Photography Tricks Without Photoshop

With ever-advancing new technologies in photo manipulation, photographers begin to rely more and more on Adobe Photoshop to alter pictures and create abstract creations or special effects. Yet, a photographer can create illusions in pictures using only the camera itself and skipping Photoshop altogether. Tricks such as changing a person's size, creating captivating light drawings, and even adding unusual shapes and shadows require only the right setting and a little imagination.

Shrink People

One of the simplest tricks you can create using any type of camera changes the size of people or other items in your picture. You can create tiny people who appear to balance in your hands or giant people who appear to step on tiny shrunken buildings. To achieve this effect, position yourself a good distance from the object you want to appear tiny and then have the person in the picture move to an appropriate distance so when you look through the viewfinder she appears the correct size. For example, you can position one person standing in the middle of a flat field holding one hand out flat. Another person stands far enough behind them so it appears he is tiny and standing on the first person's hand. You'll need a lot of room and preferably a flat area to achieve the right effect.

Draw With Light

To create colorful light drawings, a photographer can simply use a glow stick or other small light source and set the camera for a slow exposure. To know how long to set the exposure time, practice drawing an image in the air or running around the areas through which you plan to trace a path of light. Ask a friend to time you with a stopwatch and use this time as a rough estimate for your exposure. Set your ISO to the lowest possible setting, and take a few test pictures to see how much you need to adjust exposure time. Draw an image in the air with the light and the camera will capture its path. If the light is too faint to see, you'll need to move faster or cover a smaller area.

Play With Shadows

For an eerie or intriguing picture, consider adding shapes made from shadows. An innocent girl could walk along a path never realizing a menacing shadow of another person or even a monster follows along behind her. Instead of trying to add the shadow later, create a cutout or a sculpture, or even find a life-size display of the item from which you want to create a shadow. The trick lies in placing the item out of the camera's view. Add lighting behind the object to throw a dark shadow onto the appropriate area and snap the picture. To avoid altering the shadow, you'll need to turn off the camera's flash. Cast a light on the person in the picture to illuminate them, but keep it away from the light casting the shadow. Examine the picture to see which areas to darken and which to add more light. Adjust your lighting and try again.