There are many ideas out there on how to take great photographs, but a lot of it is just conflicting information. Incorporate some ideas here on how to get the best photographic images and ones that will highlight your skills and creativity.
For landscape photography, attempt to capture the natural depth of the view. Give an idea of the scale by including a subject somewhere in the foreground. Giving sharp focus to your photos can be as simple as changing your settings. Apertures less than f/8 for digital cameras, and f/16 for full framed SLR cameras, will give you the image you really want.
Keep your arms close to your sides when you are holding the camera, and hold on to the bottom of your camera. This minimizes shaking, resulting on clearer pictures. By cradling the camera from below, it will help to prevent you from dropping the camera accidentally.
Experiment with the white balance feature manually. Indoor lighting will often be tainted with yellow tints from bulbs and flourescent fixtures. Rather than changing your room’s lighting, you can change the white balance of your camera. This slight change in quality will make your photographs have a much more professional look about them.
Most importantly, photography should be fun. Pictures should serve as a reminder for a particular moment that you would like to capture forever and be able to look back on in the future. If you are having a good time while snapping photographs, you will continue to want to learn and grow in the field.
Memory Card
If you want to take great pictures, you have to take a lot of them; buying a big memory card will allow you to hold the many pictures you need to take. With more storage on a memory card, having room for photos does not have to be a worry. Yet another advantage to lots of memory is that it allows you to shoot in a format called RAW, giving you greater flexibility when you edit it later.
Even if you don’t know your models, make sure they feel comfortable. Many people tend to see someone taking photos as a threat. Be friendly, strike up a conversation and ask permission to take pictures. It’s up to you to help them understand they’re taking part in your art, and you’re not not trying to invade their privacy.
When preparing to shoot some kind of wedding, try getting unexpected shots of little details to warm yourself up, like a makeup bag or a flower close up. Candid shots can sometimes result in a very special photo.
Set limitations, and this will help you make your photographs more creative. Choose a single concept to photograph, like “beauty” or “what is nature?” Try taking 100 photographs, all from the same location, and attempt to make each unique. By using limitations to your advantage, you’ll be forced to think more creatively, resulting in interesting and unusual pictures.
Most photographers wish for their subjects to look into the camera. Have your subject express a variety of emotions to capture a unique photograph. Also, instead of having your subject focus their gaze into the distance, have them focus on an object that is within the camera’s view, for a great shot.
Try to use some natural lighting. You will want to pick the best time of the day to take your outdoor photos, evening or morning is the best. Whenever the sun is directly overhead, it can cause troublesome shadows and cause your subject to squint. Use the sunlight better by properly positioning yourself where your subject just gets light from the side.
The ideas above have given you some of the essentials when it comes to taking good photos. Now that you have read through this article, you can start implementing these ideas and take better looking pictures than ever before.
