You have made the decision to buy an expensive camera, or get serious about your photography skills. This is great timing! Read this article for some tips on how to become a photographer.
Take your pictures quickly. The longer you hesitate, the better the chance that your subject will move away, break their pose, or become tired and stop smiling. Start taking shots as quickly as you can, and don’t worry about getting the camera perfect before the first shot. The faster you shoot and the more photos you take, the better your chances are of getting a good one.
If you are planning to take pictures outside, reevaluate the lighting every 10 minutes, as lighting is constantly changing. Adjust your angle to get the best possible shot and illuminate the features that you are trying to highlight. Planning in advance is very important for producing quality photos.
Be aware that the weather will influence your pictures. You might not realize it when you take the picture, but a dark sky will give a very gloomy atmosphere to your picture. Compose your pictures accordingly and let the weather inspire you for interesting creations. You can also wait for different kind of weather before you take pictures.
In photography, make sure that your main focus is on the quality and not the quantity of the pictures that you take. It is always better for you to get ten great shots than one hundred average shots in a day. Quality is always the better choice.
Use a polarizing lens filter on your camera to minimize glare from direct sunlight and to create an even distribution of light. This is essential when shooting in direct sunlight, but also can be beneficial in any lighting situation. Think of polarizing lens filters as sunglasses for your camera. They are inexpensive, easy to attach and have the added benefit of protecting your expensive lenses from scratches.
Photograph human subjects. Never take someone’s picture without first obtaining their permission. When you travel, seeing these pictures can remind you of the memories involved, even if they contain average people in them. Candid shots of people wearing normal, casual clothes work really well.
When you are about to take a picture, stand still and hold your breath. Even the slightest movement can destroy a great shot. A fast shutter speed, a higher ISO setting and opening up the aperture to allow in more light are all effective at helping to minimize blur in handheld shots.
If you do not have a tripod available to use for low lighting situations, try using your motor drive. Try to turn it up to high and then proceed to take a series of shots. Disregard the first shot and go ahead and keep the others that will always be sharper than the first.
If you plan to take photos that include more than one person, advise everyone in the group on choosing the proper clothing. This holds true whether you are dealing with a family, a large group or a couple. It is not necessary to match colors, but colors that are complementary will produce more pleasing results. Particularly if shooting in an outdoor setting, recommend that your subjects clothe themselves in shades that blend, rather than contrast, with nature. If the client has a preference for bright colors try to encourage them to wear some pieces of black clothing to act as a balance in the color scheme and avoid non-complementary colors.
Once you decide to take a photo, hurry up and do it. Be prepared to snap that image before it disappears. It takes only seconds for an animal to run away or hide. People’s smiles begin to look strained after a short period of time. That cresting wave or speeding SR-71 jet fighter that seemed to appear out of nowhere isn’t going to pause while you fiddle with your flash. It is more important to get a decent picture than to waste the opportunity trying for the perfect shot or camera setting.
Make sure your photos tell a story by leading the viewer’s eyes around the frame. Do not simply snap a photo of a scene and expect others to see in it what you did. Try to frame the picture in a way that cuts out clutter and focuses on your subject while still giving a sense of the surroundings for context.
Take a silhouette shot. A lot of photographer wait until the sunset to take pictures of a natural silhouette, but you can do it differently. If the background coloration is considerably lighter than the subject, a silhouette may appear behind the focal point. You can establish artificial light in the background or position your subject before a source of light, such as a window, if you want to create a silhouette image. However, be aware that the silhouette image may call attention to a less-than-flattering aspect of your subject.
Use your shutter speeds creatively. It is normal to use the quickest shutter speed if you want to freeze action. In the same way, try to consider the things you can do with slower shutters speeds like 1/30. Want to creatively capture the bicyclist riding by? The background will show the speed of the cyclist, while they themselves will appear crisp and clear.
A good photography trick that can help you out is to shoot a portrait at eye level in order to get a flattering shot. Avoid getting funky shots from high or low angles because these shots can seem strange and impersonal. It’s all a matter of what you want though.
Here is a photo timesaver! Get a hot shoe bubble level. They are quite simple to install and even easier to use. This is the best and easiest way for you to insure that the photos that you are taking are completely level. This is something that can be done with editing software but it is much easier to capture the photo the way that you want it to be.
You should now be much more knowledgeable about photography. If you were sure that you were able and ready to start previously you will feel like an expert now. These tips can give you some solid advice for taking better pictures, so apply them to your photography.