Urban photography is like a window into the world, opening to infinite perspectives. Cities are known to be huge playgrounds for photographers as every hour of the day offers new perspectives for them, from the deserted streets in the morning to the bustling nightlife: a relentless source of inspiration to capture amazing photos of the most beautiful treasures of architecture and urban spaces.
These 50 stunning pictures from cityscapes around the world have all been selected as finalists in the #Urban2020 Photo Contest by Agora, the free-to-use photography app where people create, vote, and curate the best photos made worldwide since 2017.
#Urban2020 gathered more than 21,322 submissions from amateurs and professional photographers around the world.
The voting phase is now open on Agora to decide who will be the #Urban2019 Hero who will win a cash prize of $1,000.
The winner of this photography contest will be announced through Agora’s social media channels on Thursday 9th January 2020.
More info: agoraimages.com
By @hadangkhoa (Vietnam)
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By @henrydo (USA)
The majesty of Rome’s iconic symbol was perfectly captured by @henrydo: “Rome has been completely urbanized but they still kept many historic sites to preserve the history. I think it fits quite well with the hashtag. This shot was a composite of 2 separate images taken at a different time in the same location. Many people thought a drone is capable of capturing the lit-up night sky but the technology isn’t that advanced, yet. If I win, I will donate part of my prize to a charity to fight plastic pollution in the ocean and save marine wildlife.”
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By @borsch (Russia)
Russian photographer @borsch entered the competition with a foggy aerial view of his hometown, Moscow.
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By @marcelvanbalken (Netherlands)
Dutch photographer @marcelvanbalken said: “It was very bad weather, a lot of rain. So I had to take this picture with my camera in one hand and an umbrella in the other. The urban space in a play of light and shadow form shows an almost surrealistic decor. Pure black-and-white, in which the photography of architecture begins to take on abstract forms, reinforced by the apparently disproportionate addition of the man. If I win, I want to purchase a drone to be able to photograph urban spaces from a height.”
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By @johandroneadventures (Belgium)
Brussels-based photographer @johandroneadventures snapped this aerial shot of the Home of Arts (HOTA) in Gold Coast, Australia: “Urban for me isn’t only about cities and skylines, it’s also about the integration of urban and nature. This is a beautiful example of a structure that was well designed and integrates seamlessly with the environment.”
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By @karaemurphy (USA)
With this photo, @karaemurphy declares her love to the Windy City: “Chicago is one of the best cities in the world. The architecture, alone, makes it a must-visit destination. The food is wonderful and the people are friendly. Because the photo is a bit eery, it lends itself to the grit that big cities are known for. I wanted to capture this building (Two Prudential Plaza) at dusk. Since it was cloudy, I was able to capture a moody, Gotham City-type feel to the photo. Since Chicago is an urban hub, it’s important to calibrate your compass outside the city so there’s little to no signal interference when flying a drone. I was able to find a secluded spot near the building so I could keep the drone in sight. If I win, I would use part of it to donate to charitable organizations such as SF Camera Works which supplies young, underprivileged children with gear and education so that they get a head start on something they’re passionate about. The rest I would use for a destination trip with my drone.”
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By @øystein (Norway)
@øystein spotted this flower growing through asphalt while driving back from work: “I was driving this quite heavily trafficked road when I saw this lonely flower standing strong among all the concrete buildings. Later that evening I brought my kit and hoped that it still was standing there. I think this flower symbolizes how strong an individual can be if they have to. An urban setting that depicts the struggle and strength of both nature and man, and how this can lead to growth and success.”
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by @angiolomanetti (Italy)
Italian photographer @angiolomanetti waited for the nighttime to photograph these residential buildings in Odaiba, Tokyo: “When I saw these buildings, I was immediately struck by the genius of the architecture and the ability to make a building in something satisfying to the eye. I had just begun to mount the tripod when it started to rain heavily, which made me nervous because I wanted to ponder the scene well and look at the ideal point, but the situation had become complicated. I was about to give up shooting when I regained self-control and started thinking about how I could still get a satisfying shot. I hope I succeeded! If I win the contest, I’d like to go back to where I took the photo and try to do even better!”
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By @notanothermica (Belgium)
@notanothermica snapped this impressive shot while exploring the urban area of Charleroi, Belgium: “This is one of the most famous spots in Belgium for urban exploration. The door to enter this power plant is sometimes closed, which makes it not easy to get in. On that day, I was lucky because the door was open and there was some good light, which caused the cool glow on the metal of the powerplant. I wanted to place a person inside the power plant to had a reason for the viewer to relate to the photo.”
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By @wunderbilder (Germany)
@wunderbilder captured this photo on a trip to Rome: “During our visit, we stayed in a flat in this building and I found the staircase geometrically very interesting. There was no elevator in the building.”
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By @leemumford8 (UK)
British photographer @leemumford8 snapped the incredible architecture of Hong Kong view from above: “Sometimes you don’t get the same sense of scale until you look at something from above. As the day turns to dark, I captured the hustle and bustle of the city streets. As the street lights turned on, the roads lit up in this bright yellow-orange which I like to call the cities veins. As the light was fading, a longer shutter was needed as I wanted to keep the ISO fairly low to help reduce noise. As this was an aerial shot, it was a fine balance before camera shake was an issue. The visibility on this particular was so clear, conditions I’ve been unable to replicate since.”
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By @leo.wies (Germany)
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By @cunodebruin (Netherlands)
@cunodebruin never gets tired of shooting the busy streets of Tokyo: “It was raining for a couple of days when we were in Tokyo. I actually loved the moody vibes and started to capture that. It’s so much more different than any other place I’ve been to. The vibe, people and streets are a special thing. This was one of my favorite shots from those days: it’s always busy and there’s always something going on in Tokyo. It’s an urban vibe. The blue color, the neon, the tones, and rain make it a real urban shot. It almost has that Blade Runner feeling!”
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By @paulaaranoa (Argentina)
Argentine photographer @paulaaranoa loved to explore the mysterious streets of Barcelona’s gothic neighborhood: “The story behind the photo shows a character who is walking through a dark path, however, the light is wrapping itself around him. On this day, the light was perfect. I watched how the people walking by were wrapped by the light, I spent at least an hour in the same place until the light changed… it was a unique spectacle and I consider myself privileged to have witnessed it.”
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By @tom.bridges (UK)
@tom.bridges captured the beauty of Sweden’s capital from high up: “I wanted to emphasize the center of the image, that represents the heart of Stockholm, portrayed in the warmer tones and colors. It is surrounded by an arctic environment, with the frozen lake encapsulating the boat in the foreground, to the flurries of snowmaking their way into the image in the background.” even though he mentioned that “controlling a drone in temperatures of - 10 degrees wasn’t that fun!”
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By @alicesukiasyan (Armenia)
@alicesukiasyan took this photo in the streets of Yerevan, the capital and largest city of Armenia: “The eyes of the man in the reflection actually are little stones which were in the water when I captured the photo. In my opinion, some emotions or moments can seem frozen due to photography - but at the same time, it can transmit strong dynamics. The eyes of the man in reflection are looking right into viewers’ eyes, which somehow creates contact between the viewer and the photo.”
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By @laboussole.seon (France)
French expat @laboussole.seon took this photo of the legendary Yick Fat building in October 2017: “Hong Kong is the most exciting and most contrasted urban environment I know. With this photo, I wanted to transmit the feeling to be trapped in a city, in the middle of tall buildings with a high density of apartments, and the sky seems so far away. I took the photo at sunset so that the colors of the sky are an invitation to peace and warmth, to contrast with the main subject. It is challenging to take a photo in this place, as it is a famous spot, mostly for Instagram. I went a couple of hours before sunset secures a good spot. Shortly after this shooting session, the management of the building has added a sign forbidding photo taking as it became too disturbing for the people actually living in the building. unfortunately for them, it doesn’t seem to have stopped tourists.”
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By @msubirats (Spain)
@msubirats visited this popular sunset spot in Munich, Germany: “I was amazed by the number of people in this city who take a moment to watch the sunset at night.”
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By @azimronnie (Bangladesh)
@azimronnie shares some facts about this picture taken in his hometown, Dhaka: “The 500 enormous vessels used to transport bricks, sand and other goods, are either being built or are docked for maintenance work in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Shipbuilders in Bangladesh began exporting their ships to other countries in 2009, and it has since become a growing trade in the area.”
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By @jprphotos (UK)
@jprphotos captured one of the many trams that run through the busy streets of Budapest: “This image was all about making the tram stand out as much as possible, thanks to the contrast in colors against the color of the tram, and also the slightly experimental lighting. It took me over 3 hours to get this shot because the tram line wasn’t in the center of the bridge. It was difficult to get a really good looking composition: it took me many tries trying to get the tram the right distance away from the camera in order to make it look more in the center than it was. Also, no tripod was involved…”
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By @ericc_photography (Spain)
@ericc_photography captured NYC’s climbable sculpture, Vessel, during a surprise trip to New-York with his mother: The incredible thing about this photo is that when I was visiting this attraction, the shopping center next door turned on the air conditioning, causing the curtain of condensation, rain, and fog that we can see in the photo.
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By @hwilson8 (USA)
The second entry for the Windy City in this Contest, this time shared by @hwilson8 who captured the sweetness of her son riding the metro for the first time: “There is a clear story behind this photograph. It can be interpreted in many ways, but I wanted to convey the feeling of wonder and awe this little boy clearly had while traveling on the CTA in Chicago. The intrigue and curiosity are seen in his eyes as he looks around at his surroundings. This is a rural kid who is meeting the big city for the first time. If I won the prize, I would further advance my own learning and craft, both to document the world around me and tell the story of the lives of rural America.”
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By @frankseltmann (Germany)
This peculiar spiral staircase was snapped by German photographer @frankseltmann in Munich: “I went up and down the stairs many times to capture the staircase through different angles. The difficult part was that these stairs were going to a Café, hence why people went up and down and made it difficult for me to shoot this photo.”
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By @nguyenvuphuoc (Vietnam)
@nguyenvuphuoc spotted these two female workers on Saigon’s under-construction new metro line: “When they saw me taking pictures, they asked me: Why? We are not beautiful, you should go and photograph beautiful girls instead.”
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By @ajuriaguerra (Spain)
@ajuriaguerra entered the competition with a snapshot of Bilbao’s iconic architecture: “Built in 1964, the so-called “Houses of the Americans” makeup three blocks that reinterpret the experience of Le Corbusier in “L´Unite d’ Habitation” in Marseille, especially with the composition. The image shows the life of its inhabitants, entering and leaving their homes. It seems as if we were seeing a plane. The image perfectly captures the theme #Urban2020, since it is an urban construction, a block of houses in which human activity is manifested in the image.”
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By @banudiker (Turkey)
@banudiker snapped this picture while sailing on the Nile River, Egypt: “We were sailing away from Cairo’s noisy neighborhoods. There is a lot of monotonous, colorless tall buildings along the Nile River in downtown. When I saw this building that is totally different from the others, I started to imagine the life of people living there.”
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By @joelfriend (UK)
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By @damiane (Georgia)
@damiane hopes to win the #Urban2020 contest with this photo taken in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city.
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By @theliamman (UK)
@theliamman shot this photo nearby the telephone box outside St Paul’s Cathedral, London: “I wanted to transmit a sense of adventure. Cities come alive at night and I wanted to capture that bustling energy as the day turns to night. The top of this phone box was filthy if you want to do the same photo I recommend wearing clothes that you don’t wear often… I am going to be filming an orphanage in Ethiopia next year as well as a short documentary on the Park Rangers in the Serengeti (Tanzania). This $1,000 prize would go a LONG way to helping fund that as I am unpaid volunteering.”
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By @leowillgo (Venezuela)
In this shot taken in Stockholm in May 2019 while covering Greta Thunberg’s march ‘Fridays For Future’, @leowillgo wanted to transmit the moody feeling of the modern world we live in: “If I win the contest, I will help my family back in Venezuela, things are not so good back there and that’s why I came to Europe: to grow and help them.”
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By @dlr (Australia)
With his photo, @dlr shows how Australia’s third-largest city is adopting a very futuristic and forward-looking feel: “My wife, daughter and I were driving through this area late one evening, and we both commented on how complex this freeway interchange seemed. I thought to myself that this would look particularly amazing from the air, so I decided to go back the following weekend with my DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone, to capture the scene from above. This freeway interchange runs over the top of a local waterway known as Breakfast Creek, which is renowned for its mosquito population. Needless to say, I came home covered head to toe in mosquito bites. My body was itchy for a week! I was super impressed with how well this image turned out though, so I think that the pain of the mosquito bites was more than worth it. I’m hoping that Brisbane residents see this photo and feel a sense of pride, and realize just how quickly this amazing city and its urban infrastructure is growing.”
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By @i.ride.to.drone (Singapore)
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By @zuzijanek (Slovakia)
Slovak photographer @zuzijanek draws her inspiration from her hometown, Bratislava: “This photo was taken during my walk from work. It was a long time I wanted to take a picture of this building. At that moment it reminded me of Tetris Game. I also liked the contrast with the blue sky and little clouds. I often just strolling the streets of Bratislava looking for new views of the city. I have many images of the same buildings but not the same views. It is very exciting for me to look for new points of view on the same things.”
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By @dmartphoto (Sweden)
@dmartphoto shares one of the many reasons to love Sweden’s capital city: “Stockholm’s subway is probably the quickest way to get around town. Every day, hundreds of people use “the world’s longest art gallery”, with more than 90 of the network’s 100 stations decorated with sculptures, rock formations, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings, and reliefs by over 150 different artists. Rådhuset station is probably one of the busiest stations in the city. I knew the photo I wanted to take before going, but I had to wait almost two hours with the camera set on a tripod until I finally got the spot empty with a solo traveler.”
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By @diselpower_gallery (Japan)
Japanese photographer @diselpower_gallery snapped his girlfriend walking by the International Children’s Library in Ueno City, Tokyo: “This photo was quite challenging to take, as the mirror acts as a spiral around the main subject of the photo. I’m more used to take photos inside this building, so this time I really enjoyed challenging myself to take photos outdoor.”
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By @niroshan_a (USA)
@niroshan_a flew his drone to take this outstanding shot of San Francisco’s skyline.
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By @donaldhyip (Australia)
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By @danilupea (Romania)
@danilupea snapped this traditional churros stand on a cold winter night: “The owner was about to close the stand, but decided to serve one more hot chocolate to this couple who was out on a romantic date.”
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By @patriciasoon (Malaysia)
@patriciasoon entered the competition with a panoramic shot of Dubai, aka the City of Gold with “a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles”.
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By @kennyc (UK)
@kennyc entered the competition with an iconic shot from the London Tube: “Heading out later at night in London was something I loved to do - it’s a stark difference to the hustle and bustle of the day, giving photographers with completely different scenes to work with. The underground, in particular, is eerily peaceful compared to the mayhem of rush hour. At the time I had recently been inspired by a number of street/urban photographers who had captured some stunning scenes from various subways around the world - so one evening I picked up my camera and ventured below ground. This particular shot is an idea I’d had in my head ever since I watched the fantastic short film ‘Mind The Gap’ directed by Luke Flanagan. This iconic message/recording is played out throughout the Underground network and heard by millions of Londoners every day. It’s a message instantly recognizable to anyone that has lived in this incredible city, and something I wanted to capture in a picture. I knew the message wasn’t just played out through speakers, but painted in bright yellow paint on the floor of many tube stations. I thought getting a close-up shot of this while capturing the speed of a moving train would make for a pretty cool shot - I wasn’t wrong! While the Tube is iconic to many people around the world, ‘MIND THE GAP’ is iconic to Londoners.”
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By @olegp (Germany)
With this photo, @olegp reflects on how smartphones and modern communication tools can affect our relationships: “I think that this picture reflects very well social life in a modern urban environment. I mean, nowadays no matter how small the room is, we will not even notice that we are not alone in this room. We are more interested in our virtual friends than making new acquaintances in real life. In the modern urban environment, the inhibition to speak to a stranger has become too high and we flee into the comfortable environment of digital communication. But even traveling with our real friends, everyone disappears into their own digital world. This feeling I got looking at the couple in the upper right corner of the picture. The funny coincidence is that this scene took place in a museum of modern art (Tate Modern, London). People on the photo I shot are like an exhibit of this museum, portraying the modern human and social togetherness.”
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By @tobboh (Germany)
@tobboh loves to shoot at his local train station, as it’s a place where there are many stories to be told: “Dresden Hauptbahnhof is one of the most beautiful stations in Germany with great architecture. This picture shows the beauty of the moment and how you can easily transform your time waiting for something in astonishment for the wee things right beside you. I was observing the people around what they were doing while waiting on the train. Some just stood there. Others, like this woman, took a shot of the sun rising and some just were listening to their music or hurrying to catch the next train. But you can only find the beauty around you when you take some time and even miss one train while admiring the morning sun. An extra story to that shot is that I got controlled by the police shortly afterward. They were wondering what I was doing and couldn’t see any reason to take out the camera. I think I could convince them that there are many good shots around even though you might not see them in the first place.”
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By @anhtrungqng (Vietnam)
Every day, thousands of motorcycles and cars crowd the streets of Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam where @anhtrungqng snapped this shot during the evening rush hour.
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By @thedronelad (UK)
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By @pifpie (USA)
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By @birazhayalci (Turkey)
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By @javito80 (Spain)
While shooting Barceloneta’s iconic hotel at sunset, @javito80 met a new model: “When I was preparing this picture, one french girl asked what I was doing, and when I explained she asked me to took some pictures of her. Then, we did also a photoshoot on the beach.”
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By @nataliworldphotography (Spain)
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By @benskaar (USA)
16-year-old photographer @benskaar snapped his friend skateboarding over a drainage gap in an abandoned chemical factory: “I want people to feel intrigued by this photo, and wonder what the setting is while also being amazed by the height my friend achieved while skateboarding. The backstory: We arrived here mid-day and spent a few hours exploring the abandoned buildings. We found this gap with great backlighting so I got down low to the floor and was able to capture my friend Ollieing over the gap in the floor from a low angle. We had to be very careful with this shot. The floor was covered in shattered glass so we had to clear that out of the way to make room for him to skate and for me to lie down for the shot. I think this photo gives an abandoned “urban” feeling to the viewer and makes the viewer feel like they’re in part of an abandoned city.”
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By @ares_mahol (Spain)
@ares_mahol remembers this photoshoot in Lleida: “We looked for a location that would fit the urban theme, and found these stairs in an area where young people from different gather to sing, dance and spend their afternoons. It was very cold: I was covered from head to toe as opposed to my model who wasn’t wearing much. You can’t even tell, but she’s actually freezing!”
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Olympian Makes Stunning Admission After Judge’s Conspicuous Scores Ignite Cheating Accusations
One may buy the most expensive photography gear, yet one can’t buy an eye for a good photo. Just like with any creative skill, imagination and a creative approach are key. However, while quality equipment certainly wouldn’t hurt, it’s really about knowing how to utilize the tools and functions already available in your hands. Some of the best photography hacks do exactly that: they teach you to use tools already available or easily accessible to achieve your best photo result.
Ironically, among the many great photography hacks are tips and tricks you may already know about. Perhaps you just forgot, or it’s something so basic that it simply never crossed your mind. However, plenty of photography tips can also be new, depending on how long you’ve been in the field. Whether you are looking for photography tips for beginners or want to hone your skills, you’re likely to leave this article with your creative juices flowing overboard and new ideas popping up!
One of the simplest smartphone photography tricks is this one. To create a reflective surface with your smartphone, place your phone’s screen at the bottom of the DSLR. This popular technique can make a distinguished appearance and feel in your photographs.
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Another quick photo frame hack. You can take stunning images with natural light from the setting sun and a few old, no-longer-usable picture frames.
Jordi Koalitic Report
The Japanese word “bokeh” describes the blur in an image’s out-of-focus area. Cut out intriguing shapes like tiny circles or stars from black poster board. Use the poster board to cover the lens and try out various focal lengths.
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The majority of marbles are made of glass. However, photographing marbles differs from photographing other kinds of glass. This results from the marbles’ smooth, spherical surface, which tends to reflect a lot of light from its surroundings. With appropriate lighting and settings, your photos incorporating marbles will look absolutely phenomenal.
Jordi Koalitic Report
You can create creepy yet amazing-looking pictures with just a few items. Just trust the process.
Jordi Koalitic Report
This approach will help you produce more focused lighting in your photographs and consume an entire tube of Pringles in one sitting, so you’re sure to like it. Also, you may want to reduce the size of the container’s bottom opening so that a flash head can fit snugly through it.
N-Photo Report
You can take some incredible photos using fairy lights. And the best bit is that they are really affordable! One of the best uses for fairy lights is as a foreground bokeh close to the camera. Such placement will give the light the appearance of fuzzy spots and thus sweeten your photograph. You can also use fairy lights to illuminate objects like a lightbulb or a Mason jar.
Brandon Woelfel Report
A topic or object will appear larger the closer it is to the camera, especially when compared to a subject or object farther away. The same goes for making something appear smaller by keeping it further from the camera.
COOPH Report
If you have a spare pair of reading glasses lying around, try creating a magnifying effect by holding the glasses in front of the lens. It can get you a similar result to lens ball photography without the financial outlay.
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You might have seen this one on YouTube. Plenty of video tutorials show how you can equip your glass coffee table to create outstanding photos. You can place anything you wish on the tabletop, perhaps some tealights, leaves, or sand, and ask your model to lay under the table. While it may seem simple, shooting through the glass this way can bring an entirely new layer of depth to your image.
cnhphotography Report
Set up your camera on a tripod and take images every 10-20 seconds or as required until you have captured every part of the scene unobstructed. The more shots you have of the scene unobstructed, the better.
Open Photoshop and select File > Scripts > Statistics.
Set it to “Median.”
Open all the files you want to use.
If it was not shot on a stable tripod and the images do not line up perfectly, select “Auto-Align.” Note that this only works for solid structures. If a tree/object has moved because of wind, this won’t help.
windsywinds , toomanyadapters Report
Suppose you don’t have the chance to shoot in a studio or cannot locate the ideal location. In that case, your TV makes a wonderful prop to create an impressive background. Simply select the desired photo, put it on the TV, and hit the shutter. The TV is one of many fantastic photography accessories that might provide an excellent background for portrait shots. If you’re photographing products, go with something smaller, like your computer monitor.
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In design, the positioning of visual components so they align in a composition is known as alignment. Both in design and photography, alignment is utilized to arrange elements, group them, provide balance, establish relationships between photo components, and produce a distinct result.
Jordi Koalitic Report
To create a sparkling ring of fire, you will need a few things: wire, sparklers, and tape. This quick photography hack will surely provide you with some fascinating results. But hey, be careful with the sparklers and come up with something other than your hands to hold the ring!
COOPH Report
Want to take underwater pictures but don’t want to spend money on expensive or, worse yet, cheap housing that leaks? Simply put your smartphone in a cup made of clear plastic or glass and submerge it. For larger cameras, a vase or fish tank can be used. Get pictures of your subject in the bathtub or pool by simply lowering the lens below the water’s surface. But be careful not to drop the cup or fish tank, or whatever you are using, into the water!
COOPH Report
This clever photography tip dates back to the 1990s. And like most other throwbacks from the 1990s, it’s one to hold onto. Hold a CD in front of the camera to reflect light back into the camera’s lens. For making lens flares that appear to move randomly, this is perfect.
Sheldon Evans Report
You can take a photo directly across from the natural light source to capture shadows. Or, you can place a strainer over your camera’s flash. A what? A strainer, but any cooking tool with unique holes and shapes will do. Improve your portrait photography portfolio by experimenting with light to provide a special effect. You might also use window blinds, palm leaves, or anything crochet to create an interesting shadow.
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Shadows help define form and shape, but they may also evoke a sense of mystery and intrigue by changing the appearance of otherwise identifiable objects. In contrast to conventional photography, shadow play photography emphasizes narrative, emotion, and the creative use of shadow. Just keep trying new things and different lighting, be daring with your concepts, keep it lighthearted, and dazzle the spectators with your originality!
Jordi Koalitic Report
You can create a soft-focus lens effect using items you probably have lying around your house. Try using a cloth or a bandage and wrapping it around your lens for a soft, blurred-frame effect.
freepeople Report
In product or food photography, the background is one of the most crucial stylistic elements. These days, it’s popular to utilize a negative space strategy to eliminate any distracting components. A cloth or paper can ideally make up for a simple plain backdrop. However, instead of only placing the background behind the subject, it is advised to organize it so that it can easily change from a vertical to a horizontal surface. This is one of the photography backdrop tricks that gives the appearance of an “infinity curve,” evoking an obscure space surrounding the subject. In photography, an infinity cove or infinity cyclorama is an entirely white area with no edges used to create the illusion that an object’s background is infinite.
Taylor Mathis Report
Equipping the technique demonstrated above, you can take “wildlife” pictures in the comforts of your own bedroom. Literally.
Satyajit Sardar Report
Want to transform your standard camera lens into a macro lens? All you really need is a cardboard paper towel roll (you could use a TP roll, but the effects would be slightly different). You want at least 10 centimeters or so of the tube. Cut the tube and then use black paper to line the inside of the tube so that the “lens” port is dark.
COOPH Report
A clever use of a spring can give the impression that you have some sort of superpower! Spring man? There are many ways to go about this. Just put your creative hat on!
Jordi Koalitic Report
High-speed photography literally takes your photos to the next level. High-speed might initially seem impossible to take at home, but this simple instruction will teach you how to freeze action. A tripod and a subject are the first things you’ll need; the subject might be anything from a glass of water to painted balloons. In addition, you will need a solid backdrop and a wireless external flash (Speedlight).
COOPH Report
A cucoloris is a term for fake windows used in photography and cinematography. Any object or gadget that creates a pattern of shadows on a scene qualifies. They can also be referred to as cookies informally. A gobo or go-between is another name for them. It can refer to any object placed between the light source and the scene you are recording or photographing.
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When you notice anything intriguing, take a moment to check that the horizontal and vertical lines are straight before clicking. Today, it’s become ingrained in all of us to point our cameras in the general direction of the subject we photograph. We suggest you line yourself up perfectly with that structure or person.
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Warning : using this hack may cost you a new background paper roll!
cnhphotography Report
Want to produce a foggy, ethereal effect? To make it happen, all you need is a plastic quart bag. Cover your lens with a plastic sandwich bag to create a DIY haze filter/effect. But make sure there are no breadcrumbs left inside the bag!
Sheldon Evans Report
You may add lens flares to your photos the organic way by shining a flashlight directly into your lens!
Peter McKinnon Report
A lightbox is often essential for any product photography that calls for taking well-lit pictures of small objects. However, a cardboard box and a piece of plain white fabric might work just as well to create your own lightbox! Using tape and scissors, you can rig it yourself and save some precious dollar bills. Oh, and don’t forget the desktop lamps placed on both sides!
youtube.com Report
The definition of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Even though everyone is charmed by a vast range of physical characteristics (thank goodness!), science has asserted facts about what we are biologically inclined to find more appealing. In fact, contrary to what was predicted, asymmetrical faces were widely perceived as more attractive.
cnhphotography Report
You may bring your photography abilities to new creative heights with various macro photography tips, such as utilizing a magnifying glass to create close-up shots. Also, you may include the magnifying glass in the frame to give your photo a unique flair.
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Follow the direction above to make your photos look like they were taken in the ’90s!
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If you discover an image that reflects the exact same from top to bottom or from right to left, your viewer will turn over with delight! How often do we see something every day and then see a photographer take a picture that shows an entirely different angle of the same thing? Not so often!
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If you don’t want to risk shooting in the rain and getting your expensive gear wet, but still need that raining sensation in your pictures, you may want to try one of the easiest photography tricks. Simply use a picture frame and a spray bottle. Spray water on the glass surface to make raindrops. For a spectator, it’s really hard to tell that those are not “real” raindrops.
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Another unexpected tool that may reduce glare? Save those Starbies’ coffee sleeves for your upcoming shoot outdoors. You can use them when the sun causes glare on your camera lens.
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Colored filters are precisely what they sound like — a piece of tinted glass that you place in front of the lens. These filters’ effect relies on the filter’s color and alters how the camera perceives light. However, while the results may not be the same, you can try DIYing your own color filter using transparent scotch tape and markers before investing in one.
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You may make your portraits appear more dramatic by simply adding shadows. It gives a flat image some punch and makes it more attractive. For this reason, looking for ways to add shadows on purpose may be a brilliant idea. And one of the simplest ways to do so is by utilizing lace.
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This method is a brilliant choice for a homemade soft light. All you need is an intense light and something to hang the shower curtain from, which you most likely already have or can easily pick up at the shop.
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Give one of the many glasses you likely have in your kitchen cupboards another purpose by using it as a lens filter to create an interesting effect.
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Getting down to your subject’s eye level, whether it’s a squirrel or a bird, can create a very intimate and natural shot. However, laying down and using your elbows as camera support is neither comfortable nor solid enough to reduce camera shake and ensure proper, sharp images. Thus, placing a bag of lentils may be the solution!
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Want to give your photographs a little color or diffusion? Put a nylon stocking over the lens (borrow from your mother or a girlfriend if you don’t have one lying around). You can create your own DIY lens filter by securing it with a rubber band. Also, You can try something more vibrant using colored stockings or neutral with a white pair.
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Any food photographer or product photographer will love this technique: use a simple steamer that is out of the shot to add steam to your photographs.
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This hack only requires a few glow sticks, which you can typically get for $1 at any store, a model, and a dark setting. Adjust your shutting speed and have your model draw shapes in the air!
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To create the appearance of windblown hair, ask your model or someone to assist in holding a hair dryer. This DIY photography tip should also be helpful for those who take self-portraits!
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Try out this DIY photography hack to produce outstanding food photos and make them appear vivid and dynamic! To surround your subject with clouds, you’ll need to add some flour. Yes, flour you make pancakes with. To create your magical photo, follow these steps:
Plan your shoot using a sketch.
Gather the props and equipment.
Make a DIY cloud gun.
Keep all objects in place with glue and knitting needles.
Arrange the composition to make it steady and still.
Use two light sources for lighting the scene.
Take the photo step-by-step.
Edit your magical photo in post-processing. Voila !
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Duck-tape your phone to the ceiling and go under it to take a perfect top-down photo for your Instagram.
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You’ve undoubtedly heard a million times to stand with your back to the sun to prevent your subject from seeming too dark in a photo, but if you are clever about what blocks the sun, you can obtain a beautiful outdoor shot.
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You can improve the lighting on your face by using something as simple as a whiteboard.
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This is a tried-and-true old trick. Early Hollywood film directors would apply vaseline to their lens filters to create a dreamy effect. By using this technique, you may give your subject a subtle shine without applying too much makeup. However, vaseline should be applied on clear plastic wrap or a filter rather than the lens itself.
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If you want a clear image with an unusual reflection, try utilizing a black backdrop with a black tile underneath your product. It will enhance any product image without being too distracting.
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Ask your model to pose in front of some shrubs or trees to make a stunning nature image.
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Light tables can be handy for taking beautiful product photos. Using this tutorial above and a basic cardboard box, you can easily make your own.
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Your already helpful Gorillapod can become even more practical with this method. Drill a small hole in your Gorillapod’s feet and insert magnets that fit inside its leg. However, it’s essential to understand that this modification will nullify the warranty on your Gorillapod!
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Using a wristband to minimize zoom creep will help you avoid the annoying issue of your camera lens moving owing to gravity.
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Every good photograph includes three main centers of interest, which are achieved by having one in each third of the overall image. Remember that it doesn’t have to be completely level. For a genuine pro vibe, move off-center.
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Your photographs will appear to have film burn thanks to this easy method: simply hold a lit match in front of your lens while shooting. But be careful and don’t burn yourself or your expensive camera!
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Using a photo frame in photography is no news. However, the real magic happens in post-processing. Just trust the process.
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Use this technique to create beautiful, dreamlike photos of paint dissolving in water. With this technique, you may see a slow-expanding effect or something that appears more like evil tentacles spreading throughout. What happens in the few seconds after the paint drops into the water will very much depend on the density of the paint you use. Thus, play around with your paint before taking pictures to determine its density. If the paint is too thick, it won’t dissolve in water and will sink to the bottom of the tank. However, if it is too thin, it will dissolve rapidly and have a limited range of color density.
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We can almost see your puzzled expression at this point. And indeed, this hack is a tricky one. While you don’t need expensive equipment to experiment with photoelasticity, you do need a few specific things. Those are a polarizing filter, transparent plastic objects, and a polarized light source. Unfortunately, traditional lighting sources like the sun, lamps, LEDs, and flashbulbs do not emit polarized light and won’t do. In fact, if you are contemplating what kind of light source to utilize, you are currently looking at it. Your phone, tablet, or computer’s LCD screen all output polarized light in one plane.
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It’s incredible how simple it is to take excellent pictures if you know just consider the following: if you are taking a shot of someone outside and the sun is right behind them, the subject will appear like a shadow (which could also work to make a silhouette photo). All you have to do is move them to face the sun, and they will be well-illuminated. However, avoid direct sunlight if you don’t want your subject to squint or have over-exposed areas in your photos!
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If red eye consistently ruins your pictures, give this a try: when using the flash, have your subject look slightly above the camera.
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You may have noticed that both DSLR and phone cameras’ flash pops up as soon as it gets slightly darker, despite not always being needed nor desired. While flash photography works great in dim and poorly lit environments, taking photos with a flash actually requires some knowledge to make it work. However, in everyday scenarios or basic photoshoots, no flash should work just fine. If the area you are taking photos in is relatively dim, switch off the flash and raise the ISO instead. Increasing your ISO will make your camera’s shutter speed faster in all modes other than Manual and Shutter Priority, giving you a better chance of capturing moving subjects. Now take the picture.
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Honestly, simple photos that allow for the subject to breathe make for the most incredible images. So go ahead and find the plainest background you can. For the spectator, the experience of looking at a busy vs. simple photo is the same as the difference between stepping into a super-cluttered home or a clean, minimalist setting with few distractions. Take the extra time to look around and pick a simple background that doesn’t draw attention away from the subject if you shoot an image of a person.
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The easiest and least-used tip in the photographer’s handbook is arguably the rule of thirds. How to utilize it? Go into your camera’s menu and select “Grid,” which will display a grid with horizontal and vertical lines as you look through the viewfinder. With the help of the grid, place your subject in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two-thirds open. Although there are different types of composition, using the rule of thirds usually results in interesting and well-composed photos. Most amateur photographers center their subjects in the center of the frame. Good try but BO-RING!
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Family photos are difficult to take. Unless you don’t mind running back and forth to set the timer off, have a remote shutter control, or are an iPhone user. You can actually shoot pictures using the volume control on your iPhone headphones (the ones that used to come in the box). If you own an Apple watch, you can also make it function as a camera remote!
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Here is another trick utilized for as long as tripods have existed. Just put some cotton or felt pads on the tripod’s feet. If the flooring is smooth (a cobblestone walkway WON’T do), you can use your tripod as a dolly to create smooth panning views and time-lapse videos.
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Most believe that to capture the entire scene, they must take a huge step back and leave plenty of space around the subject. One must remember that occasionally, you can cut off your subject’s forehead, legs, or lower body from the frame. They are not a mime trapped in an invisible box! The issue with always having the camera zoomed out so much is that the viewer isn’t immediately made aware of the photo’s purpose or subject. As is often said, the simpler your shot is, the better. The most compelling images make it crystal clear to the spectator what “narrative” you are trying to convey. If you are trying to convey their emotion, such as anger or sadness, use a close-up of their brows and eyes. While hands can help convey anger through clenched fists, hands may not help convey a feeling of despair.
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In the introduction, we mentioned that some people simply have an eye for photography. And while some may actually be born with it (lucky folks), it’s also a skill that can be acquired. Look at the structures you pass, the windows you see, the brickwork patterns, etc. One unexpected “click” may allow you to realize there is a pretty fascinating pattern in the brickwork of a building you pass through every day.
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Most photographs that viewers see are taken at eye level from the photographer’s vantage point, which is also how we perceive most of our daily experiences. We don’t often view cities from that perspective, so it’s not surprising that they are aesthetically magnificent when you climb to the top of a tall structure and look down on them. In food photography, this bird’s-eye perspective is frequently used. Just play with it, and you might discover a hidden treasure!
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Creating a flash grid attachment to create a spotlight effect is another useful do-it-yourself photography lighting technique. A piece of straw, cardboard, and an elastic band are all you need.
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If you already have a beautiful spot to snap a mirror image, turn the camera 90 degrees to add even more points of interest.
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Make your own neutral density (ND) filter using welding glass that you can find at any hardware shop rather than paying for a pricey ND filter from a camera shop. Utilize this technique to produce black and white long exposure photos.
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Sometimes, the unposed is actually better. Caught-in-the-moment photographs convey real moments the best. People are more likely to reflect on how they felt at the time when the picture was taken when they see a candid portrait of themselves rather than a posed one.
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Using reflective paper for product photography aids in obtaining more diverse light perspectives.
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To create a captivating background, simply go to the kitchen and grab some tin foil. You could also use crumpled foil to create an interesting texture. Then, you can set it up as a background. You can change the bokeh’s color by using a light source of a different hue and directing it to the background. To add even more creativity, place a mirror underneath the object to create a reflection effect.
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Duh ! A super easy way to obtain a beautiful photo backdrop is to find a wall with cool paper or an interesting pattern and just start taking pictures!
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You can get a smooth slide in any video using just a towel or an old rag. Simply place your camera on the towel after putting it on a flat surface. Then, after you begin filming, drag the towel across the surface for a simple, inexpensive DIY slider.
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Then take a photo through the glass. Voila ! Who would even catch on that it was a sunny day outside when you took the photo?
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Most people consider the most artistic shots as those that use a big aperture expressed as an f-number to blur the backdrop to draw more attention to a subject. However, your aperture will probably only drop to f/3.5 if you use a kit lens, which isn’t a very large aperture. However, the effects may be just as stunning as done with a macro lens.
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A shaking hand can cause a perfect phone photo to appear blurry and off. To prevent this from happening, try attaching two binder clips to the back or side of your phone to make a DIY tripod.
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Your photos will appear “softer” if you place a layer of glass between you and your subject. Windows are an excellent tool for this. You can use this approach not only for portraits but also for still life and street photography.
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The most common approach to incorporating neon signs into your photos is through portraiture. Allow your subject to bask in the light by having them stand next to or underneath them. Your model’s skin may take on an alluring glow thanks to the various hues they emanate. By having your subject stand against it, you may use the rich light and sharp contrast they provide to highlight specific areas of their face or body. You can also incorporate neon signs in your frame because they look fantastic in photographs.
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Although you may purchase your own tilt-shift lenses, they can get pretty expensive. Thankfully, today’s many smartphone apps include tilt-shift options, and Instagram is one among them. Tilt-shift lenses are pretty popular among photographers because they make it easier to manipulate the images’ focus and depth of field than other lenses. Even when the photo’s subject is still, a tilt-shift lens can give the image a sensation of motion.
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To create some pretty cool effects, take some of your holiday tinsel and hold it up to your camera’s lens.
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You may get some outstanding results if you use this photography hack properly. To benefit from how a longer exposure time blurs moving subjects and catches moving points of light, use a long shutter speed (also known as a “slow” shutter speed). Also, when using slow shutter speeds, use a tripod so that any in-focus regions are crisp and only the parts you wish to depict motion are blurred.
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