3 Things : playing with printing + a giveaway

A favorite photo tip is using the rule of thirds when composing a shot. It really does make for beautiful pictures-and a lot of times it gives me some negative space to journal directly onto my picture (in PS).

I just take photos in natural lighting whenever possible. An overcast day is perfect for outside portraits.

Ali, I have one tip as to printing on fabric paper. If your Hp photosmart printing software has an option for "other specialty paper" in the drop down menu for what kind of paper to print on, then choose that and see what happens. That's what I do and it work perfectly for me. I hope that helps.

Don't edit digital photos, didn't do it with film, don't waste the time now. HUGE time saver!!!

My favorite tip is to always carry a camera with you as you never know when a photo op will happen and you want to be ready. Even if you have a big camera, buy one that can fit in your purse or pocket!
Kip

The only things I know how to do are to crop and adjust light levels. But I've found that even just adjusting light levels makes the image brighter.

What I would like to work on is being sneaky! I'd like to learn to take great candid shots, and to do that you have to be able to hang around without anyone noticing you're there!

my fav thing to remember when taking pictures is to look at the whole picture: not just what you are specifically taking a picture of, but also the stuff surrounding and behind the subject. by remembering to do this, it can save some editing time!
something i would like to work on with my photography is lighting... i'm learning!

Be sneaky! My best shots are when people don't realize they're being photographed, that's when they let their guard down.

My best tip is to pay attention to where the sun is! This is harder than it sounds, and can make or break your pictures.
The other thing is to check your white balance. Often a small adjustment (tungsten for indoor pictures) can make a huge difference in the color of your pictures.
Thanks!
Dianne

I don't have a tip but i really like the look of the photo printed onto the vellum and then layered. That could be used in so many ways.

What I love the most is when part of the photo is in focus and part isn't. I'd like to know how to do it better, sometimes I do it accidentally and love it. But I can never seem to be able to do it on purpose (with a point and shoot).

Guess my photo tip would also have to be to have your camera with you. It's always those times that its not there that the cool shot gets away. Love looking back and seeing how far I've come and how far I have to go.
thanks for the inspiration.

PRINT your digital photos, don't just take pictures and store them on your computer. frame them, scrapbook them, put them in albums. my other tip is to print them in different sizes 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, 2x2 - mix it up.
julie

Like some others have already said... I am not even close to know much about photography but I have a strong hatred for the flash... I wish I could figure out how to take better natural photos without them being often blurry... Thank you for having this giveaway! I would love to try printing on different materials too!

One thing I really want to work on is perspective and layout. I really try to pay more attention to the perspective from which I am taking a photo and the overall composition of the picture. In the past I have found myself always taking the same type of picture, so this is a challenge for me to move beyond that typical picture and capture things in a different angle or a different perspective.
I really love the translucent paper and have never tried it so I would love to play with some. Thanks as usual for all the yummy inspiration here :-)

My favorite photo tip as of late is to duplicate the layer (I'm talking CS2), then change the blend mode on the new layer to hard light or soft light and bring the opacity down if necessary (usually is). Flatten the image and you're all set. This makes the photo more vivid and takes the gray haze out that digital cameras leave. P.S. if you haven't figured out already, I'm not a photographer!

Hmmmm. Photo tip. Hmmmm. Besides take tons of photos to get the one that you love? Oh, I know. Take photos of the big picture (landscape) and then move in and take photos of the details. Both tell the story.

This summer my goal is to organize and BACK-UP my photos.
Want a new camera!!!!
And I want to just be inspired!!!
Sam

thanks for sharing all of this really helpful information, ali (as always!).
my best photo tip, especially in the digital age, is to just take, take, take pictures--don't worry about the right composition, or "recipe" of exposure/aperture--just take pictures that feel good to you!