Sickles Insight

Tips & Tricks – “The Silhouette”

SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
HOW IT WORKS: While the silhouette seems like a simple effect to create, it can be very powerful and compelling when used correctly. The silhouette is a study of shapes and light; … lines and […]

Tips & Tricks – “Motion”

SKILL LEVEL: Advanced
HOW IT WORKS: Giving an image motion often involves blurring in some form. There are many different techniques and approaches to capturing motion, most of which are hard to execute properly, but with practice and a […]

From Grand Rapids, Michigan - this article was sent to me by a friend and reader of Sickles Insight in search of more exposure for Ann and her amazing photography! Some of the images found on her new blog and her gallery are amazing. Many of you know that I lived in Grand Rapids for […]

Tips & Tricks – “Frame within a Frame”

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
HOW IT WORKS: When composing a picture, include some foreground material in front of your subject that helps frame the subject. Often this involves stepping back or looking through something which can artistically bring attention to the subject being photographed. This technique works because […]

Tips & Tricks – “Curved Lines”

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
HOW IT WORKS: Building on last month’s “leading lines” technique, using curved lines is another way to enhance a composition. To put this technique into practice involves finding a curved line to give the eye something to follow in the image. Where a straight line is […]

Tips & Tricks – “Leading Lines”

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
HOW IT WORKS: A good practice in taking any picture is to help bring attention to what you, “the photographer” want the viewer to focus on. This is done in a number of ways but one of the simplest methods is to use leading lines. In […]

 
Tips & Tricks – “Triangles”

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
HOW IT WORKS: When posing people or objects try to arrange them in triangles. This goes hand in hand with many of the photo “tips & tricks” from 2006 by way of breaking symmetry and creating odd numbered compositions. This helps give the eye a pattern or […]

Tips & Tricks - “Odd Numbers & Symmetry”

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
HOW IT WORKS:

THE RULE OF 3’S: Whenever possible frame your pictures with odd numbered objects. By far the most popular odd number is 3, but any odd number of objects (generally speaking) is better than even numbers. The reason for this is that […]