Capturing texture can add an extra dimension to your image, by conveying not only how something looks, but how it might feel as well, for example being soft, or rough, or wet.  It's a pretty dang powerful thing to be add to add a sense of touch to an image! That's what we are going to look at today - how we can use texture in everyday images to create a more powerful photograph.

There are two ways to photograph texture – the first is to make the texture the subject of your photo, and the second is to incorporate it into an image where something else is the main subject, to add extra interest. 

Let's get crackin' with two ways you can use texture in your image!

Let me start by saying this is a LONG post - not one of those "quick lists" of camera gear that doesn't really tell you very much nor is particularly helpful.  Today, I'm going to break this down for you - what you need, why you need it, what you can get away with using just now, what you should invest it first to get the biggest return on investment, along with a few tips and tricks for using them. 

Although I never want anyone to have to go out and buy new equipment,  I also want to keep it real. I don't want someone who keeps hearing that "it's not about the gear",  feeling discouraged because they are not getting images that are as good as they hoped when in fact, their gear DOES have some impact on their images.  That's not fair nor helpful in my book.

It's often said that the best camera for the job is the one you have with you. Since I am particularly terrible at remembering to take my DSLR with me on everyday outings, I'm often left to take images using my iPhone instead.  Thankfully, the camera on the iPhone is pretty darn awesome considering the size and weight, and so are the cameras on other types of phones too - mobile phone technology has come such as long way! 

It's always a pretty good idea to pay close attention to EVERYTHING you can see in your viewfinder, like the surroundings and backgrounds, and not just your main subject.   Just of the (many!) aspects to watch out for when you are framing your photos is the horizon - which can actually mean ANY horizontal lines in your image, so don't think you've got away with it if you don't shoot landscapes :) 

Let's get going with the 5 "Rules" for the horizontal lines in your image!

Is that summer I can see just around the corner? I do believe it is! Unless you are one of those very lucky people who live in a part of the world where beach days are an all year round thing, for the rest of us, the warm weather means we can get ourselves down to the beach without having to wear five layers of clothing!  And of course, with every weather change comes a new host of shooting opportunities, so here are 8 Tips for Shooting at the Beach.

Have you recently bagged yourself a new DSLR? Here are 10 camera settings that you should look to change or check before you start shooting!  

There are loads of different ways to use color in photography, but for this particular post we are going to look and how we can convey contrast using color. This is often called chromatic contrast, but personally I think it’s easier to use the term complementary or contrasting colors - but either is good :)

Here's a useful guide on how we can use this to add interest to our images!

Adding star / sun bursts to your image is a great way to make an everyday scene or moment look a little bit more interesting, so it’s a great trick to have in your photography arsenal! I actually don't play around with this as much as I should, but since I have just reminded myself of it's awesome affect - I'm off to play with it again today! 

If you want to give it a go, it's really simple! Here's a step by step guide on how you do it....

I love shooting with a shallow depth of field, where you have only the subject sharp and clear, but everything else soft and out of focus.  It's such a great way of drawing the eye straight to the subject of the photo, and eliminating any distractions around your subject.  You can get this affect from shooting wide open, but it can be tricky to perfect!  So, today, I'm giving you five tips for shooting at low apertures. 

But, before we get to the tips, let's rewind a little bit, and start at the very beginning, with what shooting "wide open" actually means! 

The eyes are a huge part of a successful portrait (they don't call them the window to the soul for nothin'!) and one way we can make sure they really look their best is to make sure that they have catchlights. 

A catchlight is nothing more than light being reflected in the eyes of your subject - they are the white areas you can see in the eyes on the examples below. They help to make your subject look alive, and give depth and life to any portrait - without them the eyes look lifeless and empty.  The good news is they are incredibly simple to achieve - it really is all about how you position your subject! 

Are you getting tired of taking the same old photos and fancy mixing it up a bit? One way you can do that is simply be changing the angle you shoot from!  Instead of only shooting the front of your subject, why not try shooting from above or below? Or get behind your subject, or get down low and be on the same level? You never know what will look the best until you take the shot, so move around you subject and shoot from as many angles as you can think of. Here's some more information and tips for taking images from all the different angles, and of course some example images to get you going!

Although we can literally do a ton of things in editing, and fix many in-camera mistakes from the safety of our computer desk, there are some things we just can't fix in processing, no matter how hard we try! Out of focus images, bad lighting, and clipped highlights are some of the things that we simply can't make right after the fact. 

Here's are the five things I believe you should get right in camera every time...

If you are a photographer parent, or a photographer who shoots event and birthdays, you will inevitably need to know how to take great pictures of children blowing out their birthday candles.

Although it might seem like a challenging task at hand, taking birthday candle pictures is honestly very simple! With the right knowledge of camera settings and lighting, taking birthday cake pictures will be a breeze.

I just love taking silhouettes - they are dramatic yet simple, and they always seem to stand out in a group of photos. And the best news? The are actually pretty easy to do! You just want to keep a few key things in mind when taking your shot to get the image you are going for :) 

So let’s get crackin’ with the steps to an awesome silhouette! 

Photographing children can be pretty challenging! Especially so if you are photographing your own children, since they would rather be doing ANYTHING else rather than sitting you with and having a camera thrust in their face. (And it can be the same if you are the hired photographer too!)  I have had my fair share of pouty faces and cheesy grins over the years, along with some not-so-awesome shots of the back of their head as they are running away, and of course, the images that capture a beautiful, natural expression....but they are totally out of focus! 

In future posts I'm going to be giving you some specific tips and strategies for working with different age groups, but to kick us off, here are my top 8 tips and tricks for photographing children.