KevinLangston.com - Kevin's Photography Tips

KevinLangston.com: Photography Activities and Challenges to help Build Your Skills

Selfies, no really
	local, from a drone, by remote control, in a mirror, through multiple mirrors
	deep in thought, dancing in public, with someone famous, dancing with someone famous
	looking out to sea, looking at clouds, sitting with a statue, standing on the hand of a statue, being pensive, being silly, hurting, helpful,
	various times of the day: in bed, waking up and stretching, during lunch, cooking lunch, snug in a blanket with a hot drink, in front of the fireplace, heading out the door to work (yeah, right)
	Show how you would like to be seen: as a superhero, lineman, doctor, politician, baseball coach

Pets,
	Animals around the house and around the neighborhood or greenbelt
	Shy dogs, lazy/comfortable dogs, dogs in bad situations, groups of dogs, dogs getting a haircut
	Goldfish poses, feeding time (don't overdo it), bubbles in the tank
	Cats (who doesn't love cat pictures), cats with lasers, cats with dogs, cats or their owners on a safari around the house, cats getting a bath (make sure you get video, too, and bandages)

Outdoor Still Life
	buildings, ponds, fields, lakes, mountains, rivers, glaciers, highways at night, vinyards/orchards, cities

Indoor Still Life
	garden plants, vines, fruit and vegetables, bowls, glasses empty/full/partial, colored glass, tables and chairs

Holidays
	objects of the holidays, people acting part of the holiday, holiday dress, holiday activities

Welcome to my City
	Famous restaurants/menus/dishes, stores, landscapes, events/festivals, famous buildings and destinations, founders and history, sports teams in action or their trophies, locally famous People

Views
	from height, low, fast, slow, bright, dim, up-close and personal, macro,

Moving pictures
	from a plane, from a car, from a train, from a boat, from a balloon, from a hangglider

Pictures of motion
	a plane, a car, a train, a boat, a balloon, a hangglider, runners, skiers, birds,
	blur the subject or background for effect

Nature
	birds in the air, birds on the ground, baby birds, animals in their homes, interesting animals, specific animals(squirrel, coyote, seagulls, eagles, chipmonks, ferrets), tracks and footprints (of specific animals),
	clouds, rivers, mountains, valleys, caves, spiderweb with a spider, list of specific insects,
	certain Rocks, cliffs, moutain pass, fields of flowers, fields of uniform trees, a plant growing through rocks,
	Certain types of plants(fruit, vegetable, berry, perennials, anuals,
	evidence of a rockfall, mudslide or avalanche,
	Shadows, reflections,
	Water in all its states and environments

Infrastructure
	bridge, road, highway intersection, overpass, underpass, railroad track, railroad bridge > 40ft high or over 100 yards long, churches, banks, libraries, water treatment plant, quarry, hotels, skyscrapers, coffee shop, barber shop, trail markers / domen / purposefully stacked rocks

Activities local festivals, museums, playscapes, beaches, street performer, painting with light, fireworks

People at work
	(might be a way to build a portfolio or local connections) cashiers, stocking produce, working on a car, chaing the oil, replacing a roof, building a wall, pouring concrete, driving a delivery van, driving a dumptruck, Lyft or Uber, setting up for a concert,
	Learning/training:
	tai chi, water color painting, physics, auditoriums and classrooms, open air classes

Oopsies
	misspelled signs, collapses, broken connections, crashes, accidents,

Techniques
	black and white, sepia, panorama, high zoom, wide angle, a silhouette, line drawing, high/low contrast, time-lapse, fast/slow shutter speed, large/small aperature, white balance changes
	Differing prespectives, leading lines to draw focus to the subject, rule of thirds, rule of thirds abused.

Depth of field, - - - - - - - Bokeh

Looks: vintage, styles, ghosts, blurred for effect, fantasy, mirrored,

Make your modern mirrorless still life/people pictures look like something from the 1930s (or another decade or era)

Colors: either all colors or take a picture of many thing with one basic color

Textures: macro and close-ups of various surfaces, fruits and vegetables, fabrics, floors, windows,

Tell a simple story through pictures, or a well-known fable

Pick a subject and photograph it using all of the perspectives, colors, and techniques from earlier

Pick an ISO, aperature, and shutterspeed, lock 'em down and push the limits with 'em

Re-creations:
	recreate a famous painting, re-enact a famous event, re-do an old family photo,

Series
	the alphabet, take a series of pictures starting with every letter, or all starting with 'A' for a day
	numbers, pictures of numbers themselves or things in countable groups
	days of the month, Events/activities that represent or occur one day of the week (you go, Sheldon Cooper)
	cars, planes,
	seasons, holidays
	a picture of the same scene each day turned into a time-lapse,
	take a picture every day for a year.

Astrophotography/nighttime photography
	The Mikly Way, constellations, the moon, skylines, background city glow, paint with light on mountainsides or forests, stars through a tree/swingset/or other object, moon reflected in a window or on a lake
Topic a week for a year: https://www.kevmrc.com/52-weeks-photography-challenge

From B & H, tips on getting the most out of a long telezoom (helpfully triggered by the purchase of a long telezoom...)
Tips for Birding and Wildlife Photography
Bird Photography: Which Exposure Mode is Right for You?
The Art and Science of Action Panning Photographs

Other Tips and Techniques
9 Creative Ways to Drastically Improve Your Wildlife Photos
How to Photograph Wolves

Videos
How To Edit Bird Photos
BandH: How to Take Better Travel Portraits: 5 Tips with Esteban Toro
Looking for a tripod but not sure which one is more suitable for you?
B and H Photo Video on YouTube

Reviews

Nikon Z9 vs Sony A1 – Wildlife Shootout

What have I learned from the use and misuse of filters?

On Photography