Photography Made Simple
Since way back when I first started studying photography, my friends have always asked how I take such good pictures. There are many different styles and types of photography, but I usually end up giving the same key photography tips for most of them.
Move Beyond the Point and Click Camera
I cannot stress enough, if you want to get better in photography, learn how to use a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. You would not believe how many self proclaimed amateur photographers use a snapshot camera.
I know that this is the age of technology, and that the advances in digital cameras and memory are getting better and better every day, but there is just not enough versatility with a point and click camera. They are good for general every day pictures, but they will never match up to the professional results and versatility obtained with a single lens reflex camera.
With all of that in mind, the increase in versatility equates to more functions in the camera. So, when you do start using a single lens reflex (if you do not already), be sure to become familiar with the owners manual. Learn how to control the shutter speed, aperture settings, ISO (film) settings, and white balance.
Note: In regular SLRs, ISO refers to the speed of the film being used. Actual ISO settings are only optional in digital SLRs.
Use the Viewfinder Properly
Many new photographers take a shot at a much wider perspective than they should and rely on cropping to fix the shot. This just causes more work later, and there may still be too many distractions in the shot.
Unlike a point and click camera, the viewfinder of an SLR uses a prism and mirrors that allow you to look directly through the lens. This is why you get what you see in the view finder with an SLR (no more cropping off the top of your uncle's head like a point and click sometimes does). By taking everything in the viewfinder into account, you may notice distractions that you otherwise would not have.
I really hate it when I capture that perfect scene to later find out that there is something in the background that I did not notice before that is distracting to the viewer.
Composition
A very often used composition technique is the Rule of Thirds. First take the scene in the viewfinder and divide it into nine equal parts like a tic tac toe game. At the point that the corners of the boxes come together (the intersection of the lines) is where points of interest should be found in the shot. Horizontal and vertical lines, such as a landscape horizon or the corner of a building, needs to be placed on a horizontal or vertical dividing line.
This technique causes stress in the scene, and this stress causes interest.
The more care taken in preparing a shot, the less likely time will be needed to "fix" the picture later.
Note: Before each major session change, reset the white balance of your camera. If you correct of changes in lighting between sessions with using correct white balance, fewer Photoshop corrections will be necessary later (it can be a big time saver). The answer to how to take good pictures does not involve correcting them later.
Portraits
Even though the techniques we just talked about work with just about any style, there are some techniques that are commonly used with particular styles. With portraits, the subject is not the entire scene, just part of it, so it is important for the subject to stand out.
One of the easiest ways to make sure the subject of the portrait stands out is to place him or her in a narrow depth of field. The depth of field is length of the area outward from the camera where objects seem equally in focus. This is controlled by the size of the aperture opening. The lower the setting, the bigger the opening in the aperture and the more narrow the depth of field.
Note: This allows more light into the body (through the lens) of the SLR so ISO settings and/or shutter speed must be used to compensate.
Photographing the subject in a narrow depth-of-field with the background and foreground out of the field causes only the subject to appear in focus. This results in the subject really standing out and even seeming to pop out of the picture.
Landscapes
Another common style requiring specific photography techniques is landscape photography. Unlike portraits, with landscape photography the entire scene is the subject; it is usually necessary to shoot in a wider perspective to get as much of the scene into the shot as possible while keeping the whole scene equally in focus.
To get this effect, a virtually infinite depth of field is needed. A lens that allows a broader perspective than the normal angle of view is also needed. The Wide angle lens allows for both and is the most commonly used lens in photographing landscapes. These lenses allow a large perspective of a scene to be captured.
In order to keep an infinite depth of field, it is necessary to use a high aperture setting. This causes the opening in the aperture to be very small. To compensate for this the shutter must be left open longer. With that in mind, it is absolutely necessary to use a tripod or other camera stabilizing apparatus with landscape photography so the camera will not move while the shutter is open.
I hope you have found some good photography tips in this article and have found it useful. If it has helped in any way, the next time someone asks how to take good pictures, feel free to send them this article.
Article Source: ADB Article Directory
Jonnie Blaylock is a professional photographer that helps everyone learn how to take good pictures at his photography tips site.
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