Why Being Odd is Good: The Principle of Balance

http://creativecurio.com/2008/01/why-being-odd-is-good/

White balance

White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm

Effects: Rule of thirds

There are points in the photo that are called power points. They tend to attract eye first. Placing subject as per the rule of third is visually pleasing. It is also probably that putting subject at 1/3rd gives equal importance to subject and surrounding. Read more about it here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

Some of the photographers also use a triangle rule. choose any three of the power points and lay your subject that such that it forms a triangle with these three points ... and see the effect.

Effects: Simplicity

Single out object from surrounding. This adds to pleasure of viewing. Instead of having a clutter of multiple objects, invite the viewer to the object of your photograph. Use either neutral background or focus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplicity_%28photography%29

Creative photography

Photography as a hobby is not just about capturing visible reality in the picture. It is about being creative. Creating the picture in the mind and then using the tools (including camera) to partially create the reality and use techniques of capturing and processing to create a picture. It is very similar to painting. You are a painter without brush and colors but just light. In daylight photography light is also not in your control, only time is. You wait for right time and manipulate light a bit but use capturing techniques extensively. In other situations you can control the light, direction, intensity, color ...

It is very important to master the techniques. The six main techniques are:

* Simplicity (photography)
* Symmetrical balance
* Asymmetrical balance
* Radial balance
* Rule of thirds
* Framing (photography)

We will discuss them in next few items.

Effects : Playing with Exposure

By making exposures long and hence capturing light over a period of time in a single shot, interesting effects can be created.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_exposure_photography

Lesson Four: Depth of Field

Lesser Aperture means greater DOF

Ability to maintain acceptable sharpness on nearer and farther objects at same time in same photo is DOF. Shorter the aperture more sharper the farther objects will be in addition to object at current focus.

While this is enough to play with camera, for the curious: read more here.