The rule of thirds applies to the process of composing photographs and helps you to shoot visually appealing and balanced images. How? Simply by dividing the image you’re going to shoot into thirds, horizontally and vertically, in order you get nine equal parts. By doing so you will have a grid. The points where horizontal and vertical lines intersect are called also points of interest or anchor points.
The most significant rule in desert photography is: deserts need to be photographed in the early morning or late afternoon light. This because much of their detail and texture is subtle and can be lost if you take pictures when the sun is higher in the sky and consequently light is much stronger. The gentle light at sunrise and sunset may cause the desert to glow beautifully orange or red, and the low angle means that even a ripple in the sand will cast a small shadow, giving contrast and definition to your picture.
If you don’t have other choice than taking pictures in the heat of the day, then consider to shoot with the longest lens you have and try to photograph something a long way off that is distorted by heat haze. You may be able to photograph a shimmering mirage, where the heat haze resembles water. A powerful telephoto lens will exaggerate and magnify both of these phenomena.
In 2020, Ramadan will start on Thursday, April 23 and end on Saturday, May 23.
If you plan to visit a Muslim country here are a few tips and explanations about Ramadan for travel photographers. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims around the world. The word Ramadan comes directly from the Arabic root ramiḍa which means dryness. It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed. Being the Islamic calendar a lunar calendar, months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year and contains no intercalation, Ramadan varies every year. During this period, observant Muslims tend to abstain from food (sawm), drinking or smoking from dawn to dusk and also restrain from all activities or behaviors that are not compatible with Islamic values.
Exactly 10 years ago, January 7, 2010, I got my very first sale on Alamy, the largest stock photography agency in the world along with Getty Images. It was a photo I shot to a local farmer I met along with his yak on a remote mountain path in Tibet a few years earlier. A quick shot around midday in a clear day with a strong and horrible light. Nothing of special and neither nicely edited to tell the truth. Anyway, that photo was my first one to be sold by a stock agency and it was published on the Guardian newspaper.
Christmas Markets are the main reason to visit Vienna from mid-November to late December. The Austrian capital, definitely, sparkles during this period as Christmas Markets create a magic and dreamy atmosphere throughout the city. Strolling and shooting photos around becomes really a unique experience.
Each Christmas Market brings festive and colorful cheer into city’s squares, cobbled streets or courtyards. Even famous sightseeing like St. Stephen’s cathedral or the Upper Belvedere palace are literally wrapped by the glittering stalls. It’s really a not to miss experience for an unusual and creative photo shoot in the Austrian capital behind the majestic baroque style architecture or the famous Viennese coffee houses.
