Category Archives: Tips

Tips to help you achieve better results.

Photo Tips

Phototip

Camera phone tip.

When taking a picture with  your phone try not to zoom in before you take the picture. By zooming prior to taking the picture you are actually reducing the resolution of the picture. It is better to zoom in after the picture is taken in a photo editor and keep a copy of the original photo. This way you always have the highest resolution photo to go back to if you need it.

Look for the ‘big picture’.

Capture a bird’s eye view of the location you
have traveled to – full of color and vibrancy.

Capture something out of the ordinary.

Ask yourself, what is distinctly unique in this
place that is different from my culture? These
are things that your audience will find interesting.

Seek out architectural shapes

Photograph how another city uses curves, lines
and angles in their architecture. Look for unique
buildings, fences or even pathways. Capture the
perspective that these geographic elements can
provide more impactful images.

Shoot contrasting light or subject matter.

Find contrast in light tones verses dark
tones, or contrast as in textures and locations,
this will keep your images varied.

Capture something that speaks to you.

A tropical landscape, a destitude village, a historic
church… Take pictures of things that matter to you
and your images will be visually gripping no matter
where your travels take you.

Photograph textures and colors.

Foreign countries especially, have an extreme diversity of textures, colors, patterns and content. As a photographer, you can bring those elements together into images that tell a story of your travels.

Switch memory cards.

If shooting with a camera that uses a memory card, swap the card out every day or two. This makes sure that if you loose one card of it gets damaged that all your photos are not lost.

Create a photographic diary.

Some possible shots could include…

  •  buildings & architecture
  •  landscapes – local people (at work & play)
  •  travel companions
  •  food & drink
  •  transportation
  •  marketplaces / shops
  •  street scenes / street signs

What a difference framing choices can make!

I am constantly asked about how I pick the right framing for pieces of artwork. First and foremost, I make sure the frame and materials I choose are going to support the size of the art and protect it from deterioration over time. There are also some rules of thumb I like to follow about color and size, but the simple answer is I pick what I think looks good with the artwork.

If you have ever had something framed, you know that it isn’t always as simple as that. A piece of art can be framed 10 different ways and look great each way.

• Do you choose certain colors and frames because they will go in my room?
• Do you use a mat? If you do, how large should it be?
• Should the framing be bold, minimalist, dark or light?

I have seen nice pieces of artwork that look bad with poor framing selections while at the same time I have seen poor artwork look great with proper framing.

When framing something be open to all ideas and designs. You never know what might look great to you is not what you had thought.

To highlight this I took 2 sets of the same artwork and framed them dramatically different. As you can see from the side by side comparison that framing can make art look very different. You can make a small piece of art large or small depending on what you do. You can make a traditional piece contemporary and vice versa.

Is your artwork getting damaged just by being on display?

One of the great things about artwork is hanging it up and enjoying it, but it can also be one of the worst things to do to artwork. This may sound odd, but actually hanging artwork can be damaging it. We live in an environment that is filled with all kinds of damaging elements like, u.v. light, humidity, heat and polluted air to name a few. If sunlight can burn our skin, imagine what it can do to you artwork.  Here are a few tips that you can use to help your artwork last and still display it.

Continue reading Is your artwork getting damaged just by being on display?

How high should you hang your artwork?

People ask me almost every day, “how high do you hang your pictures so they look good?” Unfortunately there isn’t a simple answer to this question, but I do have some suggestions that will help you make this easier. I generally like to hang pictures at various heights throughout the house. In certain rooms pictures will look better higher and in others they will look better lower. Every room also has its challenges, such as furniture and lighting fixtures getting in the way. I also don’t feel as though every wall in a room needs to have artwork hanging on it. Sometimes a little empty space can make everything look better.
Continue reading How high should you hang your artwork?