Whether you take one picture every few years or take dozens a day, you may be wondering how you can make your pictures more impressive. Here, we’ll give you a handful of suggestions to make your pictures stand out more, be more clear and capture exactly what you’re seeing and want to capture on film.
If you can’t use a tripod while taking photos for some reason, you should always brace your upper body on a solid surface. Hold your breath if you can while taking the shot. This will minimize shake during the exposure, resulting in clearer pictures. A tripod is always best, however.
A lot of people think that days that have lots of sunlight are ideal for taking pictures. In fact, bright sunlight can ruin most pictures. The sun will cast shadows and cause glaring. It will also make uneven highlights on your photos, and will make your subjects squint when looking in the camera. If possible, try to choose late evening or early morning light when taking pictures outdoors.
A good photography tip is to not get too carried away with having the best and newest equipment. Technology’s always going to be improving and unless you’re a millionaire, it’s just not realistic to worry about getting the best camera. Try to make good use of what you have.
A good photography tip is don’t get carried away with having the newest and best equipment. Technology is always improving and unless you’re a millionaire, it’s just not realistic to worry about having the newest equipment. Make good use of what you have.
A good photography tip is to use color contrast as a way to create your focal point. Basically this means the area you want the viewer to focus on should have high color contrast. A good way to achieve this is by putting two pure colors side by side.
Do not shoot in full daylight. You are going to get some of your best photos on an overcast day. The bright sunlight can cause overexposure, loss of detail and terrible shadows. Shoot at dusk or at dawn on days that are not cloudy for optimum results in your photos.
Natural light will always provide you with the highest quality photos. Cloudy days are actually better for shooting than sunny ones, because the clouds act as a natural diffuser, spreading the light out and eliminating shadows and harsh contrasts. Opt for your next photo shoot outside on an overcast day.
Make sure your subject feels comfortable. This goes double if the subject is a stranger. Many people see photographers as a possible threat. Help your model to relax by keeping a friendly atmosphere, and the mood upbeat. Also, seek their permission before you start taking their picture. Let them understand that photography is not a way of invading their privacy, but it is rather an art.
While taking indoor photos under fluorescent lighting, make sure the camera has the appropriate white balance settings. You will notice that fluorescent light highlights the blue and green light spectrum and will require post processing in order to balance your tones.
Pay careful attention to backgrounds when composing your photographs. Jumbled, messy rooms can ruin an image and prevent your subject from standing out. Also, even the smallest item within range of the snapshot can be a distraction, taking away from the central focus. Always make a quick scan of the room or landscape, then remove items that will detract from an otherwise perfect shot.
The lighting will have a huge effect on the outcome of your photos. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to use natural light for photographs. When the sun sits high in the sky, harsh shadows or squinting subjects can become an issue. If you do use sunlight, position your photo so that the sun is hitting the subject from the side.
Lighting is not only important for keeping your subject lit and visible, but the shadows in your shot are completely reliant on the lighting of the area. If you are using a larger light source, then you will have smaller shadows to work with. This can be good or bad depending on the subject or technique.
Learn to turn your camera on it’s side. If the subject that you are shooting is taller than it is wide, then use your camera to make it take up more of the frame. Turn your camera on it’s side and take a vertical picture instead of the traditional horizontal one.
With these suggestions in hand, start looking at your most recent photographs and see if these tips would have made the pictures even better. If you start noticing that there is a suggestion or two that would greatly improve a few of the photographs you’ve already taken, try finding a way to incorporate that suggestion into every photograph you take from now on.