Photography is a hobby practiced by an incredible number of people around the globe. Even those who are just amateurs in the field know there is a lot more to it than just pressing the camera button at the right time and in the right amount of light. The quality of the pictures can be significantly increased if the right effects are used to enhance them.
So if you like taking pictures, here are some effects that you should really practice and use in your photos to improve them.
Bokeh Effect
The word ‘bokeh’ is of Japanese origin and has been derived from the word ‘boke’, meaning blur or haze. In photography, a bokeh effect refers to the process of blurring all those areas of the image that are unfocused. The blur can be achieved through aperture shapes or lens aberrations. The main purpose of doing this is to emphasize on the main subject in the picture rather than the surroundings, but only a good bokeh can achieve this. If this is not so, the picture quality will be spoilt in most cases.
Lomography Effect
A lomography effect is one in which the saturation levels and the contrast in the pictures are raised higher than general. The result looks like it has been taken in random flashes. Everything other than the main focus is usually blurred and the vignettes are made darker.
Tilt Shifting Effect
Tilt shifting effect is achieved by the use of two camera movements, which result in a miniature scene. The first movement is to rotate the lens plane according to the image plane. This is termed as tilt. The second movement is to make the lens parallel to the image plane. This is called shift. The former tilting movement is used for controlling orientation while the latter shifting movement is used for adjusting the subject’s location without having to move the camera backwards.
Panning
Panning is the process of moving the picture in a rotational, horizontal or vertical direction. It is usually incorporated when moving subjects have to be shot. The subject is first framed and then the shutter is pressed. The captured picture features a sharp subject on a blurry background, which resembles a moving object.
Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds is the name of an effect in which the photo is actually broken down into three parts in the horizontal and vertical directions. Thus, overall it is divided into nine parts of the same size. The main subject can be placed anywhere except in the middle region, which gives the effect of a dynamic, moving object.
Cross Processing Effect
The cross processing effect is the result that you would get if you develop your pictures in the wrong chemicals. You do not actually need to do this as there are a lot of software packages that can give you this very same effect. The resulting picture has an impression of wild and absurd colors, featuring vivid and different shades with varying amounts of contrasts. Despite the fact that the original colors are completely spoilt, the picture still looks incredible.
Golden Hour Photograph
Golden hour photograph can only be achieved if you capture your subjects at sunrise or sunset. The sunrays dramatically change the brightness and contrast of the pictures to produce an impressive shot.
This is because of the fact that the natural light intensity is reduced at dawn and dusk because the sun is close to the horizon. Consequently, the lighting conditions become softer, the hues become warmer and the shadows become longer. The effect of this is easily visible if you take photos at this time.
The golden hour effect is particularly effective if you want to take pictures of portraits or landscapes.
Long Exposure Photography
A long exposure effect can be incorporated in only those pictures that are taken at night. The aperture is narrowed and the shutter speed is reduced. As a result, even the stationary elements feature blurred movements in the output picture. This effect can be used in many scenarios but looks especially good if you capture stars, fog or running water in this way.
