A Photo a Day...

In light of our class this week focusing on the development of our photography skills, (I'm going to stop exposing you to these dodgy jokes now... ahem) I want to take a brief look at the National Geographic website's photography section, most notably the site's 'how to' subsection. This is a fantastic resource for burgeoning photographers as it lets the lay man in on the tricks of the trade, at least according to Nat Geo.

 The 'how to' area basically teaches how to make the most of your photographs, not only by altering technicalities but also by making sure you're in the right place at the right time. The advice ranges from well known tricks such as shooting nighttime traffic with a long exposure, to inspired tips such as making sure to shoot a newly rising moon to ensure that it's still a huge orb and not shining too brightly. There is also advice on capturing the best shot on an i-phone, how to make your photos more magical and even how to break the rules... sensibly. It could be said that this adds an educational feather to Nat Geo's interactive cap.

This special techniques 'how to' caught my eye the most but there are a few more handy little aspects to the website's photography section. One thing that I have used myself, and encourage everyone to as well, is the downloadable wallpaper option. Some of the most stunning photography the world has to offer is available free of charge to download in high resolution. The only price a downloader has to pay for this privilege is to bear a National Georaphic logo across the bottom corner of their screen, which I for one believe is a pretty good deal.

For those who want to take these fantastic shots out of the virtual world and into their living room there is of course the art store. Here you can buy high quality prints and have them sent out, the prices are reasonable enough at $17 for a 16x24 unframed print but there is always fancier options for those who like fancy things - for $90 one can purchase a splendid canvas print, or a selection of gilded and non-guided frames for all sorts of money.

There's a lot more to the photography section; shot of the day, best picture of the year - even entire areas devoted to underwater or travel or any other sort of photography you care to mention. This is all fantastic but for me the tips are this section's piece de resistance, it is something of a crash course in photography entirely free of charge... and that's what will keep me coming back.