Photography and editing tips for beginners!

Hey you guys!  Lately I’ve been getting a lot of photography questions, which I find very flattering given that I still have A HECKOVALOT left to learn. So while I know I’m no pro yet, I just wanted to share a couple quick tricks with you guys today that will take your pictures from bland and boring to sort of AWESOME.  :P
+ First of all, I would just like to point out that YOU, the photographer, have the power to make a picture look cool and different simply by how you position your body when you take the picture—i.e, the camera angle.  I’ve learned that the more awkward and uncomfortable you feel while snapping shots, the cooler the picture will probably be.  For example, to take the picture above I had to stand over my friend Megan and get right in her face.  But it was a neat angle, right? Or to take great pictures of my dogs, I often lay flat on my stomach on the floor or in the grass to “get on their level,” such as in this picture:

When I’m browsing photography websites or find a picture I really like, I try to think about where the photographer had to stand or how they must have positioned themselves to get that shot, and it gives me ideas for my own photos!  You can totally learn a TON about photography simply by studying pictures you love.
++ Always, always, always utilize natural light and avoid using your flash.  Flash photography has gone the way of the dinosaurs, and now it’s all about beautiful, flattering, and forgiving natural light.  Try to take outdoor photos during the two hours after sunrise or the two hours before sunset, or if it’s the middle of the day, find a shaded spot to shoot.  People look fugly in harsh mid-day light (shadows under the eyes, squinting, etc).  If you’re taking a picture of food or something indoors, try to move your subject over to a window before you snap the shot.  I rarely take food pictures in my kitchen because there’s very little natural light!
+++ Invest in a DSLR camera. I have a Canon Rebel XS (update: as of Feb 21, 2012, I have a Canon 5D Mark II!), though if you're starting out, I’d recommend something a tiny bit more expensive than the XS, like the T2i or T3.  The ISO on the T2i and T3 goes up to 6400, whereas it only goes up to 1600 on my XS.  And if that’s French to you, let me translate: the T2i and T3 take MUCH clearer pictures under low light (such as indoors), whereas it’s very difficult for me to get a non-blurry picture with the XS unless the lighting is perfect.
++++ Invest in a program like Photoshop Elements if you can’t afford CS5.  Elements has many of the same capabilities as CS5 and is great for beginners.  It’s what I’m currently using, and it allows me to download certain Photoshop actions that are helping out a TON while I’m learning to do all the editing manually. (and you can also create blog buttons, blog designs, etc, out of Elements!)  If you can’t afford Elements right now (I think it’s about $75), then play around with picnik.com or the programs that are already on your computer!  Up until about a month or two ago, all of the pictures you saw here on my blog were edited with Windows Photo Gallery, which came with my computer.  I would just adjust lighting, contrast, and color temperature under the “fix” tab.
+++++ On that note, editing is really, really key to having above-average pictures.  Look at the difference between these unedited pictures on the left and the edited ones on the right:


The difference is subtle, but there is DEFINITELY a difference!  Play around with the brightness, contrast, and temperature of a photo to really make colors pop off the screen.  There are plenty of great books and online tutorials on editing, it just takes a little time and applying yourself to learn.  I have a long way to go, but to me, the work it takes to learn this stuff is FUN! :)
++++++ If you already have Photoshop Elements or CS5, try downloading some of the free actions from The Coffeeshop Blog.  My favorites are this one, this one, and this one, and I used them on the three pictures of my friend at the beginning of this post.  It’s a great way to cheat the system until you learn all the crazy settings and tools in Photoshop!
Hope this helps a bit!  I’ll keep you guys updated as I learn more! :)