When starting out in Photography, you can easily get overwhelmed about you need to purchase. As you are being constantly bombarded with information about all the different accessories available you might be wondering about which ones to get- and which ones to forget about! 

Although everyone will have different needs, I thought it might be useful to some of you to list a few of the little "extras" that I think are extremely useful to have with you on your photography journey. These will either simply make your life a little bit easier, and in most cases, improve your end result - which can only be a good thing right?

I did a post a couple of weeks ago with tips for getting sharp photos with moving subjects, so I thought I’d expand on that and do one with tips for still subjects too! The good new is, with still subjects you have a lot more time to get your focus right, but nailing focus can still be tricky. Here’s my tips for getting sharp images....

Winter is upon us, and in my part of the world, that means snow - and a whole new set of challenges when taking photographs! There are a couple of things to be aware of when shooting in the snow, so I’ve compiled some tips that should hopefully help you if you dare to come out of your warm toasty house and enjoy some winter photography.

This year, I did my first ever Project 365. I've still got six weeks to go, but I can honestly say it's been one of the most rewarding photography projects I've done.  I do believe it has helped improve my photography, just by giving me the opportunity to practice every day, but it has also been a wonderfully personal project, since it's almost become like keeping a journal. 

A Project 365 is a very simple idea - you take a photo each day for 365 days.  However, there are a couple of things I think you should consider before you get started, which will help make sure that you Project 365 is a successful one! 

Here are some tips about how to get started. 

Ever year, I like to give gifts that are a little more personal, and I have found that using some of the many photos I take each year is a great way of doing it.  The recipients (especially Grandparents!) love the gifts as they are so thoughtful, and I like the idea of my images not just sitting on my computer but out where they can be enjoyed.

Here are 10 photo gift ideas, including a few that I am in processing of making for this year, and some that I have made previously (I like to mix it up each year!)  Most of these photo gift ideas will take under a couple of hours to make, and I tend to use the same gift for different family members, so I do the work once, but buy or make two or three copies and I’m done :) 

There are also different price points here - some you can make yourself, and some that are higher end, and some that are more fun gifts, so there should be something for everyone. Here goes! 

When you are taking a picture, ask yourself,  what is the first thing you want people viewing the photograph to focus on?

Most of the time when we are photographing people, the focal point will be the eyes, but sometimes it can be nice to change what the main subject of the photo is! 

A really easy peasy way to do this is to use a shallow depth of field, and change what you focus on. This simple change of focal point can really add a lot of interest to the story of your photograph, and elevate it above the rank of another snapshot. 

Sound good? Read on!

Although one photo can speak a thousand words, sometimes a few more can tell it better! A photo storyboard or collage is a fantastic way to display multiple images of similar photos, or even tell a story through your images. Here are some tips for making yours look as good as possible, along with links to some free collage and storyboard templates, and even how to make your own if you are feeling inspired!  

Understanding aperture and what it does is extremely important in photography, as it will help you understand how to balance your exposure when shooting in manual mode, and also how to control the look and feel of your images by controlling your depth of field. So, in today's post, I’m going to look at what aperture is, and how you can use it to get more creative with your photography!

The holidays can be such a busy time, and we can get so caught up in trying to get everything done that it's easy to forget to capture this special time of year! So, for this Christmas, I've created a list of 31 photo prompts to help you document your december, and capture the spirit, beauty and traditions of the season

One question I get a lot is how to get your subject sharp and perfectly in focus, even when they are moving.  This can be tricky, especially if your subject is a child - the movements tend to be more erratic and therefore harder to pin down!  (Not to mention the fact that they don't take any instruction, grrr) 

However, if you follow some simple tips, you should increase  the number of "keepers" you get - so without further ado, here's my tips for taking sharp photos of moving subjects..

As winter draws in, I often find myself shooting when there is low, or limited light.

After shooting through the summer when light is abundant, I personally love the opportunity to shoot images that are taken with very little light, particularly when I convert these to black and white - there's something about low light and monochrome together that tugs at me, which is why you will find all of the examples in this post converted to black and white! 

But, hey, you can leave them in colour too :) 

Here are some tips for low light photography: 

When you first start out in photography it seems like you have a million questions buzzing around in your head - how do people get those blurred background? Why is my subject out of focus? Why don't my portraits look good? Why do my images have that strange colour tint? 

 So, in this post, I've tried to take the most common questions I've been asked from beginners over my (many!) years of blogging and teaching photography, and give you the answers! In most cases, I've linked to a post here on the blog which goes into more detail for you on that particular subject so you can get all the information you need. 

Ready? Let's go!

At the end of yesterday's post on the 6 different ways to set white balance, I promised some comparisons between a few of the different methods outlined there, so here they are!   I'll be comparing Auto White Balance, the Preset settings on the camera, Kelvin, Gray Card , and the ExpoDisc .

Getting white balance right in camera is an extra step when shooting, but it’s so worth it to get rid of all of those wonky color casts that make your photos look awful! Whilst you can always change your white balance later in processing, it’s much easier to get it right in camera, and will save you a ton of time in editing, promise. 

Here are six different ways to set your white balance when taking your photos.

If you have children that love getting their photo taken, then I totally envy you!  As my son has grown up and developed his own (strong willed) personality, he has also grown more resistant to getting his picture taken.  Of course that is fine – I mean, who wants to have a lens in their face everyday? – but as a mother who wants to document our family life, it can be downright tricky at times! However, I have my ways of making sure I can still take lifestyle shots, either by ensuring his co-opration, or by being sneaky :) 

So, if you are one of those who have children who either cower or complain when the camera comes out, here are my tips for getting lifestyle images of your children, whilst ensuring that they are still comfortable with it.