in front of a studio backdrop and choose whatever colour you want behind. Although there is much we can’t control in wildlife photography, sometimes we can create better conditions for ourselves to enhance our luck.

In a wide-angle wildlife image, the setting is vital as well. You want to use the scene to tell the story. Experiment with different camera angles – often coming down low gives an alternative take on a scene that we are not used to seeing.

Keep wildlife photography local

We recommend looking to see what’s on your doorstep and keeping your wildlife photography as local as possible – even in the city there are many wild animals around, including birds, squirrels, pigeons, foxes and more. Another advantage to shooting locally is you can keep returning to the same spot day after day or night after night, and eventually capture that amazing shot you set out to achieve.

Don’t travel to the other side of the world to find rare and exotic species to photograph. Concentrate what’s on your doorstep and tell the story there. Copyright: Claire Gillo

Stay in one spot

It may seem tempting to run after your subject. However, you’ll probably have more success by staying in one spot, camera ready. This is especially true for shooting small and fast animals. They get spooked easily and run away, or you end up with blurry shots of them on the move.

A great setting for wildlife photography is in the garden (or local park). Ten minutes sitting still in a backyard can reveal how much wildlife we have all around us. Observing first, watching for behavioural patterns, are preparation for getting great shots.

The garden is an excellent location for all kinds of wildlife. Image credit: Claire Gillo

Wildlife photography holidays

Test and improve your wildlife photography skills on one of our Wildlife photography holidays. Led by experts, we have a range of photo trips coming up in the UK and around the world. See all upcoming trips here.

Article: Claire Gillo and AP Staff, Lead image: James Warwick, Getty Images

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – is designed to take your knowledge of photography to the next level, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. You’ll find further articles in this series.

Here are some more essential guides to have a look at:

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: Understanding white balance settings and colour
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Complete guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Complete guide to Macro Photography
• Part 11: Complete guide to Street Photography
• Part 12: Guide to Landscape Photography
• Part 13: How to shoot Action and Sports Photography

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

Further reading:

• Wildlife conservation photography: Tom Svensson reveals all
• How to be an ethical wildlife photographer
• How to capture fast-moving birds (and animals)
• How to photograph butterflies
• How to photograph animals
• How to photograph pets

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

The post Complete guide to wildlife photography appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Pretty much every digital camera that is released nowadays will offer some video capability as well as photography. If you have a camera and a lens, you can start recording footage today, and while it won’t look or sound much like the polished content you tend to see from big YouTube channels, it will at least be something. While we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of how to go about shooting video in a moment, the first and best tip we can give you is to simply start making stuff. The bar to entry has never been lower when it comes to video, and spending an afternoon shooting test footage to figure out how your camera works will cost you nothing but time.

Whether you’re using a DSLR, a smartphone, a mirrorless camera or a compact, you’ll likely have the bones of what you need to start shooting great YouTube videos. So, let’s dive in and take a closer look at how to make a Youtube video with your camera. If you’re still looking for the right kit, don’t forget to check our our guides to the best cameras for video and the best lenses for video. Or, if you’re sticking with the smartphone, we have a dedicated explainer on how to record the best videos on an iPhone.

How to make a video with your camera:

As we said up top, the first step to take is to simply get to know your camera! The majority of cameras now feature a dedicated video mode on the main mode dial on the camera, though some give a switch between stills and video operation. When you activate the dedicated video mode, the screen will present corresponding options, with the aspect ratio and scene correctly framed.

Once in video mode, you’ll look at the options available, and make choices about resolution, frame rates, and more. We go through these in detail below…

Video Resolution

Defined as the level of detail and clarity in a video image, video resolution is the first key setting. It is typically expressed as a combination of two numbers – the horizontal pixel x the vertical pixel count (1920×1080) or 4K (3840×2160).

Most common video resolutions include:

• SD (Standard Definition): 720×480 pixels for NTSC or 720×576 pixels for PAL
• HD (High Definition): 1280×720 pixels (720p)
• Full HD: 1920×1080 pixels (1080p) (16:9)
• 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition): 3840×2160 pixels (2160p) (16:9)
• 4K CINE / DCI: 4120×2160 pixels (17:9)
• 5.7K: 5744×3024 (17:9)
• 6K: 6144×3456
• 8K: 7680×4320

Cameras from the past few years are capable of at least 4k video. This is the video menu from the Nikon Z8. Image credit: Will Cheung

Most cameras offer at least Full HD recording (1920×1080 pixels) and with an aspect ratio of 16:9. This gives good enough quality for the majority of recordings and productions on YouTube. Even some of the biggest YouTube stars stick with Full HD resolution – MrBeast, we’re looking at you.

Luckily YouTube doesn’t really mind too much about whether you record in Full HD or 4K video resolution, but cares more about the content and presentation of your video – more on this later!

A note on video recording and resolution – after you’ve recorded your footage, you’ll need to edit your videos. If you have an “average” PC or laptop, then editing 4K or higher resolution can be a very slow process. Indeed, depending on how old your computer is, footage shot at these resolutions may be even be next to impossible to edit, with the software stuttering and freezing every time you try to work with your clips.

If you’re just starting out, and don’t have a high-spec computer, then it is worth starting with Full HD video while you get to grips with everything. This will speed up your workflow, and still provide you with a great-looking end result. Once you’re more confident, and providing you have a system that can handle it, working with higher resolution video recorded at 4K (and above) can be useful if you want to crop into the footage and reframe the shot while maintaining Full HD quality, giving yourself more options in the edit.

Nb. Check your camera make and model, and check online reviews to see what video features your camera has.

Here we’re looking at the Canon EOS R7 video screen, with on-screen audio levels displayed.

Frame Rates – What frame rate should I use?

Understanding frame rates is crucial for capturing, editing, and delivering video content effectively. In the past, when you’ve seen a camera’s video resolution spec listed, you’ve likely seen it as something like 4K 30p or Full HD 60p. In those cases, “30p” and “60p” refer to the frame rate, meaning 30 and 60 frames per second, respectively.

The most common standard frame rates for video are:

• 24 fps This frame rate is often used in film production and provides a cinematic look.
• 25 fps Commonly used in PAL broadcast systems.
• 30 fps Commonly used in NTSC broadcast systems and digital video.
• 60 fps Frequently used in video games, sports broadcasting, and high-motion content.
• 120 fps and higher Used in high-speed recording and slow-motion playback.

You’ll need to decide what frame rate to use, depending on what kind of video you are recording. For most videos, 25fps (frame per second) is a perfect choice. Almost all cameras will offer 25fps video, whilst others will offer this, as well as 24fps, or faster speed such as 50/60fps. To slow down your footage, using a faster frame rate like 50/60fps can be useful, as you’ll be able to playback the footage at half the speed. For this though, the higher the frame rate you can use, the better, so don’t be afraid to push it higher to 120fps and beyond if that’s something your camera offers. Often higher frame rates will only be available at lower resolutions, so bear that in mind too.

How to make a video – Stabilisation is key!

One of the keys to recording decent footage is its stability. Worse than that, unstable footage looks awful and is a turn-off. If your camera doesn’t have a very good in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) system, then we’d recommend the use of a tripod, monopod, or a gimbal so that you can record smooth and steady footage.

With a tripod shaky footage is avoided, and you have a grounding for a professional look. It’ll also make it easier to move the camera position when needed, especially if you have an easy to use tripod head. Look out for a video head if you’re going to be buying a new tripod and/or head. Among the many brands to consider include 3Legged Thing, Benro, Gitzo, Manfrotto and Vanguard. Check out out ultimate guide to tripods for a rundown of key things to consider, and some suggestions of the best models on the market right now.

Of course, the drawback with a tripod is that the camera has to remain still. If you want to introduce motion into your footage but keep that smooth stability, a handheld gimbal is a great option for stable video shooting. The Zhiyun WEEBILL 3, shown below works really well and is good value at $299 / £295. We have more options listed in our guide to the best accessories for video.

The Zhiyun WEEBILL 3 gimbal in use

Maintain your focus

Along with stable footage, ensuring your video is correctly focused (and the main subject is in focus, and stays in focus) is another key factor in making good quality footage.

Some cameras have very good autofocus (AF) systems that work well while recording video. Specs are different for every camera, but the best thing to do is to simply test out filming different subjects, stationary and moving, and seeing how well your camera copes. Does it quickly lock focus on the subject you want it to find? Is it able to maintain that focus when the subject moves?

If your camera isn’t the best when it comes to video autofocusing,  then you might want to consider fixing focus on your subject when you start recording, which will keep them sharp as long as your subject doesn’t move. It can also be worth checking your camera’s autofocus settings, as you may be able to activate different modes to improve video autofocus in different situations.

Alternatively, use manual focus and adjust when needed. Some cameras let you fix focus, and then adjust while recording, using the touchscreen – just be careful if using this feature that the camera doesn’t pick up the noise of you touching the screen.

Digital cameras have advanced AF systems and more recent models have face-, eye- or subject-settings, perfect for making videos. Image credit: Will Cheung

Many cameras have face, eye and subject-detect autofocus functionality. The effectiveness of such features vary but they are generally very accurate and tenacious, capable of keeping track of the subject as it moves around in the frame. If that subject is you and you are working within a few metres of the camera, eye-detect AF can do a great job and the latest systems can acquire focus remarkably quickly.

Forward-facing monitor

The Nikon Z30 is a vlogging camera with a flip-out screen. Photo credit: Tim Coleman.

If you are filming yourself, a camera with a forward facing monitor will be hugely helpful – we’d go so far as to say essential. Being able to constantly monitor your framing, focus and exposure while you’re shooting is a must; you don’t want to have to redo a huge chunk of footage because you didn’t notice until too late that the camera was focusing on the background. Vlogging cameras like the Nikon Z30 and the Sony ZV-E10 all have forward-facing monitors.

If you have a camera that doesn’t offer a front-facing screen, you can always invest in an optional monitor that is plugged into the camera’s HDMI output. This can be positioned to face forward so you know you are in shot – and in focus.

Exposure in video

There are other settings that can affect how your video looks, including the aperture, the ISO speed used (lower is generally better), and the shutter speed. Almost everything you learnt in our guide to exposure regarding aperture, ISO speed and shutter speeds applies to video recording. We’ve gone through shutter speed below, as this is something to be aware of.

Shutter speed

As a general rule, ensure your shutter speed is twice the frame rate (fps), so if you’re recording at 25fps, the shutter speed should be 1/50 of a second. However, as with photography, the faster the shutter speed, the less light there is, so keep this in mind – particularly when recording video in low-light.

What shutter speed do I need for different frame rates?

• 24fps – the shutter speed should be 1/48s
• 25fps – the shutter speed should be 1/50s
• 50fps – the shutter speed should be 1/100s
• 60fps – the shutter speed should be 1/120s

Audio quality is important!

You’ve probably heard this before and it’s true – a good video is 50% visual and 50% audio. The audio quality can make or break your content. If you’re lucky, your camera will have a great set of built-in microphones that sound amazing. In most cases, however, it is advisable to use an external mic or audio recorder.

In fact, there have been videos published on YouTube, using low-quality cameras – but because the content was good, and the audio quality high, they attracted hundreds of thousands of views notwithstanding.

On-board microphones are generally limited when it comes to quality audio. Shooting outdoors, they are also susceptible to wind noise, while the whirrs and clicks of camera handling can also be picked up. Some of the latest vlogging-oriented cameras are better and can be fitted with a furry windshield, sometimes referred to as a ‘wind muff’ or a ‘dead cat’.

Cameras that can shoot video usually have a mini jack socket for plugging in an external microphone, which is definitely the best way to go, especially when shooting videos outdoors. Many will also allow you to connect a microphone wirelessly, commonly via a Bluetooth connection.

Tiny wireless microphones such as the Joby Wavo Air ($250 / £189) are perfect for location work. A set that includes one receiver and two transmitters means you’re prepared for interview situations too. Image credit: Will Cheung

There are different types of microphone that are suitable but a good practical option are the very small wireless microphones such as the Joby Wavo Air (shown above), Hollyland LARK M1 ($129 / £130) or the Rode Wireless GO II ($299 / £259). Really small, impressive working range, long run times and capable of crisp audio, these microphones are a good investment for YouTubers. Rode, and Joby, Hollyland, Rode and Sennhieser offer microphones for home studio and on-camera use.

Unlike when taking a photo – you can’t just use Photoshop to fix it later – and trying to fix audio problems later can be a real nightmare. For this reason, it’s also recommended that you use headphones (or earphones) to check the audio quality, and this is where a headphone socket on your camera is essential.

Headphone sockets are becoming a common sight on more recent digital cameras and if you’re a keen video shooter, it’s an important feature. Recommended headphones include the closed-back, over ear Rode NTH-100 at $149 / £99.

If you do need to fix audio problems later, than the latest video editing software has made some real progress recently in adding useful audio processing features, including voice processing. See our guide to the best video editing software.

The Rode VideoMic Go II hotshoe mic weighs just 89g and. comes complete with a shock-proof mount

If you want to master audio on your video, have a look at our guide to best value audio options for video. 

On the subject of audio, you might have the voice of angel, but a track of background music can enhance things immensely, adding atmosphere and mood to your masterpiece. Once you get a good following you may want to pay and subscribe to a music streaming service but to start, try royalty free music. Providers to check out include Artist, Free Stock Music.com and YouTube’s Audio Library.

Light it up

Clearly, it depends on the situation and if you are shooting outdoors, can usually rely on the stuff provided by the sun. Indoors and in low light, a continuous LED light can make a huge difference and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a decent unit; and lights can be mains or battery-powered.

If you have the budget go for a LED light with colour temperature control. This means you can adjust the output to match the colour of the ambient lighting.

The Rotolight NEO 3 can be hot-shoe mounted and offers impressive output for its size. It’s also very versatile with colour control and doubles up as a flash unit with a compatible trigger. Image credit: Rotolight

Smaller lights can be mounted on the camera hot-shoe while bigger ones will need a lighting stand. This is more cost and of course extra kit to lug around, so it does depend on what you are shooting and the content of your footage. Many YouTubers use their home as their studio so at least you can control lighting and a couple of lights fitted with diffusers can give a flattering, consistent light.

Continuous lights from Aputure, Godox, Kenro, NanLite and Rotolight are among the many brands to consider.

How do I record entertaining videos?

That’s the million-dollar question, of course, and can be the difference between 20 views or 2000 views. But one thing we would say is that if you’re passionate about something, then this is a great start.  Record what you know, and be inspired by other people’s videos to see what works and what doesn’t work.

Start by thinking about your viewer. Most people are time-poor and many may have very short attention spans. Furthermore, with the huge quantity of fresh content uploaded onto sites such as YouTube every day, you need to work hard to engage viewers and hang on to them.

Professional movie makers have story boards and of course we’re not prescribing such professionalism – but put yourself in the position of your potential viewer and try to keep things moving by having a shooting plan for your videos. Keep content targeted and a mix of outdoor and indoor locations can work well too.

It is always a good idea to record more video footage than you need. By recording additional clips, known as B-Roll (What is B-roll footage? – Adobe) you can use these to cover up any mistakes made in key footage (known as A-Roll). But remember, you are not producing a full length feature film and the most effective YouTube videos last up to 20-25 minutes.

It is challenging to make watchable videos and have viewers coming back for more, but rule number one: don’t bore the viewer by spending too much on fluffy footage and keep content relevant. Image credit: Will Cheung

The opening segment of your videos needs to keep the viewer interested. So many YouTube photography videos go downhill rapidly after the first few seconds. Many have tedious, drawn out intros that waste much time scene-setting. This is a typical intro from a landscape YouTuber. It starts with footage of the photographer driving to the location, getting out of the car, putting on their boots, having a cuppa while moaning about the early start but looking forward to the fantastic light they are going to shoot. Then follows a painstakingly dull commentary on the contents of their camera bag – notably, their packed lunch – before describing what they are going to shoot. Next comes footage of the photographer walking from the parked car, before you see them arriving at a gate or stile, negotiating it and walking into the distance with a few close ups of their boots splashing through puddles. That’s repeated a few times before they finally arrive at the location, and the purpose of the video. What a yawn!

If you were bored reading that, then we have made our point. Yes, viewers can scroll through irrelevant stuff, but are likely to have moved on to videos with a more lively and targetted approach.

The maxim emerging from this is to keep intros short, snappy and engaging. A little scene setting is fine but don’t drag it out; and remember the purpose of the video.

Of course, as a photographer your viewers will be expecting to see some of your decent shots. Don’t keep your wonderful stills to the end of the video because they might have switched off by then, but use them throughout. It’ll keep the viewer engaged and because your pictures will be awesome (won’t they?) there’s something to keep your audience on the hook.

Editing video 

Once you’ve recorded your video, you’ll then have a number of video files (normally ending in .mp4, or .mov). Use the software on your computer to bring those video files together and edit them to create one video file, which you can then upload to YouTube, and others like Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram etc.

Making cuts in DaVinci Resolve 18

How do I edit videos for YouTube?

To edit footage, you’ll need to use some video editing software on your computer. These let you put several different video files (or clips) together, cut out any unwanted scenes or mistakes, as well as add different titles and effects to the video, as needed.

Here are some of the most popular video editing packages available:

• Davinci Resolve – FREE
• Adobe Premiere Elements – $99 / £86.56
• Adobe Premiere Pro – $20.99 / £26.49 per month
• Apple Mac: iMovie – FREE
• Windows: Photo – includes a FREE video editor

We’d recommend trying the free software that comes with your computer to begin with, as this can often do a reasonable job, and keeps things simple for beginners. Once you’ve got the hang of editing video files into one file, and find you want to do more with your video, then Davinci Resolve is an excellent choice, particularly as it’s free, and offers advanced controls.

See our complete guide to video editing software!

Think about creating a catchy title and amazing Thumbnail!

Titles: This is where you’re creativity can shine, and is essential to capture the clicks and views of YouTube viewers. Try working on making your title SHORT, snappy, and to the point. If it’s too long, people won’t be able to read the full title, and will not know what the video is about. You’ll also need to work on short, captivating text for your thumbnail. A good sell is to promise the viewer something. It might be on the lines of ‘Take your sharpest-ever shots’ or ‘Photoshop’s secret feature unveiled.’ Of course, you need to try to deliver whatever you promise.

YouTube Thumbnails need to be catchy and to the point

Thumbnails are probably one of the most important things on YouTube: They can either make or break your video, and are the first thing people see when looking at videos on YouTube. Many people don’t even read the title, but instead click the most interesting and captivating thumbnail available. This is where your many years of Photoshop skills will come in useful.

You’ll also need to be aware of thumbnails often showing much smaller on screen, depending on the device used.

How to upload your video to YouTube

Once you’ve completed your video, it’s time to share it! Go to YouTube.com, and look for the upload icon in the top-right of the screen:

Find the + upload video button on YouTube (top right)

Click Upload video, and you’ll be presented with the following screen, where you can drag and drop your video file. Once you’ve done this, YouTube will start uploading the video, and you can fill in the title, and upload your thumbnail. Once the upload is completed you can click the publish button and your video will be live on YouTube! (Once processed).

Drag your video file onto here to upload your video to YouTube

Whether you share your video with YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Instagram or TikTok, make sure you get the best results by sharing it with your friends, and ask anyone interested for feedback on what they thought. You’ll also be able to get feedback from people who watch the video from reading the comments.

Advanced editing: Using LUTs for colour-grading videos

Look Up Tables (LUTs) offer a flexible and efficient way to achieve consistent and stylized colour-grading results in editing. They are commonly used to enhance visual aesthetics, create specific moods, and achieve desired looks in various media production workflows. Using LUTs for your video editing will greatly improve the look and feel of your videos, taking them from basic to professional. You can read more on how to use LUTs effectively for your videography here.

Sony offers free LUTs on their website 

Have a look at our videography section for more great hints, tips, and how-to articles, plus have a look at our guide to vlogging. Find the best cameras for video, vlogging and YouTube.

Related reading

• Does sensor size matter for video?
• How to get better videos by shooting in Log

This article is part of the AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB. You’ll find a whole range of further articles in this series.

Lead Photo by Vanilla Bear Films on Unsplash.

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

The post How to make great videos for YouTube with your camera appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

But it seems we don’t just like to take pictures of our own pets, we also love looking at other people’s. According to Flickr, cats and dogs are among the most searched-for terms in their community.

Cat Photography, Image: Chris Winsor, Getty Images

No doubt, you’ve spent several hours yourself viewing cute pictures and videos of cats, dogs, and other cute pets on social media.

The trouble is, pet photography is not easy.

Dogs may come when you call, and cats may mysteriously appear at the sound of a can opener, but point a camera at them and they suddenly develop a mind of their own.

Their typical reaction is to come right up to the camera and either rub up against it (if they’re a cat) or stick their slobbery wet nose on the front of the lens (if they’re a dog), or ignore you completely.

Throw into the mix the challenge of focusing and exposure, and we have a cocktail of complexity that makes getting a great pet photography shot a real challenge.

But don’t worry – we’ve put together a range of tips on achieving great pet photography, liberally sprinkled with the wisdom of contributing photographers, along with a range of pet photographs to inspire and amuse you, and look cute.

Camera settings for pet photography

Know your camera settings to get the best results when photographing pets

Exposure Mode

You need to work quickly when photographing pets. Even if they’re dozing, a cute expression can disappear in an instant, so get to grips with your camera, and move away from the Auto mode, by switching to P (Program), Aperture priority, or for control over the shutter speed, switch to Shutter priority (S or Av depending on your camera).

Aperture Priority is a good choice because it gives you more control of your depth of field, whereas Shutter Priority will be useful for capturing fast action.

If the light is consistent you could also set the exposure manually and leave it there.

Aperture

For static shots at close range, a wide aperture such as f/2.8 will help blur the background and concentrate the viewer’s attention on the subject.

If you’re doing action shots of, say, your dog running you may prefer a smaller aperture to increase your depth of field. This will help compensate for any small errors in focusing as you track the subject’s movement.

Shutter Speed

For static pet portraits, you only need to ensure the shutter speed is fast enough to handhold without risking camera shake.

If you have image stabilisation or a monopod this could be as low as 1/15sec. For action shots, a faster speed will be required to freeze movement. Try 1/250 sec as a starting point.

Capturing action can be tricky, but worthwhile, and a fast shutter speed and a tennis ball can help create great shots. Photo: Philip Thompson / EyeEm, Getty Images

If the light level is not that bright you may need to increase your ISO to 400 or above to enable this. Don’t overlook the chance to use a slower speed and pan the camera with your pet’s movement. This can create a more dynamic result.

Metering

Animal fur is notoriously difficult to meter from. Dark fur absorbs a lot of light while white fur reflects it. If you have a black-and-white pet the contrast range may be greater than your sensor can cope with, and you’ll need to get your exposure spot on to retain detail in both the black and white bits.

If you are filling the frame with a dark subject such as a black Labrador, your meter will try to turn the black fur grey, so you’ll need to apply negative exposure compensation, such as -1EV. The reverse is true with a white pet – you may need to add a stop of so of compensation to avoid underexposure.

If your pet is a relatively small part of a wider scene things get tricky because the brightness of the surroundings comes into play. A black dog running on a beach, say, is an extreme example where the meter, influenced by the background, may render the dog a solid black mass with no detail at all.

Do a test shot first. Use the histogram, if it helps. Make sure you shoot in the Raw format too, because if you do get it wrong you’ll have much more scope for adjustment later.

Using a fast shutter speed and continuous AF and high-speed continuous drive mode will help you get great action shots like this. Photo was taken in Graz, Austria. Photo: Przemyslaw Iciak / EyeEm, Getty Images

Focus Mode

Select Continuous AF for shots of your pet in action. This will ensure the camera keeps refocusing on your subject as it moves. Also, crucially it allows you to shoot at any time, whether the lens has focused or not.

This will ensure you don’t miss the decisive moment and, if you’ve stopped down to a moderately small aperture, your subject should still be reasonably sharp.

Photographing pets: Know Before You Go!

Be Ready

Keep your camera charged and loaded with a fresh memory card ready for spontaneous opportunities.

Compose

Get down to the animal’s level (unless a higher angle suits the moment) and exclude distracting background details. A wide aperture will help.

Enlist some help

When photographing pets an assistant can be useful to help keep your subject in position and make noises/wave toys to get it to look in the direction of the camera.

What you need for pet photography

Shallow depth of field has drawn attention to the parrot in this low-light portrait. Photo: Juana Mari Moya, Getty Images

Camera and Lens

You can use any camera, though a DSLR or Mirrorless can give you more creative control over your pet photography, with easy-to-access manual controls, as well as a choice of lenses.

The gear you have will influence the kind of shots you’re likely to be successful with your pet photography. You might struggle to get good action shots with a compact camera, but static pet portraits should be no problem.

While a telephoto lens is good for shots of your dog running in the park, a standard lens works well for documentary-style pictures.

A wide angle at close range can be a great way to inject a sense of humour into your portraits.

Monopod

A tripod is a handicap for most pet photography as you need to be able to move and recompose quickly. However, a monopod will provide stability for your camera without impairing your capacity to react quickly to events.

Flash

Using flash is generally not a good idea when photographing pets. Direct flash is unflattering, and animals get redeye too. Even off-camera flash can bounce off shiny fur and look unpleasant.

If you must use flash, bounce it off a wall or ceiling, but it’s almost always better to set a high ISO instead.

Viewpoint and Composition

Always do this on a safe empty road while someone else is driving and keep your camera strap around your wrist or neck, Photo: Seth K Hughes, Getty Images

Just like when photographing children, the best pet photos are usually obtained when you get down to their level. If they’re at ground level, as opposed to on the window ledge or the sofa, this will entail getting down on the ground with your camera.

If your camera has live view you might find it easier to set the camera down low and view things on the screen from higher up. This is much easier if you have a tilting LCD screen.

On the other hand, lots of great pet portraits have been taken from the most unusual of angles. This includes looking down on them from directly above (ideal for showing them isolated within a landscape) or even looking up from below (perfect for emphasising the height of a tall dog).

Choose a viewpoint to suit the subject, and what you’re trying to say about them.

Get in close or stand back

Very cute and adorable puppy, the Cavashon puppy. Photo Lee Thompson, Getty Images

For maximum impact fill the frame with your subject. This either means going in quite close or using a telephoto lens.

If it’s a dog, and it isn’t yours, check that it’s friendly before getting too close! Strange cats are likely to run before you can get within clawing range, so a long lens may be needed, but you can get lucky with some.

An alternative to the frame-filling approach is to stand back and show the animal in its environment so that it becomes more of a documentary shot. A cat sunbathing in a tree, for example, will probably look better if you can see more of the tree.

Whether you go in close or show a wider view should depend on whether the environment adds to the picture, such as by helping to tell a story or show context, or detracting from the impact of the subject.

Candid pet photography

Look for candid shots, as well as interaction between different pets. Photo: Catherine Falls Commercial, Getty Images

Candids are about capturing your pet’s natural behaviour. Maybe photograph the dog chasing a stick or hanging out of the car window, pets interacting with each other or the cat stalking in the garden.

On a less energetic level, it could just be a picture of them dozing on the sofa.

The point is when photographing pets you’re not trying to get them to do something they weren’t doing anyway. This approach is easier than the posed portrait but you’ll still need the patience to catch the right moment.

Seeing this kitten looking out of the window – take a shot of her from the outside, which makes a more interesting shot. Photo: Cristian Bortes, EyeEm, Getty Images

It helps if you have some knowledge of your pet’s character. For example, if you know that when you take your dog down to the river he’s liable to jump in, you can be ready and waiting, with tele-zoom mounted and a fast shutter speed selected. (Be sure to stand well back when it gets out and shakes itself vigorously!)

If your cat follows a specific route on its regular perimeter patrol of the garden, you can pre-focus on a spot and be ready for it.

Keep your camera handy at all times, with the battery charged and a fresh memory card. That way, if your cat unexpectedly curls up with the dog while you’re preparing dinner you can grab the camera quickly and get a shot of it.

Posed pet photography

Posed pet photography – Cat posing outside, photo Chris Winsor, Getty Images

If you have endless patience you might want to try getting some posed pet photography shots.

This involves placing them in a pre-arranged setting and usually having them look into the camera, preferably with a cute expression. Easier said than done, but treats or favourite foods can help!

Choose a setting with a clear and non-distracting background – Border Collie – Photo: Purple Collar Pet Photography / Getty Images

If you’re really ambitious you can set up a white background for a studio-style picture. However, these types of pet portraits can seem sterile without any natural surroundings to give some context.

A plain patch of grass outside is perfect.

Indoors you can shoot on the bed or sofa, or lounge floor – just be sure to look around for distracting elements in the background and either remove them or compose to exclude them.

Make sure there is good light on your subject. Placing them near a window or doorway, if indoors, is better than using flash.

Outdoors, and diffused shade will eliminate distracting shadows and keep the contrast down, making your exposure easier. Dappled sunlight can look good but take care with your metering.

For the best perspective get down to your subject’s eye level, as shown in this shot of a Yorkshire Terrior. Photo: Yevgen Romanenko, Getty Images

The next step is getting your subject’s attention.

Making silly noises, or waving a toy or brightly coloured object, are the obvious tried and trusted methods. This is much easier if you employ an assistant to stand directly behind the camera. If the subject isn’t your own pet this should ideally be the animal’s owner.

Getting your subject to stay put and look at you rather than wandering over to investigate the distraction can be tricky. However, patience should pay off eventually.

The thing to remember with posed pet photography is to keep the session brief. Animals will get bored, and if you haven’t got a good shot in the first few minutes of shooting, the chances of getting one after that are not great.

Best to take a break and have another go later. Sometimes you simply have to work with what your pet is comfortable doing.

Don’t forget the pet owners

Don’t forget to include the owners when taking pet photographs, Photo: Westend61, Getty Images

If it’s not your pet you’re photographing, then ask to see if the owner wants to be in the photographs, and try and capture some natural-looking photos of both the pet and owner. This might take some time, but can make for memorable photographs, that the owner will cherish.

You’ll also find a whole range of other pets that can make for great subjects, and for some of the smaller pets, like rodents, and fish, you may need to think about how close you can get to your subject, and for the smallest of pets, you may even need to look at using a macro lens.

Guinea Pig feeding, Photo: Carol Yepes, Getty Images

If you’re planning on taking more photographs of dogs, then look at our guide on how to take great photographs of dogs.

If you want to make money from pet photography, keep an eye out for competitions that accept pet photography, such as the Comedy Pet Photo Awards, and The TOG Awards. For more, see the best photography competitions to enter in 2024.

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – This series is designed to take you from the beginnings of photography, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), to take you to the next level, whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. Have a look at further articles in this series.

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: Understanding white balance settings and colour
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Beginners guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Beginners guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Beginners guide to Macro Photography
• Part 11: Beginners guide to Street Photography
• Part 12: Beginners guide to Landscape Photography
• Part 13: How to shoot Action and Sports Photography
• Part 14: How to shoot wildlife photography
• Part 15: Raw vs JPEG – Pros and cons
• Part 16: How to create stunning black and white images
• Part 17: How to photograph events and music

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

Further reading:

• How to take great photographs of dogs
• How to master animal photography quickly
• Complete guide to wildlife photography
• Beginners guide to Portrait photography – How to get started

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

The post Complete guide to pet photography – tips and tricks appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

That question can be answered definitively by observing one good portrait photograph and comparing it with any selfie you care to select from the millions on social media. Selfies are artistically something less than self-portraits.

Taking photos of people is a great way to expand your photography skills, particularly as people are everywhere, and generally  enjoy looking at photos of themselves. Everyone’s a winner – if you do it well!

You need just two things to get started in portrait photography: a camera, and a subject. The subject will usually be another person, but could be your sweet self, or even pets such as cats and dogs.

What is portrait photography?

Whether you’re taking a photo of one person, or a group of people, portrait photography is defined as capturing something of the character of a subject . It can also include pets and other animals. A good portrait should reveal something of the identity, or even an attitude in the person photographed.

We’ll take you through what makes a good portrait, and the different types of portrait photography.

What makes a great portrait photo?

• Framing and composition
• Fun – enjoy it!
• Focus – on the eyes!
• Light and location
• The subject
• Candid moments

We’ll cover these topics in more detail, plus some accessories that can help you along the way.

Portrait of Ben Chapman taken on Fujifilm X-T30 II. Photo credit: Joshua Waller

Framing (and composition)

The “rule of thirds” is a great alternative to shooting the subject in the centre of the frame. Look out for distractions in the background, and move around till you have found the most pleasing framing. Work with the subject to try different positions, and see which works best.

Have Fun!

Capture the subject’s character, emotion, or a moment in time and you’ll have captured something great, or even true to who the person is, be they serious or silly. It’s important to enjoy photography – if you have fun while doing it, then natural spontaneity and presence in the moment will make for some great portrait photography.

FOCUS – on the eyes!

It’s natural to look at someone’s eyes when talking to someone, and it’s the same with portraits. We are drawn to the eyes. It’s important – make that essential – to get the subject’s eyes in focus.

Focus on the eyes – eye-detection auto-focus systems make this easier than ever before.

It is disconcerting to see photos of people with eyes out of focus. With very shallow focus, it’s possible that only one eye will be in focus, but this can still give a pleasing image.

Light (and location)

Light can make a huge difference to how a photo turns out, and can literally make or break a shot. Have great light, and you’re likely to get a great shot, but have bad lighting, and you’ll struggle to produce a good result.

We’ll mention lighting several times when we’re talking about portrait photography, as it’s so important to the process, and this is where a reflector, LED lighting, or flash/studio lighting can really help to produce impressive shots.

Your location for the photoshoot also plays a big part in this, as some places have great lighting, and some don’t. It’s an optional tool to be aware of.

If you’re planning on using natural lighting, then have a look at our guide to capturing stunning portraits in natural light.

The subject – People

A great place to start is with friends and family, but if you don’t yet have the confidence to try this, then start with yourself with self-portraits (details below). Practice different camera setups, different lenses (if you have them), different lighting and locations.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the portrait is the person in the photo – it’s your job to capture them.

Working with people and capturing their essence can be difficult, as some people freeze as soon as a camera is pointed at them. This is where your relationship with the subject(s) matters. The more relaxed you are, and able to create a relaxed environment, then the more your subject will feel able to be themselves. Sometimes adding music can help with this.

If you’re able to capture them in a flattering pose, or in an image that makes them look better than anyone else has made them look, then they’ll come away loving your photographs. If working with a model, then don’t forget to complete a model release form. Trust us, it will save any potential issues further down the line, and means that you have the rights needed to use the image.

What about bokeh and backgrounds?

Note in all of the above, we haven’t mentioned the B word? Bokeh… because yes, bokeh and background blur can help you create a portrait that pops out from the image – but it isn’t everything. It’s certainly often utilised in portrait photography, while  other genres have other priorities for their backgrounds.

However, if you do want to play with background blur, then using a lens with the aperture set wide “open” will help here, with f/1.8 giving a more blurred background than f/2.8 or f/4 would. If you’re looking for a starting point on the kind of lens you might need for portrait photography, have a look at our guide to portrait lenses.

What about editing? Colour or black and white?

Colour, or black and white? You decide. Whether you produce colour or black-and-white images will be up to you, and the look you want to give. We’ve got a guide to black-and-white portrait photography here.

Colour or black and white? Which do you prefer? Model: Lucy Woodroffe. Photo: Joshua Waller

Editing is another thing – this can turn a 30-minute shoot, into a 3-hour shoot, particularly if you need to edit every photo, and one of the reasons why people always talk about getting it right in-camera. We discuss editing in more detail below.

Candid portraits vs posed portraits

Photo credit: Isabella Ruffatti.

There’s nothing wrong with posing for a photo, but capturing spontaneous and unposed candid moments is another way of approaching portrait photography that can really elevate your portraits and say something about your subject’s personality. A good way to do this is by photographing your subject in a place they’re comfortable in or with props that mean something to them.

What are the main types of portrait photography?

There are a number of different types of portrait photography, and whilst they aren’t hard and fast rules, it can be useful to find out more about the different types, particularly if any of them appeal to you more than others, as then you can go on to learn more about them, and improve your photography skills in each area.

1. Traditional Style Portrait

Headshot, taken in a studio, Photo: Morsa Images / Getty Images

The traditional portrait or “headshot” is predominantly shot in a studio where you have complete control over the lighting and backgrounds, with studio flash you can use smaller apertures, get more of the subject in focus and produce beautifully crisp, sharp and detailed photos.

You will then need to edit the images to remove any blemishes or spots, depending on the planned use of the image. If you’re shooting for fashion or portraits of models, then each person may have different needs and expectations of how much editing or retouching they want to happen to the image.

If you’re not a fan of editing and want to capture subjects “warts and all” then make sure you let them know beforehand. Follow this link if you’re wanting to know more about how to take beautiful portraits (and edit them).

2. Lifestyle / natural / environmental portraits

Capturing the subject in their own natural environment, living their life – this could be genuine or posed to portray a certain “lifestyle” and can give an image more character and interest than simply using a blank background. However, one of the biggest challenges of shooting in the subject’s natural environment, particularly outdoors, or indoors, is relying on either the sun (which may not show up or might be too harsh) as a light source or the ambient lighting in a room.

This is where a few simple accessories can come in, and be particularly useful to add in some additional lighting, whether that’s a small reflector or LED lighting. You may need to be flexible, and be prepared to work with potentially distracting backgrounds, or move around until you’ve found the best location or the best lighting conditions. If you’re happy to travel, this can be a fun way to explore your local area, and find new places to photograph.

3. Group portraits – Family/group/couples/friends

Flash or another light source has been used in this shot. Photo credit: Flashpop / Getty Images

Want to know what makes a group portrait? As soon as you’ve got more than one person in the shot, you’re now taking a group portrait. You’ll find that couples, families, colleagues and groups of friends love being in photos together. Some may naturally get together and position themselves in a natural form, but most likely you’ll need to guide them to ensure they position themselves in the best possible manner.

In many ways, many of the guides to taking great portraits also applies to group portraits, but instead of simply keeping one pair of eyes in focus, you now need to keep all subjects in focus, and for this, you may need to adjust the aperture to f/4 or more. It’s also a good idea to take multiple shots, just so you can make sure no one is blinking.

Read our guide to shooting family portraits here.

4. Event portraits and event photography

This shot was taken using the available light, and due to the mixed lighting, this image was converted to black and white. Credit: Joshua Waller.

Events can be fun, but can also be hard work. If you’re relying on additional lighting, such as a flashgun, make sure your battery is fully charged, and the same is true for your camera. Make sure you have spare batteries. If you’re photographing people at an event, whether that’s a party or an awards ceremony, you often have one chance to get the shot. You won’t be able to stop an awards ceremony and ask people to wait while you change your battery!

You’ll also need to be aware of the lighting conditions, and bring additional lighting just in case. In this shot, photographing people at an “after party” following an event, the lighting was mixed, but good enough to give good images of people. In other venues, the lighting could have been too dark to shoot without the use of flash or LED lighting.

See our guide to events photography.

5. Self-Portrait or “Selfie” portraits

Lucy Woodroffe taking a selfie. Photo credit – Joshua Waller

If you’re shy in front of the camera, and not too keen when other people try and take photographs of you, then why not take some self-portraits, so you are in control of the full process?

Set up your camera on a tripod, and if your camera lets you remotely control it, then you can start taking photos of yourself. Alternatively, you could use the camera’s self-timer feature, or use a remote-release cable.

However, one of the best ways to do this, is to use the camera’s remote-control app, connecting to the camera’s Wi-Fi, and then you can see yourself on your smartphone while you take the photo(s). This way you’ll be able to find your best angle, your best look, and find the best lighting for the shot.

You’ll find some self-portrait inspiration from Barbara Farkas who used self-portraits to raise environmental issues.

6. Festivals and music portraits

Festival photograph, Simon Naylor. Photo: Joshua Waller

Festivals are a wonderful place to take photos of people – there are often plenty of characters, and many people put a great deal of effort into fancy dress, they’re also often quite happy to have their photos taken. If you enjoy this type of photography and can produce lots of great photos, you may even find this is a potential area for work.

Another type of portrait photography you can practise at festivals is live music photography, along with band photography, with band members making for great photography subjects. Expect challenging lighting conditions (indoors or when the sun sets), plus lots of potential distractions from the subjects, whether that’s microphone stands, other people or random objects in the background.

If music photography is your “gig” then have a look at our guide to music photography.

7. Documentary Photography

Portrait taken as part of a story about Reach Homes. Photo Joshua Waller

This is a fantastic way to meet people in your community or your neighbourhood. You could start a project documenting your neighbourhood, community projects, or even just your neighbours. There have been several projects like this, during lockdown for example, and it’s a fantastic way of building community, as well as including people who might not normally have portraits taken of themselves.

Documentary photography, due to its core purpose being to document something, has a lot in common with photojournalism or news photography and you can use  to it to highlight a current issue, or bring to light some of the unseen parts of the world. If it’s something newsworthy, then it could end up in the news.

You could also combine it with Street Photography (more on this below), and simply capture the people and events that are happening around you. If you take your camera with you everywhere you go, you never know what you might capture.

You’ll find some documentary portrait inspiration from Alicia Vera’s photo story on loss and coping with her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

8. Wedding Portraits

Bride with bouquet. Credit: Viktoriya Dikareva, Getty Images

Wedding photography is a potential money earner with many photographers specialising in wedding photography. This type of photography can be a great place to create some beautiful-looking images, but with it comes the pressure of having to get it right the first time.

There are no do-overs with wedding photography. If you’re the primary photographer, it’s your job to get it right on the day, with no room for mistakes or problems with camera equipment.

If you’re a guest at a wedding, it can be a fun place to take some candid portraits, and casual shots, as long as you don’t get in the way of the main photographer!

9. Street Portrait Photography

Couple on the tube. Photo: Joshua Waller

If you enjoy people-watching and live in a relatively populated area, then this could be a great photography genre for you, and it almost goes without saying that Street Photography is about people.

Take your camera with you everywhere you go, and you might just catch a beautiful moment between two people, or an interesting character or person on the street. We’ve got lots of great tips on street photography, including a guide on what you need to know regarding the law and street photography.

10. Editorial Photography

Photo by Nowah Bartscher – Unsplash

Editorial photography is photography used to support the text in a newspaper, book or magazine, be it in print or online. As such, it overlaps with practically every photography genre.

After picking your genre: fashion photography, lifestyle stock images and photojournalism are three big areas in editorial photography, doing some research on publications and the type of portraits they publish as well as creating a portfolio of editorial portraiture is a good place to start.

11. Pet portrait Photography

Taken with Samsung S23, portrait mode. Photo credit: Amy Davies.

For millions of people around the world, no family is complete without a cat, dog or other pets. We lavish fortunes on our beloved pets, as well as our affections, so it’s only understandable that we’d want to photograph them too.

Whether you’re planning on photographing your own pet or someone else’s, check out our guide to photographing pets to find out more on how to get great shots.

Taking portraits with your smartphone

iPhone 14 Pro Portrait with 2x camera. Image credit: Amy Davies.

Smartphones can be particularly good for capturing candid portraits of friends and family that happen with no notice. But you can also treat your smartphone just like any other camera and set out with a dedicated portrait session in mind. For those who haven’t got portrait gear already, it’s a good way to give the genre a go without picking up specialist equipment.

Most modern smartphones today have some kind of portrait mode, which is designed to mimic the effects of shooting with a wide-aperture lens. The results from these modes, powered by clever AI and algorithms, have become ever more impressive. A lot of smartphones also have full manual modes, which is useful too. Most high-end smartphones also include short telephoto lenses, giving you a close approximation to shooting with something like a classic 50mm or 85mm optic.

Have a look at the best smartphones for portrait photography, and how to take amazing portraits on a smartphone.

But wait, there are more portrait photography types… click these links to find out more:

• Fine Art Portrait Photography
• How to take better Pet portrait photography
• Surreal portrait photography

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – is designed to take you from the beginnings of photography, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), to take you to the next level, whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form.

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

The post Complete guide to Portrait photography and portrait types appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

What is fine art photography?

Fine Art photography is unlike other genres of photography, such as photojournalism, where the photographer captures the subject for what it is. Fine art photography is much more subjective and expressive: of a narrative, idea, message or feeling through the medium of photography. The camera is a creative tool, in effect.

Whilst landscapes, people and streets may appear within the photographs, they usually intend to serve a purpose or hold a meaning. The choices made in subject, composition, lighting and so on within a photo are all purposely chosen.

Need further explanation? Three photographers share their definitions here.

Frame in a frame in a frame in a frame…. A different way to present a portrait. 1/250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200. Image credit: Claire Gillo

How to develop an idea for your fine art photography

The message or idea in your fine art photography could be a word, emotion or concept. Fine art photography is achieved through a process; perhaps one that is more intentional than in other kinds of photography. The first step is to consider an idea or concept, and then how you will present them.

A good place to start is to consider what you are passionate about, or something that has meaning to you. You may consider a range of ideas until you find something that resonates with you. Write them down and start to categorise ideas/themes; from here you can streamline them. Writing down ideas and even developing an ‘artist statement‘ may help, especially if you want to talk about your work with others.

Over the years I have been inspired by travel, particularly travel that involves revisiting the same locations multiple times. As such my work has developed to be based around themes of place, attachment as well as memory and mood.

Once you have found some core ideas, I recommend doing some research of the topic. See which other photographers and artists have explored similar themes, and how they present them. You can do this through searching on social media, the internet, reading books and other literature, as well as visiting exhibitions. I also look to other art mediums, like painting, for inspiration.

NB: an artist statement is a short piece of text that clearly describes the work. It aims to give the viewer understanding and context.

Image: Jessica Miller

Presenting a message or story through your fine art photos

Once you have found what you want to say through your photography, you will need to decide how you want to say it, and what you want the focus to be. Will you use, landscapes, people or still life to express the concept? Trying different styles and techniques is the only way to know whether it works or not – for you and your idea. I tend to use architecture, street and landscape as the main subject within my work to depict place, as well as experimenting with multiple exposures and intentional camera movement to present the idea of memory.

Pre-visualising is a good method for considering how your ideas and messages will be played out in an image. As Marsel van Oosten stated, ‘Pre-visualisation is visualising an image before it is made. Instead of merely capturing what you see in front of you, you first create the image in your head and then try to capture it. This is the most important creative technique that I use and know.’

As part of this, having some experimentation with trial and error will strengthen the final results. Not all ideas will work, and these should not be considered mistakes, but rather invisible steps towards

As with other forms of photography you should still consider the kit you use, composition, colour or black and white, lighting, editing etc, for what you wish to convey. Having a good understanding and being able to control these elements will be important for creating great photographs that put across your fine art idea.

Traboule et Cour des Voraces. Image: Jessica Miller. Using the surrounding buildings as a frame for the steps used in the silk trade in Lyon, France. Converted to black and white to hide distractions and elevate mood.

You should also consider if you are taking singular photos or images as part of a series. Want to know how to build a portfolio for your photography? Tracy Calder shares some advice for how to put together a portfolio here.

So how do you know if your photo has been successful in putting across your message? Ask yourself; and other people about how the image struck them, their first impression, feelings that it evoked. ‘How does the viewer read the composition? Does it guide their eye?’, ‘What do I/they get from it?’ and so on.

Portrait fine art photography

Fine art portrait photography is captured with intention and meaning to arouse emotion and thought. They are more than just capturing a headshot, beauty or fashion campaign or documentary shots, where the photography represents reality.

Fine art portrait photography tips:

• All about the eyes – Portrait photography is about the eyes. Even if your subject’s eyes are closed and this is deliberate it will impact how the viewer interprets and connects to the subject. If they are open and the main focal point, then keep those eyes sharp!
• Consider the environment – Capturing the surroundings of the person you are photographing can reveal more in your storytelling. Linking the background with the subject and narrative of your photo will give it a more concise and interesting concept.
• Light – Understand how the quality and direction of light affect your image. Hard light creates strong and well-defined shadows, adds contrast and draws attention to a specific part of it. Use it to add drama, strength and mystery to portraits. Soft or diffused light wraps around the subject with a smooth transition to shadows. It is more flattering and helps smooth blemishes and skin imperfections.
• Shadows – Creating a shadow can add character, shape, dimension and drama. You can completely change the look of your portraits depending on where you allow the shadows and light to fall.

See top fine art portrait photography tips here.

Credit: Faye Yerbury

Nude fine art photography

Fine art nudes are a niche of portrait photography and can be closely associated with boudoir photography.

Tips for nude fine art portrait photography:

• Experiment with different materials – Very soft organza, or silks of pastel tones, can add a new dimension to your pictures. Material can be wrapped around your model, used as a veil or encouraged to blow in the wind. This creates fluidity and movement when combined with slow shutter speeds.
• Move your feet – Do not take multiple images from the same position. Walk around the model to get different looks. You may vary the height of the camera by standing on ladders or hills. Lying or kneeling on the ground will also provide different perspectives by making your model look taller.
• Check out the location – Once you have chosen your spot, check what time of day the light will be best. Make sure you select the right model for the location, too. Think about skin tones, for example. Ensure the location is safe for everyone involved in the shoot.
• Direct the model – Direct the model as much as possible, but make sure that they are comfortable with your ideas. When you are happy with what you’ve got, let your model add their own creative ideas. [It’s important to respect their personal space, especially when working with someone new to you!]
• Hire a stylist – Consider using a hairstylist. They can make a good image a great one. They can also help with make-up. It can be an advantage to have a third person along to arrange materials in a particular way. Flimsy, floaty material slips off easily and a stylist or helper can fix things while you wait to shoot.

See top fine art nude photography tips here.

Landscape fine art photography

If you are choosing to use landscapes within your fine art photography, the first steps are to find connections, location and subject for your photographs. Consider its purpose in the picture.

Fine art landscape photography tips:

• Try using filters – Using an ND filters can help with long exposures or creating a sense of mood.
• Capture the intimate – your fine art landscape photos don’t have to be wide-angle, grand vistas. Consider focussing on details of the landscape, which can reveal more in your narrative.
• Sense of scale – create ambience and a sense of scale by including a person in your photo.
• Change the aspect ratio – try photographing in portrait or square formats as well as landscape.
• Don’t forget dull days – if it works for your concept don’t be discouraged by dull, cloudy days!  You can get great results with heavy clouds or mist. Also try going with a minimal approach or converting to black and white.

See our fine art landscape photography guide here.

Try creative techniques, such as intentional camera movement or multiple exposures. Image: Jessica Miller, from the series ‘Topophilia’

Still life photography

What is still life photography?

Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subjects. Your fine art photography could be made up of using arranged natural or manmade objects to form a still life.

Still life photography is a great way to challenge some of your photographic and camera skills. Composition, form, placement of objects within the frame, focus, depth of field, camera angle and lighting are all factors for consideration.

Some tips for your still life shoot:

First of all, don’t think that you need fancy equipment or a studio; you can do this at home with any camera you own; even a smartphone.

• Plan your shoot – including the objects you use and make deliberate choices about the objects and where they are placed.
• Think about styling – Aside from the arrangement of objects think about the styling and ‘look’ or mood of your photos. A great example is creating a still life of fruit, objects or flowers in the style of Dutch Masters.
• Observe the light – if you don’t have any lighting, natural light is a great source. Experiment with placing your objects by a window. Observe shadows and direct sunlight and how this affects your photo.
• Collect props – build up a collection of props that reflect on your theme. This will help if you want to create a series of images.

Claire Gillo shares how to take perfect still life photographs here.

See more of our best-ever landscape, portrait & still life photography tips here.

Bird in a glass case. The bird had been killed by a cat and the image preserves its beauty. 1/200sec at f/8, ISO 200. Image credit: Claire Gillo

Black and White Fine Art Photography

When it comes to shooting in this genre the subject matter can be of anything – and many like landscape and portraits work really well. The only stipulation for shooting a fine art black and white image, other than it being shot or processed with your artistic impression, is the image needs to be in black and white.

Here are some quick tips for your black and white fine art photography:

• Fine art photography has no boundaries – so you can use whatever camera you like! Black and white works well in a variety of mediums, including film.
• Dull misty conditions are perfect for black and white fine art photography. Look for something interesting in the foreground and capture a blend into the white mist.
• Look for dramatic contrasting light.
• Be experimental – you could even try adding a splash of colour within your photo.

Claire Gillo shares her guide to fine art black and white here.

Misty conditions makes for great black and white fine art photography. Image credit: Claire Gillo

Fine Art Architecture photography

Architecture photography is about buildings, monuments and their interiors and exteriors. The great thing about architecture, is that you can spend time looking at the static scene, and experimenting with different angles. From up close and looking up, to wide angle shots and full building landscapes. These perspective are what will help you create mood and atmosphere, and develop your story.

Here are some quick tips for fine art architecture photos:

• Try using neutral density filters – for long exposure photography and to downplay the sky so that attention is drawn to your main subject.
• Exaggerate – take what it is you like and give it a bit more oomph. Whether its the colour or contrast of your subject, revealing more and exaggerating on it will help reveal what caught your eye.
• Be different – don’t imitate what you’ve already seen. Have your own voice and take your ideas in different directions to others.

Sharon Tenenbaum shares more in her guide to fine art architecture photography.

Share your fine art photography work

Once you have created your work it’s a good idea as part of the creative process to gain feedback from others. Does your message come across to them? You can do this by sharing on social media, asking people you know, or members of photographic communities.

You could also enter competitions such as the Fine Art Photography Awards, Sony World Photography Awards and EISA Maestro where there are categories suited to fine art photography.

See more competitions to enter here.

Examples of fine art photography

Here are some examples of fine art photography to help you build inspiration for your portfolio…

Jovana Rikalo

Jovana Rikalo is a fine art and portrait photographer from Serbia. Plus, she has a degree in law but diverged from this to a career in photography in 2013. Her dreamy and emotion-packed imagery, is often shot outdoors using soft, natural light.

Reka Nyari

After studying at art school, Reka Nyari started modelling and developed an interest in photography. Her fine art photography often explores traditional ideas of gender, beauty and sexuality with a hint of mischievousness, eroticism and empowerment through the art of tattoo.

Florian Ruiz

Mirage Cities (series). Winner Cityscape, Amateur Category of Fine Art Photography Awards (2016) Image: Florian Ruiz

French photographer Florian Ruiz, creates projects to express the atmospheres, feelings, and sensations of desolate places. In recent works, Ruiz seeks to test the bounds of photography by challenging its ability to render an image of what is invisible to the eye by means of time and distortion. The series Mirage Cities came first place in the Amateur photographer category of the second Fine Art Photography Awards, in Cityscape.

Student fine art photography projects

Photography university graduates shared some great examples of fine art photography in their summer degree shows.

Aliz Kovacs-Zoldi

5. Reward, 1/180sec at f/11, ISO 200. Image: Aliz Kovacs-Zoldi

Aliz Kovacs-Zoldi’s project The Journey Within was inspired by her personal experience during pandemic, and the mental health challenges faced.

‘I wanted to channel the experience of isolation, anxiety and how the care for plants helped me into my third-year project. Whilst researching I came across a theory called the hero’s journey. It explains that all hero myths and stories share the same stages regardless of their origins, and that these stages revolve perpetually. Significantly, after reading about this theory I found that the challenges I faced in isolation echoed the stages detailed in the book, so I decided to use it as a guide to help create a narrative for my series.’

Zoe Ellen-Marie Jones

Image: Zoe Ellen-Marie Jones

Birmingham City graduate, Zoe Ellen-Marie Jones used mixed media and inspiration from environmental photography for her project that addresses the severity of climate change. She told us, ‘Each of my photographs conveys change and devastation using a mixed media approach. Flowers and plants have been the main subjects of my work, and I’ve employed materials like water, inks, oils, and fire to alter their natural appearance.

By contrasting the plants and materials, I was able to juxtapose nature’s inherent beauty with the harm caused by climate change, emphasising the serious dilemma that the world is facing. Furthermore, these materials serve as metaphors for the very things that are causing havoc on the planet, such as ocean acidification & pollution, water pollution and oil spillages that can occur far too often.’

See more examples here:

Behind the scenes of Middlesex summer exhibition

Westminster graduates demonstrate resilience in degree show

Falmouth students share diverse techniques in Gweles exhibition

UWE students share first exhibition post-pandemic

Featured image: Image credit: Jessica Miller

Related content:

• What is Fine Art? Photographers explain
• Fine art architecture photography guide
• Guide to fine art black and white photography
• World’s best fine art photography revealed
• Guide to fine art landscape photography

This article is part of the AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – and is designed to take your knowledge of photography to the next level, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. You’ll find further articles in this series.

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You’ll also get the opportunity to remotely control your camera, giving you additional creative options, such as setting up the camera for use in a remote location, or take advantage of the larger screen on your smartphone or tablet.

If you’ve never done this before, then this guide on how to connect your camera to your smartphone is for you. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll wonder why you’ve never done this before.

What you need to know to connect your camera to your smartphone

This guide is setup so that you can find instructions for your specific brand of camera, as each camera company has their own app or application available for smartphones and tablets, and for Android devices, like the Google Pixel 6, you’ll find them in the Google Play store. For Apple iOS devices, like the Apple iPhone 13 Pro, you’ll find them in the Apple App Store.

How to connect your Canon to your phone

• App name: Canon Camera Connect App
• Cost: Free

Canon Camera Connect App from Google Play

Canon Camera Connect, is the app that you need, in order to connect your Canon camera to your smartphone or tablet. It lets you view and transfer images on your camera, use remote live view shooting, as well as use location information from your smartphone to Geotag your images. There’s also an option to set up auto-transfer or use the smartphone as a Bluetooth remote control. Using Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi and live view will help save precious battery life. What’s more, you can also update the firmware, but this function is only available for newer releases like the Canon EOS R5,  Canon EOS R6 and R3 models, and products announced after 2022.

Using the Canon Camera Connect app

How to connect your Nikon to your phone

• App name: SnapBridge
• Cost: Free

Nikon SnapBridge from the Google Play Store

This is the latest app that Nikon provides for connecting your Nikon camera to your smartphone, and can use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth if your camera supports it. By using Bluetooth, you can remotely control your camera or transfer images with lower battery consumption.  You can add location data and there’s also support for Nikon Image Space, which is Nikon’s cloud storage and photo backup system. For the latest mirrorless Nikon models, like the Nikon Z8 or Nikon Z9 SnapBridge also provides firmware updates through the app.

How to use the Nikon SnapBridge app

How to connect your Sony to your phone

• App name: Imaging Edge Mobile
• Cost: Free

Sony Imaging Edge Mobile from Google Play Store

Like the other apps here, Sony’s Imaging Edge Mobile lets you transfer images and video from your camera to a smartphone, remotely control and shoot from the smartphone, giving you a larger screen. You can also add location information from your smartphone so that your photos are stored with GPS data attached. Tablet support means you can use an even larger screen for remote shooting. The app supports Sony A-mount and mirrorless Sony E-mount cameras as well as professional video cameras and action cams.

How to connect your phone to a Sony camera: Sony Imaging Edge Mobile.

How to connect your Fujifilm to your phone

• App name: Fujifilm Camera Remote
• Cost: Free

Fujifilm Camera Remote App from Google Play Store

The Fujifilm Camera Remote app allows you to connect your Fujifilm X series camera to your smartphone, letting you remotely control your camera, using live view shooting, import and transfer images, as well as automatically transfer images that you’ve marked for transfer on your camera. The models that support Bluetooth connection the Fujifilm Camera App offers firmware updates, so for example you can easily get the latest version for your Fujifilm XT-5, or medium format Fujifilm GFX 100.

How to use Fujifilm Camera Remote app.

Nb. A different app is needed to connect Fujifilm Instax cameras and printers to your smartphone, depending on what Instax camera or printer you have.

How to connect your Olympus / OM System to your phone

• App name: OM Image Share / OI.Share
• Cost: Free

OM System OI Share smartphone app from Google Play Store

OM Image Share is the new app for OM System and Olympus cameras, and it works with old and new cameras. Of all the smartphone apps, it’s one of the highest rated on the Google Play store, and as well as all the usual features such as remote shooting, importing photos, and adding Geotag (GPS) data, it also helpfully includes a built-in How-To camera guide, as well as the ability to edit photos.

Olympus OI Share: Connect your Olympus camera to your phone

How to connect your Panasonic Lumix to your phone

• App name(s): Panasonic Image App / LUMIX Sync
• Cost: Free

Panasonic Image Sync App from Google Play Store

Panasonic, for reasons unknown, offer not one, but two different Apps, starting with the newest, the Lumix Sync app for some cameras, including the full-frame S series cameras like the full-frame mirrorless Panasonic Lumix S5 II (also S1, S1R, S5 etc), and G series cameras like Panasonic Lumix G9 II (also including the G100, GH5 II, GH6 etc).

But for other Panasonic cameras, they recommend using the Panasonic Image App (shown above). In fact Panasonic themselves confusingly say that to “use all functions, use Panasonic Image App”

Panasonic Lumix Sync: How to connect your camera to your phone

How to connect your Pentax/Ricoh to your phone

• App name: Image Sync (Ricoh Imaging Company)
• Cost: Free

Ricoh Image Sync App from Google Play Store

Designed to work with Pentax DSLRs such as the Pentax K-3 III, as well as Ricoh cameras such as the Ricoh GR III and Ricoh GR IIIx, the Ricoh Image Sync app is relatively basic, but one that gives you the ability to view and transfer images, as well as remotely control the camera.

How to connect your Leica to your phone

• App name: Leica FOTOS
• Cost: Free

Leica FOTOs app from Google Play Store

This promises to be one app for all your Leica cameras, whether that’s a compact, a rangefinder, or a full-frame mirrorless camera. The app lets you download photos from your camera as JPG or DNG (raw) files, you can control your camera remotely, as well as update your camera firmware via the app. For the latest Leica M11, it even lets you download firmware updates Over-the-Air.

How to connect your GoPro to your phone

• App name: GoPro Quik
• Cost: Free

Go Pro Quik App from Google App store

The GoPro Quik app transfers photos and videos from your GoPro camera to your phone. It is compatible with Hero 4 or newer devices and features dozens of filters, a basic but useful image editor and a feature to change video speed and auto-sync edits to music. And like most camera apps it also lets you control your camera remotely. It is compatible with all Go Pro and Go Pro Hero models (except for HD HERO and HD HERO2) up till the latest Go Pro Hero 12 Black.

Read our guide to the best action camera to buy in 2023

Guide to the main features when you connect your camera to your smartphone

Images can be transferred individually or in batches using Sony’s Imaging Edge Mobile app

Transferring images to your smartphone

By transferring your camera photos to your smartphone, you’ll be able to quickly share these with friends, and on social media sites, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and anywhere else you want.

Some apps will transfer a resized (smaller) image, whilst others will let you transfer the full-size image. Some apps also let you transfer the raw image file, so that you can edit this on apps like Adobe Lightroom Photo and Video Editor, or Snapseed. Once you’ve transfered your images you’ll need to check your smartphone albums to find your photos.

The remote shooting mode gives users the option to control the camera’s most frequently used settings straight from a smartphone. This is handy when you’d like to create distance from yourself and the camera. Wildlife and group shots are just two examples of where it can be exploited to its full potential.

Remote shooting with live view

By using a smartphone or tablet as a remote control for your camera, you can view the scene on a much larger screen, as well as position the camera in another location while you shoot. This could be of great use for group shots, or even wildlife photography, where you don’t want to scare any animals.

Some let you use your smartphone as a remote trigger (Fujifilm), without live view if needed, but even with live-view you can use your smartphone as a remote trigger.

Having the option to wirelessly transfer images from camera to smartphone is great to have when you’re travelling

Geotagging images

Why do people add GPS data to images? By adding the GPS data from your phone, you can get an exact location of where you were when you took your photos, and this could help you track your location, particularly if you’re travelling or on a road trip.

This is particularly useful for photojournalism or documentary photography. You can even use geotagged photos to produce a map of your journey, or contribute to Google maps adding photos for local information.

So now you know of the benefits of connecting your camera to your smartphone, why not give it a try and start sharing your images, or shooting remotely. 

Related reading:

• Best photo apps for your smartphone
• Smartphone vs Digital Camera: Which is better?
• 10 ways smartphones can help your photography

This article is part of the series: AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB. Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

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One of the best things about them is their relative simplicity – you can point and shoot and get great pictures. But, if you want to take your shots to the next level, there are lots of different things you can try to get just a bit more out of your device – some of which are a little hidden away.

Most of these tips and tricks can be used with all of the recent iPhone models, so you don’t necessarily need to have the very latest (iPhone 15 series) to take advantage of them – but we’ve marked where a couple are currently unique to the newer models.

So, read on to find out how you can unleash the power of your iPhone camera and get your best smartphone photos yet with our iPhone photography tips and tricks.

iPhone photography tip 1 – Shoot in raw format

Toggle ProRAW control on in the settings menu of your iPhone. Photo: Amy Davies

Many of the top-end smartphones now offer you the opportunity to shoot in raw resolution. This gives you great scope for editing your shots later down the line to bring out extra detail, particularly in areas of highlight and shadow.

Apple calls its raw format “Apple ProRAW”, but it’s universal DNG format, meaning you’ll be able to open it on your computer using software such as Adobe Photoshop CC, or on your phone with editing apps such as Adobe Lightroom Mobile.

In order to see the raw option when shooting, you’ll need to head into the phone’s main Settings, then select Camera, then Formats. Select ProRAW & Resolution Control and you’ll now see it in the main shooting window. You can also choose a default resolution for your raw images too.

If you want to save space, you can toggle raw format shooting on and off – you probably don’t need to use it for a quick snap of your dinner for example, but for more considered shots, it can be a good choice.

It’s also worth noting in this menu that you can either shoot in “most compatible” or “high efficiency.” Most compatible will leave you with JPEG images that can be read by just about everything, while high efficiency means you’ll shoot in HEIF – this is becoming a more and more easily read format, but it’s still not as universal as JPEG.

iPhone photography tip 2 – Choose your resolution

Shooting in the maximum resolution can come in handy in some situations. Photo: Amy Davies

If you’ve got an iPhone 15 series phone, then the default output of images taken with the main sensor will be 24 megapixels.

However, you can choose to shoot at a different resolution, depending on your needs. Firstly, you can shoot at the maximum 48 megapixels (in either JPEG or raw format) if you want to shoot something with lots of detail. Alternatively, you can also reduce the resolution to 12 megapixels in order to save more space on your device, too.

First, head into Settings > Camera> Formats. From here, tap “Photo Capture” and you can reduce the standard output from 24MP to 12MP if you prefer. In the same menu, you can also toggle on ProRAW & Resolution control, and also set a default for the ProRAW setting (JPEG Max (up to 48MP), ProRAW 12MP or ProRAW Max (up to 48MP).

Now, when you go back into the camera app, you should see “RAW” at the top of the screen. A single tap of this will switch raw shooting on or off, while if you hold it down you’ll be able to toggle between the different resolutions available.

Just to note – it says “up to 48MP” in the Settings menu, because if you shoot with other lenses aside from the main one, the resolution will drop to match that sensor.

For other recent iPhone series models, such as the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro, the default resolution from the main sensor is 12MP, and it can’t be increased to 24MP. With the iPhone 14 Pro, you can still shoot at the higher resolution, though – up to 48MP.

iPhone photography tip 3 – Choose a 1x lens (iPhone 15 Pro series only)

Caption: Tap the 1x lens to move to 1.2x or 1.5x. Photo: Amy Davies

A fun new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro series is the ability to choose a different “1x” lens from the standard 24mm option.

In the main camera app, tapping the “1x” lens will take you to 1.2x (28mm equivalent) and 1.5x (35mm equivalent) very quickly. Tap again to return to the standard 1x option.

If you find you’re regularly shooting at 1.2x or 1.5x, you can opt to have this as your default option, too. Alternatively, you can also switch off any of the two extra “lenses” that you don’t want, which would enable you to jump from 1x to 1.5x for example.

The settings menu showing the Main Camera options. Photo: Amy Davies

Go to Settings > Camera > Main Camera, where you can toggle lenses on and off, and choose a different default if you prefer.

Note that this is only available for iPhone 15 series phones, for now at least.

iPhone 15 Pro 1x lens sample image, a cathedral with trees and graves

iPhone 15 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/5814s · 6.86mm · ISO80

The same scene at 1.2x (28mm equivalent). Photo: Amy Davies

iPhone 15 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/6410s · 6.86mm · ISO80

The same scene, but at 1.5x (35mm equivalent). Photo: Amy Davies

iPhone 15 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/7937s · 6.86mm · ISO80

iPhone photography tip 4 – Extend Night mode exposure time

Use the slider to increase Night exposures. Photo: Amy Davies

All of the recent iPhone models have had an automatic Night mode, which should kick in when the phone detects that there isn’t much light in the scene.

It’s a shame that the Night mode can’t be manually selected, but, you can take some additional control once it does to potentially get even better pictures. If you swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap on the moon icon (as shown in our picture here), you’ll be able to adjust the shutter speed beyond what the phone has decided is appropriate.

If you’re using a tripod, or balancing the phone on a steady surface, you’ll be able to increase the shutter speed to several seconds (the phone automatically knows when it’s stable).

iPhone photography tip 5 – Switch on macro mode

The macro mode should automatically activate when you bring it close to a subject. Photo: Amy Davies

Macro mode has been a feature of iPhones for several generations now. It works by automatically detecting when you are very close to a subject and switching to the ultrawide lens.

You should notice that a small flower icon appears when you get close to a subject. If you don’t see this, make sure macro detection is switched on in the main menu (Settings > Camera > Macro Control).

At any time, you can also switch off macro too – this can be useful in some circumstances. As the phone is switching to the ultrawide lens, you lose the ability to shoot in high resolution, while the aperture of this lens is narrower than the 1x lens. If you’re doing some close-up work, but you’re not *too* close, it can be worth tapping the icon to switch back to the main camera. Try experimenting with how close you can get with that to see what works best.

iPhone photography tip 6 – Switch on Portrait detection (iPhone 15 Pro series only)

Portrait detection should automatically recognise a dog . Photo: Amy Davies

One of the new introductions of the iPhone 15 series was automatic portrait detection. This works by recognising when a portrait subject is in front of the lens (human, dog or pet) and capturing all the necessary detail required to create a “Portrait” (shallow depth of field image).

This is great when you’re using the main Photo mode and want to quickly capture a moment without having to switch to the specific shooting mode.

In the standard Photo mode you can set the iPhone 15 series to automatically recognise subjects such as dogs and create Portraits. Photo: Amy Davies

iPhone 15 Pro Max · f/1.78 · 1/211s · 6.86mm · ISO64

You will notice when a Portrait subject has been recognised by the appearance of a small “f” (to denote aperture) in the corner of the screen. Once you’ve taken the picture, you’ll be able to add or remove the Portrait stylings as you see fit.

You can switch the Portrait effect on/off after you’ve taken the shot. Photo: Amy Davies

If you don’t see the f, make sure it’s switched on in the main menu (Settings > Camera > Portraits in Photo Mode).

With iOS 17 you can also adjust the focus point for your portraits after the fact – perhaps the phone has focused on your dog’s nose, rather than its eyes for example. This is a feature that should work with any iPhone from the 13 series onwards, so you don’t need to have the latest 15 models for this part of the tip.

To try it, open a Portrait and tap Edit in the top right hand corner. Tap anywhere around the screen to change the focus point as you see fit. You can also adjust the level of blur to create a more – or less – pronounced effect too. When you’re happy, click Done to save your changes – you can revert back to the original, or remove Portrait styling altogether at any time too.

iPhone photography tip 7 – Experiment with Picture Styles

Switch on the different Picture Styles to change the look of your photos. Photo: Amy Davies

A fun way to change up the look of your photos is to shoot using different Picture Styles.

To access them, swipe up from the bottom of the main camera window and tap on an icon which looks like three squares.

From here, you can swipe to move from the default option (Standard), to Rich Contrast, Vibrant Warm, Warm, and Cool. These are all fairly subtle, but are worth experimenting with – some will suit some situations better than others.

You can also customise each Style by adjusting Tone and Warmth to get a slightly different look again. If you do that, the names of the styles will change – for example to “Vibrant Cool”. You can reset the Styles any time you like.

A couple of things to note about Picture Styles. You can’t remove them after you’ve shot a picture – so make sure to turn them off when you don’t want to use them – if you’ve got one activated you should see an icon at the top of the screen to allow for a quick removal (or change) of the Style. Secondly, you can’t shoot in raw format with Styles activated, but you can shoot Live photos (where a short amount of video is captured with the style).

An image shot with the “Standard” Picture Styles activated. Photo: Amy Davies

iPhone 15 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/7092s · 6.86mm · ISO80

The same scene with the “Warm” Style. Photo: Amy Davies

iPhone 15 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/7092s · 6.86mm · ISO80

iPhone photography tip 8 – Switch on the Level and Grid

The grid and the level come in handy for composition. Photo: Amy Davies

This is a feature which has been around in cameras (and other types of smartphones) for a long time and always comes in handy when trying to compose things like landscapes and architecture.

iOS 17 introduced the ability to switch on a level which you can see in your main camera window – it’ll turn yellow if you hold the camera straight.

To switch it on, go to Settings > Camera and toggle “Level” on. Although not a new feature, it can also be worth switching on the Grid too, to help your composition too (Settings > Camera > Grid).

iPhone photography tip 9 – Try different filters

You can see straightaway how certain filters will look. Photo: Amy Davies

If you like the idea of your photos having a different look, but you’re put off by the permanence of Picture Styles, then take a look at Filters.

These can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, swiping along the various options presented here, and tapping the icon that looks like three overlapping circles.

An image shot using the “Silvertone” Filter. Photo: Amy Davies

iPhone 15 Pro · f/1.78 · 1/1597s · 6.86mm · ISO80

The filters are a lot more dramatic than the Styles, and include monochrome options too. You will see how your picture looks during composition too. The good thing about these is that you can remove or change the filter after you’ve taken the shot by tapping “Edit”, and, you can also shoot in raw format with filters switched on too.

iPhone photography tip 10 – Adjust aspect ratio

You can shoot in three different aspect ratios by default. Photo: Amy Davies

By default, the iPhone will shoot in 4:3 ratio, which works well for many different scenarios.

But you might not be aware that there are other aspect ratios which you can select too. To access them, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap the circle marked 4:3. You’ll now see options to shoot in Square (1:1) or 16:9 ratio.

Remember to change back to your preferred ratio – though if you forget, you’ll be able to access the default (4:3) ratio by tapping Edit, selecting “Crop” and then “Original” too – which is handy to know.

iPhone photography tip 11 – Preserve your settings

Preserving your settings is a good way to speed up your shooting process. Photo: Amy Davies

If you regularly shoot one particular subject, it can be quite frustrating when the settings reset every time you open up the camera app.

Happily, there’s a way around this – head to “Preserve Settings” (Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings) and you can toggle on (or off) a number of settings, including Exposure Adjustment, settings you’ve changed with Night Photo, Creative Controls and more.

Setting it to “Camera Mode” is a good one to select if you’re shooting lots of video in a day – as you won’t have to keep going back to the video mode every time you open the app.

There’s an explainer about what each setting does if you’re not sure, which comes in handy.

iPhone photography tip 12 – View outside the frame

With view outside the frame enabled you can easily see things that are about to enter the shot. Photo: Amy Davies

This feature is particularly handy for street photography and similar situations.

By enabling “View Outside the Frame” (Settings > Camera > Composition) you can see on either side of the frame what’s about to come into view. This can be helpful for waiting for the opportune moment. It’ll also give you a good idea of how an image will look when shot at a wider focal length, without actually having to adjust the length, too.

The data for this setting comes from the wider camera, so it’ll work when shooting in 1x, 2x, or 3x/5x (depending on your model of iPhone), but you won’t be able to use it with the ultrawide lens, since that’s already the widest you can go.

Related reading:

• Best photo editing apps for your phone
• 10 ways smartphones can help your photography
• iPhone vs Android: Which is better for photography?
• iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro: Do you need a 5x zoom?
• iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro/Max: Should you upgrade to get 5x zoom?

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In this ultimate guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about tripods, with our expert Technical Editor, Andy Westlake. 

I suspect many photographers have a guilty feeling lurking inside that they should really be using a tripod more often. While the remarkable high ISO and image stabilisation capabilities of modern cameras allow handheld shooting in incredibly low light, using a tripod will let you select low ISOs for the best possible image quality or use long exposures for a creative effect.

A tripod will improve your output across many photo genres and is essential for techniques such as focus bracketing and exploiting multi-frame high resolution shooting modes. Photo Andy Westlake

How to choose a tripod

Weight – The problem, of course, is that tripods are big, heavy, and awkward to set up – or at least, they always used to be. The good news is that, if you’ve become allergic to tripods after lugging around a chunky metal beast weighing several kilograms, the latest offerings are lighter and more portable than ever before.

Carbon fibre vs Aluminium alloy – Technology and design have advanced massively in recent years. Carbon fibre has gone from being an expensive luxury to a mainstream material, providing both lighter weight and superior dampening of vibrations. Many models are available in both materials, and I’d always recommend carbon fibre if you can afford it. Aluminium legs are cheaper but tend to be heavier.

Leg sections – three, four, or five? Where three-section legs were once considered de rigueur, four- or five-section models are now standard, giving a shorter folded length that’s more convenient to carry, especially when combined with reverse-folding leg designs. Anti-twist leg locks make setting up quicker than ever, while the Arca Swiss dovetail pattern has emerged as the de facto standard for quick-release plates.

Also check the leg angles, particularly if you shoot on uneven ground or in confined spaces where you need to splay one or two legs further than the others. Look for legs that can be angled independently, as they are infinitely preferable for most tasks.

Legs continued – flip locks vs twist locks – Some tripods utilise flip locks while others use twist locks. If speed of set-up is important, look for legs with three sections and twist locks; if portability is essential but speed less so, look for legs with four or five sections and flip locks (tripods with more leg sections tend to have shorter folded lengths)

Other things to consider

What about the centre column? Most tripods feature a centre column that can be extended to raise the height of your camera, or angled and sometimes even inverted to allow for stability at otherwise tricky angles. For macro photographers who often shoot from ground level, this is a hugely important factor. One technique tip for centre column use: for maximum stability, extend the legs first and only deploy the centre column once you have reached maximum leg extension.

Tripod feet – While smooth rubber feet are best suited to hard surfaces and subjects such as interior architecture and studio still life, spiked metal feet provide more grip if you’re shooting on uneven ground. Some tripod legs feature rubber feet with internal metal spikes that can be ‘revealed’ if necessary. 

Does brand and price matter? In a market that was once dominated by Manfrotto and Gitzo, there’s also a wider range of brands to choose from. Newer names such as Benro, 3 Legged Thing, Feisol and Sirui provide innovative products at competitive prices, while longer established brands such as Vanguard and Velbon also have some fine offerings. Naturally, the general rule is that you get what you pay for.

What about the head? As expected with all this competition, there’s a wider range of tripods and heads on the market, but this means that choosing the best option for your needs can be confusing, to say the least. Read on for our overview of what’s available, and our recommendations for the best kit on the market.

Top tripods and kits

Tripods come in many different styles and sizes, each with its own specific strengths, here’s our guide to tripods and kits:

Top bargain: the Benro Slim Carbon Fibre tripod kit

Lightweight bargain tripods

Decent tripods don’t have to weigh a ton or cost a fortune, and it’s possible to get lightweight but sturdy tripods for under £100. Compromises include a lower maximum height and recommended load, meaning these tripods are best suited for use with smaller DSLR or mirrorless cameras with tilting screens, and not ideal for shooting with large lenses. Our top pick is the Benro Slim TSL08 Carbon Fibre tripod + N00 ball head kit, which extends to 146cm, packs to 51cm, and weighs just 1kg. At just $154 / £99, it’s an absolute steal.

Another great choice is the Vanguard VEO 3 GO 235AB. This five-section aluminium alloy travel pod folds down to 38cm, while extending to 136cm. Weighing 1.2kg, it can support camera/lens combos weighing up to 4kg. It costs a very reasonable $140 / £165. If this model doesn’t suit, Vanguard has plenty more options of alloy and carbon fibre models to choose from.

3 Legged Thing has excellent tripods for all tastes and budgets. This is the Punks Brian 2.0 carbon fibre model

Travel tripods

If you’re jetting off on a city break, or plan on carrying a tripod around all day long, then an ultra-light and compact travel model is desirable. Five-section legs and two-section centre columns allow good-sized tripods to fold down to carry-on friendly dimensions. For an ultra-portable option, the superbly engineered carbon-fibre Benro Bat Zero Series carbon fibre is hard to beat. It comes with the excellent VX20 Arca-type compatible head, folds to 35cm and weighs just 0.83kg, but can extend to 41cm. It’s priced at $250 / £210.

If you need a full-size alternative, take a look at the 3 Legged Thing Punks Brian 2.0 at $299 / £242, which extends to an impressive 1.86m but folds to 42cm, and weighs 1.7kg including its ball head. It has an impressive maximum load capacity too, rated at over 13kg.

Benro’s Mach3 models such as the TMA28 are strong and great value

The solid workhorse tripod

For photographers who use larger cameras and lenses, a sturdy and substantial tripod is essential. Such models tend to be relatively large and heavy, but make up for it by being able to hold hefty kit at eye level. We’re huge fans of the Benro Mach3 range: budget-conscious photographers are well served by the $175 / £123 (legs only) aluminium TMA28A which offers a 155.5cm maximum height and 53cm folded length, while weighing 1.76kg and 1.54kg, respectively.

Leofoto camera supports are beautifully engineered and perform really well in the field

There are many tripod brands to consider and one for your short-list is Leofoto. The carbon fibre LS-324C comes with the LH-40 Arca-compatible ball head and is priced at $399 / £399. It has four-section legs with great to use twist-grip locks, extends up to 65in/1.7m and weighs 1.88kg. Not having a centre column allows for a slim profile and also lets you get as low as 16.5cm very quickly.

Manfrotto’s 190 Go provides exceptional versatility

Extra flexibility for macro or more

The vast majority of tripods have centre columns that can only be positioned vertically. But if you want to shoot from a wider range of angles, for example overhead close-ups, a tilting column can be really handy. Manfrotto’s excellent 190 Go! has a column that can be flipped to horizontal using a neat mechanism concealed within the central spider. Its vital statistics include a height of 152cm and closed length of 45cm, with leg only prices of $169 / £169 for the 1.67kg aluminium model and $299 / £299 for the carbon fibre version which weighs in at 1.35kg.

Another great choice is the Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 263AP, whose MACC (multi-angle centre column) can be tilted and rotated to almost any angle making it perfect for getting the camera into awkward positions without compromising stabilty. This aluminum alloy tripod can be bought with different heads and is priced at $188 / £165 for the legs with PH-32 head. Closed, the 263AP measures just under 64cm but extends up to a maximum height of 177.5cm. It weighs in at 2.6kg.

Maybe the ultimate travel tripod: Gitzo GT1555T

At a premium – premium tripods

If you’re prepared to spend almost as much on a tripod as you might on a decent lens, then some fantastic premium options are available. Gitzo leads the way, with its $550 / £459 GT1555T Traveller Series 1 being perhaps the finest travel tripod on the market. It’s not so much the core specs that matter here – 138cm maximum height, 35.5cm packed length, and 1.03kg weight without a head – as the sheer build quality and rigidity. It has a max load rating of 10kg and the Traveler G’s twist leg locks are excellent.

If your need is for a first-class full size tripod and budget is no concern, there is plenty of choice in the ranges of 3 Legged Thing, Benro, Leofoto, Manfrotto and Vanguard, among others. One of our favourites is again from Gitzo. Its Systematic tripods are amazing and the Series 3 offers great stability while being portable enough for location shooting. Check out the GT3543LS at $1,172/ £769 legs only which weighs 2.03kg but can support a 28kg payload.

Benro’s Tortoise 03C and GX25 is an excellent table top tripod

Low-level macro

If your interests include shooting subjects very close to the ground, then a small set of legs can be more practical than a full-size tripod. The carbon fibre Benro Tortoise 03C and GX25 ball head mini tripod kit costs $290 / £235. Weighing in at 920g, this pod has a minimum working height of 15cm and at full extension the camera platform is at 31.5cm. The GX25 ball head is impressively stable and accepts Arca-type plates.

Users on a tight budget could check out the Velbon EX Macro, which can be used for shooting at heights between 20.3cm and 56.3cm, and only costs around $40 / £49.

Specialist tripods and accessories

A range of alternative supports is available for those times when a full-size tripod isn’t the right answer

Versatile supports

The Joby GorillaPod has ball-joint legs that can be wrapped around railings, tree branches or fence posts

There’s something to be said for carrying a small but sturdy table-top tripod with you all the time, which you can deploy in situations where full-size tripods can’t be used. If you’d like to be able to attach your camera to railings or the branch of a tree, then a bendy-legged Joby GorillaPod could be just what you need. They’re available in several sizes and various kits to suit different needs and scenarios. The GorillaPod 3K Pro unit shown here has a 3kg max load rating so great for most mirrorless cameras and costs $100 / £89.

The LensCoat LensSack Prop Jr is a heavy duty bean bag ideal for use on car doors and on safari vehicles

Go anywhere – with beanbags

Some situations and locations simply aren’t amenable to a conventional tripod. For instance, when you’re shooting at ground level or propping your camera on a wall or car door, a beanbag can be indispensable. The LensCoat LensSack Pro Jr bean bag is $94 / £98 and one of the best around and designed to support lenses up to 500mm. A 3/8in mounting screw allows the fitting of a ball or gimbal head and this can be removed for normal bean bag use.

Joby’s tiny folding Griptight ONE Micro Stand phone tripod

Phone holders

With smartphones becoming ever more accomplished photographic tools, it can be useful to be able to fit them onto a tripod. As they don’t have their own sockets, some sort of clamp is necessary; look for ones that fold flat when they’re not in use. Our favourite is probably the Joby Griptight ONE Micro Stand, which costs $35 / £32, and accepts smartphones 2.2-3.6in. Alternatively, the Manfrotto TwistGrip Univeral Smartphone Clamp is a heavier- duty option that includes a shoe mount for a microphone or LED light, and costs around $52 / £44.

See our guide to phone tripods.

The Manfrotto XPRO carbon fibre monopod is a heavy duty unit

Monopods

Monopods don’t do the same job as tripods; instead they’re great for providing extra support with lenses that are too heavy to shoot handheld for long periods. Again there’s a vast range to choose from, with different weights, heights and rated loads; some also have small tripod feet for extra stability.

Our favourites include the excellent value Vanguard VEO 2S AM-264TR ($80 /£100). For demanding users, the £148 Manfrotto XPRO 5-section carbon-fibre monopod will support large telephotos with ease; it also comes in a kit with tripod feet for $190 / £259.

Arca Swiss grips and L-brackets

Ultimately, the effectiveness of any tripod is only as good as the connection between it and the camera. This explains the current ubiquity of the Arca Swiss pattern dovetail quick-release system – the clamp design locks the camera firmly onto the head. With this popularity has come a range of Arca Swiss base-plates tailor-made for different models of cameras, which often expand the hand grip as an added bonus.

Many also function as L-brackets that allow you to shoot in portrait format with the camera positioned over the top of the head, giving much better stability. Custom aluminium alloy L-brackets are available for almost every camera so just do a web search. Universal-fit L-brackets are also available. These can be particularly useful for landscape photography.

3 Legged Thing – Universal L-Bracket – Arca Swiss Compatible – the latest models are available from $70 / £40

Guide to Tripod heads

Photographic tripod heads come in four main types, along with some specialist options. Here’s a summary of the strengths and uses of each, along with a highlight of some accessories that can help in specific situations.

Sirui’s K-10X is an excellent lightweight ball head

Ball heads

By far the most popular type of tripod head, these win on light weight and speed of use, but can be difficult to adjust really precisely. The best have an independently lockable panning base, and a friction control to adjust the drag on the ball movement. Sirui’s K-X series heads are particularly fine examples, featuring a well-designed friction control, Arca Swiss-type quick release and multiple bubble levels. Prices range from around $130 /£94 for the smallest Sirui K-10X. Vanguard’s Alta BH range is a great budget alternative, at $71 / £75 for the BH-100 to $83 / £95 for the larger BH-300.

The Benro GD3WH gives precise 3-axis adjustments

Geared heads

For photographers who demand precise control of composition, perhaps for architectural or macro work, a geared head can be a godsend. Until recently, Manfrotto dominated this sector, aside from some super-expensive options from Arca Swiss. But now Benro has leapfrogged into the lead with its $175 / £169 GD3WH, a relatively lightweight and portable yet precise geared head that incorporates an Arca Swiss-type quick release. Those on a tighter budget should consider the $250 / £179 Manfrotto XPRO 3-Way Geared head, although it’s more plasticky and uses Manfrotto’s RC2 camera plate.

The Manfrotto XPRO 3-way Geared Head is perfect for precise adjustments with a tripod-mounted camera

3-way heads

The 3-way, or pan-and-tilt type of head, is almost ubiquitous on cheap aluminium- and-plastic tripods, but gets progressively less popular as prices rise. It has the big advantage of giving independent control over the three axes of camera movement, but the penalty lies in additional size and weight. As a result, 3-way heads are generally best suited for studio use. Having three levers sticking out in different directions also restricts portability, and for this reason we like Manfrotto’s MHXPRO-3W X-PRO 3-way head ($200 / £129) which features field-friendly retractable handles.

Gitzo’s gimbal head makes working with large telephoto lenses a breeze

Gimbals

If you try using large telephoto lenses on a tripod, you’ll quickly find that conventional heads aren’t really suitable for holding them securely. This is where gimbal heads come in. By suspending the lens from above, they provide a stable solution with even the heaviest of lenses. Our pick of the class is the Gitzo Fluid Gimbal Head priced at $400 / £429, which combines smooth fluid movement at slow rotation speeds with free movement for faster adjustments. The $374 / £269 Benro GH2 represents a worthy budget option.

Manfrotto MVH400AH Befree Live Fluid Head, available for around $68 / £109

Fluid heads – great for video

Fluid heads can also be particularly useful for video work as they normally feature a long handle for panning, with a fluid chamber, and adjustable tension control to help create smoother pans while recording. You may even find some models feature a counterweight. Add this to a video tripod and you should be able to achieve smooth pans with ease.

Panoramic heads

For shooting panoramas and virtual reality images, the Nodal Ninja NN3 is good value

Panoramic heads are specialist heads designed for precise panoramic photos, and can be very heavy and bulky as a result. They give you control of the camera, and let you rotate the camera and lens precisely around the nodal point of the lens, which means you can get vastly improved results shooting panoramic images, compared to a standard tripod head. However, for the casual panoramic photo, they are generally considered overkill.

If a specialist panorama head appeals, check out the Nodal Ninja NN3. With the RD10 rotator, expect to pay in the region of $223 / £283.

The Velbon Super Mag Slider allows precise focus adjustment

Macro sliders

These aren’t heads as such, but add-on accessories that allow the camera’s position to be adjusted precisely for macro photography, where even sub-millimetre movements can visibly change the composition and focus. The Velbon Super Mag Slider (£219) is quite bulky, but provides smooth and precise adjustment both forwards and backwards for focusing, and side to side for tweaking the image framing. If you can live without the latter, the Manfrotto 454 Micro Positioning Plate ($96 / £119) is a more compact option for macro focus adjustment.

Top tips for tripod use

1. Extend the centre column as little as possible for maximum rigidity.
2. On uneven ground, adjust the lowest, thinnest leg sections to ensure the tripod is level
3. Hang a bag off the centre column hook to help dampen vibrations.
4. Make sure all controls are locked down completely tight before shooting.
5. Use a remote release to fire the camera’s shutter.
6. In portrait format, use an L-bracket to keep the camera directly above the head.
7. If you use your tripod in saltwater, give it a good wash to prevent unwanted corrosion.

Look out for a tripod’s height with the centre column down

Understanding tripod specifications

The four obvious headline specifications when comparing tripods are:

• Maximum height
• Folded length
• Weight
• Load capacity

But also check the height without the centre column extended – the taller this is, the more stable the tripod is likely to be. If you’re interested in low-level work, also pay attention to the minimum height, and how much disassembly of the tripod’s centre column is required to get there – split columns are quickest and easiest to use. But note that load ratings should be taken as a very rough guide only; manufacturers determine them in different ways, and they tend to be optimistic.

Main tripod brands to check out:

• Benro
• Cullmann
• Feisol
• Gitzo
• Joby
• Manfrotto
• Sirui
• 3 Legged Thing
• Vanguard
• Velbon
• Wildlife Watching Supplies

Additional tripod accessories

Once you’ve found the right tripod for you, there are a number of different accessories that can help you if needed. Here James Abbott runs through the options.

Using a tripod with a remote release cable – Photo James Abbott

Special feet for different situations

Every tripod will come with a standard set of rubber feet, but some feature runner feet that twist to reveal small spikes for added grip in certain situations. You can also get feet designed for use on snow and sand, and spikes of varying lengths to make sure your tripod is as stable as possible on softer ground.

Plamp for holding subjects or a reflector

The Wimberley Plamp may have a strange name but this accessory is extremely useful, especially for macro and close-up photographers. The Plamp attaches at one end to a tripod, and the clip at the other can be used to hold a subject (such as a flower) still when shooting. Alternatively, the Plamp can be used to hold up small backgrounds or reflectors to even-out lighting.

Tripod bags

Most camera bags are designed to carry a tripod but if you’re using one that doesn’t, or using a camera insert in an everyday bag, a tripod bag may be useful. These bags are generally designed for specific models, and some tripods are sold with bags included. If your tripod didn’t come with a bag, check the manufacturer’s website to see if one that fits is available.

Article: Andy Westlake, James Abbott, Michael Topham

Check out our picks for the best tripods and best camera phone tripods you can buy. For more advice on how to use a tripod, have a look at our guide to tripods from professional photographers.

AP Improve Your Photography Series

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – is designed to take your knowledge of photography to the next level, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. You’ll find further articles in this series.

Here are some of our other articles in the series of the AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB.

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: Understanding white balance settings and colour
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Beginners guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Beginners guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Beginners guide to Macro Photography
• Part 11: Beginners guide to Street Photography
• Part 12: Beginners guide to Landscape Photography
• Part 13: How to shoot Action and Sports Photography
• Part 14: How to shoot wildlife photography
• Part 15: Raw vs JPEG – Pros and cons
• Part 16: How to create stunning black and white images
• Part 17: How to photograph events and music
• Part 18: Pet photography – how to photograph pets
• Part 19: The ultimate guide to flash photography

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