I would say I like the photos I take but always feel as if i couldve taken better shots, i wear glasses and from time to time forget them when im out an about so i do my best to get good focus photos but they dont always come out also when im at spot what details to look out for and how to get the best image out of a location i want, so I ask you the reader if you have any photography tips or recommendation to photographing a site?

I use my cell samsung galaxy7 as well as my nikon camera d3200 to document my explores.

1. Don't use a phone for photos, no matter how good they purport to be (and there are some bloody good phone cameras out there now), there is no substitute for a proper camera especially in low light.

2. Get a tripod and learn how to use full manual mode on your camera, including setting the shutter speed, ISO and aperture. Learn how to do long exposures and light painting.

3. Learn about composition.

4. Practice. There is no hard and fast solution to taking better photos other than practicing it, and the best way to learn points 2 and 3 above are getting out there and taking photos.

Glasses shouldn't matter when you have autofocus lenses so even if what you see is slightly off as you forget them, the camera should focus as it should.

A good lens goes a long way.

A point that often gets overlooked: look at lots of other photographer's work (not just UE-related), identify what you like about those photos, and then copy them! imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it will teach you what techniques to use to make images that you like.

^^^^ Everything everyone else said.

I use a phone for a quick shot that I just want to have. I'll often take the same picture on my phone and my camera just to have an immediate version. For me phones are also good for scouting. Binoculars can also be helpful lol.

But nothing with ever come close to a real camera. Even just the extra size of the sensor adds so much to an image. Apple's colors are now debatably comparable to Canon's, but the lack of information taken on a phone just destroys the image if you want to do anything with it.

So, use your d3200, on a tripod, shooting raw, with a low iso, and think about composition, and practice. Tons of practice. Over time you'll notice that your pictures just look better in every way. If I look back on my old pictures some of them are laughably bad, but in just a year there's a very noticeable improvement. Composition will come with getting experience behind a camera along with looking at other peoples work. Find an image that you think is amazing, and pick out what's amazing about it. Maybe the lines line up perfectly, maybe the colors just naturally pop, maybe the way that shadows and highlights meet sets the whole mood of the image. Find what it is and try to recreate it. When you're about to take a picture, look at it how you looked at other peoples and see what you can do to make it better. Whether it's moving over an inch to line stuff up, or it's completely redoing your exposure to change your subject, it doesn't take much to drastically improve an image.

Sorry for the long ting, have fun shooting!

The Nikon D3xxx have an adjuster for the viewfinder to compensate your preview if you have poor vision:



I keep mine tilted very far to the negative, but it's all preference.

Posted by Gothic Ghoul A good lens goes a long way.

To go off this, a good 50mm prime lens is killer for Urbex. I have a 1.8f 50mm lens for an older generation canon, but I absolutely love it. Being able to open up that aperture all the way is so helpful in low light and keeps me from having to use a tripod a lot of the time. Plus it gives you a nice bokeh if you're into that. A good 28mm is always a good investment too. The wide angle helps you cover a lot more in the shot and it really useful for architecture shots.

Remember though the lower you f-stops go the higher the price is going to be.

Before you start building a full set of gear, listen to mookster. Use what you have and get good with it. The basics of photography will take you a lot further than any piece of camera equipment can.

Youtube is a great start, and a photography for dummies book is never a bad idea.

Posted by Baldran A point that often gets overlooked: look at lots of other photographer's work (not just UE-related), identify what you like about those photos, and then copy them! imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it will teach you what techniques to use to make images that you like.

UER has really helped me with this specifically when it comes to urbex photography. There are some great photographers here.

Also, don't be afraid to "get it wrong." It's all part of the process and you'll improve as time goes on.

Prime lense can be great. Forces you to move. And put that shit on a tripod for sure.

I have two tips I haven't seen brought up yet. First one is to learn how to use photo editing software. I love Gimp; its free and does everything I need. If you are savvy enough with your photo editor you can salvage a good many photos that may not have been captured as well as they could have been. Plus you will learn how to make your good photos look even better. Like using Instagram's filters and tools are fine for throw-aways, but your best shots deserve better treatment than that.

Second one is one that I always forget when I'm shooting because I'm too absorbed in framing and getting the exposure right: look for little unsightly items that could be laying around in the shot and move them before taking the photo! Somehow I always miss the trash and garbage while I'm there and only notice it ruining an otherwise great shot after I get home and start editing.

Most AF systems rely on ambient light for lock ons.
In low light or otherwise hard to get an AF lock weaponize your AF.
Use a laser pointer.
Gets solid AF locks even a hundred yards out.
A 635 nm one works well.