Commercial photographer and author Sean Arbabi, whose photos have been featured in 250 publications including National Geographic, appeared last week on The View from the Bay in San Francisco to discuss a few basic tips for taking better photos. As a parting gift, the show’s co-hosts Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang received Kolo photo albums from Sean, with their faces photo-shopped in the album cover windows.

On the show's web site, in Sean's brief write-up that accompanies the video clip, he recommends MyKoloAlbum.com for making custom photo albums online.

Here are a few of Sean’s photography tips:

READ YOUR CAMERA MANUAL: May sound silly or too basic, but many of Sean's workshop students often aren't sure where to find certain camera functions. And although camera manuals don't read all that well, it's still good to read and scan through functions for at least 30 minutes, coming back and referencing details from time to time.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: 
A big key to learning and perfecting any art is to eliminate as many variables so you can focus on one aspect at a time. Whether it's using only one camera or one lens, or practicing a certain technique for a week, keeping it simple is the way to go. Beginning photographers often incorporate too many features and functions and when the results aren't pleasing, they're not sure why or where it went wrong.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR BASIC EXPOSURE SETTINGS:
 The three main components of exposure are (1) shutter speed, (2) aperture, and (3) ISO. Learning about these aspects of exposure can be a great start to understanding how to convey emotions in your photographs.

Go here to view the video clip and read more about Sean Arbabi, his photography tips, and his new book The BetterPhoto Guide to Exposure. You can visit Sean on the web at www.PhotoGuru.tv and learn about his online courses at BetterPhoto.com.