Ask HN: Photography Hacks | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Photography Hacks

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I have always known about the rule of thirds [0] and golden ratio [1].

I recently learned of rabatment of the rectangle [2], lead room [3] and head room [4].

What other "rules" of photography or modern hacks do you find worthy of adding to your repertoire?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabatment_of_the_rectangle

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_room

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headroom_(photographic_framing)

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Not a hack, but there is the golden hour. It's roughly an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_%28photography%29

focus stacking ... capture a series of photos each with a different distance in focus then in post processing synthesize a single photo from the portions of each which is most in focus ... heavily used for microscope image capture where depth of field is minute ... another is high dynamic imaging ( HDR ) which is a similar bracketing of several exposures each with a different shutter speed of each image captures maximum detail in a different exposure level ... if you wish to combine both of these tricks into a single output image where you use say a bracket of 4 exposures for the focus stacking and say 5 for the hdr then total necessary photos would be 4 * 5 meaning 20 separate photos

The "tilt" in tilt-shift (outside macro or microscopic photography) is a get it right in the camera hack for focus stacking...or focus stacking can be a kludge for tilt focus.

For HDR in the landscape, holding a graduated neutral density filter in front of the lens is a run and gun hack. Or mount them in a holder if you're "using a friggin tripod."

To me, the best hacks are getting it close in camera...I'd rather not be sitting at the computer managing twenty files so to speak. Sometimes of course it is unavoidable. Or

Not necessarily modern technique based hacks, but my personal hacks boil down to 3 things.

1. Composition matters. Alot. Move yourself,your camera, and your subjects around.

2. Control your light naturally. Pay attention to directionality of light, shadows and softness. You can cover a light with your body or change directions.

3. Slow down and take your time. Imagine your shooting film, make the shots count.

Using these techniques, I stopped carrying my DSLR and only shoot with my phone. The photos from the phone have far higher quality and value since I have it in my pocket at all times. Making "capturing the moment" a very accessible thing.

Use exposure bracketing if you have time to do so.

Always take two exposures, if you have time to do so

Take n times as many photos, throw n-1 away, and you'll be n times better, where n is 2 or more.

Share your photos on Flickr or some other social network to get feedback, if you can.

The best camera to have, is one you have with you.

“Use a friggin tripod.”

You can use a filter and infrared film to see through some fabrics (clothes).

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