The refraction of light is one of the most commonly observed phenomena and is a perennial favourite of photographers. While talk of bending light waves and the effects they produce may sound like complicated work, it’s actually a rather simple photography effect you can recreate anywhere. Find out below how to capture the refraction of light using a glass of water and a cool background!
One of our goals as photographers – after we overcome the common photography problems and improve our skills – is to make original work. But avoid the traps (and tripod holes) of cliched compositions can be incredibly difficult. To help you along we’ve polled our experts and put together 10 of our best creative photography tips.
Find out how to make stunning abstract photos at home by mixing oil and water with a simple, colourful backdrop.
From abstracts to silhouettes, shape photography is often a part of our daily routine. Our latest guide explains how to balance shapes and tones in your compositions.
The Harris Shutter Effect is a process discovered in the days of film photography. It’s achieved by taking a sequence of three exposures on the same frame, with a red, green and blue filter used for each.
However, with Photoshop Elements it’s possible to get the same results using three standard colour images shot in sequence. In our latest Photoshop Elements tutorial we’ll look at how to use Elements to apply colour fills and blending modes to filter the three shots into their component channels.
There isn’t much that beats capturing the majesty of a spectacular landscape during the magic hours around dawn and dusk, but shooting landscapes within these strict time constraints is a luxury many of us can’t indulge in too often. However, if you look around, you’ll discover that there are visual possibilities and cool photos just about everywhere, even in the local supermarket’s car park.
Landscape photography doesn’t need to be all about magnificent vistas, foreground interest, leading lines and the rule of thirds. In fact, reduce a scene to the basics of colour and tone and you can create a stunning abstract landscape photo using a very simple technique.
Picasso took an unconventional approach to portrait painting. He evoked an impression of his subjects by rendering their face in profile while depicting features like the eyes and nose as if viewed from head on. We can apply this approach to portrait photography to create what are called double exposure portraits. The trick is to convert some standard shots into a creative composite that sums up our subject in an eye-catching way.
Click in the image to see this fantastic picture in full
Creating a shot from nothing may sound like an impossible act, but training your eye to look for images in spots others ignore may be more rewarding than you could ever imagine.
Why not take time to look around your area and find interesting locations bursting with intricate details? You’ll be amazed at the potential for close-up abstracts in seemingly mundane settings.
