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.
Take your pictures quickly. If you take too long, the subject could move, the sun could move behind a cloud or it could start raining. Anything could happen, so don’t delay. The faster you snap pictures, the better chance you have of getting a good one!
Choose carefully what will show in your photograph. A great image is a venue that illustrates a particular trait or feature of the subject you shoot. Don’t try to show too much. Instead of taking on single picture, take many pictures of a subject.
If you are taking pictures in the sun during the spring or summer, make sure to turn the flash on. Failing to put the flash on your camera can result in a bad glare, which can taint your photos. Once you turn the flash on, you can take pictures as you usually would.
Use a diffuser to minimize the negative effects of flash photography. The built-in flash on most cameras produce photos that have a high light-dark contrast, which makes them look harsh and unrealistic. A diffuser diffuses the light from the flash, distributing it more evenly and making your flash photos look more natural.
To avoid red eyes in your photographs, make sure that your camera either has built in red eye reduction or you change the direction of your flash. If you did shoot a photo and it contains red eyes, you can easily remove them through the use of a graphics software such as Corel or Photoshop.
When showing off your photographs, make sure to keep your less than perfect pictures at home. You do not want people to see your sub-par work; you only want them to see your best work. Delete any pictures on your camera that you do not want anyone else to see.
Shoot during the “golden hours,” especially if you are shooting human subjects. The time around dawn and dusk are named “golden hours” because the hue of the light makes objects look like they are glowing. This light also complements human skin, making human subjects appear to look better than they would in photos taken at other times of day.
Although it may seem obvious, but know how to handle your camera and what happens when you press the buttons on it. Understand what happens when the shutter button is pressed and the timing of the shutter. It really depends on personal preference and there is no right or wrong way, but some things do not vary like keeping the camera perfectly still while taking a photo.
Always keep charged batteries in your camera. Modern digital cameras use a lot more power than older cameras because of their LCD screens, so don’t get caught off-guard; charge your camera’s batteries often. Since you’ll be taking a lot of pictures, you should probably bring a back-up set of batteries, too.
A good photography tip that can help you is to make sure your computer monitor is calibrated. The last thing you want is to print out a picture only to find out that the colors are totally off. Calibrating your computer monitor can save you a lot of frustration and heartache.
It’s possible you’ve been disappointed with your photos in the past. Following the tips provided by this article can prevent you from dealing with that kind of situation. You will be so proud of your new photography skills that you will be comfortable sharing them with the world.
