Live Music Photography

Live music photography presents a whole new set of challenges, even for experienced photographers. You will be up against poor or rapidly changing lighting conditions, questionable colour casts from stage lighting, sometimes unpredictable subjects, and shooting in confined spaces battling it out with an often intoxicated and excitable crowd and/or other photographers. Read more...

Candid Portraits

Some of the most powerful portraits are candid ones, and these can be made anywhere - no expensive studio lighting required! Consider our tips for taking better natural photos of people. Read more...

Overcoming the fear of manual focus

Although modern cameras have increasingly accurate and responsive Auto Focus systems, there are some instances when manual focus is the better choice. Manual focus might seem a little daunting to those newer to SLR photography, but it allows you to push your camera and your own creativity further and might be easier than you think! Read more...

Subtle or Slick - Which paper is right for you?

Many people have a tendency to pick matte or gloss papers when they print without even a second thought, but have you ever stopped to consider the importance of the content and mood of your photos and how your paper choice affects this? The print is the final destination for your image; therefore the qualities of the paper will affect the way it is viewed and interpreted by your audience. By taking a thoughtful and informed approach to marrying your paper to your image, you will create finished works which tell the true story of your subject. Inkjet printing technology has come a long way in recent years, opening up a world of new possibilities for photographers to communicate their unique personal vision. Read more...

Photography and the Weather

The winter chill has well and truly set in but don't let that deter you from getting out and taking photos. Winter provides a whole new world of amazing photographic opportunities, whether your days are grey, sunny, rainy, foggy or snowy. Read our tips for photographing in different weather conditions, then rug up and get shooting! Read more...

Ways to instantly improve your flash photography

As you learn more about photography, you may find yourself using your inbuilt flash less and less to avoid unwanted side effects such as red-eye, overexposed 'deer in the headlights' photographs and generally harsh and unflattering light. But if you learn a few basic tips you can harness the light to work to your advantage and improve your photos. An external flash unit and/or light modifying tools can also be a worthy investment to allow you to take your photography to a whole new level. Read more...

Macro Photography by Alwyn Hanson

Want to explore the fun and creative world of macro photography? Here are some tips to get you started from our media school manager Alwyn Hanson. Read more...

Night Photography

Shooting at night opens up a whole new world of photographic opportunities not available to us in the daylight. Cameras can see things our eyes cannot by accumulating light over time, making scenes appear brighter when captured with a long exposure time, and there are various amazing effects you can achieve by harnessing this light, only limited by your imagination! Read more...

Event and Party Photography

With Christmas and New Year rapidly approaching, why not take the time to read our handy tips on photographing events and parties to ensure you make your festive photographic memories the best they can be! Read more...

Photographing Children

Child photography is one of the hardest photographic techniques, why, because children don’t always like to be photographed and will often give silly grins or unflattering poses. The first rule with children is always have a camera ready and charged. Simple as it may seem, there is no point having the right equipment if it is in the boot of your car. Secondly, take lots of images. The more you take, the more they will relax. Remember that with a digital camera you only pay for what you print. Read more...

Architectural Photography

Architecture is a popular subject in photography. Often focusing on intriguing forms and structures, it’s a highly accessible choice of subject, given it’s existence all around us. Although a broad area, depicted objects may include anything from buildings and towers to bridges and windmills or even more unexpected subject matter simply like lamp posts! Read more...

Street Photography

Los Angeles based and Internationally acclaimed street photographer Eric has shared some practical tips with us to help you get get more compelling images when out shooting on the streets. Rather than focusing on what to do, Eric makes clear what not to do! Read more...

Pet Photography

Shannon Plummer of Wet Nose Photos, she has kindly offered 7 key tips for pet photography so you too can capture your pet's true personality and get the best results! Tip #1 - Go into the shoot with a calm energy. Animals sense your energy and if you are frustrated, nervous or downright impatient they will pick up on that energy and that’s not the kind of look you want in your images. Read more...

Shooting with Manual Exposure

Editorial and celebrity-entertainment photographer Kristian Dowling has delivered useful tips on using manual exposure for a smoother workflow and consistent results right out of the camera, helping you take control of your photography! Read more...

Shooting with Flash

Commercial photographer and digital photography master Ian van der Wolde has kindly provided tips on using Speedlites to assist michaels customers and newsletter readers. Learn about single flash, fit in flash, off camera and multiple flash, using bounce, as well as light shapers and gel. Read more...

Gardens and Flowers

Now that we have entered into Spring and flowers are all surround us, it’s time to load cards into our cameras and try our hands at photographing flowers and gardens. Use these tips to improve your photography and capture some stunning images. Tip #1 Flower photography shows natures colours at their best, but we need to follow a few simple guidelines to ensure this translates in our images to produces great results. Read more...

Shooting with a Rangefinder Camera

michaels was visited recently by Leica ambassador and aficionado John Laham who presented a FREE Special Event Lunchtime Seminar in the michaels Media School, discussing the differences between capturing images with rangefinder and DSLR cameras and outlining the benefits of rangefinder shooting. Read more...

Portrait Photorgaphy with Vicky Bell

In a recent FREE Special Event Lunchtime Seminar, the michaels Media School was visited by leading and awarded portrait photographer Vicky Bell, who demonstrated how she creates sensitive and soulful portraits for her clients. Vicki took attendees on a portrait journey and explained the many steps involved in creating emotive, heartfelt images. In this article Vicky offers some guidance on a range of elements that should be considered including light, location, lens and more. Read more...

Capturing Fireworks

Be prepared with these essential tips to assist you in capturing a night-time fireworks display. This stunning spectacle is a challenge, but get it right and you will be delighted with your images. Read more...

Beach Photography

These tips for beach photography covering shooting times, lighting, location and subject choice and capturing action will help you shoot stunning images that tell a story.  Read more...

Food Photography

Food is an incredibly stimulating subject to photograph. Think about the last menu you looked at that had images and how those pictures influenced you in your choice. The truth is, we eat with our eyes before we eat with our stomach. The following tips should help as a guide to help you achieve great results. Read more...

Fashion Photography

Successful fashion photography may seem the exclusive domain of the "pros" but there are many ways to create high impact fashion images for the everyday photographer with even basic camera gear. The fashion photography tips provided this month by Tony Menz, our multi-talented Leica Consultant, Lighting Specialist and Media School Instructor, will not only assist aspiring editorial fashion photographers but any enthusiast seeking to add a ‘wow factor’ to their portraiture by considering lighting, posing, equipment and more. Read more...

Panoramic Photography

Expert panoramic photographer John Warkentin offers a number of panoramic photography tips designed to help you improve your panorama's, with the gear you already own! This set of tips are ideal notes for enthusiasts to refer to, as they begin experimenting with panoramic techniques. Read more...

Child & Newborn Photography

As one of Australia’s leading Portrait Photographers specialising in photographing children of all ages, Suzette Nesire offers up the following 'punchy' tips to help photography enthusiasts capture stunning, candid and emotive child portraits. Start putting these into practice and see your portraiture improve instantly! Read more...