Using Symmetry

 

Another trick to introduce novelty in your photos is to use symmetry. If you look at professional photos, they usually apply this trick here and there. If you’re taking a picture of a mountain, try taking in the reflection of the mountain in water as well. Alternatively, you can just shoot the reflection of the mountain in the water itself – which produces another good perspective.

A mountain photo with good symmetry

Other Ideas

Here are other ideas for taking unique shots of your subjects. Think about applying them the next time you’re out taking photos:

• Shoot your subject up close. This is one of my favorites techniques, especially when shooting flowers, insects or products. Make use of the macro mode on your camera to achieve the best results.

• Shoot a series of pictures and create a panorama. Many digital cameras allow you to stitch photos together in a panorama. What you do is snap many pictures of a wide scene and stitch them together in software – the result is a vast expanse of scenery that’s simply breathtaking to behold.

• Shoot your subject via a mirror reflection. This is similar to using a subject’s reflection in water as a means to jazz up the photo. Instead of directly shooting a subject, shoot the subject via a mirror. It can create an interesting and more professional effect.

thanks http://www.basic-digital-photography.com

Trailing Lights

A cool and basic effect that you often see in night photos is the effect of the trailing lights. This is a simple trick that has everything to do with shutter speed and long exposure. You basically need to set your camera on a firm surface (or ideally use a tripod). If you don't have a firm surface, you better have rock steady hands otherwise expect to get some extra unwanted blur a.k.a. lack of focus. Make sure that the flash is not on. Put your camera in TV (Shutter) mode. Set your shutter speed to a longer setting. And take a photo of a busy street in a city or a ferris wheel. The longer you leave the shutter open, the longer the sensor is exposed to the movement of the lights. Open it for too long though and you will get a pretty messy picture.

You can get some pretty spectacular photos with long exposures at night, so experiment with moving lights in different settings and see what you come up with. This is in Vienna when watching a flame throwing street performer at Stephens Square and got this result:

Thanks to http://eosrebels.com