8 Easy but Awesome Beginner Tips

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We know trying to get experimental with your film photography is quite a task for beginners. However, that shouldn't stop you from being ever curious! I do know what it's like to experiment with film and photos and get back horrible results. It's not nice, or fun. And it costs you. It costs you film, developing and the effort you put into your photos! Now if you do want some nice results without staying completely on the safe side, these are some super easy tips that always work...with me at least!

Tip #1: Doubling your subject

I'm not really any good at multiple exposures, they are hard to compose and get right! Yet there is a way to guarantee a good result! Choose a subject. Shoot. Don't scroll! Change position or angle. Shoot again. Voila! A very popular way is also mirroring! I haven't tried it too much myself, but if you take a photo then flip the camera upside down and take it again, you get a nice reflection kind of result!

Credits: nadinadu

Tip #2: Underground

Go Under the ground! It is way too cool to not do it. Electric lights, Green, blue, yellow tones. A sense of movement and that's it! :)

Credits: nadinadu

Tip #3: Hand in the Sky

This is one of my favorite tricks! You hold your hand up against the sun, aiming to cover the sun (or let a few rays of sun flow through your fingers), this way your hand will be dark and you can't really recognize the details when you take your first picture! Don't scroll! Then you take another shot of anything you like after that, flowers, a pattern, a person! Whatever you want! The hand will then get filled in with the shot you take on top and you get a funky looking photo! This, of course, works with things other than a hand as well!

Credits: nadinadu

Tip #4: Dreaming Up

Simple, cute, natural. Why not eh? Just angle your camera up to the sky and see what you catch! Trees? Flowers? A bird maybe? I find you can often get a lot out of the atmosphere around you in the sky. One can tell if it's moody or bright! You might have bare trees indicating it's autumn, or full-on flowers for spring! Maybe dark clouds will tower over you or happy white candy floss in the air!

Credits: nadinadu

Tip #5: Focus vs. Blurry

Notice the blur in the background?

Now what I love to do is make a nice contrast between focused and non-focused areas in my photos. In some its more clear, in others it isn't. But its basic: choose a subject. Go close up or a few meters distance. But no further than that since you want to be able to show the difference! Then stand your subject still, get ready to shoot, wait for movement in the background...SHOOT! It often works well with underground shots, but go ahead and try out other subjects with this technique! I'm sure they will turn out great!

Credits: nadinadu

Tip #6: Mirror or Elevator

This one is a classic. Everyone takes these, and you probably thought of it without this Tipster! First the mirror shot. Mirrors are so great for experimenting, especially when you have more than one! I have never gone for a crazy mirror shot, but it's great when you have multiple mirrors in one shot reflecting different things from each other! Then you can always go behind someone who is looking in a mirror, focus on them in the mirror and get a blur of the back of their body in the front part of the image! And of course simple portraits! Elevator shots work super well with these techniques! I especially love the tones that an elevator usually gives.

Credits: nadinadu

Tip #7: Move Closer

Move closer. That's all. No need to say more. Of course not too close. Unless you have a macro lens that is...

Credits: nadinadu

Tip #8: Light Painting and Graffiti

I have only done this once, and only one photo. But it did turn out well! All you have to do is, first of all, make sure you're somewhere dark. I used a torch but you are free to use anything that shines a light in some way! Put your camera on Bulb mode (not all cameras have it!) Bulb basically means that as long as your holding down the shutter, the picture is still being taken and light can enter the camera. So hold the shutter down, from a few seconds to minutes! It doesn't matter. Draw or write whatever you like into the air! And that's it! But be more creative than I was! I hope you can make it out! It says "London"!

Credits: nadinadu

Lastly... Tip #9

That's right! There is a tip number 9 here, and it happens to be the hardest for me. But I love it. It doesn't sound hard, and maybe it won't be for you! But I treasure my film and don't want to waste any shot! So I plan everything. I never just go for it. It is "Don't think! Just Shoot!" and having fun while doing that!

Good Luck with these tips, I hope they bring you somewhere. Enjoy, and spread some Lomo-Love!


Enjoyed these eight simple tips and tricks? Make sure to update your LomoHome and fill it with analogue love!

written by nadinadu on 2011-09-16 #gear #tutorials #sky #tips #mirror #underground #elevator #hand #mx #light-painting #close #tipster #focus #easy #newbie #beginner #top-tipster-techniques

32 Comments

  1. francesco1
    francesco1 ·

    Love the pictures!!

  2. h_silva
    h_silva ·

    I really liked the first focus vs blur picture of the tube and the upclose pictures were great too. I've recently discovered light painting though i get impatient sometimes with slr cameras because i want to see if it's turned out right- drawing in the air is hard! =]

  3. davzoku
    davzoku ·

    Great compilation!

  4. realisticdreamer
    realisticdreamer ·

    Cool:))))

  5. leva12
    leva12 ·

    Thank you for this tips! And your pics are great :)

  6. whizzkidd
    whizzkidd ·

    Great pics... The blurred ones are great...

  7. arrogantbastage
    arrogantbastage ·

    Thanks for the tips,, I'll have to try a few of these out. Great pictures in the article as well.

  8. lomomomma
    lomomomma ·

    Thanks for the fun tips! I adore picture #5 (focus vs. blurry).

  9. kingt4
    kingt4 ·

    Very instructive.

  10. jarvislomo
    jarvislomo ·

    good pictures good tipster bravo :-)

  11. lizziebets
    lizziebets ·

    This is brilliant! I've been looking for a tipster like this for ages. Love the pics too. Thanks!

  12. lizziebets
    lizziebets ·

    This is brilliant! I've been looking for a tipster like this for ages. Love the pics too. Thanks!

  13. lizziebets
    lizziebets ·

    whoops, double post and no way to delete, sorry!

  14. julita-
    julita- ·

    thanks for all tips, really helpful

  15. lyle_st_lynn
    lyle_st_lynn ·

    great tipsters! I'll be sure to try them.

  16. photomood
    photomood ·

    thanks for the tips! And love the pictures in the article too!

  17. stratski
    stratski ·

    Great tips, and great result on your first lightpainting! Your last lines made me grin a bit: 'I plan everything. I never just go for it. Thats it: “Dont think! Just Shoot!”' ;-)

  18. foxypoxy3
    foxypoxy3 ·

    I love your photos. Especially the ones of the Focus vs. Blurry and the underground ones.

  19. joyceyjoyce
    joyceyjoyce ·

    yay i love me some bulb photos!!

  20. ho0la
    ho0la ·

    awesome tips :D

  21. everynameistaken
    everynameistaken ·

    awesome article, awesome photos. great job! ^-^

  22. lucianalfaro
    lucianalfaro ·

    Love your photos. And the tips, so useful. I've just had my first photografic disapointment. Your tips gave me new ideas of diferent ways to do things. Thanks!

  23. fergiesilva
    fergiesilva ·

    great article, congrats! very useful!

  24. lovebuck
    lovebuck ·

    Thanks for the tips!!!

  25. mellisa
    mellisa ·

    with double exposures, would you purposely under expose each shot so you do not over expose the film? or would you just snap away with the correct exposure for each shot every time?

  26. nadinadu
    nadinadu ·

    thank you all so much for the likes and comments! its so nice to get such great feedback :)
    and @mellisa personally i just take each shot with the correct exposure, i wouldn't really know which shot to under/overexpose and probably just wouldn't be bothered about it! But i´m sure it would also look cool if you try it out! :)

  27. scarlie
    scarlie ·

    This was really helpful, great tips! Your photographs are wonderful too!

  28. bobby_sekeris
    bobby_sekeris ·

    Thanks for the great tips! Will try some of them for sure!

  29. astrangeday82
    astrangeday82 ·

    Lovely!

  30. g1toons
    g1toons ·

    these are great tips, thanks for sharing

  31. eleven211
    eleven211 ·

    soooo nice!!thanks!!

  32. ddoganoglu
    ddoganoglu ·

    thanks for great tips

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