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https://meisphotography.com/

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Matt Meisenheimer is a photographer based in Wisconsin. His artistry revolves around exploring the wilderness and constantly seeking out new adventures. He strives to capture those brief moments of dramatic light and weather...

As a landscape photographer, composition is everything. It's the glue that holds our photos together and it's what separates a great shot from a mediocre shot. Our compositions tell a story, it's our artistic expression of the natural world. But, what exactly is...

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Matt Meisenheimer is a photographer based in Wisconsin. His artistry revolves around exploring the wilderness and constantly seeking out new adventures. He strives to capture those brief moments of dramatic light and weather... As a landscape photographer, composition is everything. It's the glue that holds our photos together and it's what separates a great shot from a mediocre shot.

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Suren Manvelyan is a professional Armenian photographer who specializes in animal eye, human eye, macro, landscape, portrait and night spirit photos. He also has a large portfolio of wedding and professional photo sessions.

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violin prodigy lingling practice music "classical music" comedy orchestra symphony

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We play violin. We love classical music. We love to Practice.

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HENRY on loop station using SOJU and RAMEN?!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1AiCTJ9t8g&ab_channel=SMEMILYxTASHAxLAURA

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Tweets by avogado6

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Looks like a bird and a wave at the same time

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Looks like a bird and a wave at the same time

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Portrait & Fashion Photography by Haris Nukem

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Rocksalt - Your Personal Blogging Theme By Pixpa

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Rocksalt is a personal blogging theme for travel and fashion bloggers, vloggers and much more. Build a website using Pixpa within 5 minutes. Get started with a Risk-Free 14 day Trial . Quick Support . Access to all Themes.

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https://www.instagram.com/erik.joh/?hl=ko

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Does this sound like you?

You've been a freelance food photographer for a few years now, servicing small clients mostly, and now you are looking at how you can get to that next level.

Editorial and commercial work, with larger budgets and teams. You know the clients you want to work with, but you aren't sure what they are looking for.

Having your portfolio reviewed by top agencies, reps and the Creative & Photo Directors of magazines is the way to understand what your portfolio must have.

Here are 9 tips I learned from having my food photography portfolio professionally reviewed at the Palm Springs Photo Festival.

What do They Look For in a Photographer? A Problem Solver.

Of course the images you shoot matters, but at that next level the clients and decision makers are looking at your food photography portfolio to tell them more than that.

In your body of work, clients are looking to see if you can problem solve.

Photography is all about problem solving. Solving for how to get the right light, a certain mood, overcoming the problems of the physics of photography.

DoF and the Inverse Square Law are two of those types of things.

Clients will seek out photographers who can execute their vision. Not only does that come down to style, but they are looking to find a photographer who can problem solve to get results.

This is something that comes with time. Shooting a lot of subjects (inside and outside your niche), and facing a lot of problems and finding their work-around.

They Want to See How You Use Light.

Photography is painting with light.

It's the primary job of the photographer to craft and shape light. On larger productions, there might be a team who handles creating and setting up light, but it's the job of the photographer to create that vision.

To request changes and find the right settings to ensure light and mood match the concept.

So it's safe to say that clients at this level want to see a variety of moods and lighting types. Both natural, artificial, light and moody, hard and soft.

As a food photographer it's tempting to create images of the most beautiful food possible. But working with large magazines, the food stylist will be the one responsible for that. Therefore our job is to create the most beautiful light possible.

Having a panel of reviewers comment on how strong your lighting is, is the most special compliment you can receive.

Check out my most recent food photography portfolio.

Your Food Photography Portfolio Must Show You Can Work in a Team.

Larger campaigns often involve creative teams. The people on those teams can be small or large, but regardless you still have to work as a team with the Creative Director.

Agencies and reps want to see that you've worked in teams. How do they do that just by looking at an image? Experience.

They can tell when you work with different stylists, both prop and food, as you'll have a vast array of images. Plus part of the review is talking about your work. Sharing creative teams and directions is part of that process.

Working with teams are some of the most valuable skills you can acquire.

Imagine two strong creatives who are amazing at two different skills coming together. It leads to the creation of something amazing. Experience working with a team is a really sellable skill.

Photographers are also the ones who are often put in charge of teams on set. Confidence to lead a team is crucial at that next stage.

Something Must Stand Out For You to be Memorable.

How do you stand out in a crowed market? It's the million dollar question.

Since attending the photo festival, I understand just how busy these people are.

They see hundreds of photographers. We have a split second to catch their attention and make us memorable. But it only takes one image to catch their attention and get clients to spend more time exploring our work.

I learned this was different for everyone. And you can't cater to every personal preference. My biggest takeaway was that you have to trust your gut, be yourself and explore.

Don't settle with good images. You have to push your boundaries. Don't copy what every other person is doing on IG, the white curated feed isn't going to catch these people's attention.

Some of their favourite shots of mine didn't get the most likes on IG. Likes don't lead to these people hiring you. Pushing your limits and always exploring and learning does.

If you feel comfortable with where your work is at right now, then it's time to start exploring something you've never done.

Story-telling is a Must.

Why does everyone love photography? Because a picture tells a thousand words. We are telling our clients stories through our imagery.

Your food photography portfolio has to show story-telling.

They loved the sets that I have been creating. I tend to update my portfolio with new work, and sometimes I forget to include the entire set that creates a story.

It's something I have been doing on Behance, so incorporating this into my food photography portfolio will make it stronger.

Including a larger volume of work that tells one story shows your judgement as a photographer. Clients was to see discerning photographers.

Anyone with a camera can take 200 images. Capturing a strong story in 3 is why clients turn to professional photographers.

Including travel food stories, interiors, details in restaurants can be that. People and food, farm to table...there are so many stories we can be telling.

My Winter Clementine Series.

Include Food Scenes, Portraits + Macro Shots.

Variety is the name of the game. Not only because you can demonstrate that you can tackle a range of subjects, but it comes down to showing two things.

Firstly, again, that you're a problem solver and secondly that you can tell stories.

All of these types of shots could be required in one job to tell a larger story.

Our portfolios have to show larger food scenes, atmosphere and environmental elements. They need to show food portraits (which is what I love to shoot the most), and up close macro shots.

You can think of it as wide, tight and tighter. From watching people go through your portfolio, this was also crucial as it helped break up the images and give the reviewers a break.

When I say break, I mean a break from the same 3 by 3 by 3 by 3 images as they scroll through your food photography portfolio. It helps them take in the individual photos.

Take a moment to see how these two different ways of presenting a portfolio allows you to connect with the images.

Does the one with more images per line make you less or more connected?

Pagination + Layout Matters.

This point is really a flow on from what types of food photos to shoot.

Pagination is the fancy term for how you arrange images in your portfolio. So which images follows each other to tell a larger story of you as the photographer.

It's complicated, and each reviewer will have their own preference. But how you layout your food photography portfolio both online and in print can make or break your images.

Following some kind of flow with your work can help it send a message. Things like following a colour story, mood story or subject exploration can be ways of creating layout.

As part of reviews, you can request feedback on your pagination to make your work stand out and be the best it can be.

Check out these 12 tips on how to improve your portfolio.

Motion is a Must.

Love it or loath it, motion is fast becoming a must have skill.

This can be a little scary for those of us who have spent what feels like a lifetime developing photography skills.

But this doesn't have to be full-length video production. Motion can be all types of assets, like GIFs, cinemagraphs or stop motion.

If you aren't sure where to start, I suggest capturing some GIFs on IG or for your portfolio.

Show Your Personality.

This tip is for your website where you house your portfolio.

Your About Page will be something that clients visit. What they are looking for mostly is first and foremost, where you are located.

They want to know a little bit more about you, because at the end of the day, they will be on the same team as you.

Clients want to see that you're firstly a real person, and then a nice person. Reading a short bio about you, bio pic included, can help them paint that picture.

When I teach my Food Photography Pro Mastermind, it's one of the first things I notice from new photographers. Their About Page is incomplete and doesn't have a bio pic.

Now, you probably came here see what images worked in my food photography portfolio and what didn't. But that would be a waste of your time.

Because styles change, preferences change. But what doesn't is these takeaways.

Recap: Food Photography Portfolio

Clients will always be searching for photographers who:

Problem solve to bring clients vision to life.

Can harness light. Bright, moody, natural and artificial.

That you can work as part of a team, and lead a team.

Have something unique to offer.

Can tell stories with your images.

Shoot a range of tablescapes, portraits and up-close shots.

Can capture motion.

Is a real person and easy to work with.

I'd love to know what you thought of these points. Are they something you've actively thought about in your food photography portfolio? Let me know in the comments below.

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Professional Food Photography Portfolio Must-Haves - Two Loves Studio

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Does this sound like you? You've been a freelance food photographer for a few years now, servicing small clients mostly, and now you are looking at how you can get to that next level. Editorial and commercial work, with larger budgets and teams. You know the clients you want to work with, but you aren't sure what they are looking for.

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21 Awesome Fine Art Photography Examples to Inspire You

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From photography manipulation to landscapes, portraits and scenes from a different perspective - here are 21 great fine art photography examples to inspire!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F83O8qdOhY

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I dont really like metal but its cool how he adapts other genres songs to metal

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I dont really like metal but its cool how he adapts other genres songs to metal

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Adele - Hello (metal cover by Leo Moracchioli)

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Andrew Huang performing songs with house hold objects.

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HIT SONGS OF 2014 - PERFORMED WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

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"como tocar en guitarra" "guitarra facil" "aprender guitarra" kalinchita acordes guitarra tutorial "como tocar" cover rasgueos acordes letra "guitarra acusti...

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Hola amigos.. kalinchita es un canal dedicado a la guitarra, queremos ayudar a que aprendas a tocar guitarra de la forma mas facil y directa, aqui encontrara...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6D9WvwMNr8

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Before the days of smartphones - if you can remember such a time - taking a great photo was a labor-intensive process. Now, it's easy to learn how to take good photos with your phone - no fancy cameras or desktop editing software required.

Brands are catching on, too - these kinds of visuals remain important to marketing. But make no mistake: Taking a stunning photo on your smartphone isn't as simple as pointing and shooting. There are plenty of bad smartphone photos out there - I'm sure you've seen at least a few.

What's the secret to taking great pictures with your smartphone, then? As it turns out, there are a few of them. Check out these tips below to improve your smartphone photography game. (And once you have the photo-taking part down, check out some of the best photo editing apps for mobile.)

1. Practice.

Photography is a way of seeing, and showing how you see the world around you. Smartphone photography is popular too. On average, people around the globe take over a trillion photos each year - and according to research, 92% of these photographs are taken with smartphones. But you can make your photos unique - all it takes is practice.

Take as many photos as you can.

Your phone is probably with you most of the time. This means that you can take great photographs anywhere and any time. So, instead of taking just one photo of a subject you're interested in, take 10, 20, or even 30 photographs. Then, spend some time looking at your pictures to see which ones you like best, and why.

Find different perspectives.

Taking photos from a unique, unexpected angle can make them more memorable - it tends to create an illusion of depth or height with the subjects. It also makes the image stand out, since most people taking photos on mobile photos are shooting images either straight-on or from above.

Try taking a photo from a slight distance and playing with the sky as negative space, like in the first photo below. Or, you can try taking it at a slight downward angle.
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Pro Tip: If you take a photo and find the perspective is a little askew or tilted, use the SKRWT photo editing app to make the lines look clean and square.

Take candids.

Posed photos can be great for the sake of memories - happy moments with friends, family, or the occasional run-in with a celebrity. But sometimes, candid shots of people doing things, or people with people, can be far more interesting.

That's because candid photos are better able to effectively capture the emotion and essence of a moment. One of the best ways to capture this kind of shot is to just take as many photos as possible. You'll have more to choose from, and the best photos often happen when the "stars align," so to speak, in a single moment - everyone's eyes are open, one person is tilting their head just so, and you finally got a shot of your chronically closed-lip friend smiling with his teeth.
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If you want to take more photographs and aren't sure where to start, check out this list of Instagram post ideas for inspiration.

2. Get to know your camera.

It can be tough to take good photos on a phone if you don't know exactly how it works. So, take the time to explore the different camera modes and settings on your phone. Get familiar with functions like adjusting focus and exposure. Many phones have automatic white balance, so you may need an extra app to get the features you'd get on a digital camera like a DSLR.

Use a modern phone with a good camera.

Use a modern phone with a good camera. Invest in a phone that offers excellent camera capabilities. Think about resolution and low-light performance too. Brands add new technologies to smartphone cameras constantly, such as built-in telephoto and ultrawide lenses. So, if you're looking for specific features you may want to do some research before buying. You can also use older phone technologies to create interesting images with a vintage feel.

That said, if you are hoping to achieve high-quality images that meet the standards of your favorite Instagram photographers, a newer smartphone is more likely to bring you those results.

Use HDR mode.

High dynamic range or HDR, is a camera app feature that helps balance the light and dark elements in a high-contrast photo. You can use it to give photos a more creative, or artsy vibe, but it's commonly used to produce an image that looks more like how you see your subject with your eyes.

Often with smartphone cameras, it's hard to get the perfect exposure for light and dark areas. You could be taking a photo of someone in a shaded area outside against a bright background or in a room with low light against a bright wall. Setting the exposure to the background could underexpose the person being photographed. Conversely, setting the exposure to the subject could result in an overexposed background.

HDR prevents this by retaining both the details in darker areas and shadows and bright areas. The iPhone takes photos in HDR by default. For Android phones, you may need to adjust HDR settings manually.

Try portrait mode.

Using the portrait mode feature on your phone will create a shallow depth of field effect. This adds blur to the background and makes your subject stand out. You can also adjust the exposure for your unique shot or experiment with light settings in portrait mode. Test out different lighting conditions and distances to get the desired effect in your photos.

Clean your phone's lens.

A smartphone camera might be more convenient to carry around than a full-fledged photojournalist's camera, but it comes at the cost of protection.

Your phone is usually in your pocket or your bag when you're out of the house. All the while, the device's camera lens is collecting all kinds of dust and lint. Be sure to clean this lens with a soft handkerchief before taking a photo. You might not be able to tell just how dirty the lens was until you start editing your picture, and making sure the lens is clear before taking a shot can keep you from missing great shots.

3. Learn how to use light.

Understanding how to use light effectively is crucial for capturing captivating photos. The way you use light can completely transform any photograph.

So, to improve your phone photography, figure out how to harness light. Try using the golden hour in the morning or evening for warm and soft lighting or create dramatic shadows with a harsh spotlight. And, remember to adjust the exposure to make the most of the light you have.

Use natural light.

Natural light isn't just for landscape photography. Take advantage of any sources of natural light you can find, even after dark. This gives you a chance to play with shadows or create a silhouette with other ambient sources of light, like windows or surrounding buildings.

You may also want to try backlight, where your main light source is behind your subject instead of in front of it.
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Once you've taken the photo, you might want to play with the exposure tool in your favorite photo editing app to see if you can make the image slightly brighter, without making it too grainy.

Play with reflections.

There's something so idyllic about seeing the sky reflected in a body of water. There's a reason why we love seeing that - our eyes are drawn to reflections. So look for opportunities to play with them in photos.

There are plenty of out-of-the-box places to find reflections - puddles, large bodies of water, mirrors, sunglasses, drinking glasses, and metallic surfaces are just a few.

If you use flash, only do so during the day.
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It's hard to find a great smartphone photo taken with a flash. Unless you use the flash expertly, it can make a photo look overexposed, negatively alter colors, and make human subjects look washed out.

Sometimes, using your camera's flash can improve a photo - but rarely does it do so at night. Because dark shots reveal a much sharper contrast against your phone's flash, it can make any flash look invasive and uneven.

But in already well-lit spaces, a flash can help to soften some dark shadows behind or beneath your main subject.

When framing your next shot, look on the ground or against vertical surfaces for any dark shadows you might want to remove. If you see any, flip on the flash manually in your camera app. Setting your phone's camera flash to "auto" won't guarantee that your phone will notice the shadows you want to get rid of. Just remember to turn the flash off again when you're done.

Consider the importance of flash for enhancing or hiding certain lines and features the next time you're shooting product photography.

4. Compose each photograph.

Composition in photographs is key. From Annie Leibovitz to Richard Avedon, the most famous photographers use careful arrangement of the picture plane to create powerful photographic images.

But you don't have to be an expert to create unique and beautiful photographs. You just need to find a way of composing images that's your own.

Use gridlines to balance your shot.

One of the easiest and best ways to improve your mobile photos is to turn on the camera's gridlines. That superimposes a series of lines on the screen of your smartphone's camera based on the " rule of thirds" - a photographic composition principle that breaks an image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, so you have nine parts in total.

According to this theory, if you place points of interest in these intersections or along the lines, your photo will be more balanced and level, and allow viewers to interact with it more naturally.

To switch the grid on:

iPhone: Go to "Settings," choose "Camera," and switch "Grid" on.

Samsung Galaxy: Launch the camera app, go to "Settings," scroll down and switch the "gridlines" option to "on."

Google Pixel: Launch the Camera app, then tap the down arrow. Go to "More Settings," then "Grid type." Finally, choose the type of grid you want.

Use leading lines.

In some photos, there's a line that draws the viewer's eye toward a certain part of the frame. Those are called leading lines. They can be straight or curvilinear- think staircases, building facades, train tracks, roads, or even a path through the woods.

Leading lines are great for creating a sense of depth in an image, and can make your photo look purposefully designed - even if you just happened to come upon a really cool shape by accident.

Look for symmetry.

Symmetry can be defined as "a vague sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance." And pictures that contain symmetry can be incredibly pleasing to the eye - it's also one of the simplest and most compelling ways to compose a photo.
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In photography, symmetry usually means an image has two equal parts that are mirror images of each other. That's a bit different from reflections - you can find symmetry "in the wild," like the photo above, or you can set up your photo for symmetry, as photographer Andoni Beristain did below.

And remember - use gridlines to line everything up in a way that's pleasing to the eye.
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5. Focus on one subject at a time.

Composition is a huge part of what makes a photo great, but so is the photo's subject. Many of the best photos include just one interesting subject, like in portrait photography. So when taking a picture of a single subject, spend some extra time setting up the shot.
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Some professional photographers say that the subject shouldn't fill the entire frame, and that two-thirds of the photo should be negative space - that helps the subject stand out even more. But be sure you tap the screen of your smartphone to focus the camera on your subject. This will help make sure that your image is in focus and has optimal lighting.

Pro Tip: Once you've taken your photo, you can use filters and apps to make the subject even more vivid, or to crop it to frame the subject correctly. You can also adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of the photo - all from your phone.

Play around with color blocking.

Color blocking can help to highlight the elements of a photo that you want to stand out, like a plant or something else with a bold hue. It achieves a similar goal as negative space, in that it can help a single subject stand out - but with color blocking, the photo's other elements stay intact for a cohesive image.
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Pro tip: Isn't it cool when an entire photo is black and white, except for a single object? It turns out that yes, indeed, there are apps for that. One of our favorites is Color Splash - an app that automatically converts a picture to grayscale and lets you fill in the parts you want to colorize.

Create abstracts.

Abstract photos can capture the essence of an object, or a series of them, without revealing the entire subject as a whole. In other words, they serve the purpose of creating unique, surprising images from ordinary subjects.

You can accomplish this by cropping an abstract portion of an otherwise normal photo, or by taking close-up shots of objects that leave the viewer wondering - in admiration, of course - what the subject might be. And subjects with patterns or repetition are great candidates for abstract photography, like in the photo of umbrellas below.

Make 'em laugh.
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Speaking of evoking emotion, sometimes the most memorable photos are the ones that make us giggle. The image below of a woman submerged in pink balloons is funny because it's unexpected - and there's a part of us that wants to join her, too. If you can make your audience laugh, they're likely to enjoy your photo.

6. Set your camera's focus.

Today's phone cameras automatically focus on the foreground of your frame, but not every picture you take on your phone has an obvious subject. To adjust where you want your camera lens to focus, open your camera app and tap the screen where you want to sharpen the view.
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If you're taking a photo of something in motion, for example, it can be difficult for your camera to follow this subject and refocus as needed. Tap the screen to correct your phone camera's focus just before snapping the picture to ensure the moving subject has as much focus as possible. A square or circular icon should then appear on your camera screen, shifting the focus of your shot to all of the content inside that icon.

Avoid zooming in.

When you take a photo from a distance, it's tempting to zoom in on something specific you're trying to capture. But it's actually better not to zoom in - doing so can make the photo appear grainy, blurry, or pixelated.

Instead, try to get closer to your subject - unless it's a wild animal, in which case we would advise keeping your distance - or take the photo from a default distance, and crop it later on. That way, you won't compromise quality, and it's easier to play around or optimize a larger image.
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Keep an eye out for repetitive patterns.

Repetitive patterns are pleasing to the eye - they appear whenever strong graphic elements repeat over and over again, like lines, geometric shapes, forms, and colors. These patterns can make a strong visual impact, and photographing something like a beautiful, tiled floor can be enough to create a striking image. Other times, it's more fun to keep an eye out for where they appear naturally or unintentionally, like in the photo below.

7. Hold your phone still.
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While smartphones have given us the benefit of taking pictures on the go, the cameras on our phones are still sensitive to movement. To help avoid blurry or warped photos, steady your camera first.

You can lean on a friend or wall to prevent your arms or hands from wobbling, or prop your phone up using books or similar objects to steady your phone.

Consider buying a mobile tripod.

Mobile devices make it easy to snap any photo on the go. But there's never been an easy way to make sure the shot stays level and balanced when you shoot - especially if you want to be in the picture and not just take a typical selfie with your extended arm.

Mobile tripods give you the freedom to mount your smartphone for quick hands-free shots without lugging any heavy equipment with you. Most mobile tripods are barely bigger than your mobile device and can bend to any angle. Learn how these miniature tripods can help enhance your mobile video experience below.

8. Experiment with exposure.

Another mobile camera feature you'll want to set manually is your exposure. Tapping your screen when your phone's camera is on doesn't just refocus the lens on a new subject - it also automatically adjusts how much light the camera lets in. This, too, won't always look just right. It's best to adjust it by hand.

To change your mobile camera's exposure by hand, open your camera app and tap the screen. When you see the lens refocus, you'll see a very small sun icon and a vertical scale. Slowly swipe your finger up and down this scale to adjust the light level.

Capture small details.
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You may have heard the phrase, "It's the little things." Sometimes, that also applies to photos. Close-up images that capture small, intricate, and delicate details can make for really compelling visual content.

It can be tricky to photograph close-up objects with a smartphone. To focus on an object, tap the area you're trying to capture. If you're unable to focus the image, move slightly away. You can also tap another part of the screen, then go back to your subject to try focusing again. iPhone 13 and later also have a "macro" mode that can help with close-up shots.

Pro Tip: Use the "sharpen" tool in your favorite photo editing app to (conservatively) sharpen the details of your photo.

Embrace negative space.

"Negative space" simply refers to the areas around and between the subjects of an image - and it can take a photo from "good" to "great."

When you include a lot of empty space in a photo, your subject will stand out more and evoke a stronger reaction from your viewer. And what does negative space look like? It's often a large expanse of open sky, an empty field, a large wall, or water, as in the example below.

9. Use photo accessories.

Photo accessories like lenses, apps, and lights can make your smartphone a more powerful camera, adding features to boost your photographs while you're shooting and as you edit and prepare your images for sharing.

Attach an external lens.

Want to get really fancy? External lenses are for you. There are actually several out there that you can attach to the top of your smartphone's native camera lens - from fish-eye to wide-angle lenses. These add-ons can bring an entirely new quality and perspective to your photos.
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According to Wirecutter, the best camera lenses for iPhone photography are made by Moment, a manufacturer of mobile lenses. Start there, or do some research to find the lens add-ons that fit your smartphone photography needs.

Try a shutter button.

A selfie stick is great for making that special selfie a little less arm-focused. But shutter buttons give you even more freedom to create great photos with your phone. Remote shutter buttons also allow for steadier shots and help prevent the inevitable camera shake as you try to click the shutter on your screen.

Use photo apps.

Whether you want tone curve adjustments, blemish fixing, HSL color correction, or gradients, there's an app for that. Photo apps for desktop and mobile enable you to go wild in post-production to make your photos one of a kind.

10. Don't be afraid to edit.

Composing and taking photos on your smartphone is just the first step to making it visually compelling. Editing your photos is the next step - and a critical one, at that. Filters can be a valuable photographic tool, particularly when it comes to two goals: 1) Removing blemishes from a picture, and 2) making food look even more delicious.

Beauty filters are a common fix- and now, the iPhone photos app offers many similar filters. There are also apps like Pho.to, which can automatically retouch facial photos without a lot of work. And when it comes to those photos of your daily meals? Another great app is Foodie, which comes with its own set of filters optimized for different types of food.
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But there are many other fantastic photo and video editing apps out there for mobile devices - check out this post to see some of the best ones out there. If you want to edit your photos on desktop, this list of Photoshop shortcuts can help you speed up the process.

And, if you're creating photos, you may also want to share them. Photo-sharing apps like Instagram include tons of in-app features for editing.

Be unconventional.

Some of the most delightful and remarkable photos come out of cool, unique ideas. Images are more effective than text at evoking emotion from your viewers - that often means getting your photos to say something.

Try thinking outside of the box when it comes to what you're capturing - your viewers could be pleasantly surprised by a cool or unexpected approach.

Want more tips on creating visual content? Check out these design tools for creating visual content.

11. Ask for feedback.

As you grow as a photographer, you can learn a ton just by looking at the work of other photographers. But if you really want to push yourself, it's a good idea to ask for feedback.

Getting critique on your photos from others can give you useful insights about how what your audience sees in your photos and what emotions they evoke. This feedback process is also helpful if you're using your photo skills for a business. If this describes you, you may also want to check out these tips on product photography and taking photos for real estate.

Share your photos with friends, family, or online photography communities to get some constructive criticism and tips for improvement. Critique can be tough to take at first, but if you really want to improve your photos, the risk is worth it.

Take Better Photos

Thanks to our mobile devices and the editing apps that come with them, we can now take high-quality photos and edit them just about anywhere - all from the same device that we use to make calls.
Image Source Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Phone Photography 101: How to Take Good Pictures With Your Mobile Device

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Discover helpful tips to learn how to take good photos with a phone. Take your smartphone photography game from good to great with these tips and examples.

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Color Palettes for Designers and Artists - Color Hunt

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Discover the newest hand-picked color palettes of Color Hunt. Get color inspiration for your design and art projects.

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Making a broucher for foreigners new to korea

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Making a broucher for foreigners new to korea

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One of the first things you should do if you want to step up your creative game is to get confident about choosing color combinations. Knowing what colors go together is a skill in itself and it can have a positive impact on all areas of your life.

Let's start with business. Once you gain an understanding of what different colors mean, you'll see how they can influence perceptions. You can then use this to your advantage. If you want to make your audience feel something, color can help to achieve this. And it remains the same whether you are choosing colors for a flyer, a business card or choosing the perfect color combination for your website.

Say you want to inspire your audience - or make them feel happy or calm. Using the right color combinations can reinforce your intentions. Brands need to think about color combinations across many areas like logos, websites, marketing materials, merchandise, and social media. It's not enough to work with just one color, the real magic lies in knowing what 2 or 3 colors go together and being able to pick compelling color combinations. Ensure brand consistency by documenting which colors and combinations people should use. Document commonly used colors and hexcodes in an internal wiki.

Knowing what color combinations work is key

Color knowledge can help you to make better choices in terms of buying clothes, shoes, decorating your home, even everyday communication! Life, in general, can be easier when you know what color goes with what.

In this blog, we will look at the Top 75 Color Combinations for 2020. To help inspire you, we are going to examine trending color scheme ideas, what colors go together, and suggest practical ways for you to use them.

Why not try out each of these color combinations on one of our many easily-editable templates in Design Wizard. Simply copy the accompanying hex code into the custom color palette in the app and your template's colors will change instantly. So take notes, start your own color combination chart and get creative.

Color combos that use two colors

When trying to find your ideal color combination, start off with just two colors and then add more to the mix if you need to. In many cases, using only two colors can be just as effective as a larger palette. Here are some of the best two-color color combinations around.

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Black (#000000FF) and White (#FFFFFFFF)

When it comes to classic color combinations, it doesn't get any more timeless than black and white. But timeless doesn't mean stagnant. From looking at 2020's trend predictions, we can see that black and white is going to be huge.

The combination works because it creates ultimate balance. Black is strong and dominant and white is peaceful and pure. From a tonal point of view they are polar opposites, but it is this contrast that makes black and white so effective together.

Individually, they can be overwhelming in large doses, but when placed side-by-side the two colors enhance each other. From a visual perspective, black becomes darker and white is highlighted. The results are clean, crisp and contemporary. Black and white is popular in all areas of design. Graphic designers and marketers use it to deliver powerful and clear messages, and it is a staple part of the fashion industry.

Black and white often features in interior design when the desired impact is to be modern and crisp. Inject primary or neon colors to black and white for a funky finish.

Another combination that challenges the rules is this tomato red and dusky pink. Red and pink can sometimes be an eye-watering combination, and not in a good way! But it can work - the important thing to get right is the balance of tones.

This twosome is successful because neither are vying for attention. They are close in terms of saturation - or in non-designer jargon - the shade intensity. If either, or both, were brighter they would clash.

Red and pink are also a monochromatic color scheme which makes for a complementary palette. Monochromatic means that they exist in the same color family. White, gray or black can be added to the base hue, which in this case is red. Mixing these together can create a variety of tints, shades and tones, such as pink.

The beauty of this particular pair is that the two individual shades are cool and modern. The exuberant orange red sets off the purple undertones of the pink. Include white to keep it crisp.

Royal Blue and peach is this year's version of the classic blue and white (and not a million miles away from turquoise and sand).

Royal Blue is pretty much primary blue, so it is durable and solid. But because of its boldness, it is also playful. And there is a resurgence for the notion of playfulness. As the concept of creativity is becoming more prominent in our lives, from our architecture to our business strategies, playfulness is now socially accepted. This is also a nod to the 80s, which is having something of a revival in graphic design.

The trend of pastels came up earlier, and even though pink and lilac have been the most prominent so far, peach is in the spotlight now. Together they really combine to create a super modern finish.

(#D198C5FF) and Cream Gold (#E0C568FF)

Orchid is a striking shade of pink that strays tentatively into the territories of purple. It's girly and fun, but slightly more mature than some other pinks.

Cream Gold is luxurious and warm, with a liquid gold texture that's enticing to the eye. Orchid beautifully enhances this effect, blanketing Cream Gold smoothly.

It's a combination which gives a certain elegance to a design. Pink and gold has substance to match its style and this makes it a very popular choice for weddings and engagement parties.

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Lemon Tonic (#FCF951FF) and Purple (#422057FF)

Mix this profound purple with some Lemon Tonic to create an amazing blast of color. The sheer brightness of this color combo makes it superb for using on advertisements or social media posts that demand attention.

A new brand could choose to use color combinations like these in an attempt to be fresh and exciting. It's not a color combo that's likely to get lost in the crowd.

Iconic basketball team, the LA Lakers, are proud proponents of yellow and purple. They have used the two colors on their shirts since 1967.

Color matching with three colors

'Good things come in threes' rings true in this case, as there's a fantastic array of color combinations to choose from. Three colors can combine to create striking logos, stunning interior design, dazzling dresses and much more.

Colors that go together in fours

Sometimes you might need more than two or three colors in your color combination. That's where these mixtures of four colors come into play. These intricate color schemes are perfect for many different purposes, from social media themes to interior design.

Delphinium Blue, white, Atmosphere and Fiery Coral make for a clean, modern-looking color combination.

Since Living Coral will continue to be hugely popular in 2020, other shades of coral could experience a boost too. Fiery Coral is slightly darker than Living Coral, but just as vivacious.

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Now that you've read through our list of the top 75 coolest color combinations of 2020, it's time to decide how you're going to use these color schemes! Maybe you're trying to create a brand logo, design a social media post, pick a new dress or painting your wall. Whatever you're creating, we hope that this list has given you the inspiration you need to choose the most suitable colors.

Make sure to sample these color combinations on a customizable template in Design Wizard. All you have to do is copy the accompanying hex code into the custom color palette in the app and your template will be transformed immediately.

If you have any questions about these color combinations or want to share your thoughts, make sure to tweet us @getdesignwizard.

branding color color combinations color palette Colour colour picker content marketing creativedesigns custom colour palette design wizard marketing tips visual assets

Briona Gallagher is the Product Manager at Design Wizard. With a background in Fine Art, Design and Journalism, she has a demonstrated history in all areas of visual and written communication.

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75 Eye Catching And Cool Color Combinations For 2020

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One of the first things you should do if you want to step up your creative game is to get confident about choosing color combinations. Knowing what colors go together is a skill in itself and it can have a positive impact on all areas of your life. Let's start with business.

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If you're like me, you probably have a lot of old stuff just lying around your house. It's not doing anything but taking up space, but you're either too busy (or lazy), sentimental or just have more important things to deal with. Well if you're looking for a little inspiration or a new DIY project, here are 50 creative ways to repurpose, reues and upcycle old things.

There's a pretty broad range in this list but hopefully a handful jump out and spark an idea for you and your home!

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50 Creative Ways to Repurpose, Reuse and Upcycle Old Things

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If you're like me, you probably have a lot of old stuff just lying around your house. It's not doing anything but taking up space, but you're either too busy (or lazy), sentimental or just have more important things to deal with.

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Online platform that helps you make music, record podcasts, and more!

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Your everywhere Studio by Spotify

Make some noise, explore a new sound, create a song or collaborate with others. Welcome to the collective of passionate creators, whether you already are one or aspire to become one.

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Explore our extensive collection of beats, loops and instruments or connect your own instrument. If you have the urge to create, there are no longer any excuses.

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Your everywhere Studio by Spotify Make some noise, explore a new sound, create a song or collaborate with others. Welcome to the collective of passionate creators, whether you already are one or aspire to become one. Explore our extensive collection of beats, loops and instruments or connect your own instrument.

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The world of music production is complicated - it's full of techniques, ways of working, attitudes and ideas, and nobody can ever store them all in mind at one time. New producers can find it hard to take in the advice coming from all corners of the internet about what they should and shouldn't do or try, and others who have been producing for a while can easily get stuck.
In the constant search for inspiration that is the world of music production, sometimes you just need to dip in and out of a huge list of tips that can push you in the right direction... and wouldn't you know, there's one just a little further down the page!

1. Understand Inspiration

Writer's block doesn't exist - it's an excuse to not get on with the job. If your usual methods aren't getting you anywhere, search for a new way to get things done.

2. Layering Sounds

Knowing how to combine two sounds together is a key skill for any producer. Using the sample start points, tuning and envelope settings to get the best of two sounds working as one will take you far.

3. Free Software is Fine

There are loads of great plugins and there, and plenty of them are free. The difference in quality between a free and a paid plugin is usually in the marketing budget alone.

4. Seek out Frequencies with EQ Boosts

This is one of the classic pieces of advice - from when EQs didn't have graphic displays attached. Grab a bell boost and scan the frequencies of a track or a full mix. Learn how the different frequencies sound, and start to identify harsh spikes that can be notched out.

5. Learn the Look

Use visual analyzer plugins to understand the frequency balance of commercial tracks. You'll start to see a general profile for the whole spectrum, and how individual instruments are heard through the mix.

6. Collaborate with Others

The act of making music with someone else helps you to come up with something new, lets you discover new ways of working, and even access their fanbase. It's a win-win-win.

7. The Bitter End

Finishing music is a separate skill. Like any skill, if you don't practice doing it, you won't become good at it. Even if a track's not good enough to release, seeing it through to mixing and mastering will give you practice in decision making and refining, which you can use when you're cooking something great.

8. Ear Fatigue is Real

Your hearing system can get tired like any other part of your body. Not only can your brain get used to 'filling in the gaps' of how something sounds, but the tiny muscles that regulate the sound power entering your inner ear need to rest as much as your mind does.

9. Learn How you Work

Discover how you make music in different brain states. Try making tunes when you're sleepy, when you've just got up, when you're tired and many more, and see how your own mind works in these situations. Everyone's head is different - discover your own.

10. Loops are Fine, Presets are Fine

Using premade audio and synth presets is a totally fair thing to do. What matters is the intentionality you put behind their usage. Early hip-hop, for example, mixed entire 'finished' recordings and is considered an artform in itself.

11. All DAWs were Created Equal

However strong the marketing campaign, all DAWs do basically the same thing, and any can be used to make the world's next summer smash. Workflow and the various stock plugins you have available are differences that can matter, but there's nothing inherently 'better' about one DAW's sound quality over another's.

12. Name Tracks and Versions

Save your DAW projects using the X.Y system. When you make a minor change during a session, add 1 to the Y; when you make a significant leap forward, add 1 to the X. You'll be able to look back and see how far you've come, and even restore specific versions.

13. Reference Constantly

Compare how your work in progress or 'finished' mix sounds on different systems. Use different stereo systems, phone and bluetooth speakers, headphones, car stereos and anything else you can get your hands on.

While referencing, check your mix in mono to ensure no information has been lost. Next, check just the left and then just the right channels. Each should sound like a competent mix when standing on its own, with no elements lost.

14. Remake a Tune you Respect

You can discover a huge number of things about how a track was made by simply trying to recreate it, beat for beat, in a DAW from scratch. What oscillator sounds are at play? How do the kick and bass come together? Where does the sense of groove come from?

15. Don't get stuck in the process

It's possible to take music to the point where it's an exact science... but that's no good for your listeners. Being a technical nerd can be attractive, but no one's going to be dancing because of your dynamic EQ settings.

16. Always Use a Limiter

No, this isn't about 'mixing into' a limiter to give you a different perspective - it's about saving your ears. If a plugin control slips or a feedback loop is created, you'll be glad you added that safety limiter to your master bus... and even moreso if you added it to your DAW's default project template to open every time you started work.

17. Commit then Mix

Once you've got a track written, try rendering all the channels to audio and starting the mixdown fresh. There'll be no overload of tracks, no existing plugins loaded and processing audio, and you won't be able to go back and make a change to the original tune unless you really need it.

18. A/B Settings and Bypass Effects

Spent hours tweaking the same sound? Compare different settings using a plugin's A/B functions to quickly tell which works best, and make sure you bypass effects plugins to see if they really contributed anything in the final analysis.

19. Sidechain Ghosting

Set up a duplicate kick channel that's used only as the trigger to a sidechain input, and you can trigger reduction from an entirely separate source - very useful if you want a sidechain pumping effect to continue when the kick disappears at some stage in a tune.

20. Louder Sounds Better

This isn't a command to make things louder - just make sure that you don't confuse making something louder with making something sound better. Some plugins will open with a small gain boost right from the start, fooling you into thinking the sound is better just by loading them.

21. Learn Sound Design by Recreation

Take a synth and load a preset you like. Now, load a synth you're trying to learn and try to recreate that patch - from the oscillators, through the filters and envelopes, to the effects and everything else - in the different instrument. You'll learn a lot about what make the patch tick. For sound design tips in Ableton's Sampler, give this article a go.

22. Discover how YOU Break out of 8-bar Loops

It's the perennial problem of music production: you've made an eight-bar loop that sounds great, but spinning it out into a full track will break it. The only way to get out of the eight-bar rut is to learn the strategies that work for you.

23. Get a MIDI Keyboard

This isn't essential, but the ability to play in notes, test out presets, and explore new musical ideas is hugely expanded when you have a few keys by your side. Grab the cheapest 'board you can find, if necessary.

24. Learn How your DAW Works and stick with it

A DAW is a complicated bit of software with a massive feature list. Having a sensei-like knowledge for how yours works will stop you from wasting time when moments of productivity strike or a great idea reveals itself.

25. Have Separate Sound Design Sessions

This doesn't work for everyone, but the idea of having specific times set aside for designing sounds, and only coming to the track-building stage later, means that you can keep tasks - and the mindsets needed to do those tasks well - completely separate.

26. OSFA EQ

There's no such thing as one-size-fits-all EQ advice. Saying that, for example, a boost at 200Hz will make a bass guitar sound a certain way is foolish - the actual frequencies involved depend more on the actual notes being played, which, as you can imagine, tend to change.

27. Resonant High-Pass

Use a high-pass filter with a few dB of resonance set just below the fundamental note of a bass track to give a more solid low-end weight to it. This is a similar idea behind the Little Labs Voice of God hardware processor.

28. Colour-code and Tidy up your Session

Organise your DAW projects properly. That way, when you return to them, you can come back with real momentum, knowing where everything is, and being able to dive straight back in.

29. Work Backwards in the Patches List

Normally browse your synth patches from A to Z? So does everybody else. Keep things fresh and as unique as possible by demoing sounds from the bottom up, rather than from the top down.

30. Render to Audio

Not only doesn't bouncing a MIDI instrument part help you commit to audio, but the creative opportunities you get from slicing, retiming, sampling and stretching pure audio - even reverb returns, for example - can give you far more musical results.

31. Use Noise Effectively

This atonal sonic building block is a key part of the music-making process. Learn how it works in subtractive synthesis, in providing attack to drums and other hits, and how to build more interesting, complex sounds by adding effects to it.

32. Stock Plugins are Great

Your DAW's own processors? They might not have quite as many features, but they're usually just as good in terms of sound quality as a commercial plugin. Your DAW's tools might not look quite as attractive, but they're 95% just as good most of the time.

33. Use Effects on Return/Aux Channels

While Inserts are the quickest way to load an effect, using an Aux/Return channel has huge advantages: you can adjust the level of the channel, add plugins just to that effect in parallel, and filter its output to blend it with the original sound.

34. The Mod and the Macros

When you want to vary a preset synth patch, using the mod wheel and macro controls to do so - the sound designer has usually assigned these to parameters that work well when they're automated or changed over time.

35. Filtering and EQ Meets Delay

In electronic circuits, basic filters are created by connecting a resistor and a capacitor in certain formulations. As a capacitor builds then releases charge, a filter effect is quite literally caused by tiny delays applied to the signal, which loses certain information (low or high). For this reason, there are phase changes to the audible parts of the signal around the cutoff. This is replicated in 'analogue-style' digital filters, but not in linear-phase filter/EQ models.

36. Re-Amping and Re-Recording

One way to bring a new depth and dimension to a sound is to play it through an amp and record the result, replacing the sound in your project. Just like re-amping a sound can give it a new vibe and character, playing it through old equipment, such as a cassette or VHS player, can bake in that lofi vibe like nothing else.

37. Production is Reduction

This is one key way to think about mix engineering: production is about taking away anything unnecessary. Adding more parts to something in an attempt to make things work together is far less likely to be a worthy strategy.

38. Automation is Crucial

Think about it. Automation is one huge advantage of a computer-based DAW over older methods of music production. If you're after a modern sound, this is the way to get it.

39. Try out a New Instrument

It's possible to be a veteran producer without having played a 'real' instrument in your life. But if you've ever messed with a number of new instruments, you might have noticed how your naive first attempts to create sounds can lead to the most interesting results. As you struggle to get a coherent sound out of the new tool placed in front of you, you're at your most open-minded musically, with no preconceived ideas of how the instrument should be used. In this stage, you're likely to come up with something remarkable.

40. Mono-ize the Low End

Bass and sub frequencies below 120Hz can cause real problems if they're in stereo - mostly when recombined on any playback system that sums them to mono. Mix with this in mind and be sure to check if you've caused any low-end problems in your project.

41. Know When to Bin It

Just as in life sometimes, being able to tell when a project is a dead-end, and therefore a waste of time, is a very useful skill to have.

42. Get Professional Help

Mixing and mastering engineers - those who spend all day engaged in their own specific task - are likely far more likely to get a better result from your track, especially considering their fresh ears.

43. Parallel Channels aren't Just for Compression

The idea of blending in an extremely processed signal with the original audio channel is common in parallel compression technique, but try it with more effects - distortion, delay, pitchshifting and more besides.

44. Beats in an Arpeggiator

These devices are designed to recycle held notes in a different pattern, so playing kick, snare and hi-hat or assorted percussion through one, and then messing with the settings, can be a great way to come up with something cool.

45. Auditioning Just the Bass

When you're comparing the low end of your track to a commercial tune, try low-passing both at about 150Hz in order to hear only the bass end. This can give you a better idea of how the low-down elements are really interacting.

46. Compression Meets Distortion

Harsh, quick compression or limiting can act like distortion. Imagine a sine wave having its top and bottom peaks cut off - you're quite literally pushing the wave through a system that can't handle its full signal, and the sound is very similar to the result you'll get from adding certain distortion settings.

47.Kick and Bass Mixing

When trying to get a kick and a bass sound to work together, sidechain a compressor over the bass sound to be triggered by the kick's signal is the best way to carve out space in one for the other.

48. Learn your DAW's Rack System

Being able to gather instruments and effects into combinations that act as one can be vital. Not only can these racks be saved and recalled later - multiple single controls can be moved as one using macros, which are great for automating a single parameter that actually controls many changes throughout a track

49. Copy Your Heroes

Load a commercial track you respect into a DAW project, add three elements that complement it, and then take the original away. Go forward with your new elements only.

50. Depth is a Property

We don't think about panning and level in the same way we think about depth, but we should. Understanding how to move sounds back and forward in a mix is as important as knowing how to move them left and right

51. Take Breaks and Return with Fresh Ears

You've likely had moments of returning to a track you liked, after some time, and wondering what you were thinking. You can get so engrossed in making a track that you start filtering out all the bad stuff - take breaks to keep your perspective fresh.

52. Sidechaining Pump vs Volume Automation

Volume automation lets you keep a pump in time without relying on a kick drum signal, whereas sidechaining provides an exact reaction to the sidechain signal, meaning you can change it to get a different response.

53. Pink Spectrum

The power of pink noise - energy at all frequencies reducing at 3dB/octave - is designed to be a good representation of the human hearing system, which responds using a very similar roll-off.

54. The T-Pain and Cher-style Auto-Tune Effect

...can be made using Auto-Tune or other pitch correctors. Set the Retune Speed to the quickest it can be, set the plugin to the key of the sung vocal, and then let it correct the sung vocal, snapping it perfectly as it drifts and misses perfect notes.

55. DIY Modulation

Flanging and chorusing effects are caused by duplicating a signal, delaying one copy, and modulating the delay time. It's perfectly possible to create them using your own delay, set very slow.

56. Music Theory and when to Use It

'Proper' theory is a subject that tends to divide music producers. Whichever side you're on, there are producers on both ends of the argument who make great music with the tools they have at their disposal.

57. Plugin Shortcuts

VST Plugins also work with folders, shortcuts and aliases in your OS's file browser. You can set up folders for different types of plugins, or favourites, and curate your own custom collections.

58. The Shortcut to Learning Shortcuts

When you're reaching for a parameter in your DAW using a menu or a right-click, see if the function has a keyboard shortcut alternative. If it does, don't click it - use the shortcut instead and you'll be more likely to remember it later.

59. CPU vs RAM

In computer-based music production, your CPU is taken up by audio calculations (synths, effects, etc) while RAM is taken up by loading samples and files (complicated multisampled instruments, lots of recorded audio, etc). Know exactly what you're going to need, and you can prepare a system without the limitations you don't want.

60. Timestretch Flavours

There are a few timestretching algorithms to choose form when warping beats, textures and other sources. Try out all of them to see if different ones work better on your source material.

61. Pre-fade Sends

These controls in your DAW's mixer are used so that the send level has nothing to do with where you set the fader. Use them when you don't want to hear a channel in the main output (or want to change its level) but you do want its signal to be used consistently in the send - a ghost sidechain trigger, for example.

62. DAW Templates

Have you set up custom templates or a default loading project in your DAW? This can save you frustration when all you want is to get into the mood of making music. Set up the plugins, the channels and everything else you rely on, including that master limiter on your output chain for your own safety.

63. Pitchshifting vs Frequency Shifting

Pitchshifter effects multiply the input signal by a certain amount, retaining the harmonic relationships between everything. Frequency shifters, meanwhile, add and subtract frequency values from audio signals, meaning everything shifts in a non-harmonic way. Frequency shifters can be especially interesting on atonal signals like drums.

64. Reverb Early vs Late Reflections

The early and later reflections of a reverb have different roles in conveying sound information. Early reflections give a listener information about the sound and its position relative to the listener; Late Reflections convey more information about the size and the type of simulated environment.

65. Peak vs RMS Metering

On your meters, the peak level tells you the highest level your audio has reached recently, while the RMS reading tells you the average level of the signal - its perceived power. The target for the difference between the two in modern music is often 12dB... but only after mastering.

66. Your Listeners Don't Care...

...what multiband compression settings you used, how many voices a synth patch has, or how much oversampling you're running in your distortion.

67. AD and ASR envelopes

... can be made out of standard ADSR types, first by reducing Sustain to 0 (to make AD), and then by increase Sustain to Maximum (to make the Decay stage meaningless)

68. Slightly Out of Time

Unsync delay times and move them very slightly off the grid to a mistimed delay that still gives space for the other parts that hit on the bars.

69. Compression isn't for Everything

It's very easy to reach for a compressor to see if a sound can be made better.

70. Touch it

When mixing, get a feel for the lowest bass end - literally - by touching your hand to the loudspeaker cone to get another dimension on what's going on.

71. Listen at Different Volumes

Mixing and mastering with your monitors or headphones turned down doesn't just prevent your ears getting tired; it's actually a great way to understand the balance of frequencies at play and spot any harsh areas that stick out above the (quiet) noise.

72. Plugin Consumerism

It's tempting to buy new plugins in order to open up new possibilities... but then again, why spend the money and the time on getting up and running with them? You shouldn't be buying new tools to open up new creative opportunities - you are the creator.

73. Drum Atonality

Remember, drum sounds are basically atonal, meaning that they don't have a defined pitch - at least not an especially strong one. This makes them very suited to all sorts of processsing that won't always work on tonal, melodic material. Frequency shifting, ringing modulation and layering with noise are great calls with drums.

74. Don't Just Solo One Sound

Mixing is contextual. Soloing a single sound to hear it properly can be useful to a point, but if you can learn to work on a sound while the rest of your mixer channels are playing, your process and results will benefit massively.

75. Gate Sidechaining

Try using a sidechained gate in expander mode to duck one element when another is playing. Like sidechain compression, this can remove sounds that aren't needed at a certain point, but the gate's controls can be friendlier for getting a smooth, consistent volume reduction and reintroduction.

76. Shelf Lift

When boosting an EQ's high or low shelf filters, try adding another EQ band to slightly cut the frequencies just before the shelf starts. This can bring extra focus to the boosted region.

77. Know Your Tools

It's better to make tracks using only one synth that you know incredibly well than to use six you only have a cursory knowledge of.

78. Repetition with Changes

Electronic music production is basically a balance between repetition and change. Combining the two in smart ways is key, keeping a consistent groove with some elements adding interesting variations on themselves.

79. Absorb to Record

No matter how good your microphone, a home recording setup's weakest link is usually the room you're recording in - specifically, the reflections of your sound off the walls, and particularly those walls that are close to the microphone. Dampen the room sound by placing absorbent materials like pillows, and any other heavy fabric objects, against the walls to stop those direct reflections as much as possible.

80. Serial Compression

Dynamics sounds from acoustics instruments - vocals, piano and guitars are prime examples - can be solved by two-stage compression. To better control these sounds, set one compressor (or limiter) up with fast attack and release times and high Threshold and Ratio, in order to clip the highest peaks off; and then set up a second to add character with slower, gentler compression.

81. De-Harsh

De-essers - especially those that can work on a selected band of frequencies - can be very good at remove other harsh spikes from sounds like cymbals and high synth parts.

82. Haas Panning

Panning sounds is done in a DAW by changing the level of the left and right channels relative to each other, but there's another way: by delaying the left or right channel slightly, you can create a more psychoacoustic panning experience without actually changing any levels. You'll have to check your sound in mono when doing this, though, as these delays can lead to phase cancellation.

83. Retiming the Snare

You can give a track a slightly more laid-back feel by dragging the snare very slightly off-the-grid later in time. Going the other way, slightly earlier, can give a track a more frantic feel.

84. Back up

The music on your computer is sacred, and accidents do happen. Back up your computer regularly or use an automatic system to make sure you don't lose everything you've been working on.

85. Record MIDI in Half Time

If you're not the best MIDI performer, try halving your project's tempo while you record and play a part in slower, and then cranking it back up to regular speed when you're done.

86. Tuning Drums

An often overlooked part of working with drums is their tuning. While drums are atonal, they usually still have a fundamental frequency. If the fundamentals of your toms fit with your track's key, your drums will tend to sound better. Have at the Tune control on your sampler/drum machine.

87. Distortion is Additive

When adding a distortion effect to an audio source, the result is usually added harmonics above the fundamental frequency, meaning that distortion placed on one sound will actually show up higher in the frequency spectrum. Not every single distortion type acts exactly like this, but most generic and well-known flavours do.

89. Ghost Notes

Learning how to add ghost notes (aka grace notes) to drum parts is a key skill for a getting a groove going. Use very low-velocity notes placed when a drummer's left hand would strike in a Right-left-right-left pattern of eighth-notes - for more, check out this tutorial.

90. Pitchbend Wheel Tricks

If your synth can use the pitchbend wheel as a modulation source, try hooking it up to another parameter, such as filter frequency or distortion amount, and making more things happen with the pitch is changed.

91. Compression isn't a Numbers Game

Don't look to bring a specific amount of gain reduction into a sound. Forget what your eyes say - use your ears and reference the compression settings with the whole mix playing too.

92. Blending Kicks

The three phases of a kick drum include its fast transient 'attack' stage, its sustaining 'body' stage and its decaying 'tail'. It's entirely possible to combine multiple kick samples by slicing the stage out of each one and crossfading the three wanted stages into each other in order to create one master hybrid kick.

93. Linear Drum Parts

Linear drumming is a technique in which no two elements of the kit are hit at the same time. As it happens, this can be incredibly convenient for mixing - you don't have to separate drums in frequencies if they never sound out at the same time. If you can program interesting rhythms that still groove in this way, then you'll have a nice time at the mixing stage.

94. Bass Sound Smith

When you're creating a bassline and need a sound for it, you reach for a synth, right? For an alternative take an a bass sound, try pitching down various types of material such as vocal snippets, high string plucks or similar - the aim is to get personality and keep the tone for the low-down weight.

If your DAW lets you send an aux/return channel back into itself (Ableton Live is a good example), you can set up networks of delay and pitchshift effects that feed back into each other. Using a delay with a single echo, the result is a cascading echo that pitches down (or up, or both) with every single repeat.

96. Take the Edge off Backing Vocals

Backing singers' consonant sounds ("T", "sh", "f" etc), can confuse those within the main vocal line. Try slicing them out or reducing them in volume if they clash too much, or if recording a backing singer, try a version using just vowel sounds.

Make sure you're mixing ready for small speaker playback systems. As well as referencing using these playback types, ensure that your bass is audible - saturation and distortion of just the low-end frequencies can help this particularly well.

98. Easy Drum Auditioning

Load up all your kicks, snares and other drum sounds in sampler instruments so you can quickly and easily audition them to find the perfect sound for your track.

99. The Limits of Humanity

Beware humanizing your drum patterns too heavily - two of the most important things that real drummers are skilled at regulating are their timing and the strength of each hit. Real humanity is brought into MIDI by adding just a few ticks of timing variation and sticking to single digits of velocity variation.

A high-resolution vocoder isn't just for vocals - you can use it to regulate any instrument's spectrum and imprint a new distribution of frequency strengths on it using another source as a modulator input.

101. Beware Volume Changes

All processes done to your audio have the potential to change its volume. Compression is an obvious example, reducing level and then boosting it back up again, but many other processed can do the same thing. Stay aware that your effects might be having an impact on the level of a sound, and this could interact with other parts of a project.

By James Russell The co-host of Appetite For Production Podcast and a long-time reviewer of plugins and DAWs, James is available on Twitter if these tips have done anything for you, or if you have anything better.

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101 Inspiring Electronic Music Production Tips

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The world of music production is complicated - it's full of techniques, ways of working, attitudes and ideas, and nobody can ever store them all in mind at one time. New producers can find it hard to take in the advice coming from all corners of the internet about what they should and shouldn't do or try, and others who have been producing for a while can easily get stuck.

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The number of ways chords can go together to produce new and interesting sounds is nearly infinite. Musicians use their intuition and experience to arrange chords in ways that move the music along. This notion of movement is important to understanding how to compose and improvise a piece of music. Chord progressions are what gives a piece of music its harmonic movement.

Harmonic Movement
Usually the interplay between chords in a piece of music creates the feeling of movement and change. Some chord combinations sound uplifting, others sound somber, and some sound like ocean waves. While these harmonies and how we interpret them are nearly endless, there is a very simple principle at work.

Most pieces of music tend to first establish a feeling of stability, depart from it, create tension, then return to the feeling of stability. Though some pieces of music demonstrate this more dramatically than others, as you train your ear you will become increasingly aware of it.

Progression Formulas
The way chords are placed one after the other in a piece of music is called a chord progression. The chords in a progression have different harmonic functions. Some chords provide the stability, some the departure, and some provide the dynamic tension.

Roman numerals are used to indicate the chords in a progression. The numerals are based on the scale pattern of the diatonic scale. For example, in the key of C major a I, IV, V7 (one, four, five) progression indicates the chords Cmaj, Fmaj, and Gdom7. In the key of F these chords would be Fmaj, Bbmaj, and Cdom7.

The diagram below shows the formulas of the more common chord progressions in major and minor keys.

The Roman numerals in a chord progression formula signify the triad form of the chord. It is harmonically permissible to extend these chords with additional diatonic tones to create different chords. In other words, you can add notes to these chords as long as the notes are part of the diatonic scale. The harmonic function of the chord does not change.

The Roman numerals refer to the position of each chord in the diatonic scale. The diagram below shows how the Roman numeral scale degree can be interpreted with different chords. All of the examples below can be interpreted from the same chord formula.

Chord formulas are written in Roman numerals to represent the generic form of the progression. Often musicians will learn a piece of music by its chord progression formula. One reason for this is that it is easier to remember since many songs are based on the same formula. Another reason is, it is easier to play a song in different keys if you know the formula. However, this assumes you know which chords make up which keys.

It's not uncommon for a rehearsal conversation to go like this:

Singer: "Hey, I've got this new song I want to do. It's basically a six-two-five progression."

Pianist: "What key do you like?"

Singer: "I don't know. Maybe Bb."

You can see if you are the pianist you need to be ready to play the same progression in several keys.

The chords indicated by the Roman numerals also have names. For instance, the first chord of the scale is the tonic. The fifth chord is the dominant. The diagram below shows the functional names and scale degree of the diatonic scale. Beneath this are notes from several common keys that match the function and degree.

Other scales whose scale patterns differ from the diatonic scale are assigned chord degrees according to the sharpness or flatness of their notes. That is, the diatonic scale creates a "ruler" that other scales are measured against. That is why the resulting chord based on the third note of the C natural minor scale is bIIIm (Ebm) and not III as in the diatonic scale.

The chart below shows how different scales compare. Because the notes of the scales are spaced differently they produce different chords.

Chord Substitutions
To add variety to the movement you can substitute chords, play dominant chords in place of minor chords, and vise versa. Play diminished chords instead of a dominant. Play chords with extensions. In other words, explore the different ways you can link chords together to create harmonic movement.

Example:
One of the most common progressions in music is the I, IV, V (one, four, five) and say we want to explore this progression in the key of C major.
Since we are in the key of C Major our tonic chord will be a major chord with C as its root. There are several chords we could choose but for this example let's pick Cmaj7.

Next, we've got the IV (the four chord). It's also a major chord but since it is derived from the fourth degree of the C Major scale its root must be F. Normally we might choose Fmaj7 but let's bend the rules and experiment. Let's make this an Fm7b5 chord (F,Ab,B, Eb). F7 has an Eb and an Ab, neither which belong to the key of C Major. However, most importantly we are changing the major chord into a minor. That creates a completely different sound. That's where we are bending the rules. However, the most basic rule in music theory is that if it sounds okay, it's allowed.

The V chord can act as a stronger dominant chord if we add the 7th note of the Mixolydian mode. In this case we produce a Gdom7 (G, B, D, F). Now we have a I, IV7, V7 progression. We can spice up this progression even more.

The V (five chord) is the chord that expresses the most tension in a progression and if we want to add more tension we can alter the chord. This means we can add notes that don't belong to the key which almost always produces a dissonant harmony that creates tension.

So, if we sharp the fifth and the ninth degree of the G7 chord we end up with G7#5#9 (G, B, Eb, Bb). Our final formula is: Imaj7, IVm7b5, V7#5#9. Notice how this sounds compares to the original I, IV, V.

There are more substitutions that can be made. This is just the beginning. Experiment and explore to create different harmonic movements. Let your ear decide what's right and not right.

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chord progressions
harmonic movement
progression formulas

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The number of ways chords can go together to produce new and interesting sounds is nearly infinite. Musicians use their intuition and experience to arrange chords in ways that move the music along. This notion of movement is important to understanding how to compose and improvise a piece of music.

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Giving and receiving constructive feedback is essential for educational processes. But how to evaluate visual projects of various sort? It is easy to get lost in the world of visual communication, where almost everything seems to be original, unique and subjective. Luckily, it turns out that there is a number of rather clear criteria, which can be extremely helpful in constructing respectful and honest feedback. Text and illustration by Joanna Wróblewska
When evaluating a visual project, we should be as objective as possible. It means that we are judging only the project itself, not the creator. How to do it in the right way? Are there any guidelines for giving constructive feedback on a design? If so, how to find the appropriate words for describing our thoughts and insights? Observing my students made me think about creating a set of tips for those who would like to understand project evaluation better and learn effectively from others' feedback.

1. Use proper words and expressions
When discussing design, it is important to use the right words and expressions that define and describe the visuals. Lines, colors, letters and shapes are called design elements. A trained eye does not see people, faces, or gestures, but simple and obvious design objects like geometrical figures, directions or patches of colour. Using such words is more objective and lets us see a visual project as a set of diverse design elements placed on a flat surface.

Design elements are always in certain relations. They can create a feeling of a balance, unity, and harmony or stay in dramatic tension. The composition can be also completely out of balance. Knowing basic design principles will help us to indicate the areas of imbalance and propose better, alternative visual solutions.

2. Search for C.R.A.P.
C.R.A.P is a set of basic design principles that stands for contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity. Look at design elements and ask yourself these four questions:

Is there enough contrast between design elements?

Do design elements create a certain visual flow supported by the repetition of forms?

Are design elements aligned to each other in a clear, readable way?

What is the distance between design elements and what type of visual message does it create?

Look for well-designed areas and describe them. Do the same with any areas of improvement. Be clear and propose concrete solutions that could help solving design problems. Sometimes a simple suggestion of enlarging a title or aligning a piece of text will be sufficient.

3. Pay attention to colour
Colour is an essential design element that should not be underestimated in any project. Colour choices can entirely change the way of reading a design. Is the chosen palette picked properly? What does a particular colour symbolize? Are there any areas that create incandescent effects? Remember that using strong, artificial and incandescent colours often downgrades a design. If you struggle with picking colours for your projects, use online tools like Adobe Kuler. Not everybody is sensitive to colour and we should definitely respect that fact.

4. Find emphasis
In a design, there is often an element that is much stronger than everything else. We call it an emphasis. If you decide that a particular design element needs attention, simply emphasize it by changing its size, shape or colour. While evaluating a visual piece, always search for the emphasis and make sure that it supports the project - sometimes it can be pretty misleading, especially if used unconsciously.

5. Analyze typography
Typography carries a message about a design. Take a look at typefaces and fonts chosen for a project and ask yourself following questions:

How many typefaces/fonts are used in this design?

Do they create a clear message or maybe a feeling of chaos?

Is there enough contrast between titles, tag lines and other types of text?

Are pieces of text grouped in a clear, readable way?

Is the text aligned well?

Realize that people tend to read short pieces of text, whenever they appear in a visual project. Make your text easy to find and clear, so everyone can understand it. Also, try not to use too many typefaces in one piece: two, maximum three will do the work. Above all, avoid using typefaces like Comic Sans and Papyrus! They are graphic designer's nightmares and will make your piece look unprofessional.

6. Take a look at images
If there are photographs, icons or other images used in a design, it is important to analyze them. Do they support the project? Are they properly used and fit the general design aesthetics? How would you estimate their quality? Can you see pixels? Are they used accordingly to the copyright policy? Using well-exposed good quality photographs is probably the best idea. However, icons and symbols are not necessarily welcome - especially when downloaded from internet.

7. Ask about target group
What is a purpose of the evaluated design? Is it a flyer advertising art classes for kids or a poster inviting for a jazz concert? Maybe it is an informative website about yoga practice or a layout of a cooking blog? The target group is essential and it will determinate the usage of colours, fonts and any other design elements.

8. Define clear messages
Take a look at a visual project, whatever it is, and ask yourself about the message that it conveys. What type of a message is it exactly? Does it support the chosen business, event, or activity? Is it encouraging and entertaining? If the message is misleading, think of a better visual solution for the evaluated design. There is always a space to improve!

9. Maximize impact
Is the design impactful, legible and meaningful? Could an average viewer read and understand it well? Does it stand out and catch your eye? Does it support defined goals and objectives? In the visual communication, things are designed to make impact. What can you improve to make a project stronger?

10. Ask questions
While evaluating a visual project, you should ask questions and make sure that you understand the creative process behind it. It will not be always possible, but using the opportunity of communicating with a designer can give you a chance to give a more constructive feedback. Sharpen your eye and truly study the project - at some point it will become much easier! A trained eye has a capability of analyzing the tiniest and the most subtle relations between design elements to detect what could be improved.

Finally, try to pay attention to the technical quality, compositional accordance and visual aesthetics of a design. Those three elements combined together should help you to create a well structured evaluation indicating concrete areas of improvement in your own or others' projects. Sounds hard? Yes, but only when you do it for the first time!

Learn more:
Is Your Logo Effective?
Creative tutorial: Evaluating Your Design
An Evaluation Model for Graphic Design Works

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Visual communication: 10 tips on evaluating design

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Giving and receiving constructive feedback is essential for educational processes. But how to evaluate visual projects of various sort? It is easy to get lost in the world of visual communication, where almost everything seems to be original, unique and subjective.

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here are my photos that I took over the last 2-3 weeks

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here are my photos that I took over the last 2-3 weeks

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I hope this inspires you :)

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Issues introduced and solved through photography

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Issues introduced and solved through photography

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Following 25-year-old black man Freddie Gray's death while in police custody in 2015, Baltimore-based photographer Allen's black-and-white images of protests and unrest in his home city went viral on Instagram; his now-iconic photograph of a young black protester mid-stride, with a police troop behind him, made the cover of TIME 's May 11, 2015 issue. Since then, Allen has continued to photograph in and around Baltimore, covering local youth culture as well as Black Lives Matter and post-election protests.

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Follow These 20 Photographers to Understand the World's Most Important Issues

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Following 25-year-old black man Freddie Gray's death while in police custody in 2015, Baltimore-based photographer Allen's black-and-white images of protests and unrest in his home city went viral on Instagram; his now-iconic photograph of a young black protester mid-stride, with a police troop behind him, made the cover of TIME 's May 11, 2015 issue.

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This article can help people take aesthetic photos nicely

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Do you remember the moment of looking at all of the instagram bloggers and their aesthetic photos, wishing you could as well get famous because of your eye-pleasing content? We have to admit that at some point, we have all tried to create or even copy a certain aesthetic. However, most of the time, we lack either knowledge, skills or both when it comes to taking aesthetic pictures. So taking that in mind, I did a tiny little research on my own, in order to come up with a simple and easy to follow step-by-step guide. I present to you „7 tips for taking aesthetic photos".

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Tip #1 : Use Natural Light

This is probably one of the most crucial things when it comes to photos. As an amateur photographer, I know for a fact that the lighting can either make one picture a masterpiece or a complete failure. In a lot of cases flash can lower the saturation of colours. If you are trying to follow a more colourful aesthetic, then flash is your biggest enemy.

When it comes to natural light, I am convinced that the best pictures taken are either at around 9 o'clock in the morning or around the golden hour when the sun sets. Both of these times, even though in a different way, bring the most out the colours, you can go for a warm picture with honey and sunny colours in the evening, or for colourful and „fresh" pictures in the morning. Or shortly said, morning- colourful pictures, evening- sunny pictures, flash- darker and „blender".

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Tip #2 : Have A Theme

Most of the successful content creators on platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest stick to having one theme for the way they take pictures, e.g. being colourful, dark, champagne pink, etc. What does that have to do with photography?

Personally, I think it has become one of the unwritten rules on „how to take aesthetic photos and create aesthetic content". Chaos is attractive only in some cases, in most though, what attracts the eye is constants. The concept of the same theme, for some reason, shows proffessionality, every artist has their own and unique style. So you should find your own as well. It can be the 80's or futuristic style.

via instagram @wesandersonplanet

Tip #3 : Little Editing „never hurt nobody"

Editing is probably one of my favourite thing when it comes to aesthetic photos. As already mentioned, theme has to do a lot with your photos. In other words, editing them in the same way is a must. Here is a good example of the power of editing:

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Touching a little bit the colours, the exposure and lighting will give you the exact wanted result. You can make from a simple dark photo in bland colours, a warm coloured aesthetic photo. Saturation is my favourite tool, as it can either make colours pop or go bland. Sharpening your pictures gives the illusion that you are using a professional camera, when in reality you might have used a simple smart phone without many featues.

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Tip #4 : Angles

Just like the lighting, angles are a key-factor in taking aesthetic pictures. An angle can give you a different point of view. The angle I mostly use for my photos is a lower one. Especially when I am on the beach, the best pictures come with a lower angle. Here is the difference:

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Tip #5 : Grain

If you are going for a little bit of old-school photography, style 90's kind of camera, then you will just love grain. Don't be afraid to play with it. I, personally, do not use it that much, however, some great photos come out with it. You can either go for the combination saturation and grain or darker lighting and grain.

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Tip #6 : Details

Details directly affect the aesthetic you are trying to reach, from the way you are dressed to the place you are taking the picture at. If you are trying to make an aesthetic portrait, you should consider the behaviour, the style, the surroundings and pretty much every small detail that you can think of, you should thoroughly consider what kind of message you want to get across, the feelings you want to give off.

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The aesthetic that was to be reached in these photos is a 80s-90's style. When taking such aesthetic photos, you should consider finding something emblematic about the style or era and have it in your photo, that way, it is guaranteed you will succeed into portraying it.

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Tip #7 : Explore Your Camera's Features

It doesn't matter whether you are using a professional camera or a smartphone. You should become acquainted with your camera's features as you never know when they may come in handy. Just by exploring some of my phone's settings, I was able to create this, without the need of extra editing:

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An advice:
In conclusion, in order to reach the aesthetic feeling of your photographs, you must try playing with angles, editing, stick to a theme , play with the colours and be confident in your work of art.
Most people forget that copying someone else's style when it comes to photography is almost impossible. The reason of trying to copy the aesthetic is because of the lack of confidence in oneself. You are not competing in a race, you must remember that photography after all, is something we do for pleasure, even when it is for a job, you must be passionate and you must be confident in your skills, the product that you are offering and aesthetic you are following.

If you are not, then you will end up deleting your photos again and again and try more and more new things, in the end, you will feel as a failure for being unable to reach a certain standard or goal set by someone else. You should find your own passion, your own style and create your own original content.

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I hope these tips were helpful, however do not hesitate to share more with us or show us some of your own masterpieces!

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Do you remember the moment of looking at all of the instagram bloggers and their aesthetic photos, wishing you could as well get famous because of your eye-pleasing content? We have to admit that at some point, we have all tried to create or even copy a certain aesthetic.

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Before the days of smartphones - if you can remember such a time - taking a great photo was a labor-intensive process. Now, it's easy to learn how to take good photos with your phone - no fancy cameras or desktop editing software required.

Brands are catching on, too - these kinds of visuals remain important to marketing. But make no mistake: Taking a stunning photo on your smartphone isn't as simple as pointing and shooting. There are plenty of bad smartphone photos out there - I'm sure you've seen at least a few.

What's the secret to taking great pictures with your smartphone, then? As it turns out, there are a few of them. Check out these tips below to improve your smartphone photography game. (And once you have the photo-taking part down, check out some of the best photo editing apps for mobile.)

1. Practice.

Photography is a way of seeing, and showing how you see the world around you. Smartphone photography is popular too. On average, people around the globe take over a trillion photos each year - and according to research, 92% of these photographs are taken with smartphones. But you can make your photos unique - all it takes is practice.

Take as many photos as you can.

Your phone is probably with you most of the time. This means that you can take great photographs anywhere and any time. So, instead of taking just one photo of a subject you're interested in, take 10, 20, or even 30 photographs. Then, spend some time looking at your pictures to see which ones you like best, and why.

Find different perspectives.

Taking photos from a unique, unexpected angle can make them more memorable - it tends to create an illusion of depth or height with the subjects. It also makes the image stand out, since most people taking photos on mobile photos are shooting images either straight-on or from above.

Try taking a photo from a slight distance and playing with the sky as negative space, like in the first photo below. Or, you can try taking it at a slight downward angle.
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Pro Tip: If you take a photo and find the perspective is a little askew or tilted, use the SKRWT photo editing app to make the lines look clean and square.

Take candids.

Posed photos can be great for the sake of memories - happy moments with friends, family, or the occasional run-in with a celebrity. But sometimes, candid shots of people doing things, or people with people, can be far more interesting.

That's because candid photos are better able to effectively capture the emotion and essence of a moment. One of the best ways to capture this kind of shot is to just take as many photos as possible. You'll have more to choose from, and the best photos often happen when the "stars align," so to speak, in a single moment - everyone's eyes are open, one person is tilting their head just so, and you finally got a shot of your chronically closed-lip friend smiling with his teeth.
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If you want to take more photographs and aren't sure where to start, check out this list of Instagram post ideas for inspiration.

2. Get to know your camera.

It can be tough to take good photos on a phone if you don't know exactly how it works. So, take the time to explore the different camera modes and settings on your phone. Get familiar with functions like adjusting focus and exposure. Many phones have automatic white balance, so you may need an extra app to get the features you'd get on a digital camera like a DSLR.

Use a modern phone with a good camera.

Use a modern phone with a good camera. Invest in a phone that offers excellent camera capabilities. Think about resolution and low-light performance too. Brands add new technologies to smartphone cameras constantly, such as built-in telephoto and ultrawide lenses. So, if you're looking for specific features you may want to do some research before buying. You can also use older phone technologies to create interesting images with a vintage feel.

That said, if you are hoping to achieve high-quality images that meet the standards of your favorite Instagram photographers, a newer smartphone is more likely to bring you those results.

Use HDR mode.

High dynamic range or HDR, is a camera app feature that helps balance the light and dark elements in a high-contrast photo. You can use it to give photos a more creative, or artsy vibe, but it's commonly used to produce an image that looks more like how you see your subject with your eyes.

Often with smartphone cameras, it's hard to get the perfect exposure for light and dark areas. You could be taking a photo of someone in a shaded area outside against a bright background or in a room with low light against a bright wall. Setting the exposure to the background could underexpose the person being photographed. Conversely, setting the exposure to the subject could result in an overexposed background.

HDR prevents this by retaining both the details in darker areas and shadows and bright areas. The iPhone takes photos in HDR by default. For Android phones, you may need to adjust HDR settings manually.

Try portrait mode.

Using the portrait mode feature on your phone will create a shallow depth of field effect. This adds blur to the background and makes your subject stand out. You can also adjust the exposure for your unique shot or experiment with light settings in portrait mode. Test out different lighting conditions and distances to get the desired effect in your photos.

Clean your phone's lens.

A smartphone camera might be more convenient to carry around than a full-fledged photojournalist's camera, but it comes at the cost of protection.

Your phone is usually in your pocket or your bag when you're out of the house. All the while, the device's camera lens is collecting all kinds of dust and lint. Be sure to clean this lens with a soft handkerchief before taking a photo. You might not be able to tell just how dirty the lens was until you start editing your picture, and making sure the lens is clear before taking a shot can keep you from missing great shots.

3. Learn how to use light.

Understanding how to use light effectively is crucial for capturing captivating photos. The way you use light can completely transform any photograph.

So, to improve your phone photography, figure out how to harness light. Try using the golden hour in the morning or evening for warm and soft lighting or create dramatic shadows with a harsh spotlight. And, remember to adjust the exposure to make the most of the light you have.

Use natural light.

Natural light isn't just for landscape photography. Take advantage of any sources of natural light you can find, even after dark. This gives you a chance to play with shadows or create a silhouette with other ambient sources of light, like windows or surrounding buildings.

You may also want to try backlight, where your main light source is behind your subject instead of in front of it.
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Once you've taken the photo, you might want to play with the exposure tool in your favorite photo editing app to see if you can make the image slightly brighter, without making it too grainy.

Play with reflections.

There's something so idyllic about seeing the sky reflected in a body of water. There's a reason why we love seeing that - our eyes are drawn to reflections. So look for opportunities to play with them in photos.

There are plenty of out-of-the-box places to find reflections - puddles, large bodies of water, mirrors, sunglasses, drinking glasses, and metallic surfaces are just a few.

If you use flash, only do so during the day.
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It's hard to find a great smartphone photo taken with a flash. Unless you use the flash expertly, it can make a photo look overexposed, negatively alter colors, and make human subjects look washed out.

Sometimes, using your camera's flash can improve a photo - but rarely does it do so at night. Because dark shots reveal a much sharper contrast against your phone's flash, it can make any flash look invasive and uneven.

But in already well-lit spaces, a flash can help to soften some dark shadows behind or beneath your main subject.

When framing your next shot, look on the ground or against vertical surfaces for any dark shadows you might want to remove. If you see any, flip on the flash manually in your camera app. Setting your phone's camera flash to "auto" won't guarantee that your phone will notice the shadows you want to get rid of. Just remember to turn the flash off again when you're done.

Consider the importance of flash for enhancing or hiding certain lines and features the next time you're shooting product photography.

4. Compose each photograph.

Composition in photographs is key. From Annie Leibovitz to Richard Avedon, the most famous photographers use careful arrangement of the picture plane to create powerful photographic images.

But you don't have to be an expert to create unique and beautiful photographs. You just need to find a way of composing images that's your own.

Use gridlines to balance your shot.

One of the easiest and best ways to improve your mobile photos is to turn on the camera's gridlines. That superimposes a series of lines on the screen of your smartphone's camera based on the " rule of thirds" - a photographic composition principle that breaks an image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, so you have nine parts in total.

According to this theory, if you place points of interest in these intersections or along the lines, your photo will be more balanced and level, and allow viewers to interact with it more naturally.

To switch the grid on:

iPhone: Go to "Settings," choose "Camera," and switch "Grid" on.

Samsung Galaxy: Launch the camera app, go to "Settings," scroll down and switch the "gridlines" option to "on."

Google Pixel: Launch the Camera app, then tap the down arrow. Go to "More Settings," then "Grid type." Finally, choose the type of grid you want.

Use leading lines.

In some photos, there's a line that draws the viewer's eye toward a certain part of the frame. Those are called leading lines. They can be straight or curvilinear- think staircases, building facades, train tracks, roads, or even a path through the woods.

Leading lines are great for creating a sense of depth in an image, and can make your photo look purposefully designed - even if you just happened to come upon a really cool shape by accident.

Look for symmetry.

Symmetry can be defined as "a vague sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance." And pictures that contain symmetry can be incredibly pleasing to the eye - it's also one of the simplest and most compelling ways to compose a photo.
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In photography, symmetry usually means an image has two equal parts that are mirror images of each other. That's a bit different from reflections - you can find symmetry "in the wild," like the photo above, or you can set up your photo for symmetry, as photographer Andoni Beristain did below.

And remember - use gridlines to line everything up in a way that's pleasing to the eye.
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5. Focus on one subject at a time.

Composition is a huge part of what makes a photo great, but so is the photo's subject. Many of the best photos include just one interesting subject, like in portrait photography. So when taking a picture of a single subject, spend some extra time setting up the shot.
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Some professional photographers say that the subject shouldn't fill the entire frame, and that two-thirds of the photo should be negative space - that helps the subject stand out even more. But be sure you tap the screen of your smartphone to focus the camera on your subject. This will help make sure that your image is in focus and has optimal lighting.

Pro Tip: Once you've taken your photo, you can use filters and apps to make the subject even more vivid, or to crop it to frame the subject correctly. You can also adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of the photo - all from your phone.

Play around with color blocking.

Color blocking can help to highlight the elements of a photo that you want to stand out, like a plant or something else with a bold hue. It achieves a similar goal as negative space, in that it can help a single subject stand out - but with color blocking, the photo's other elements stay intact for a cohesive image.
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Pro tip: Isn't it cool when an entire photo is black and white, except for a single object? It turns out that yes, indeed, there are apps for that. One of our favorites is Color Splash - an app that automatically converts a picture to grayscale and lets you fill in the parts you want to colorize.

Create abstracts.

Abstract photos can capture the essence of an object, or a series of them, without revealing the entire subject as a whole. In other words, they serve the purpose of creating unique, surprising images from ordinary subjects.

You can accomplish this by cropping an abstract portion of an otherwise normal photo, or by taking close-up shots of objects that leave the viewer wondering - in admiration, of course - what the subject might be. And subjects with patterns or repetition are great candidates for abstract photography, like in the photo of umbrellas below.

Make 'em laugh.
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Speaking of evoking emotion, sometimes the most memorable photos are the ones that make us giggle. The image below of a woman submerged in pink balloons is funny because it's unexpected - and there's a part of us that wants to join her, too. If you can make your audience laugh, they're likely to enjoy your photo.

6. Set your camera's focus.

Today's phone cameras automatically focus on the foreground of your frame, but not every picture you take on your phone has an obvious subject. To adjust where you want your camera lens to focus, open your camera app and tap the screen where you want to sharpen the view.
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If you're taking a photo of something in motion, for example, it can be difficult for your camera to follow this subject and refocus as needed. Tap the screen to correct your phone camera's focus just before snapping the picture to ensure the moving subject has as much focus as possible. A square or circular icon should then appear on your camera screen, shifting the focus of your shot to all of the content inside that icon.

Avoid zooming in.

When you take a photo from a distance, it's tempting to zoom in on something specific you're trying to capture. But it's actually better not to zoom in - doing so can make the photo appear grainy, blurry, or pixelated.

Instead, try to get closer to your subject - unless it's a wild animal, in which case we would advise keeping your distance - or take the photo from a default distance, and crop it later on. That way, you won't compromise quality, and it's easier to play around or optimize a larger image.
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Keep an eye out for repetitive patterns.

Repetitive patterns are pleasing to the eye - they appear whenever strong graphic elements repeat over and over again, like lines, geometric shapes, forms, and colors. These patterns can make a strong visual impact, and photographing something like a beautiful, tiled floor can be enough to create a striking image. Other times, it's more fun to keep an eye out for where they appear naturally or unintentionally, like in the photo below.

7. Hold your phone still.
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While smartphones have given us the benefit of taking pictures on the go, the cameras on our phones are still sensitive to movement. To help avoid blurry or warped photos, steady your camera first.

You can lean on a friend or wall to prevent your arms or hands from wobbling, or prop your phone up using books or similar objects to steady your phone.

Consider buying a mobile tripod.

Mobile devices make it easy to snap any photo on the go. But there's never been an easy way to make sure the shot stays level and balanced when you shoot - especially if you want to be in the picture and not just take a typical selfie with your extended arm.

Mobile tripods give you the freedom to mount your smartphone for quick hands-free shots without lugging any heavy equipment with you. Most mobile tripods are barely bigger than your mobile device and can bend to any angle. Learn how these miniature tripods can help enhance your mobile video experience below.

8. Experiment with exposure.

Another mobile camera feature you'll want to set manually is your exposure. Tapping your screen when your phone's camera is on doesn't just refocus the lens on a new subject - it also automatically adjusts how much light the camera lets in. This, too, won't always look just right. It's best to adjust it by hand.

To change your mobile camera's exposure by hand, open your camera app and tap the screen. When you see the lens refocus, you'll see a very small sun icon and a vertical scale. Slowly swipe your finger up and down this scale to adjust the light level.

Capture small details.
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You may have heard the phrase, "It's the little things." Sometimes, that also applies to photos. Close-up images that capture small, intricate, and delicate details can make for really compelling visual content.

It can be tricky to photograph close-up objects with a smartphone. To focus on an object, tap the area you're trying to capture. If you're unable to focus the image, move slightly away. You can also tap another part of the screen, then go back to your subject to try focusing again. iPhone 13 and later also have a "macro" mode that can help with close-up shots.

Pro Tip: Use the "sharpen" tool in your favorite photo editing app to (conservatively) sharpen the details of your photo.

Embrace negative space.

"Negative space" simply refers to the areas around and between the subjects of an image - and it can take a photo from "good" to "great."

When you include a lot of empty space in a photo, your subject will stand out more and evoke a stronger reaction from your viewer. And what does negative space look like? It's often a large expanse of open sky, an empty field, a large wall, or water, as in the example below.

9. Use photo accessories.

Photo accessories like lenses, apps, and lights can make your smartphone a more powerful camera, adding features to boost your photographs while you're shooting and as you edit and prepare your images for sharing.

Attach an external lens.

Want to get really fancy? External lenses are for you. There are actually several out there that you can attach to the top of your smartphone's native camera lens - from fish-eye to wide-angle lenses. These add-ons can bring an entirely new quality and perspective to your photos.
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According to Wirecutter, the best camera lenses for iPhone photography are made by Moment, a manufacturer of mobile lenses. Start there, or do some research to find the lens add-ons that fit your smartphone photography needs.

Try a shutter button.

A selfie stick is great for making that special selfie a little less arm-focused. But shutter buttons give you even more freedom to create great photos with your phone. Remote shutter buttons also allow for steadier shots and help prevent the inevitable camera shake as you try to click the shutter on your screen.

Use photo apps.

Whether you want tone curve adjustments, blemish fixing, HSL color correction, or gradients, there's an app for that. Photo apps for desktop and mobile enable you to go wild in post-production to make your photos one of a kind.

10. Don't be afraid to edit.

Composing and taking photos on your smartphone is just the first step to making it visually compelling. Editing your photos is the next step - and a critical one, at that. Filters can be a valuable photographic tool, particularly when it comes to two goals: 1) Removing blemishes from a picture, and 2) making food look even more delicious.

Beauty filters are a common fix- and now, the iPhone photos app offers many similar filters. There are also apps like Pho.to, which can automatically retouch facial photos without a lot of work. And when it comes to those photos of your daily meals? Another great app is Foodie, which comes with its own set of filters optimized for different types of food.
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But there are many other fantastic photo and video editing apps out there for mobile devices - check out this post to see some of the best ones out there. If you want to edit your photos on desktop, this list of Photoshop shortcuts can help you speed up the process.

And, if you're creating photos, you may also want to share them. Photo-sharing apps like Instagram include tons of in-app features for editing.

Be unconventional.

Some of the most delightful and remarkable photos come out of cool, unique ideas. Images are more effective than text at evoking emotion from your viewers - that often means getting your photos to say something.

Try thinking outside of the box when it comes to what you're capturing - your viewers could be pleasantly surprised by a cool or unexpected approach.

Want more tips on creating visual content? Check out these design tools for creating visual content.

11. Ask for feedback.

As you grow as a photographer, you can learn a ton just by looking at the work of other photographers. But if you really want to push yourself, it's a good idea to ask for feedback.

Getting critique on your photos from others can give you useful insights about how what your audience sees in your photos and what emotions they evoke. This feedback process is also helpful if you're using your photo skills for a business. If this describes you, you may also want to check out these tips on product photography and taking photos for real estate.

Share your photos with friends, family, or online photography communities to get some constructive criticism and tips for improvement. Critique can be tough to take at first, but if you really want to improve your photos, the risk is worth it.

Take Better Photos

Thanks to our mobile devices and the editing apps that come with them, we can now take high-quality photos and edit them just about anywhere - all from the same device that we use to make calls.
Image Source Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Phone Photography 101: How to Take Good Pictures With Your Mobile Device

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Discover helpful tips to learn how to take good photos with a phone. Take your smartphone photography game from good to great with these tips and examples.

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Nature photography covers shooting flora and fauna. This means plants, flowers, and animals, photographed in their immediate environments.
It's challenging because of the variety of subjects and movement. But we've got you covered with all the nature photography tips you need.

12. Pick the Right Lens for Nature Photography

There is a famous Boy Scouts saying - always be prepared. This applies to nature photography too.

Figuring out the best lens for a particular type of photography isn't an exact science. You may have different goals for different shots.
In general, you'd do best to use a lens with a longer focal length. This could be a zoom lens, with a wide aperture.

This is for two reasons. First, you'll want the longest reach possible. Some nature photography subjects, such as animals, will involve some distance. This way, you can observe and photograph without disturbing them.

Second, we'll want to provide a sharp image of our subject against a creamy, blurred background. This will make the subject pop. To do this, you need to understand the foreground and background distances. Use a lens with a wide aperture such as f/1.4, f/1.8, or f/2.8.

11. Separate the Subject From the Background

Nature photography usually features a subject such as a plant, animal or flower. This means that you need to separate that subject from the background of the frame.
You'll need to judge the placement of the elements in the frame. And you'll need to make a few adjustments.

First, you'll want some distance between your foreground and background. This will help separate them in the shot.
Use a wider aperture ( lower f-stop number) such as f/2.0 or f/2.8. Focus on the subject in the foreground. The wide aperture should yield a softer, blurry background.

10. Crop Close on Textures

We draw inspiration from nature for many things in life. From colors, to sounds, to patterns. Some of the most interesting subjects can be right in front of us.

When shooting nature photography, zoom in and crop close on your subject. This could be tree bark, a leaf, the forest floor, a lizard's skin.

There is a whole new world waiting for you when you look closer. For an even closer look, invest in a macro lens. These lenses magnify even the tiniest details and can produce some amazing images.

9. Study Your Subjects for Better Nature Photography

Nature photography is an interesting topic, and continues to be so all over the world.

It's very important to study your subject, as far as nature photography tips go. This is for a few reasons. First, we can better capture images of things we understand.

Knowing your subject's habits will also help you predict shots. You'll know when that swan is about to charge, or when that particular plant is in bloom. And if you find out the animal you're photographing isn't so dangerous? Then you can start capturing close-up photography.

8. Shoot Your Subject in Their Natural Context for Powerful Images

This isn't a hard and fast rule, but rather, a guideline. If you're going to shoot nature photography, try to keep everything in the shot natural.

There's nothing wrong with taking a picture of the bird on a power line, or spider on the side of your house. It can make for some creative and interesting juxtapositions.

But if you're after powerful nature photos, then photograph animals and plants in their natural habitat.

7. Take the Right Gear for Taking Nature Photography

We've already discussed lenses, and later we'll touch on camera bodies. But it's easy to overlook other useful items.

On the photography side, a camera bag with extra gear such as batteries and lenses is a no-brainer.

But how many times do nature photographers venture into a remote shooting location without their tripod? More times than you can count, I assure you.

Also, don't forget to wear appropriate clothing for the location and season. It may not seem like weather for a jacket, but wait until the sun drops behind the horizon.
Plan ahead. Hats, gloves, and different shoes could all prove useful. This might be one of the most important wildlife photography tips for beginners.

What about navigation? Don't depend on your phone. Bring a current map and a compass, and learn how to use them.

6. Find the Best Camera for Nature Photos

Shoot with what you want. You might be tired of the phrase "the best camera is the one you have with you". But there is definite truth in that statement.

You can create amazing smartphone photography with an iPhone or Android device. Smaller apertures, dual-lenses and optic zooming are all becoming common features. These allow you to create some pretty compelling photos even without a DSLR.

To see what's possible, check out our article here. And see what others have done with minimal gear and tiny camera sensors. Even national geographic photographers didn't all have digital cameras.

5. Use Natural Light to Improve Your Photos

Natural light photography is outdoor photography using direct or indirect light from the sun or moon. Nature photos will look great in the morning or evening light in general. And during the golden hours in particular.

This light after sunrise and before sunset has a softer, hazy quality. It illuminates your subjects more evenly and eliminates the harsh midday shadows.
Imagine a small bird in a tree or even the leaves of that tree. If that's your subject, it will be softly lit with the golden hues of a setting sun. That's what I would call atmospheric.

This type of light can provide an emotional overlay to your images. This is hard to reproduce otherwise. You'll notice the difference in the effectiveness of the shot. You might even notice a difference between morning and evening shots. Check for color temperature changes.

4. Choose the Best Time of Day to Get Perfect Nature Shots

There are advantages to shooting in the early morning or late evenings. This includes the likelihood of the area you're shooting being less crowded.
This is especially important in high-traffic "tourist" areas. These are popular national parks and other landmarks.

If you're shooting animals, aim for mornings and evenings. You're more likely to score great wildlife shots then. Many animals escape the heat of the day. They are much more active when it's darker and cooler.

3. Use Different Angles and Perspectives to Stand Out

Landscape photography isn't about pleasing someone else. Or appealing to someone else's sense of style. It's about shooting what makes you happy.
Take the time to study other nature photographer's work if you've not discovered your own style yet.

What angles do they tend to use? What colors do they coordinate within the frame? How close do they get to their subject?
Try to do something different. Go against the grain! Use a different angle, shoot a close-up where others would shoot wide-angle.

Nature offers us unlimited beautiful setups. Go out there and take advantage of them! Using your own creativity is one of the best wildlife photography tips for beginners.

2. Bring Your Crop Sensor Camera Body

If you have a full frame and a crop sensor camera body, consider leaving the full frame at home. Lenses have a more pronounced effective focal length on crop sensor cameras.

This is especially useful when shooting animals. There is a distance you must maintain to avoid frightening them. A 50mm lens on a crop sensor camera body will show a 1.6x effective magnification over a full frame camera. Using a crop sensor means getting as close as you can for your nature and wildlife photography.

1. Respect the Animals and Environment

It's impossible to explain this without using the phrase "leave only footprints". As cliche as it is, it couldn't be more accurate.

Be sure to take home any rubbish, even if you think an item is biodegradable. An orange or banana peel can take up to 2 years to decompose. Respect the environment you're shooting. You have to understand the importance of not disturbing natural environments.

We are photographing a sensitive world that is the home of many living things. We should make every effort to have a minimal lasting impact on that world.

Conclusion

Are you a nature photography lover? What other tips would you give a beginner? And what are some of your favourite subjects and environments in the great outdoors to shoot in?

Join the discussion and comment below!

If you want to make the most of the great outdoors, then try our Simply Stunning Landscapes course!
For more great nature photography tips, check out our article on high and low key wildlife photos.

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12 Easy Ways to Improve Your Nature Photography

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Nature photography is a unique discipline covering flowers, macro, landscapes, bird or wildlife photography. Read our great tips to get you started!

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1. Shoot every day Like any skill, the more you do it, the better you can get. The best camera you have is the one in your hand, so if you aren't out with your full DSLR kit, don't be afraid to take great photos with your cell phone camera or a point-and-shoot. Photography is photography, make pictures with a camera. Any camera.

2. Always have your camera near Pull up a chair and I can describe two amazing scenes that have been indelibly embedded in my mind. Unfortunately, for the first, my camera was broken (I was at sea, far from a camera store). For the second, it was out of reach (I was flying). I have considered learning to draw or paint so I can make a "picture" of these two moments. The moral of these stories: have a camera within reach. You never know what will happen or what you will see.

3. Read your manual Camera manuals aren't engaging reading, but they do tell you a lot about how to use your camera. Spend a night or two with your manual and get intimate with your camera. This will help you every time you photograph. Most manuals are now available electronically, so know where to find it, or save it on your mobile device for reference in the field.

4. Check your settings / know your gear I have often been tempted to put the following note on a sticker and affix it to my LCD screen: "Check your ISO, dummy." If I had a nickel for each time I went out in the sunlight with my ISO at 800 or higher after shooting the previous evening in a dark restaurant, I would own a newer camera. Know what your settings are and how to change them quickly.

5. Change perspective / angle We see the world from eye level, and most people's eyes are, generally, at roughly the same height. Should your photographs constantly record the world from the same altitude as your eyes? You will be amazed at how shooting from your knees, or a high ground, will change your image. Watch a documentary film about a documentary photographer and see how they move and silently wonder how many pairs of pants they wear out by constantly kneeling to shoot from low angles.

6. Know your meter Know your camera's metering modes and use them to your advantage. When you frame an image, see the light and then meter for how you want your scene to be exposed. Is the lighting flat? Is a ray of light illuminating your subject? Do you want the background to melt into darkness? Your camera will help you achieve your goal; you just have to tell it how to do it. Practice metering and setting exposure.

7. Know your shooting/exposure modes Similar to the last tip, your camera is smart, but it needs help from you from time to time. Some will tell you to always shoot manual. I disagree. Know how to shoot manual, but also know when other shooting/exposure modes will be advantageous for your particular photographic goal(s).

8. Know your focus modes If you use autofocus, and you likely do, the camera's autofocus is either going to make the picture or ruin it. Know what the autofocus modes do and how to adjust focus if the camera suddenly decides it thinks it knows better than you what part of the frame you want in focus.

9. Study photos-but not too much Study the photographs of others. What do you like? What do you dislike? What would you improve? Is it perfect? Why, then, is it perfect? Look. Enjoy. Remember. Soak it in. But, don't forget to go out and make your own images!

10. Read photo books Books and websites have helpful tips (I hope this counts). But, not all are created equal. Find writers who you connect with through their writing and find writers who give good advice. I am a big fan of "basic photography" books and, to this day, even with a Masters degree in the topic, I populate my bookshelf with inspirational books written for beginner photographers.

11. Learn/Workshops The only substitute for learning through reading (or watching videos) is to make images yourself. Take a class. Attend a workshop. Similar to books and websites, these are not all created equal, but, the one thing they should do is immerse you in photography for a night or a weekend, or more. Being immersed in the art and craft is as important as anything else.

12. Use your histogram In digital photography, the histogram is the best way to evaluate your exposure for accuracy. The LCD screen can be misleading. Knowing how to read your histogram might be the difference between thinking you have a great photo and truly having a great photo.

13. Shoot RAW, highest-resolution JPEG, or film Shooting RAW gives you the best performance from your sensor. That is a fact. However, RAW shooting isn't practical for every photographer (or camera). So, if you aren't going to shoot RAW, shoot the highest-resolution JPEG that your camera allows. This way, even if you think you are just taking snapshots, you will have the ability to make a large print if you find that you captured an image you really like. Or, forget the digital RAW vs. JPEG debate and shoot film. Case closed!

14. Compose meticulously There is a nature/nurture argument about composition. However, study the "rules" and observe composition in other images to help you "feel" what works best. Then, try to use that knowledge to your advantage. Be deliberate about your composition, if time allows.

15. Symmetry Along the same lines, if you are going for symmetry, make sure you nail it. A few inches in one direction can upset the image's symmetry, and your audience (and you) will know you were going for symmetry and missed. Photography can be a game of inches.

16. Pay attention to the frame edges The image is more than the subject (usually). Scrutinize the corners and the sides and top and bottom of your frame. Is everything working together well, or is something completely out of place? Can you adjust to remove the "noise" of a busy scene? Look at the whole so the whole does not detract from your subject.

17. Pay attention to the background Evaluate your scene, especially in portraiture. Is that a tree growing out of the subject's head, or just a funky new hat? Isolate your subjects from the background by adjusting depth of field, moving the camera, or moving the subject-unless the subject is the background.

18. Get closer Robert Capa famously said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." He was 100% right. Fill your frame with the subject, if you can. This is one of the most difficult things to do in photography, as we sometimes worry about being invasive to a stranger, or lazily reach for a telephoto lens to "cheat" and pretend we got close. Get closer and see your imagery improve.

19. Slow down Of course, there are times when you need a quick draw, but there is something to be said for planning and being deliberate. Think about the shot. Visualize the results and calculate what you need to do to try to achieve it. Put your plan into action. Wait for elements to come together, if needed, and then make a photograph.

20. Use a tripod Nothing slows you down like a tripod. This is a good thing. Did you just breeze over #19? The tripod won't let you do that. Also, as an added bonus, the tripod will hold your camera steady and help you get a sharper image!

21. Practice good technique The way you hold your camera can make a big difference. The way you stand while shooting can make a big difference. The way you breathe when you release the shutter can make a big difference. It all adds up and can make or break your photograph. Learn and practice these fundamentals.

22. Look for light Light is everything in photography. Spend your time looking for light, even if you aren't taking photos. Look for sun beams and breaks, reflections, shadows, natural light, artificial light. See how light interacts with the environment. See light.

23. Embrace shade The wonderful side effect of light is shadow. Shadow is as valuable as light and gives depth and shape to objects. Use shadow in your images. Don't run from shadow. Embrace it.

24. Patience Is the light not right? Is the subject in the wrong spot? Sometimes the wrongs of a photo can become rights, if you have time to let the rights happen. Modern life is much faster than it was long ago. Use photography to slow it down and enjoy moments in time. Then, capture them with your camera.

25. Know the rules, and break them Cliché, but true. An intentionally over- or underexposed image is usually much more compelling than one that was incorrectly exposed accidently. The only good blur is intentional blur. Photography is aesthetic and you can explore the fringes of what looks good and what doesn't. But, have a reason to be at the fringe, because the "my camera settings were messed up" excuse is not a good reason for promoting soft focus or motion blur. The photo may be compelling, but intentionally compelling is the better way to go.

26. Know your lenses Different lenses do different things to an image. Know how your telephotos compress and your wide-angles distort. Use the best lens for your photographic vision. Fisheye portraits are fun, but not great for professional headshots. Sometimes you only have your one lens. Know its strengths and weaknesses. For all your lenses, know which apertures are sharpest and know when you lose sharpness.

27. Don't overload your quiver A heavy camera bag is no fun, unless someone else is carrying it for you. Pack only what you need and hope you didn't leave something important behind. Photography can become a chore when you are overloaded with gear. Minimize and travel light. Your shoulders and back will thank you. So will your spirit.

28. Know your surroundings When you look through a viewfinder, you narrow your field of view of the world around you. Situational awareness is critical. Are you standing in the middle of a busy street? Are you blocking others from a great view? Are you in a bad section of town? Be aware of what is happening around you both for safety and courtesy and to see and capture more images.

29. Know the weather Keep a weather eye on the horizon. Weather can plan an important role in your image: wind, clouds, sun, rain, snow, lightning, etc. Weather can help make an image, or ruin your whole day. Use the weather to make better photos. Wear sunscreen. Wear a hat. Stay warm. Stay cool. Stay dry. Be prepared and be safe.

30. Celestial awareness Long the purview of the night photographer, knowing when and where celestial bodies will rise and set can be critical to your imagery. Planning helps make better images at all times. Of course, you might just have to play the cards you are dealt, but, if you give a nod to studying the rotation of the Earth, you might stack the deck in your favor.

31. Analyze your old images Be your harshest critic. Internalize it. Study your images and learn from your own mistakes. Or, if you find your images are perfect, quit before they are not!

32. Try a prime lens Zoom lenses are convenient and optically very good, but there is not yet a substitute for a top-quality prime lens. A zoom can mask laziness in photography. The prime forces you to not only think, but to move, as well. This will open up more opportunities than it will close.

33. Photo project / concept There is certainly a place for random snapshots in the world of photography but, a coherent photo project, especially when it is generated from an internal concept driven by passion can self-inspire you to create a solid body of work. Do you want to tell a story? Do you want to document social or physical change? Use your camera to illustrate your thoughts.

34. Abstracts See the small parts of a scene. Look for the trees in the forest. The light or shadow may be creating an image inside your image. Find it. Capture it. Some photographers know nothing but the abstract. Some know no abstractions. Find your own balance. Explore the scene and create.

35. Photographing pretty things Flowers, sunsets, mountains, and babies are already pretty. Your camera simply proves that point. There is nothing wrong with photographing pretty things-I do it all the time-but sometimes you can surprise yourself by using your camera to make something unattractive suddenly attractive, or, at least, visually interesting. The camera and photographer can combine to possess the power to capture what the eye might disregard.

36. Editing It is likely that not every shot you took was great, so look hard, be critical, and discard images that do not make the cut. Granted, photography is subjective, and someone might love a shot that you do not love, but, you are the most important viewer of your work, so only show what you love.

37. Critique Open yourself to critique after you have critiqued yourself. Put on your armor, but know that, again, photography is subjective, so listen respectfully to opinions and be open-minded so that you may learn and grow-especially if you agree with them. But remember, always, if you love an image that you have made, no one should be able to take that away from you. If you hang it on your wall or display it on your computer screen and enjoy looking at it, you have made a successful image.

38. Develop a style If your photos look like everyone else's, there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you want your personality to shine through your images, then experiment and find a style that suits your artistic vision. Be consistent with your style, but also realize that your style might not fit every shooting situation. Don't force it. Always know the fundamentals so you can fall back on them when needed.

39. Search yourself for improvement, not your gear A great photographer can make a great photograph with any camera. A poor photographer can make a poor photograph with the world's most expensive camera. Photography is a technologically based art form, but the technology does not make the art, the human behind the camera does. Do not look for solutions in something that runs on batteries and arrives in a box.

40. Study art Other forms of art can teach and inspire the photographer, especially painting. I prefer photographic art exhibits, but, when I am in the presence of paintings, I study them to see how the artist used color, light, shadow, line, composition, etc, to make the image successful-or not.

41. Don't lose the moment Those two moments I mentioned above, when I did not have a camera to capture them, I remember vividly because I was present and I was not looking through a viewfinder. I have thousands of images from a 10-day trip to Eastern Europe, but today I struggle to tell friends what city I was standing in when I took a particular photo. You can get lost in your camera's viewfinder and the process of making photos. Remember to live first, experience the moment, be present, and only then try to capture it.

42. Look for images Even if you are without a camera (Why didn't you take #2 to heart?), look for photographs. Not every camera can capture every virtual photograph, but your eye and mind certainly can. Constantly see the world around you and look for photographs, even if they are impossible to capture with the gear you have in your bag or front pocket. Look for photographs. Look for photographs.

43. Experiment Push yourself. Push your gear. Experiment with different settings, scenes, lights, darks, colors, everything. You will never know what you can capture until you capture it. The magic of digital photography is that each image is virtually free, so the only thing you may waste is a fraction of a second. Free your mind. Be creative with your camera.

44. Have fun If you aren't enjoying photography, #1 through #43 are not going to help. Smile behind the lens. Create art. Capture moments. Share images. Get outside. Explore inside. But, regardless of your results, have fun with photography. Nothing else really matters-not even the photograph.

All photos © Todd Vorenkamp

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1. Shoot every day Like any skill, the more you do it, the better you can get. The best camera you have is the one in your hand, so if you aren't out with your full DSLR kit, don't be afraid to take great photos with your cell phone camera or a point-and-shoot.

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Read political cartoons online at GoComics.com, the world's largest comic strip site for online classic strips like Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert, Non Sequitur, Get Fuzzy, Luann, Pearl Before Swine, 9 Chickweed Lane and more!

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It's no secret that humans are visual creatures, but few know how much of an impact the colors that make up those visuals have on how we feel and respond to information. Our color associations are not merely preferences, they're also influenced by culture and evolution. For instance, it's thought that humans have an aversion to brown because of its associations with rotting produce, and red catches our attention because it's a universal sign of heightened emotion. Presentations that are not only visual but also thoughtful when it comes to color, have a better chance of effectively communicating their message. In this article, we'll share some of our top tips for putting together a powerful palette.

Setting the Mood

In order to choose your presentation colors, start by determining what mood you're trying to set. Is the message supposed to be exciting? Perhaps it's intended to keep people calm during a time of high tension, or maybe it's full of important information that will require your audience to stay alert and attentive throughout. In any case, try using the guide below to help you select the right starting point for your color scheme.

A Dash of Color Theory

Once you've used mood to determine your base color, you can move on to choosing the rest them. At 99designs, we use a color wheel and a bit of color theory to help us out. Consider one of the following themes:

Monochromatic: one color in multiple shades or hues.

A monochromatic theme will give your presentation a feeling of harmony and be visually pleasing to almost everyone. If this were a food, it would be spaghetti with meatballs: it's a classic and when done right it can be amazing, but even not done right it's pretty hard to offend anyone or make it terrible.

Analogous: two colors right next to each other on the color wheel, you'll want to pick different shades or hues of these colors, as well, for contrast.

This approach adds a nice level of variety, but is still fairly safe. This is good for helping people pay attention and take in complicated topics without overwhelming them. If this were a food it would be enchiladas: it has a little spice, but it's still a pretty safe thing to serve at a dinner party.

Complementary: two colors across from each other on the color wheel, again, with a couple shades/hues of each.

This will get attention! When we see complementary colors next to each other, it overloads our brains. This sort of scheme is best used when you definitely want to make a splash. If this type of theme were a food it would be screaming hot chili: some people are going to love it, but it may be too spicy for others.

Triadic: three colors equally spaced around the color wheel, with small variations in shade of two colors.

This is a color scheme for advanced color users. When done right, it can guide where people look, creating balanced and visually compelling presentations, but it's also really easy to mess up. Triadic themes are chocolate souffles: gourmet, delicious, will win you praise from almost anyone, but are super hard to make right. One tip to keep in mind is giving each color a purpose. For example, one color should be more muted to ground viewers and the other two should be intentionally used as accents.

Careful Application is Key

When you've got your palette together, remember to use it to direct attention rather than steal the show. For example, see how the monochromatic theme below was applied to the dinosaur illustration. From left to right, the first color was used for headlines, the second for body text, the third for background, and the fourth and fifth are accent colors.

Also, remember that accent colors should be used sparingly. Try using them to draw attention to the most important parts of your presentations, such as the 1-3 key takeaways you want people to remember.

Next, we'll be back to talk about how to use typography in presentations. Stay tuned!

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How To Choose The Best Colors For Your Presentations | Prezi Blog

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It's no secret that humans are visual creatures, but few know how much of an impact the colors that make up those visuals have on how we feel and respond to information. Our color associations are not merely preferences, they're also influenced by culture and evolution.

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Free book on Apple Books about graphic design!

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Free book on Apple Books about graphic design!

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You are preparing your students to live in a media rich world where being able to present information clearly, succinctly and visually is a skill they will need to develop.

Four simple principles of design - Contrast, Alignment, Repetition & Proximity - can have a significant impact on the quality of student created posters.

By explicitly teaching these principles to students, we can help them communicate more effectively to a range of audiences, and create meaningful, appealing content.

This book will take you step-by-step through each design principle, and provide you with examples and suggestions to help guide the teaching process for your students.

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‎You are preparing your students to live in a media rich world where being able to present information clearly, succinctly and visually is a skill they will need to develop. Four simple principles of design - Contrast, Alignment, Repetition & Proximity - can have a significant impact...

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Choosing your mixing software

There's tons of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) to choose from. Which DAW is the best DAW is up to you. Here's some of the best DAWs to help you get started.

Get to know your DAW software intimately. The savvy audio mixer sticks to one DAW and knows it truly, madly, deeply. Don't cheat on your DAW. Stay true and you'll reap all the benefits.

I'll be using Pro Tools as an example but all the principles are the same no matter how you mix.

Setting up your audio mixing session

Most DAW's provide nifty templates if you're unsure of how to get started.

For example, Pro Tools includes the 'Rock' template which sets your session up with tracks for:

Drums / Bass / Organ / Guitar / 4 empty audio tracks for recording / Click Track / Pre-routed Headphone Mix / Reverb Return / Delay Return / Chorus return

Although this is a basic band mix template, there are other templates to choose from. If you don't see the template you need, just make one. Making your own template is a great step in developing your mix style. Perfect for booting up your computer and starting a mix from scratch.

Name your tracks properly

This sounds super simple, but trust me. In three months you won't be able to remember where the third shaker is if it's called 'Audio track 48.' If you record a 'lead guitar' then do yourself a favor and call it 'lead guitar' before you hit record. Poor naming adds oodles of unneeded studio time to your session.

Color code your track groups

Make ROY G BIV proud. Color code your tracks. For example, make all of your drum tracks yellow, all your vocal tracks blue, and all your guitars green. This will help with processes like bussing and keeping track of layers of your session. Take two minutes to color code right. It will save you hours of searching later.

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Mixing Your Music: The Easy Guide to Sounding Like a Pro | LANDR

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There's tons of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) to choose from. Which DAW is the best DAW is up to you. Here's some of the best DAWs to help you get started. Get to know your DAW software intimately. The savvy audio mixer sticks to one DAW and knows it truly, madly, deeply.

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Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures – Kodak Moments

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Different styles and techniques of Illustration

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Different styles and techniques of Illustration

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Let's have a brief look of

What types of illustration are there?

Techniques - traditional and modern
1. Woodcuting

2. Metal etching

3. Pencil illustration

4. Charcoal illustration

5. Litography

6. Watercolor illustration

7. Gouache illustration

8. Acrylics illustration

9. Collage illustration

10. Pen and ink illustration

11. Freehand digital illustration

12. Vector graphics

Styles
1. Concept art

2. Children book illustrations

3. Graphic novel/comics

4. Books,publications,editorial

5. Advertising

6. Packaging

7. Branding and logo

Now we will go more in-depth for the individual sections:

as our attempt in creating a comprehensive, yet easy-to-read article about illustration.

By the way, you may be interested to check out the Top Character Design Trends for 2019.

We figured out that many people get confused by the definitions given for a "designer" and an "illustrator", and even if they get a notion of what an illustrator does, they get lost in the next stage - recognizing different types of illustration and explaining what they like. First thing first, let's

Learn the difference between a "designer" and an "illustrator"

It is very hard to tell these apart, but you won't be far from the truth if you say that:

Still, many illustrators and designers would switch hats and act as the opposite - nowadays, competition in art fields is fierce and artists have to be able to show multidisciplinary skills.

Ok, so what is the definition of illustration then?

One of the definitions we like is from VisualArtsCork.com:

An illustration is a drawing, painting or printed work of art which explains, clarifies, illuminates, visually represents, or merely decorates a written text, which may be of a literary or commercial nature

How illustration became what it is today...

let's talk about the types of illustration, based on the technique used.

We can basically divide the types of illustration, based on the technique used, into two large groups: Traditional illustration and Modern style.

Some words about the traditional types of illustration...

One of the oldest types of illustration was the hand-drawn one. Another popular technique was:

It is an ancient technique which you can see in some of the world's oldest surviving manuscripts. It was popular during the Middle Ages and became the illustration type of choice after the invention of the printing press. Carved block illustrations made it possible for mass-produced books to have beautiful illustrations all printed from the same master cutting. The Metropolitan Museum of Art explains that woodcut illustrations were also extremely popular in feudal Japan.

Here is a video that will show you a little bit of the work that goes behind such type of illustration - woodcut technique:

Other types of illustration, according to the technique, which requires some preparation, material base and specific knowledge about the production process are the

In traditional pure etching, a metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) plate is covered with a waxy ground which is resistant to acid. The artist then scratches off the ground with a pointed etching needle where he or she wants a line to appear in the finished piece, so exposing the bare metal. The plate is then dipped in a bath of acid and the acid "bites" into the metal where it is exposed, leaving behind lines sunk into the plate. The remaining ground is then cleaned off the plate. The plate is inked all over, and then the ink wiped off the surface, leaving only the ink in the etched lines. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper and the paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print. You can read more about the different metal etching techniques at Wikipedia's page.

Depending on the metal etching technique used, the illustration can look like watercolor (aquatint) or it can look like pencil drawing - with very fine lines and hatching. The above 3 examples are showing the versatility that can be achieved in illustration with these techniques.

You can see a very interesting video showing the creation process of such an illustration here:

Now let's have a look at the type of illustration that doesn't require much of a preparation to start working, and that's:

Maybe one of the most popular types of illustration is the pencil one. It is rich material, which allows you creating soft shadows and transitions, as well creating sharp, accurate lines. Sometimes, illustrators choose to keep the pencil sketch very loose and to draft with a pencil - later on, they finish off the illustration with another material.

Above you saw 3 different approaches to pencil illustration - monochrome, with clean lines and richness of the line weight; one with colored pencil with very smooth and soft shading of the volumes; and one rough, sketchy and dynamic illustration, because of the energetic line work and the search for shapes and volumes. The last approach is very common for creating initial character design concepts.

You can watch a video, in which an artist talks about working with pencil, his process and you can observe him working:

The next type of illustration, based on the technique used, which is also often mistaken for a pencil one is the

In the above illustrations, you can see how the charcoal helped in creating rough, loose sketch of a horse. Then, another artist made very fine detailing of a human face in another piece. Last, but not least, an illustrator created soft shadows, blending and texturing. Probably, the main difference, compared to pencil illustration is, that the line of the charcoal is always slightly thicker, softer and darker in quality. The reason why example 2 and 3 are so different is because of the way the charcoal is produced: charcoal pencils consisting of compressed charcoal powder and a gum binder, which produces a fine, sharp line; while vine charcoal provides a smooth, softer line.

You can see how the material allows you to achieve these effects in the following video with tips on drawing with charcoal:

Talking about soft quality of an illustration and smooth transitions in shading, we should mention as next technique on our list of types of illustration:

Lithography comes from the Greek word for stone. Originally, the technique used an image drawn with oil, fat, or wax onto the surface of a smooth, level lithographic limestone plate. Today, most types of high-volume books and magazines, especially when illustrated in color, are printed with offset lithography, which has become the most common form of printing technology since the 1960s. You can read more about the technique in Wikipedia's article dedicated to the topic.

You can notice that the above lithography illustration examples share one quality, although they represent different style and imagery - there is a certain level of softness about all three of them. At some spots, the color even looks washed out and pale.

Watch a video of this printmaking technique:

Another type of illustration with which one can achieve softness, smooth transitions and lots of nuancing is the:

In watercolor illustrations, the main thing is to use color pigments and to create nuances and different transparencies by adding water to the color. The overall feeling of watercolor illustrations is soft, airy, with lots of depth. Illustrators prefer it for illustrating cookbooks, feminine and fashion types of illustration, children book illustrations, as it is very light. It is one of the easiest ways of creating splashes of color, merging one into another - common threats for the mentioned illustration styles.

You can watch a wonderful demonstration of watercolor illustration here:

As a cousing of the watercolor illustration, we can point out the

Gouache paint is similar to watercolor modified to make it opaque. It offers rich, thicker, bit darker shades than watercolor and can be even reworked some years later. Commercial artists often use gouache for works such as posters, illustrations, comics, and for other design work. Most 20th-century animations used it to create an opaque color on a cel with watercolor paint used for the backgrounds. Using gouache as "poster paint" is desirable for its speed as the paint layer dries completely by the relatively quick evaporation of the water. You can read more about the technique on Wikipedia.

You can wacth a wonderful demonstration of gouache illustration here:

The next type of illustration that we are going to look at is the

You can see a process of creating an acryllic illustration here:

A little bit different from the last techniques we looked at is the

The name comes from the French coller, which means 'to glue'. It is a technique, where the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms, often from different materials, to form a new whole. These types of ilustration are hugely popular in the recent years and even are considered an inspiration for the big trend - material design. Often, illustrators use the shading from the different layers of their collage to achieve a beautiful 3D effect and to achieve depth. You can see in the above illustrations, how this technique was interpreted beautifully from different artists.

Another great process video for this type of illustration; the illustration is then used for a cover of a book:

And last, but not least is the

Illustrating with ink allows the artist to create strong areas of contrast. Most of the illustrations are done by using one tint of ink on a light surface, which again helps achieving high contrasting pieces. Inks are widely accessible and affordable material, easy to transport and to work expressively with. May be you remember the high contrasts of the woodcut? Well, inking allows you to be more mobile and to create even finer lines.

Sometimes, achieving of gradations in value is hard, unless, working with ink and brush as it is in the first example illustration. Value can be ahieved also by using dots and strokes with different weight and different distance from each other, as in the second example. In the third illustration, the artist wonderfully combined heavily shaded, rich in value areas with elegant, simple ink linework.

The following video is a beautiful demonstration of a swedish ink master:

Modern styles and types of illustration techniques

As we discussed before, with the advancement of the electronics and stepping into the, so called digital era, the possibilities for artists to express themselves grew rapidly and more freely. The first electronic handwriting device was invented back in 1888. Since then, the technology became more sophisticated and many illustrators and designers are accustomed to using graphics tablets nowadays - devices, which are connected to a computer. Artists use the tablet's pen and surface to draw and the device transfers the image in the opened drawing software - such as Phothoshop. Artrage, Ikscape and other. The software programs imitate different traditional brushes, pens, various drawing tools, paper and effects.

We can divide the illustrations produced digitally into two large groups:

1. Freehand digital illustrations

As you can see from the pictures below, the freehand digital illustrations allow very smooth light and shadow transitions, making a complex background and fine detail. Most of these illustrations are in a raster format and they can be scaled up and printed only to certain sizes before they lose quality. Read more about the differences between raster and vector images.

2. Vector graphics

In the other group, we put vector graphics/illustrations. The way the images are produced allows scaling them up and down to any size, without any quality loss. By rule, it is harder to make a smooth transition with vectors but vector has its advantages in producing a certain style of imagery. This makes it very popular for web illustration. You can easily recognize the vector by its clear outlines, shapes, and definition.

We are quite sure the examples we have given so far are not nearly enough, so here are some curated illustrations and portfolios we found on the web - mesmerizing examples of the different types of illustration:

Ok, at this point you'd probably be interested to find out even more.

You may be interested in this related article: 300+ Free Illustrations For Your Next Design Project

The first part of our guide in the world of illustration is half done and now we are moving to the next part:

Styles in illustration

We start with a small remark - by style, we mean the different genres in illustration (or at least the most popular ones). However, style is used also for the individual and very specific way of expressing of the individual artists, but this could be defined much harder if possible at all. Long story short, we can recognize the following genres in illustration:

Concept Art

These types of illustration include Fantasy illustrations, illustrations for Gaming, Animation and One-Pager Fine Illustrations. The term concept first appreared back in 1930s, used probably first from Disney and it was used in the automative industry as well. In concept illustration, the artists creates several interepretations (concept) of a certain theme, from which the client can choose from and see the different stages, development and the process of creation of the illustration.

Some of the comic/graphic novel illustration authours you might want to see:

Illustrations for children

Children book illustrations can be very diverse - from realistic, full with details illustrations to very simplified, child-like, naive drawings. It depends on the story, the target age group and many more. Nevertheless, children's illustrations are colorful, narrating, there is always something happening. The characters are cute and friendly.

Some of the children's illustration authors you might want to see:

Comics/ Graphic Novels

According to Wikipedia comics is a medium used to express ideas by images, often combined with text or other visual information. Comics frequently takes the form of juxtaposed sequences of panels of images. Often textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia indicate dialogue, narration, sound effects, or other information. Size and arrangement of panels contribute to narrative pacing. Cartooning and similar forms of illustration are the most common image-making means in comics.

Some of the comic/graphic novel illustration authors you might want to see:

Books / Publications / Editorial

Did you know that luxury books on geographical topics and natural history, and some children's books, had printed illustrations which were then coloured by hand but in Europe, none of the experimental techniques for true colour printing became widely used before the mid-19th century.

Today, a book illustration could be designed in any technique and then printed. This style is very versatile and depends on the vision of the authour and the subject of the book. Illustrators try to create eye-catching covers in order to compete with the piles of books in bookshops. It is a very specific style, which demands catching the viewer's attention, giving a hint of what is inside the book and sometimes, it is the cover that sells the book (or publication).

Some of the book illustration authors you might want to see:

Advertising

While book and publication illustrations should be supporting and illuminating a certain idea, without stealing the show from the text, advertising type of illustration is meant to do just that - grab your attention and make a lasting impression on one big idea or brand/product. Many companies choose illustration as the medium to send their message to the audience, because the style better translates the idea than photography, for example.

Some of the advertising illustrations you might want to see:

Packaging

The rise of digital technologies in the latter half of the 20th century allowed businesses to scale rapidly and become global. With unprecedented competition, packaging came to be the way of differentiating the product on the shelf. For some businesses such as jewelry, bakery, children's products, illustration is the most successful choice. It offers personalized touch, elegance and custom feel.

Some of the packaging illustrations you might want to see:

Branding / Logo

Branding/Logo type of illustration isa very specific style, requiring a certain set of skills. For example, a logo should be recognizable and readable at smaller sizes. Therefore, the illustrator should carefully plan the details of the logo. Logos should be simple, yet grabbing attention and memorable. Sometimes, businesses need more than a logo illustration, but mascots, cartoonized version of their employees or products. With their help, the brands enhance their presence and impression on customers.

Some of the branding/logo illustrations you might want to see:

Now that we gave some definitions for illustration, here is a video wrapping some ideas up:

We hope you liked this article and that you were able to dive you into the magical world of illustration! Let us know how we did, what else you might want to know. We would be happy to add it to the article!

Cheers!

You may also be interested in these related articles:

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Types of Illustration - Styles and Techniques | GraphicMama Blog

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Let's have a brief look of Techniques - traditional and modern Woodcuting Metal etching Pencil illustration Charcoal illustration Litography Watercolor illustration Gouache illustration Acrylics illustration Collage illustration Pen and ink illustration Freehand digital illustration Vector graphics Styles Concept art Children book illustrations Graphic novel/comics Books,publications,editorial Advertising Packaging Branding and logo Now we will go more in-depth for the individual sections: as our attempt in creating a comprehensive, yet easy-to-read article about illustration.

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In this post, we take a look at different types of photography that are popular today. Perhaps it will inspire you to try some of these genres. It's always a good idea to step out of our comfort zones and try new things to grow our skills as a photographer.

Types of Photography

Abstract photography is a creative form of expression that lets the photographer communicate his ideas with no established rule of composition or technique. It's often a deconstructed scene where an object is shown in a different concept or context.

Architecture, nature, and landscapes are often used to create abstract photographs.

Architecture photography involves capturing images of buildings, structures, and landmarks. It can be a lucrative business and many professional photographers make a decent living from it. They work with architects, builders, and interior designers.

Related Article: Photography Pricing Guide

If you are an astrophotographer, your subjects are celestial objects!

Astrophotography requires planning, location scouting, patience, and preferrably time-lapse photography knowledge.

Who doesn't want professional portraits of their newborn!

Photographers who choose to do newborn photography need to obviously have a knack with young children and possess patience.

Tunnel View scenes in black and white

It used to be that we had to load a roll of black & white OR a color film into our cameras. Now we can choose to shoot color or black & white straight from our digital cameras. However, we recommend that you shoot in RAW and later convert to black and white in post-processing.

Related Article: Best film cameras

Boudoir photography is becoming popular beause clients enjoy offering sensual portraits to their partners or as a way to boost their self confidence.

Practically every product advertisement that we see today has photos that were most probably shot by a commercial photographer. Brands hire professional commercial product photographers to enhance their product appeal.

Concert photography is an exciting way to capture moments and emotions from a live performance.

Documentary photographers travel to capture events and build stories with the images. These photographers heavily research a story and capture the images that reflect the context.

Here's an interview we did with documentary photographer GMB Akash from Dhaka, Bangladesh whose work has won many awards.

This is a creative way to get unique images by superimposing two images together.

Drones have become popular and affordable in the past few years. Anyone can now purchase their own unmanned flying vehicle and take amazing aerial photographs.

Check drone regulations before you fly your drone. Some countries/cities now require registration and permits to fly drones.

Photographers get commissioned to do editorial photography for magazines and newspapers to accompany articles. Editorial photographers need to be versatile and knowledgeable in subject matter and stay up to date on newsworthy events.

The event photography business is booming in recent years. From birthday parties to bachelorettes, people love capturing memories of their life events.

Fashion photographers photograph models, apparel, and accessories for the fashion industry. These photos are then used for marketing and branding purposes.

Fashion photographers need to have studio lighting knowledge and often works with stylists.

15. Fine Art Photography

Silence in the Fog - Sandra Roussy

Fine art photography captures the photographer's personal vision about a subject.

Restaurant Almoraduz, Mexico - Sandra Roussy

Food photography has become a lucrative business for photographers who work with restaurant and food industry professionals.

Photojournalism is not to be confused with documentary photography. Photojournalists cover recent events that are news worthy.

Every year photojournalists globally are celebrated through the World Press Photo Awards that showcase some of the best images in the industry.

San José del Pacifico sunset, Oaxaca, Mexico - Sandra Roussy

The world is a beautiful place. Landscape photography is all about capturing the scenic view of those beautifull landscapes.

Here is a list of popular landscape photographers to get your creative juices flowing.

Lifestyle photography is about capturing the daily life of subjects while they do what they do. These photos tell stories of people in an authentic way.

Lifestyle photographers possess people skills and enjoy interacting with their subjects.

Light painting photography is a fun way to create unique and interesting images. It involves capturing the movement of a light source through with long exposure.

A milky water effect on this waterfall is made possible by using long exposure.

In photography, long exposure is used to achieve motion blur. You can use this technique for things like, smooth out moving water, ghosting people who are walking in your frame ...etc. It helps you capture a sense of motion.

A tripod is absolutely necessary when doing long exposure photography. this is because the shutter speed is considerably lowered in order to achieve the effect.

Macro photography is about taking extremely close-up photographs of the subjects. A life-size zoom on insects, flowers, or snowflakes often create amazing work of art.

Maternity photography has become very popular with expecting parents wanting to immortalize the moment before the baby is born and the changing body of the mom.

Ranch dog - Sandra Roussy. Related article: 17 Dog Photography Tips

Everyone wants portraits taken of their beloved furry family members!

Obviously, the pet photographer needs to have a good way with animals and have props to keep the attention of the animals being photographed.

Ocean - Sandra Roussy

Portrait photography is all about capturing humans and their emotions. In recent years professional portrait photography demand has boomed due to demand from professionals, models, and entertainment industry.

Real estate photography is not to be mistaken for architecture photography. People hire real estate photographers when they want to rent or sell their property.

Related Article: Best lens for real estate photography

Fishing at sunset, Canada - Sandra Roussy

Silhouette photography captures subjects in backlighting which makes the subject's features and details too dark to recognize. Only the figure and shape of the subject is visible. If you aspire to take stunning silhouette photography, master your camera's metering modes.

Sport and action photography requires photographers to be patient and also quick on their feet. These images are used for journalism and sports event marketing.

29. Still Life Photography

Tea Leaves - Sandra Roussy

Still life photography is taking photos of inanimate objects in a creative context. It can be a candid shot or a styled set-up with one or several objects.

30. Stock Photography

Stock photography is where photographers take photos of various types of photography and make them available for purchase at stock photography sites. These are not limited to a specific genre of photography.

Related Article: Best stock photography sites

Photographers then upload these photos to a website like Getty Images or Shutterstock. Photographers get royalties every time someone purchases a photo.

31. Street Photography

Street photography is all about capturing life, emotions, and people on the streets. For inspiration, please have a look at the work of these 10 best street photographers.

32. Surreal Photography

Surreal photography is a creative way to twist perspectives and realities. It involves creating a scene or a world that is not real but rather a vision of the photographer.

33. Travel Photography

Travel to Oaxaca City - Sandra Roussy

Capturing a place through its architecture, food, people, and unique culture is travel photography. From social media to print magazines, there is a boom in travel photography due to people's interest in traveling to exotic locations.

Underwater photographers usually have diving certificates, special cameras, and water-resistant equipment. They take amazing images of underwater scenery and marine life that most people will never get to experience personally.

Every year a panel of judges reviews photos and rewards the Underwater Photographer of the Year title.

35. Wedding Photography

Wedding N&M - Sandra Roussy

A wedding photographer specialize in immortalizing the moments during the big day for couples. They often offer very detailed packages outlining what they will be doing during the big day and how many edited photos will be provided.

Related Article: Best Wedding Poses

Marine Iguana, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador - Sandra Roussy

Wildlife photographers are passionate about nature and animals. They capture wildlife in their natural habitats and usually rely on zoom lenses so as not to disturb the animals.

The yearly competition International Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards wildlife photographers and recognizes their dedicated work.

37. Interior Photography

Interior photography involves capturing the beauty of interior spaces. Interior photographers work closely with stagers, interior designers, and even real estate brokers.

38. Family Photography

Family photography is all about capturing family moments and preserving them forever. Everyone likes to look back at times and cherish and re-live those moments of their first baby, birthdays, grandparents... the list goes on. Family photo may sound similar to lifestyle or portrait photography. But there is a lot more involved in capturing family connections and memories.

Related Article: Family Photography Tips

Family photography is all about capturing those connections and preserving memories.

38. Stock Photography

Stock photography refers to photos that are made available to clients for a licensing fee or free of charge. They can be in any genre of photography and are used by clients for marketing, web sites, news articles...etc.

There are many stock photography sites where photographers can sell photos online. Most of them also publish what niche and subjects are in high demand by their clients. You can also make your stock photography available for free on sites like Unsplash, Pixabay, and Pexels. The idea is to get exposure while giving your images for free.

Stock photography is a great way to make extra income from your photos.

Which one is your favorite?

We hope this list has inspired you to master a niche and become a photographer. Please let us know in the comments below if we've missed a photography genre. You can also let us know your favorite genre with a sample photo too!

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Types of Photography: A Complete List Of Photography Genres

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In this post, we take a look at different types of photography that are popular today. Perhaps it will inspire you to try some of these genres. It's always a good idea to step out of our comfort zones and try new things to grow our skills as a photographer.

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Sound Design: 7 Ways to Create Your Perfect Sound | LANDR Blog

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Sound design is how you create the timbre of the basic building blocks in your tracks. The term "sound design" may seem technical, but the truth is that every producer is a sound designer. Even so, sound design has a few meanings depending on the context and situation.

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With millions of royalty-free stock illustrations available online, the choices can be overwhelming. So it helps to figure out what type of illustration you want before you start a project.

You can categorize illustrations in many different ways. The simplest way, and the one we use at iStock, is to categorize illustrations by how designers can use them. We'll also go over two other methods of categorization: medium and style.

Types of Illustration by function (what the image is used for)

Backgrounds

Icons and Icon Sets

Infographics

Textures and Patterns

Flags and Maps

Emblems, Banners, and Badges

Interface Elements

Product Mock-ups

Frames and Borders

Silhouettes

Compositions

Types of Illustration by medium (how the image was created)

Watercolor or Gouache

Pen and Ink

Types of Illustration by style (the look and feel of the image)

Flat and Simple

Monochromatic

Minimalist

Illustration Types by Function

How will the illustration be used? That's the idea behind categorizing illustrations by function. At iStock, this is how we categorize illustrations, because we want to help you design with confidence. If you know an illustration is meant for a certain function, you're starting off on the right foot.

Backgrounds

Background illustrations can be used to frame scenes or to add visual interest. Some of the most popular background illustrations are abstract backgrounds, geometric backgrounds, and watercolor backgrounds.

Some background illustrations are meant for specific types of projects such as wedding backgrounds, school backgrounds, and holiday backgrounds.

Icons and Icon Sets

Designers use icon illustrations to add visual interest and communicate visually. To keep these visuals consistent, you can use icon sets. An icon set is a group of related illustrations, all illustrated in a similar style and with complementary colors.

Icon sets are usually categorized by subject matter. Popular types include business, travel icons, health icons, and science icons.

Infographics

Building an illustrated infographic from scratch is time consuming. At iStock, we have templates, backgrounds, and other elements to speed up the process.

Some of the most popular types of infographic illustrations are timelines, comparison infographics, statistics infographics, and flowchart infographics. You can also find infographics tailored for certain industries like healthcare, education, and food and drink.

Textures and Patterns

Designers use textures and patterns to give visuals depth and interest. Often a texture or pattern can help accentuate a feeling or emotion.

Some of the top types of textures and patterns include floral patterns, glitter patterns, metallic patterns, and fabric patterns.

Flags and Maps

Drawing a map from scratch is arduous work that can take days. With iStock, illustration maps are pre-drawn for you to use in projects as you need them. Flags can be helpful in infographics and other educational graphics.

You can find standard maps, but there are other choices that help accomplish a certain visual style. Options include vintage maps, silhouettes, and treasure maps.

Templates

A template is a functional design structure. For professional designers, a template is a nice head start, or a place to search for inspiration. Non-designers can use templates to give basic documents a professional touch.

Nearly all templates are made for specific use cases - from a roll-up banner to a wedding invitation. At iStock, there is a wide variety to help you find what you need.

Emblems, Banners, and Badges

Common design elements like emblems, banners, and badges should be consistent within and across projects. Using predesigned stock illustrations helps maintain a standard look.

These elements often come in groups with different sizes, shapes, and other details. Popular emblems, banners, and badges include award ribbons, holiday banners, and vintage badges.

Interface Elements

Any web app or other computer program needs designs for buttons, text fields, and other interface elements.

Designers can use or modify existing examples rather than designing from scratch.

Product Mock-ups

Designers use product mock-up illustrations for a very specific purpose - to show a virtual example of a prototype. Think of these as a blank canvas on which to show potential T-shirts, snack bags, or any other product. Popular product mock-up illustrations include clothing mock-ups, electronic device mock-ups, and trade show banners and booths.

Product mock-ups can also be used to visualize potential indoor and outdoor spaces by using mock-ups like cars, picture frames, and furniture.

Frames and Borders

An attractive frame or border lends a professional touch to print projects. The specific element to use depends on your purpose.

Some of the more popular examples include retro and vintage frames, holiday and seasonal frames, and certificate and award frames.

Silhouettes

A silhouette clearly represents a person or other object, but leaves the details open to interpretation. As they are functionally simple (made up only of lines) they are easy to enlarge or minimize in design projects. For these reasons, silhouettes are popular in logo design.

Some popular types of silhouettes are man, woman, and child silhouettes, animal silhouettes, and household object silhouettes.

Compositions

Many illustrations that designers use on a daily basis are elements of larger designs. Compositions are different. They are a cohesive illustrated scene. A composition can bring tremendous visual interest to a simple message - as on a poster or broadside.

Composition illustrations vary greatly in subject matter and style. Popular themes include nature scenes, futuristic scenes, and domestic scenes.

Illustration Types by Medium

One good way of categorizing illustrations is the method used to create them. Using modern design programs, digital artists can replicate these methods. If you want an illustration that looks like a woodcut or a watercolor, you don't need to track down a physical object. You can search for that type of illustration on iStock.

Vector

These illustrations look digital with bold flat colors and defined lines. They are simple and applicable to a wide variety of projects.

Digital

Advanced digital graphics tools give designers the ability to create digital images that look just like oil paintings, charcoal drawings, and other classic illustration styles. and are two of the most popular applications - their custom settings give you total control over colors, brushstrokes, and textures.

Watercolor or Gouache

The ephemeral look of watercolor illustration lends a dreamy, childlike feel to a design.

Pen and Ink

Pen and ink illustrations range from finely-detailed depictions of people and nature to whimsical, cartoonish scenes. The common denominator is strong lines and two colors, so they are applicable in many different design scenarios.

Charcoal

Charcoal illustrations are traditionally used for realistic portraits and nature scenes. These striking visuals are effective at larger sizes where the artist's detail work is visible.

Painting

The illustrations mimic (or in some cases are) traditional fine art paintings, and feature distinct brush strokes with an interplay of light and color.

Woodcut

This ancient form of illustration is characterized by strong lines and a few, bold colors.

Illustration Types by Style

Determining the style of the illustration you want can help you zero in on the desired look and feel of the project as a whole. The problem is, there are as many possible styles as there are illustrations. Also, "style" is notoriously difficult to define. What one person calls "retro" someone else may call "modern" or "vintage" (or something else).

To see how defining by style works in the real world, we spoke to a working designer at the international graphic design firm .

Senior Illustrator Marina Parhomenko gave us a few examples of the design styles in use at the firm.

Flat and Simple

Parhomenko defines these as "linear illustrations based on simple forms." Flat and simple illustrations have universal appeal because they are so simple. Simplicity is increasingly important in design since so many people see visuals on mobile devices.

Grotesque

When we use "grotesque" in conversation we usually mean something ugly or unpleasant. But in the art world, "grotesque" refers to exaggerated forms, usually human, with enlarged hands and ears (for example). "This type of illustration is popular right now," says Parhomenko.

Monochromatic

These illustrations feature strong color elements, and may be good for fashion or other high-end brands. "It looks very sophisticated with the combination of light and shadows," says Parhomenko.;

Minimalist

Playing off of the minimalist art movement of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s , minimalist illustrations are abstract and typically incorporate depth and color. Minimalist illustrations with a bold use of color, are a good option when designing for mobile phones.

What Is an Illustration?

An illustration is an image that's hand drawn using either tangible media like pens and pencils or digital media. Most illustrations accompany text.

Is a Photo an Illustration?

A photo is not an illustration. Photos are direct representations of reality using photographic technology. When people speak of illustrations, they usually mean hand drawn images.

What Is the Difference Between Graphic Design and Illustration?

Graphic designers incorporate elements like illustrations and photos to create finished products like logos, advertisements, and posters. Illustration is the act of creating hand drawn, stand-alone images. Some graphic designers are also illustrators, but not all. Some illustrators also dabble in graphic design.

iStock has thousands of high-quality stock illustrations that are searchable by function, medium, and style. You'll design with confidence when know you can find the perfect illustration elements for your project.
1226827760, Intpro | 1173257070, Govindanmarudhai | 1173186166, mathisworks | 1167454796, amtitus | 1139248651, Redlio Designs | 465645546, Poligrafistka | 1148748019, TCmake_photo | 1150983335, amtitus | 968852752, Delices_89 | 801895330, anigoweb | 1186229845, desifoto | 862111542, A-Digit | 1211558160, miakievy

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What Are the Different Types of Illustrations? | iStock

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With millions of royalty-free stock illustrations available online, the choices can be overwhelming. So it helps to figure out what type of illustration you want before you start a project. You can categorize illustrations in many different ways. The simplest way, and the one we use at iStock, is to categorize illustrations by how designers can use them.