Quick Photography Tips!
July 10, 2013 by admin
Filed under Photography Techniques
Effective photography goes far beyond simple things like lighting levels. There is an art to photography. It is a form of art that requires many different skills and techniques. You need to develop your eye. You need the ability to frame a shot and show what is interesting about the subject. Take a look at the tips below to start getting more artistic with your photographs.
Come closer to the subject, so you can snap a better photo. Moving in closer allows you to frame your subject, and avoids disruptive backgrounds. It also allows facial expressions to really stand out, which can provide your pictures with a lot of emotion. By being too far away from your subject, you often miss the minuscule details that can make a picture truly great.
A lot of people think beautiful, sunny days are good pictures, but direct sunlight can actually harm a photo sometimes. It casts strange shadows and creates glare, also causing uneven highlights; not only that, but subjects squint when looking at the camera. If possible, always choose early morning or late evening light when shooting outdoors.
Your arms should be positioned near your body when you use a camera. Also, make sure you support the camera from the bottom and the sides. The idea here is to reduce the shaking caused by normal movements. The end result should be clearer photos. With your hands positioned at the underside of the camera and below the lens, it will help prevent accidentally dropping the equipment.
In photography, what you have inside of the frame sets off the overall composition of the image. Eliminate any objects that diminish the impact of your subject by either removing them or zooming in on your main focal point. This will help keep clutter out of your pictures, and eliminate any unwanted focal points.
Take photographs of insignificant items while you are travelling to, and visiting, your destination. Certain features might not seem all that interesting at the time, but when you get back, those strange and interesting pictures will frame your memory of the trip in new ways. Take a picture of the bus you took or the hotel lobby. Take pictures of the outside of a theater or your goofy doorman.
Focus your camera with the subject in the middle and then shift it to the left or right before taking the picture. A centered picture is usually not as interesting. Take interesting pictures by making the subject off center.
Find the proper combination between ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. These three features are what determine your photo’s exposure. Avoid overexposed photos unless you purposely want them that way. Have a play with these features and the changes they can make to your photos until you discover what combination of the three you like the best.
It is important that you make your subject feel relaxed and safe. Many people tend to see someone taking photos as a threat. If you approach potential subjects as friends and confidantes, they will be far more likely to cooperate. Be sure to explain why you are taking the photographs, and your love of artful expression through photography.
In life we are taught that even and centered is the way things should be. People love symmetry, and in most cases that’s a good thing, but sometimes, the best photos are those that are a bit unusual. Taking a photo off-center is one way to cater to this taste. Beware of auto-focus features that lock in to whatever is in the center of the lens. Use manual focus instead, and lock your focus before snapping the picture.
One way to foster creativity in your photography is to impose limitations on yourself. For instance, set a daily goal and just shoot what represents a single concept, like “sweet.” Focus your shooting to one spot or room and shoot 100 varied photographs. The limitations in this environment will help you to think creatively, resulting in more unusual photos.
Shoot your pictures very quickly. The ideal moment to capture an image usually doesn’t last for long, so make sure you’re always prepared to shoot. Animals will move, people will not want to smile as long, or the candid moment will go away if you don’t take the shot when you can. Do not pay so much attention to adjusting your settings that you miss the shot you want to take.
Any subject can make an interesting photograph, however, for some subjects, in order to make a good photograph, you may need to adjust your camera’s setting, alter the angle which you capture the image from or change the surrounding lighting. Experiment with all of these things before going out to take your pictures.
Now you may realize that there is more than just angles and lighting to photos. Doing so can really improve the quality of the pictures you take.
