I never would have believed that it was possible to become a better photographer in less than 5 minutes. But that’s exactly what I learned on a trip to the Northern Territory in Australia, cosponsored by Canon and with unlimited access to two professional photographers. In less than 5 minutes I went from being an average photographer to winning the “Best Creative Filter Challenge” an award that was given after 5 days of shooting the Northern Territory’s amazing landscapes like the Wildlife of the Yellow Water Billabong. Ironically, I won the challenge for a photo I took on the first morning.
One of the first stops on our tour of the Northern Territory was to Mamukala Wetlands. It’s a beautiful spot and popular spot among birdwatchers. Unfortunately we arrived there mid-morning when the light wasn’t ideal for taking photographs. I took a few shots similar to the one above, that were OK, but didn’t capture the beauty of the place.
That’s where I learned Lesson 1 in How to Become a Better Photographer: Change Your Focus
“If something is not working, change your focus,” were the wise words of Krystal, one of the professional photographers on the trip. My focus quickly changed to the lime ants. Not because of the ants themselves, to be honest, but because our guide Bender was eating them saying they taste just like limes. I started taking photos of them more to distract him from trying to convince me to try one than anything else. Here’s what the first unedited photo looked like:
Obviously the position of the light wasn’t ideal, so Krystal taught me Trick #2 in Becoming a Better Photographer: Change Your Position. This could mean just moving a few steps or shooting your object from a higher or lower angle to get a different perspective. I moved a few steps and leaned in more and got the following result:
Definitely better, but it still needed some help. This is where I learned Lesson #3 in How to Become a Better Photographer: When the light is less than ideal, play around with special effects. I saw Krystal do this on several occasions and she said it was a good time to experiment when you otherwise wouldn’t get that “wow” photo. Fortunately I was shooting with Canon’s newly launched EOS 650D (sadly only borrowed as I am in love with this camera). One of the great features about this camera are the Creative Filters. There are a choice of seven different creative filters which all achieve different results.
It was layering two of the creative filters on top of each other, the Art Bold Effect and the Fish-Eye Effect that I achieved the photo below and won the “Best Use of Creative Filters” Challenge:
And that’s how yout become a better photographer in less than 5 minutes, without eating a lime ant! Note: No lime arts were harmed for the purposes of this photo. I can’t say the same for the ants who were near our guide Bender, who was really hungry.
A HUGE thank you to Canon Australia for all the photography training and to Tourism Northern Territory for hosting me.
This photo has been submitted to Nancie’s Budget Travelers Sandbox where you can see more travel photos.
The best tip for me personally is to slow down. I always want to snap my pictures quickly, because I just know there are better photo opportunities coming up just around the corner. If I could just slow down and take my time with each shot, then I could start to implement some–or even all–of your tips and maybe get some photos to be proud of.
As for the lime ants–I’d actually be curious if they really do taste like a lime and if so, could they be used to make a gin and tonic?
Daniel McBane recently posted..Singapore Jungle–Exploring the Heart of Darkness
@Daniel – Great tip, it’s so easy to be in such a hurry and miss some really great photo opps. I’m guilty of that as well. Apparently (according to our guide who ate them on multiple occasions), the lime ants really do taste like lime, but not even putting them in gin and tonic would make me want to try them.
Great tip Laurel – and I have yet to play with filters. The way you showed the change in what you shot and the results is very compelling. I’s also agree with Daniel about slowing down and with animals always focus on the eye.
Leigh recently posted..Love it or Hate It: The Calgary Stampede Rodeo in Photos
@Leigh – It was my first time playing with filters as well and I was very impressed with the results. Great tip about focusing on the eye when taking photos of animals. I tried to do this when taking photos of wallabies, but it’s harder than it looks.
Phenomenal photo. And what a very patient and pedagogical explanation. I think even I can remember the first two steps. Too bad I haven’t got the artistic filters to play around with.
Italian Notes recently posted..Photo Essay: Capture the colour
@Mette – Thanks so much. I used to work in Adult Education and every once in a while it comes out
. My normal camera doesn’t have artistic filters either, unfortunately.
I usually enjoy shots that have a strong focus. General landscape shots are nice too (especially if clouds provide some depth of field) but a strong focus usually wins me over!
Zhu recently posted..Along The Fifth Avenue
I love getting tips on improving my photographs! I remember hearing to just step a little to either direction for a different perspective. I think one of my big problems is I can’t see the viewing screen! Between needing glasses close up and sun, its a blur to me until I get inside.
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista recently posted..Roman Trier Germany
Wow, love your picture! Did you edit it afterwards, or is that unedited? I never knew you could use filters LOL Then again, I use Nikon (excuses). Thanks for the useful tips!
Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com recently posted..10 Memorable Train Stations in Europe
Great tips! I would love to play around with that camera too! Looks like you enjoyed yourself in Australia- can’t wait to hear about the rest of the trip!
jade recently posted..Obstacle Course & Zip-Line at the Alligator Farm
Great tips, Laurel. The filters really help create an awesome pic. Wish I had that camera! Can’t imagine wanting to eat those ants….
Cathy Sweeney recently posted..Featured Museum: The Forgotten Fire
I’m quite relieved that you weren’t pressured into eating ants – yuck! Your photo is stunning – I can’t believe what a difference it made to use a filter. I really need to move beyond a point and shoot and try to improve my photography skills.
Lisa Goodmurphy recently posted..Paris With Kids? Mais, Bien Sûr
I really like how your photo turned out and it’s easy to see why you won the contest! I also always love your humor and how your personality shines through in your blogs.
Jennifer Dombrowdki recently posted..If Van Gogh Had a Dog
It’s the lighting that always catches me up – getting the right exposure can be so difficult! Especially during the harsh light of the day, when most people traveling take their photos. Special effects do help, though – great tip!
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..Dublin’s Medieval Architecture
Beautiful photo! Congrats on the win too. These are great tips that I will remember for sure. I wish our Nikon had those creative filters too. What a great difference it made.
Mary @ The World Is A Book recently posted..Discovering Charming and Quirky Reykjavik, Iceland
Lime ants? No thank you! But I loved your tips!
Congrats! I have the model down (600D) and they only have 4 creative filters, nice to see they’ve added some more. I’ve only experimented with them a couple of times and they can be a lot of fun.
Those were definitely good tips from the pros, I can’t stress the finding different positions more. So many photographers just stand and shoot. You need to get dirty, climb where you shouldn’t climb, and sometimes just put yourself in outright silly positions. It might not work out all the time, but other times you will get a shot that nobody else will have.
Pete recently posted..Porkfest!
Thanks for the great advice and I’ll be dreaming of a 650D from now on!! My Mamakulu photos were similar to your first pic for the same reason – flat light. So difficult on a busy trip to be everywhere at the right time for photography.
Natasha von Geldern recently posted..Australia’s Top End: Outback pubs
Thanks for the comments and tips everyone. I’ve learned a lot from reading your suggestions.
@Aleah – all the photos are unedited, with the exception of the last one that I applied the creative filters to, but no further editing.
@Jennifer – Thanks so much for your kind words, you just made my day!
@Pete – Agreed, I did that for a photo of a spider (not sure where my sudden interest in shooting insects has come from) and was lying down to get the shot. It got a lot of strange looks from people, but I really liked the shot in the end.
I love these tips and your photo. It’s amazing what the filters can do. Just wondering if you have to apply the filters after each shot or if you can do it at the end of the day.
jenny@atasteoftravel recently posted..Best Brunch in NYC
These are great tips. Especially changing your perspective. That’s an easy one to forget when you are stuck in the moment.
Christy recently posted..A Taste of Summer – Celebrating a Movement Beyond Farm to Fork
Congrats, Laurel, that is a fabulous shot.
Had never used the creative filters on my 60D. Will now have to give them a try. Thank you!
PS: I wouldn’t be eating those ants either no matter how they tasted like lime!
InsideJourneys recently posted..Manhattanhenge 2012
Many congratulations on the prize! Great post, Laurel! When I got my first SLR two & a half years ago, I did a course to get to know how to use it, but we didn’t get these kind of tips & it’s taken me all this time to work them out! I thought I had to do it all unaided & only recently began to edit photos properly….so now to see what else I have on the 500D …. maybe there will be less time in the editing – hate sitting on my bum doing that all day!
Also meant to ask you – as someone who also loves hiking – don’t you find it difficult to hike and take photos at the same time. Apropros of what someone said above, I like to take it slow, but even though my hiking friends like to stop to admire nature, they don’t want to stop for as long as I do! I am planning to redo a couple of hikes I did earlier this year, to go alone & take the photos I didn’t take the first time!
Sounds like an awesome experience! I’m always trying to improve my photography. Looks like you had fun and got some valuable tips at the same time.
Ali recently posted..Weekly Photo – Great Ocean Road Surfer
The focus stuff is my favorite part of taking a picture. Making certain parts of the picture in focus and other stuff blurry. For whatever reason, this kind of thing makes a really interesting photo to me.
Andrew recently posted..Walking the Travertines at Pamukkale
Congratulations Lauren! Great tips here. I’ve got a bit lazy with photography recently and use my iPhone for everything. It is good but there is no way you’d be able to get shots like these. You’ve reminded me that I need to get my camera back out and learn how to use it properly!
Monica recently posted..TRACK: Discovering the true meaning of art in Ghent
Wow…definitely some great tips. Improving my photography is a long running goal of mine. I’m getting there slowly…
Wow! Great tips and that photo is stunning. I must admit, I’m curious about how ants taste now…
The Rowdy Chowgirl recently posted..Viva San Fermin!
Nice tips Laurel – they’re not the usual photography tips either, these are really useful in all kinds of circumstances.
Congratulations on your win! you forgot to add very useful tip #4. Have Patience! I think I would have given up by then. but your persistence certainly paid off. a gorgeous photo and a prize to show for it! i’ve actually never used filters in camera but this is a tip i’ll have to look into
Wedding Album Cafe recently posted..Photographer’s Wedding Album Template – From Here To Eternity
Love the tips! I will try those too sometime.
o_O I never seen two creative layers together at the same time on a camera, interesting!
Annie – FootTracker recently posted..Did You Join the Nanpa Party? @Japan
Great snaps, Laurel. Must be the perfect to learn photography tips.
Sophie recently posted..About Schnapps – the natural way
Wow, LOVE the picture. Now I need to check my sony ax 390 and see if I have any creative filters to play with! What a great opportunity to spend 5 days in Australia just taking photos. We took a family holiday there in 2010 and I did not want to leave. Wonderful place. Thanks for sharing the tips!!
Crystal @ Little Sightseers recently posted..Travel Tips: Our Favorite Apps
Good tips. Although, how do the creative filters compare to what you can do on the computer afterwards? Is it worth doing it in the camera or doing it later on when you’ve got more time to play around with options?
Turtle recently posted..How to make being a spy boring
Sometimes I think if there was a competition for the travel blogger with the worst photography skills, then I would win it. Thanks for these tips – I can sure do with any help I can get!
Simon recently posted..An unfashionable traveller in fashionable Milan
@Simon Don’t say that, you’re a good photographer. I think like anything it takes practice. My photography got a lot better after having instruction from a professional photographer for a week.
Hello,
I totally agree with the first two tips. But definitivly not with the 3rd tip. A filter applied directly from by the camera on the original photo will alter it permanently.
Any kind of “creative” filter should be done in post-processing, with a laptop that will do a far far better job than the embedded filter of the camera. Anyway, if the picture needs some filter, it’s probably just not a good picture initially.
In fact, it would be too easy if it was possible to become a better photographer in 5 min
Even if you know that you have to change your focus and position, it doesn’t mean that you will know how. My tips would be: practise as much as possible, and look as much photos from other as possible, this is the best way to learn how to compose a photo.
@Jeremy – Thanks for the tips – very helpful and great advice.
Geez Laurel you are excellent at this.You definitely have the creative eye for photography, really great pics. Thanks for the quick and easy photography tips, I will be certain to use these and share them with fellow travelers, Thanks
@Jaryd – Thanks and glad it was useful.