Want To Take Better Pictures? Follow These Simple Tips!

July 10, 2013 by  
Filed under Outdoor Photography

Although most people think that taking a picture is just as simple as pointing and shooting, there really is an art form to it. Typically, your photos never look quite as good as you imagined they would. However, once you learn the proper techniques, it really is simple to take great pictures.

Get in close to get the most impressive shot. If you move close to your subject, you can frame it more effectively, while avoiding distractions around it. You can also pay attention to facial details, which will come in handy, especially if you are doing portrait photography. If your subject is positioned too far away, it becomes more difficult to capture the minor details.

Take pictures of small details while traveling. Some things may seem unimportant at the time you shoot the photo, but when you return home, every photograph will help recreate memories and ambiance. Think about taking pictures of stores, coins, bus tickets or street signs for example.

Practice selecting effective combinations of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. It is those three elements which make up the exposure of the shot. You do not want to wind up with underexposed or overexposed photos unless you are aiming for that. Experiment with these features to find out how they interact with each other and what kind of combination you like to use.

When you have the perfect shot in view and you are ready to push the shutter, make sure that you hold your breath and do not move an inch. Even the slightest movement can mess up a shot. Take a second before you hit the shutter to straighten the shot and hold your breath.

Becoming an excellent photographer is a matter of talent, practice and skill, nothing more. Practice your shooting to gain experience, and hone your skills. Digital cameras give you the ease of not having to develop or keep all your photographs. Over time, as you continue to take photographs of everything, you will get better at analyzing them and determining what could make each photo even better.

Less is always more in photo composition. Cluttering your shots with too many elements is unnecessary. There is something special about keeping your photographs simple.

Natural lighting is a key component. When taking outdoor photos, pick a time when the sunlight is low; generally late afternoon or early morning is best. Strong natural light casts long shadows and causes the people you are photographing to squint. The optimum way to make use of the sunlight is by setting up a shot in which the subject in the photo is getting hit side on.

Do you have to take pictures of objects that are wet with rain? Make your own rain by bringing a spray bottle of water with you and misting the subject you wish to take photos of.

If you are taking photos of people, like families, couples or a group, be sure to give them some advice about what to wear before picture day. The resulting photos will be greatly enhanced if clothing is kept within the same general scheme of colors and shades. Recommend warm colors or neutral shades, as they go well with natural surroundings. If the subjects will be wearing bright colors, offsetting them with black clothing pieces helps avoid a group of clashing colors in the picture.

Although you may want to have the camera set on the lowest possible setting so that you can have more images on your card before downloading them, you should ensure that you understand exactly how much print quality you’re giving up. Lower settings are only appropriately used for images that are displayed on the computer.

Most of the time, when you’re thinking about photographing some item, you have to think about whether you’re going to show more of the shadows or the highlights of it. However, you can still take the photos in different conditions and then use a program such as Photoshop to combine them into a great picture.

Do your own photo editing! There are lots of different editing software programs you can use. A good photo editing program will offer a variety of settings. Make sure to find a program that you can easily learn and use too!

Red eye is a minor detail but it can really ruin an otherwise noteworthy picture. Flash is the main cause of red eye, so ask your subjects to look away from the lens. You can also check your manual to see if your camera has a feature to eliminate red eye.

Like most people, you have probably taken more than a few photos with disappointing results in times past. Utilizing the tips below will prevent that from happening again. With a fresh approach you should be able to impress your family and friends, with beautiful memories for years to come.

Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Facebook Twitter Google Buzz Delicious Digg Stumbleupon
Linkedin Yahoo! Bookmarks Google Bookmarks Reddit Mixx Technorati Share This Site to your Friends And Get Surprise!!