Christmas and the holiday season are upon us! That means lots of presents, sweets, and festivities. But festivities are incomplete photography. Taking good pictures in festive seasons especially when there are outdoor gatherings and lots of people involved can be tricky. A lot of things are happening simultaneously, you need to be quick with your clicks to capture key moments to forever memorialize special events.
Let’s go through some tips and tricks you need to keep in mind to make your festive photography shine. 

​1.    Lights Lights Lights, Watch for Lighting Effects

You can’t have festivities without lighting effects. From small fairy lights to large strobe lights, lighting conditions can vary greatly from venue to venue. Especially during Christmas when there are lots of decorated trees just begging to be photographed. 

​Just make sure that you keep the strongest lights towards your back, this way you won’t wash your images. Also, tinker with ISO settings and shutter speed times to get the perfect-looking picture. Remember, you can’t fix everything post-production, so making sure you get a good raw picture is also important.
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2.    Getting your kit ready

The most common mistake people make when going out to photograph festivities is to pack extensive equipment. Equipment that they may not even use all night. So make sure you only carry things you will definitely use. No use in carrying extra weight, you are supposed to be taking good pictures not weight training! 

​Substitute bigger equipment for more compact equipment. For example instead of taking a huge tripod, just pack a small monopod. Also, make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing and shoes.
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3.    Include People

Festivities are all about people and the things that bring them together. Just taking photographs of decorations and the overall scene without focusing on people will make sure pictures look shallow. 

Include crowds, include children, and include couples in your shots. These are the things that are actually the soul of holidays; people coming together. If can include these scenes in your shots, you will have captured the perfect festival photographs.
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Edit your festive shots in the Urban Jungle Photo Editor.  Available on the Apple App Store.

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Colors are the soul of any picture. In fact, sometimes even the lack of certain colors in a picture can add a new depth to the picture and enhance its beauty. So, an understanding of how colors work in a picture is important if you want to produce beautiful pictures.

One of the most powerful tools for taking control of the colors in your pictures is by using color saturation settings. Color saturation is the intensity of the color in an image. The higher the color saturation, the more colors will pop in your image.

So, let’s take a look at how color saturation works and how you can tweak these to make your pictures look amazing.

Saturation Sliders
Saturation sliders exist in almost all types of photo editing software. The Urban Jungle Photo editor also has saturation control. If you slide the slider towards the left, you will reduce saturation and the image will look washed out. Moving the slider towards the right will increase the saturation.

​You can also change the saturation of each color separately. This way you can make one color bright and vibrant, and some other colors completely washed out.

What is Color Space and why it is important?
Color space is the range of colors a photo can show. Think of it like a color index of the picture. The most commonly used color spaces are sRGB and Adobe RGB. RGB simply stands for Red Green and Blue. These are the primary colors that we use to make all the other colors. 

​Most screens use RGB. sRGB only has the capability to produce 75% of the colors in adobe RGB space. Understanding and selecting the correct color space can make the difference between a good-looking image and miscolored image.  
Selective Coloring
This is the technique of desaturating the entire image except for one or two areas of bright color. This results in one or two objects being shown brightly with a faded background. This method is popular as you can subtly highlight an object. 

You can use this technique to draw your viewer's attention toward a particular object. 

Use the Urban Jungle Photo Editor to unleash your creativity. Download it now for free on the Apple app store.

​Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on upcoming exciting new features. You can also get your pictures featured on our page if you use the #UrbanJungleApp.

​Low-light photography is as rewarding as it is challenging. Taking pictures in low light isn’t as simple as taking your phone out and snapping a picture as we do during the daytime. You need to adjust both camera settings as well as set your positioning to account for light sources to get decent results.
But well-executed low-light pictures outshine their daylight counterparts. So, the extra effort is always worth it. So, let’s take a look at some tips on how to make your shots shine in low-light conditions.

1.Increase your ISO

​The ISO setting on your smartphone camera app or your DSLR determines how sensitive your camera lens is to light. Increasing this setting will mean more light will be captured by the sensors instead your lens. 

​The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive to light the sensor becomes. The downside of increasing the ISO number is that the captured picture will become grainier. So, you have to balance between capturing more light and image sharpness.

2.Reduce Shutter speed

​The shutter speed of the camera determines how long the sensor is exposed to light. The longer a sensor is open to let light in, the more light it has to create a detailed image. This can be done by using reduced shutter speeds. 

​The thing to keep in mind while using slower shutter speeds is to reduce any sort of movement of the camera. This is because any movement will cause blurry images.

3.Use sources of light to your advantage
 
When taking pictures in low light conditions, first identify the sources of light around you. You can take advantage of these to frame the perfect shot.

Always make sure you don’t take pictures directly toward sources of light. Always keep light sources towards your back, so they properly illuminate the object you are photographing.
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Qatar is in the limelight these days because it is currently holding the FIFA World Cup. Located on the Arabian Peninsula, this little country has a lot of beauty to offer for those looking to explore the deserts of Arabia.
From high-rise downtowns to sandy deserts pouring directly into the Sea, Qatar has some amazing sights to offer; both man-made and natural. So, let’s take a quick tour of the places to see when you are in Qatar.

1.Qanat Quartier

This Venice-inspired neighborhood is a sight to see. This scenic neighborhood is filled with small shops and fancy café all along the canal with brightly colored buildings flanking it. 

​The Instagram story potential of this neighborhood is off the charts and is a must-visit sight for anyone that comes to Qatar. The beautiful golden sand-filled beach is right next to it. The Qanat Quartier is a combination of the canal streets of Venice with the sandy beaches of the Caribbean.  

2.Katara Cultural Village

If admiring art and culture is your thing, then look no further than the Katara Cultural Village. It has everything from art galleries to performance venues and theatres. 

​It is a place to visit if you want to see the wonders of modern architecture combined with traditional Arabian-style architecture. With cobbled streets, excellent restaurants, and a glistening beach with water sports facilities, what is not to like about Katara?
 
3.Msheireb Downtown Doha

A recreation of the old commercial district of Doha, msheireb downtown is new sustainable downtown development with a new architectural style. The buildings and the open spaces are inspired by the traditional style of Qatar but with a modern aesthetic twist. 

​Try the Urban Jungle Photo Editor to work on the next batch of photos. Now available on the App Store.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on upcoming exciting new features. You can also get your pictures featured on our page if you use the #UrbanJungleApp.

Architectural Photography is a very specialized niche of photography that tries to capture the essence of a building or structure. Every architectural object tells its own unique story and photographers try to capture that. Historically, taking photos of buildings was first done from a purely technical and documentation perspective, but over the years it has blossomed into a distinctive art form.

​While it may not seem like it at first, there is a lot of depth to architectural photography.

1. Look for unique angles and perspective

Every building, and every structure is designed with a specific vision. You as a photographer need to figure that out and capture it. You can do that by spending some time around the building and exploring it from different angles and perspectives. 

​After spending some time with the building, you are photographing you will unlock layers within layers of beauty, symmetry, and abstractions that weren’t previously visible.

2. Revisit the site in different weather conditions and times
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It is really hard to capture a huge 3-dimensional object and then project it in a 2-dimensional photograph. You can lose a lot of information like the feeling you get when standing next to an object. 

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Some buildings shine in rain, while others look good when captured during nighttime. Capturing the atmosphere is just as important as capturing the building itself.

So, visit the site a few times during different times and weather conditions to choose the perfect atmosphere for your shot.

3. Include People

One of the most common mistakes people make in architectural photography is not including people in their captures. This is because there is a misconception that architectural photography should not include people.

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​When in fact adding people into the mix can add soul to a bland picture. So be sure to adjust people in your next architectural shot to add a contrasting object.

Create your next story using the Urban Jungle Photo Editor. Available on the Apple App Store.
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