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Mike Smith

How to frame your subjects to create depth in your photos

Jul 31, 2023 by Alex Baker Add Comment
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One powerful technique that can elevate your photographs to new heights is framing. By strategically placing your main subject within the frame and incorporating accompanying elements, you can add depth, context, and purpose to your images. In this video, Mike Smith explores the art of framing and how it can transform your photography.

Framing is the art of using elements within your photograph to create a frame around your main subject. It’s an ingenious way to guide the viewer’s attention and make them see the subject from the photographer’s perspective. When done right, framing can add layers of meaning and storytelling to your images.

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Decision paralysis is making you miss great photos

Apr 10, 2023 by John Aldred Add Comment
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Decision paralysis is something that almost every photographer – if they amass enough gear – faces at some point. It’s when you’ve got so much stuff that you just can’t reach a decision on which piece of kit to use. You’ve got too much choice and you’re overwhelmed to the point of not being able to pick anything. We’ve all been there at least once. The solution, of course, is to limit your options.

Limiting your options is a great way to lose decision paralysis. After all, if you’ve got few or no options, the choice is usually quite easy. Logical. Only taking one or two lenses out with you, instead of the usual ten, for example, is a good start. In this video, photographer Mike Smith talks about decision paralysis and how he’s overcome it using what he believes are the only two lenses you need for landscape photography.

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7 tips for shooting sharper landscape photographs

Jul 7, 2022 by John Aldred 1 Comment
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No matter what genere we shoot, photographers always seem to be on a quest for sharper images. No matter how sharp they may already be, we’re always trying to squeeze just a little more sharpness performance out of our cameras and lenses. There are a few things we can do though, particularly for landscape photographers, that don’t involve going out and buying more expensive lenses.

In this video, landscape photographer Mike Smith walks us through seven of his top tips for getting sharper images when shooting landscapes. Some of them you may already know and apply to your own photography, but there are probably at least one or two that you might not have tried.

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Don’t believe the hype – camera companies aren’t telling you the whole truth

Apr 11, 2022 by John Aldred 6 Comments
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This was a curious video to see pop up on my feed last night from Mike Smith. In it, he talks about the marketing hype surrounding most new camera releases and what the camera companies aren’t telling you – basically, that the gear you already own is probably already more than good enough or at least 90% of you. And, well, I think he’s right. I’ve thought it for a while.

Every time a new camera is announced, there’s a massive marketing campaign, with countless YouTubers and yes, websites like this one extolling its virtues and talking about how awesome this or that new feature is (or potentially is). But the truth is, you have to consider context and you can’t rely on just one source of information for whether or not you should buy that shiny new piece of kit.

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When and why you might want to use ND filters for your photography

Jun 23, 2021 by John Aldred 1 Comment
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Along with polarizers, Neutral Density (ND) filters are pretty much the only filters most people really need these days. But what are ND filters? How do they work and why might you want to use one for your photography? Put simply, though, ND filters are sort of like sunglasses for your camera to darken down the view coming through your lens.

But how can they really be useful? After all, aren’t we typically looking for more light when we shoot and not less? Well, in this video, Mike Smith gets into the nitty-gritty of ND filters to answer that question, illustrated by images he’s shot using one.

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Which exposure mode should you be using with your camera?

Jun 16, 2021 by John Aldred Add Comment
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It’s the age-old perpetual question. And it’s one seen daily in photography forums and groups on social media. What camera mode should I use? And, well, it’s not really an easy question to answer. There are those who are of the “manual, always or you’re not a real photographer” persuasion, but there are times when the other modes work extremely well.

In this video, Mike Smith takes a look at the different shooting modes offered by cameras and offers up some tips as to when might be the right time to use each. And while the names might be slightly different for some brands, these modes are consistent throughout pretty much all brands and types of interchangeable lens camera from 35mm SLRs, through DSLRs to mirrorless.

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What is flash recycle time and how/why does it work the way it does?

Feb 1, 2021 by John Aldred Add Comment
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If there’s one constant when it comes to flash, whether it’s speedlights or strobes, is recycle time. It’s the time you have to wait for the flash to charge back up between shooting one photo and the next. It applies to just about every type of flash, except for the recent array of hybrid flashes like the Godox FV200.

But what causes recycle times? Why do we have to wait? Can’t it just suck juice from the battery or the socket on the wall as it needs it? Well, nope. It can’t. And this video from photographer Mike Smith explains why.

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How to shoot and stitch panorama when photographing the Milky Way

Jun 10, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic 1 Comment
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The Milky Way looks impressive in photos, and it’s a favorite subject of many astrophotographers. You can give it a new dimension in your images by capturing it in a panorama. In this video, photographer Mike Smith shares a step-by-step guide for creating a Milky Way panorama, from setting up your camera to stitching the images together.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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