Advice on how to Shoot Great Photos

With the ease of cameras today, it is very easy for a novice person to take some great pictures without a lot of knowledge.

Having a high quality camera is the first step. Make sure that the camera, lens and equipment are all from a reputable company who makes quality photographic equipment.

Learn how to snap a picture quickly. Do not wait for your subject to take a certain pause, this might not happen. Take several pictures if you need to. By taking pictures quickly, you will get natural expressions and pauses. If you wait too long, your subject will probably have a rather rigid and artificial expression.

A great photography tip is to invest in a tripod. Having a tripod is very important because it will allow you to take a clear and focused picture. Don’t assume that you can take a clear picture just by using your hands. Avoid blurry pictures by getting a tripod.

Pay attention to your light.

The lighting in a photograph can bring a subject into better focus or change the mood of the picture. Different lighting setups will result in very different photographs. Avoid harsh direct lighting on your subject’s face, as this will generally cause them to squint.

You should create depth and perspective when photographing landscapes. Put a person in the foreground to get the sense of scale of the surroundings. If you want more sharpness in your photos, especially in the fore- and background, opt for a smaller aperture. This means an aperture of f/8 in a general digital camera or no more than f/16 in full-frame SLR cameras.

This next piece of advice is helpful!

Make sure you understand the significance of shutter speeds. On your SLR camera there are several settings; S, A, M and P. The letter “P” indicates program mode. This “P” setting automatically controls shutter and aperture when you shoot. Use this setting whenever you are unsure of what it is you will be photographing.

Be careful when shooting with the ISO feature set at a high setting. It will allow you to capture photos in low light settings but it opens the door to noisy pictures that may look grainy. Ideally you should keep the ISO set low or increase it very slightly to capture the low light photos.

A great photography tip is to get to know someone before you get a shot of them. This may sound silly but simply talking to a person will give you a lot more insight on how to capture them. It can make the difference between having a genuine or generic photograph.

Pay attention to natural lighting!

Early morning light or late afternoon glows are best for taking photos outdoors. If the sun is too high, you will have a hard time getting rid of shadows, and your subject might be bothered by the light. Use sunlight to its best effect by positioning yourself so that the subject is hit by the sun from the side.

To create professional pictures of flowers, you can not rely on a natural background, a vase and a table. You need a solid colored background so that the focus is solely on the flowers. Try placing a white or black paper behind it to accomplish this.

Framing

To get a great photo, make sure your subject fills the frame. Too much empty space will distract the viewer, and they will not know what they are meant to be focusing on. A tight crop on your subject will direct the eye and show more details that will transform your image into a story.

The most important thing to remember about lighting when taking photographs is this: the less light you have to create from artificial resources, the better. By all means, use a flash if you need to, but always strive to use natural light if at all possible. Even when shooting indoors, open the windows, and let mother nature’s light stream in.

To get a great photograph, make sure you notice the surrounding objects when framing the shot. Too many times there are distracting, unwanted elements like trash, telephone wires or even your fingertip intruding into the shot. Frame the photo so your subject and a non-distracting background are the only elements in view.

To add interest to your photographs, experiment with your camera’s focus. The f-stop numbers control how wide open the aperture of your camera is when taking a picture. This in turn affects the depth of field. Smaller f-stop numbers mean that your depth of field is shallow, and you can focus on your subject while the background is blurry. Using a small f-stop number is ideal for portrait photography. You can get a greater depth-of-field using a larger f-stop so that everything can be shot in focus. This can improve the scope and definition in landscape shots.

Don’t start buying a whole bunch of gear before you learn how to take proper photographs. This can be a waste of money if you do not know what you are doing by just simply taking photos. Get educated first and then you can buy additional equipment to use for your shots.

Photography Tips

Play with the aperture or shutter and film speed to modify the exposure of your pictures. Find out more about exposure and you will be able to give an atmosphere to your pictures.

With these helpful hints, you are ready to move forward in cultivating skills that will greatly improve the images that you capture. Practice your newly learned techniques and apply them to photos of family, events, business and community affairs. Everyone can hold a camera in their hands, but only those who pay attention to the details will capture the moments, in a skilled and artistic way.