Category: Writing

Quick photography tips: Make your images instantly better with these simple tips

As someone who loves photography, you’re always wanting to improve and grow in your skills. But it’s not just about perfecting technique – it’s about knowing what to look for, how to see things differently and when to finally press the shutter button. For camera brand Autographer, I’ve put together my top 12 nuggets of photographic knowledge,covering everything from perspective to light and direction. Put them into practice and you’ll be surprised what a difference they can make. Click here to read the published piece – I hope you enjoy!

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Rachael Sharpe

Top 10 sites to sell your photos online

Photographers new to the business often ask where they can sell their images,  so I put together this ultimate list of online sites best for turning your creativity into cash, which has been published by Autographer. So, which websites are my top choices for turning creativity into cash? Read the piece here.

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Rachael Sharpe

Contributing to Miss Ivy’s Journal

photo 1I love independently published magazines, so I was really happy to contribute to the launch issue of Miss Ivy’s Journal, which is brought to you by Jo Macaskie of Miss Ivy Events. The magazine is being marketed as ‘Vintage Vision for modern Lives’ and does just that – providing vintage aficionados with a healthy does of fashion, culture and lifestyle pieces. I contributed a guide to the delightful and picturesque market town of Totnes, in Devon, which offers an abundance of delectable vintage shopping opportunities and delved into the wardrobes of The Vintage Cream’s Emma Quick, who has a eclectic era-mixing style and delicious dress collection…  To find out more, visit the magazine’s Facebook page here.

 

Rachael Sharpe

Interview with photojournalist Lee Thompson

Feb 2014 sees me embark on a new bi-weekly photographic series for Autographer. My first instalment is an interview with photojournalist Lee Thompson, who was at the Winter Olympics in Sochi when I spoke to him. In this eye-opening interview Lee tells me about photographing the body of Colonel Gaddafi in a supermarket fridge, having his life threatened and feelings of guilt. He also gives some excellent tips for street photography. Read it here.

"A lady sitting on the foundations of her home destroyed by the tsunami in Japan. This lady was a lovely person. Despite losing her home, she said none of her family had been killed so she was lucky, but she feared so many of her friends were dead under the rubble. I joined the British search and rescue teams in Japan after the tsunami hit. What started out as rescue operation ended in body recovery: we found no survivors. I experienced many aftershocks whilst I was there; they are terrifying." Image credit: Lee Thomson
“A lady sitting on the foundations of her home destroyed by the tsunami in Japan. This lady was a lovely person. Despite losing her home, she said none of her family had been killed so she was lucky, but she feared so many of her friends were dead under the rubble. I joined the British search and rescue teams in Japan after the tsunami hit. What started out as rescue operation ended in body recovery: we found no survivors. I experienced many aftershocks whilst I was there;
they are terrifying.” Image credit: Lee Thomson

Rachael Sharpe

Art meets furniture: Interview with Tom Rowan in Somerset Life magazine

1613789_827297120630171_1730980839_nLast month I had the pleasure of heading to Barrow Gurney in Somerset to meet furniture designer Tom Rowan and interview him for Somerset Life magazine. Tom’s work will blow you away: inspired by passions, memories and dreams and fuelled by a passion for speed and movement, his furniture bridges that important gap between art and function. Take a look a my feature below, see Tom’s website here and Somerset Life’s website here.

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Rachael Sharpe

How to win a photography competition

In my latest feature for Autographer, I get together with nine other photography experts and get them to share their top tips for doing well in competitions.

Lee Thompson, freelance editorial photographer shared this tip: “Don’t over edit. If you need to edit a picture too much, it’s not a very good picture to start with! There is nothing worse than a heavily photoshopped picture. Competition judges are really clamping down on over edited images after last year’s World Press winning picture came under some controversy by several picture forensic experts, who said the picture had been heavily altered.”

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This image of Lee’s shows a Libyan freedom fighter surrounding the dead bodyguards of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya is exactly how it was taken from the camera; just a slight bit of sharpening was applied. This picture was picked out of 12,500 images in this year’s Press Photographer’s Year. Image copyright: Lee Thompson

To read the other inspiring tips on the Autographer blog, click here.

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Rachael Sharpe

How to take amazingly atmospheric photographs

In my latest blog post for Autographer, ten professional photographers, including myself, explain how to create amazingly atmospheric imagery.

Here’s my tip:

Capture the whole picture

Try shooting wide to show the atmosphere of a place and the whole picture instead of isolating details.

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Shooting from a distance, and also from a high vantage point, gives the viewer a real taste of the city of Havana.

Read the other nine top tips over at Autographer.

Rachael Sharpe
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