May
11
Paul Farris of Learn Photography Brisbane is riding in the 2012 Enerflex Brissie to the Bay bike ride to join the fight against MS.
Did you know:
5 Australians are diagnosed with MS every working day
The average age of diagnosis is just 30 years of age
MS affects more than 21,000 Australians and there is no cure
Please DONATE to support my ride and make your impact on the lives of Australians living with MS.
Paul Farris / Learn Photography
Apr
17
On the May 15th 2012, ADAY.org are asking people worldwide to pick up their cameras and capture a photographic document of daily life around the world. Photos will be uploaded to a single place online thus creating a global photographic archive of the world over a single day. In addition to the online archive, ADAY.org will also produce a book and global exhibit featururing a selection of the photos with individual photographers retaining the copyright of his/her image.
The project is initiated by the Swedish non-profit foundation Expressions of Humankind and supported by a highly respected global advisory council who’s mission is to use the power of photography to create, share and inspire perspectives on daily life for generations to come.
Who can join?
Professionals, amateurs, school children, farmers, social media fans, astronauts, office workers and YOU. Images can be taken on a Mobile phone, SLR, compact digital camera or any type of camera by anyone who simply enjoys photography.
Want to know more?
Check out the website : www.aday.org
Apr
13
The Queensland Festival of Photography 4 is now underway and is not to be missed if you love photography and live in the Sunshine state. With over fifty participating venues showing exhibitions, this is the only festival in Australia that expands across and entire state and includes exhibitions, workshops, seminars, folio reviews and artist talks. Stop by the website www.festivalofphotography.com.au for venue details, events and more.
Apr
10
Today we are pleased to be launching the new Learn Photography logo and website. Our website now has a clean new design whilst maintaining all the essential content and information regarding our Brisbane photography courses and workshops. We are also pleased to announce that we now offer Photoshop tuition on a one-to-one basis and can cover anything from the basics, RAW workflow or more complex editing techniques.
For more info on Photoshop tuition click here.
The new look Learn Photography website
Apr
10
At Learn Photography we see all makes and models of digital SLR cameras including the occasional film camera. This video provides some comic relief to the amusing rivalry between Nikon and Canon users.
Nov
23
A couple of months ago we introduced a new Brisbane photography course designed as a follow up to our popular day-long SLR workshop. The advanced SLR course was designed for digital SLR users who already have a good grasp of the basics and want to further their knowledge about lighting, exposure, metering, flash techniques, composition and more. A small group (6 people max) get to spend a day with a Learn Photography tutor and learn some advanced techniques including how a camera meter works and how to use it, creating custom white balance settings, composition & viewpoint, mixing ambient light with flash and loads more. The first two course sold out very quickly and we currently have one more date available on the 17th December.
For details on how to book the Advanced SLR Brisbane photography course visit our main website www.LearnPhotography.com.au
Nov
15
Paul Farris from Learn Photography and Brisbane Photography Courses.com.au guides you through some of the coolest gift ideas for photographers this Christmas. Ideal if you are stuck for ideas on what to buy, or you may want to forward the link as a hint of what YOU would like to see under the tree this Christmas!
1. Lens Mug
Without a doubt one of the coolest photography related gifts around this past year has been the ‘lens mug’. Available as either ‘Nikon’ and ‘Canon’ varieties, these mugs are actual replicas of real lenses with rubber-grip focus and zoom rings, easy to clean stainless steel lining, replica auto/manual focus switch and even a lens-cap lid.
You can purchase the lens mug from PhotoJoJo.com
2. A lens for low light (and great blurry backgrounds!)
Every photographer should have at least one lens in their kit bag that offers a wide aperture and thus performs well in low light as well as providing a shallow depth of field (great for portraits). ‘Fast lenses’ from Canon, Nikon and all the usual brands can be purchased at very reasonable prices (the Canon 50mm f1.8 for example is a steal at $135). We at Learn Photography especially love the 35mm f1.8 Nikon which as well as being really sharp, has a focal length that is the equivalent to shooting at 50mm when used on a DX Nikon body.
Nov
08
At Learn Photography we get asked a lot about the difference between shooting JPEG and RAW files, so here’s a brief overview. All digital cameras shoot images as a standard JPEG with all DSLR cameras (and some top-end compacts) offering RAW capture as an alternative. So which is best and what are the differences?
Firstly lets deal with the JPEG format, JPEG is a universal ‘industry standard’ image file format recognised by all camera and computer manufacturers, all cameras by default come out of the factory set to record images as JPEG’s. Because JPEG’s are a standard format it makes the transferring, copying and archiving of JPEG image files convenient and easy with no fancy software required. When shooting in JPEG mode however be aware that the image data (created by your camera) is processed and then compressed to allow more images to be saved to the memory card plus the compressed images are smaller so they also take less space on your computers hardrive!) When shooting JPEG’s we recommend shooting at the ‘high resolution’ (sometimes called ‘fine’) setting for better quality images.
Nov
07
A small group of five participants joined tutor Paul Farris last weekend on the Gold Coast for the first Learn Photography SLR workshop on the beach. Topics and techniques discussed and tried included controlling exposure, balancing natural light and flash, creative use of slow shutter speeds plus tips on equipment and hints on composition. below is a small selection of images taken on the day.
The next Gold Coast SLR beach workshop takes place on Saturday 10th December – UPDATE – this course has now sold out.
Nov
03
As a working professional photographer and photography tutor one of my favourite subjects is portraiture. Capturing the personality of a person within a photographic portrait is not an easy task so here’s 10 tips on how to take better portraits.Paul Farris (Learn Photography)
1> It’s all about the eyes
It’s said that the eyes are a window to the soul, so it’s essential therefore to ensure your subjects eyes are in focus. As a viewer our eyes are drawn firstly to what part of the image is in focus, so by ensuring the eyes are in focus the viewer is able to engage with the subject. Selecting a very wide aperture (small f number) will help give a shallow depth of field for the classic soft / blurry background ‘portrait look’ (see image.)
You may also want to try capturing your subject looking directly into the camera or even looking ‘off-camera’ – both will yield different results. Having your subject looking down the lens creates a connection between the subject and anyone viewing the image. However if the subject is looking outside of the ‘frame’ then this creates a feeling of intrigue and adds interest as the viewer can only imagine what they were looking at.
2> Composition
Choosing where to place your subject within the image can make or break a portrait shot. There is no golden rule here so the best advice is to experiment. It may simply be that the subject framed centrally staring into the camera works best, however placing your subject to the edge of the frame and giving them some space to ‘look into’ can also work well.
3> Angle of view / Perspective
Consider which angle to shoot your subject to give you the best results. There are no set rules and part of the fun is trying something different so why not try shooting from a high angle looking down on your subject, or get low and shoot upwards for a dramatic effect. Taking portrait photos of kids? – then simply bending your knees and capturing them down at their level works wonders as you’ll find yourself looking at the world from the child’s perspective.
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