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spuddle - Top 10 Tips of Photgraphy
1. Selection
Select only the best of your pictures to show to others and leave the rest. Showing someone every picture you have taken over takes the effect of the best pictures and gets very boring!! You may want to show twenty pictures of something/the subject because they are all quite good and you can't decide which are the best but, trust me, you will be better off making that decision and showing only the few good ones.
2. Turn the Camera on it's Side
At first it feels awkward holding the camera on it's side, but it is worth getting used to. If the shape of your subject, a person or a building, fits into an upright rectangle, you waste so much picture space if you shoot in landscape. You paid for all those millions of pixels, don't waste them.
3. Framing
One of the easiest ways to improve your photography is with careful attention to framing. Look into the corners of the viewfinder to see what is there. Do you need all that background? Can you get closer to your subject or zoom in? Look before you press!!
4. Direction of Lighting
Photography is all about light, the direction of the light falling on your subject is most important, you must look at your subject carefully and see how the shadows fall.
If you are able to choose the time of day to shoot your pictures, try to pick a time when the sun is low in the sky, either shoot in the early morning or late afternoon. Shooting pictures of people with the sun too high in the sky, tends to mean the subject's eyes will be in shadow and/or your subject will be squinting in the strong light, both of which tend to look horrible. A nice side effect of shooting in the early morning or late afternoon is that the colour of the light is 'warmer', reds and yellows are stronger which generally gives a more pleasing effect.
If you are photographing in sunlight, try to position yourself so that the sun hits your subject from the side, this will give you nice 'modelling' and help create a 3D effect in the picture.
Sunlight behind the subject can give a very pleasing 'backlight' effect but be careful that you are not getting 'flare' in the lens, which degrades the contrast of the image.
5. Direction of Lighting
The very worst kind of lighting is provided by the little flash fitted into all modern cameras. Not only does it give your subjects the dreaded red eyes, but also flattens all faces into shadowless featureless blobs. Use the in camera flashlight only in an emergency, when there is no other choice.
6. In Camera Flash
When you have to use the in camera flash, keep your subject(s) away from walls, especially light coloured ones, if at all possible, and avoid that ugly black shadow which looks like an outline. This will not show up against a dark background.
7. Exposure
Using auto exposure to your advantage.
If you have a modern camera, the chances are that the default metering system is 'centre weighted average', which means that, although it takes an average reading of the whole scene, it takes more notice of what is in the middle of the frame. Which is good news for us. The other good news is that it takes this reading at the time when you take 'first pressure' on the button to take your picture. When you push it halfway down and it beeps at you, not only is the focus now set (on an auto focus camera) but the exposure reading is taken and the aperture and shutter speed are set. So, if your main point of interest is not in the centre of the frame, it's a good idea to put it there temporarily while you focus and take your light reading, then move the camera whilst still holding the button halfway down and compose the picture the way you want it to be. A common use for this technique is when you are taking a close up shot of two people and there is space between their heads, if you're not careful the camera will focus on the wall or trees behind them. If the background is very dark or very light this can alter the exposure significantly and result in faces that are too dark or too light.
8. Shutter Speeds
When the shutter speed is important as with moving objects, it's a good idea to set the camera to 'Shutter Speed Priority' mode. This is where you select the shutter speed and the camera selects the appropriate aperture according to the light reading.
9. Apertures
If depth of field is important to either make sure everything is in focus or to throw some things out of focus, select the 'Aperture Priority' mode on your camera. In this mode you select the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed according to the available light.
10. Neutral Density Filters
If you are shooting in bright light and want to restrict the depth of field, use a neutral density filter in front of the lens to reduce the light entering the lens. These are available in different densities, 2x, 4x, 8x etc. each one cutting the light in half, quarter, eighth etc. In extreme circumstances you can screw a couple of them together. Although they are 'neutral density' filters and should not effect the colour balance, if you use two or more together you might need a little colour correction at the printing stage.
11. Look your subject in the eye
This means getting down to the level of the subject if necessary and getting your camera level with the subject's eyes. This is especially so if you are photographing a child. The whole dynamic of the photo changes as this makes it more personal and draws the eye in to the photo.
12. Get in closer
Your goal is to fill your image with as much of the subject as possible. Use your feet before you zoom and exclude any unnecessary clutter. Don't get in too close as this will result in blurred images.
13. Use a plain background
This will lift your subject off the background. When looking through the viewfinder take note of what is in the background before focusing on the subject. No chimneys growing out of heads or bushes growing out of ears.
14. Move the subject from the centre
The centre of an image is not the best place for your subject. Imagine a grid across your image dividing it into thirds. Two lines horizontally and two vertically. Where the lines intersect is where you place your subject. This will bring your photo to life.
15. Be aware of the light
After the subject the most important aspect of a photo is the light. Know where it comes from and place your subject relative to it. Strong light from the side will bring out the texture of an old building. Soft light on a cloudy day will soften the wrinkles of an old person. Shooting landscapes early or late in the day will give a golden light.
16. Turn your camera
We all tend to take photos holding the camera level in a horizontal format. That's the way cameras are made. Change the format. Take photos using the vertical format. Many subjects look better in this format. Lighthouses, the Eiffel tower or a portrait of a child all look better shot vertically.
17. Direct your images
Take charge of people in your images. Tell them clearly where to stand and what to do. Choose the location and the setting. Get them to face the direction you want or closer or further away from the camera.
18. Use your flash outdoors
Natural light can cause harsh shadows to fall across faces. You can eliminate these shadows by lightening the face with flash. We call this fill in flash. You'll find a setting on your camera for this. If you are further than 5 feet use the flash on full power. On cloudy days fill in flash will brighten shadows.
19. Put the sun behind you
The best place to shoot from is when the sun is behind you and slightly to the side. The full frontal lighting will bring out the colour and lighting from the slight side angle will produce a little shadow and bring out the texture and form.
20. Hold steady
Many photographers have the problem of blurry images because they don't hold or support their cameras properly. Use both hands resting your elbows on your chest or holding them tightly to your side. Relax and don't tense. Take a deep breath, exhale and press the shutter. Use a support like a wall or pole to steady yourself and if the situation allows use a tripod.
Hope this helps
Tips sourced via the hoards of info on the internet.
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