Phototgraphy

Different types of photography

Advertising photography
Aerial photography
Architectural photography
Astronomical photography
Baby photography
Black and white photography
Cityscape photography
Commercial photography
Concert photography
Digital photography
Documentary photography
Equine photography
Family photography
Fine art photography
Fine art nude photography
Food photography
Glamour or fashion photography
Infrared photography
Landscape photography
Macro photography
Nature photography
Night photography
Pet photography
Portrait photography
Seascape photography
Travel photography
underwater photography
Wedding photography
Wildlife photography

Source: http://www.shotaddict.com/wordpress/2006/10/18/1382.html

Equipments

Cameras, video cameras, lenses, cases, tripods, cable releases, flashes, remote light meters

Source: http://photography.about.com/od/photographyequipment/a/basicequipment.htm

Aperture
Aperture is the term used to describe what is simply the hole in the lens that light travels through to reach the camera’s sensor or film. This hole can be set at different sizes, and combined with shutter speed, you get the two main settings which control exposure.

Source: http://www.photography-basics.com/2007/01/what-is-aperture/

Focus

There are various methods to focusing depending on the type of subject being photographed. The most important part of the image to capture is the eyes of the subject.

Source: http://www.schoolofphotography.com/courses/free-photography-tips-and-articles/16-how-to-focus-your-camera.html

Shutter speed

Shutter speed is, apart from aperture, the other main component required to form a proper exposure. It is control by the shutter speed dial. Shutter speed means timing and duration of opening and closing of the shutter curtain at the back of the camera. A fast shutter speed will freezes action while slower speed creates blurring effect. A shutter speed of 1/125 will allow one time more the amount of light to reach the film than 1/250, the amount of light is double on the next scale of 1/60 to 1/125 etc.

Source: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/fototech/apershutter/shutter.htm

ISO speed

ISO in ISO Speeds stands for International Standards Organisation and a few decades ago they came up with a standard for measuring the speed of film called the ISO Speed.
As with aperture and shutter speed, film speeds are governed by a factor of two rule.
Film speeds come in the following ratings:
25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200
The speed of a film is the measure of how fast it responds to light. A low ISO speed means a film responds slowly to light, a fast ISO speed means the film responds quickly.

Source: http://www.great-landscape-photography.com/iso-speed.html

Metering
Metering is a process which involves the camera taking a light level reading from the scene and selecting the appropriate combination of aperture and shutter speed to set the required exposure value. Various modes are offered to allow the user to select the most suitable one for the specific lighting conditions These can then be changed manually via use of exposure compensation meter if required. There are various types of metering which can be set, and these change the way the light levels are read by the camera.

Centre-weighted
A metering is taken from the whole of the scene first, then the central spot. The result is the average reading, but with extra weight given to the central part. Some cameras allow the user to change the amount of weight given to the central area but as a general rule, around 60 to 80 per cent of the sensitivity is directed towards the central part of the image, making it a good choice for portraits.

Spot metering
Spot metering takes a reading from a very small part of the image (between 1 and 5 per cent), and ignores the exposure of the rest of the scene. Spot metering is good choice for high contrast and backlit scenes but needs to be used with care, and aimed at an area that will form the mid-tone part of the final image.

Zone metering
A type of metering which takes readings from several different areas - or zones - within the scene to produce a calculated average. This is useful for general scenes with low contrast.

Source: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Beginners-Guide-to-Photography--Metering-6351

White balance

White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in real life will look white in your photo. We adjust white balance to get the colors in our images as accurate as possible.

Source: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm
http://digital-photography-school.com/introduction-to-white-balance

Photography composition rules

Pattern
There are patterns all around us if we only learn to see them. Emphasizing and highlighting these patterns can lead to striking shots – as can high lighting when patterns are broken.

Symmetry
Depending upon the scene – symmetry can be something to go for – or to avoid completely.
A symmetrical shot with strong composition and a good point of interest can lead to a striking image – but without the strong point of interest it can be a little predictable. I prefer to experiment with both in the one shoot to see which works best.
Texture
Images a two dimensional thing yet with the clever use of ‘texture’ they can come alive and become almost three dimensional.
Texture particularly comes into play when light hits objects at interesting angles.

Depth of field
The depth of field that you select when taking an image will drastically impact the composition of an image.
It can isolate a subject from its background and foreground (when using a shallow depth of field) or it can put the same subject in context by revealing it’s surrounds with a larger depth of field.

Lines
Lines can be powerful elements in an image.
They have the power to draw the eye to key focal points in a shot and to impact the ‘feel’ of an image greatly.

Diagonal Lines
Diagonal lines generally work well to draw the eye of an image’s viewer through the photograph. They create points of interest as they intersect with other lines and often give images depth by suggesting perspective.
They can also add a sense of action to an image and add a dynamic looks and feel.

Horizontal Lines
Layers of horizontal lines can create rhythm or patterns in an image that can become the focus of an image in and of itself.
Vertical Lines
Look out for vertical lines that are repeated in patterns in your images as they can be used to great impact – particularly if they are contrasted with other shapes and lines going in different directions.

Converging Lines
We’ve talked previously about how lines have the potential to add interest to an image – but multiple lines that converge together (or come close to one another) can be a great technique to lead your viewers eye into a shot.

Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/5-elements-of-composition-in-photography

Rules of third
The Rule of Thirds is based on the fact that the human eye is naturally drawn to a point about two-thirds up a page. Crop your photo so that the main subjects are located around one of the intersection points rather than in the center of the image:

Golden section
It has been found that certain points in a picture's composition automatically attract the viewer's attention. Similarly, many natural or man-made objects and scenes with certain proportions (whether by chance or by design) automatically please us.

Diagonal rule
One side of the picture is divided into two, and then each half is divided into three parts. The adjacent side is divided so that the lines connecting the resulting points form a diagonal frame. According to the Diagonal Rule, important elements of the picture should be placed along these diagonals:

Source: http://www.colorpilot.com/comp_rules.html#rule2

Techniques

Make sure your photographs are well lit, well focused and nicely framed before you take a picture of it.

As there are many techniques/tips in the source below, I will only name a few.

Sunlight: Avoid taking photos when the sun is directly overhead. This causes harsh shadows. Try to shoot with the sun behind you as this prevents loss of detail caused by bright light.

Night-time photos: Place the camera on a tripod and set its shot timer so there’s no risk of your camera moving when you press the trigger.

Golden hour: Using the golden hour is especially good for people shots so you avoid harsh shadows on faces caused by midday sun. Experiment with angles and zoom to find the perfect balance of light.

Source: http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_photography/tours/beginners/index.html