There is more to photographic excellence than a focused shot with good lighting. Photography is definitely more of an art than a science. It is a form of art that requires quite a few different techniques. You will want to look for things that are interesting and appealing to the eye, and pay attention to detail. Here are some tips to help you.
Choose carefully what will show in your photograph. A quality picture should capture a significant aspect of the object your are photographing. Don’t focus on too many different things. If you are trying to convey an overall impression of a scene, shoot a sequence of pictures, instead of a single image without a clear subject.
Create depth when you shoot landscapes. Have a person or an object in the foreground to provide an idea of scale for your image. Aperture sizes like f/8 on a consumer camera, or f/16 on a professional DSLR, make it so you need not sacrifice foreground sharpness for background sharpness or vice-versa.
Test varying shutter speeds to learn which speed works best for certain scenarios. By varying shutter speeds, you can capture stills as well as fast moving objects. Set the speed of your shutter to a fast one in order to still motion, or a slow one to portray the best features of landscapes.
An important factor in photography composition, is framing. Make sure to not have distracting background items, but zoom in on your major focal point. This prevents clutter in your pictures, and multiple unwanted, unsightly focal points.
Always keep your batteries charged; you have to be ready at all times to take the perfect shot. Digital cameras are power hungry, and the batteries do not last long. They especially use power with the LED screen in use. Make sure they are charged fully before you start shooting. You will want to carry extra camera batteries with to be prepared for any shot.
When taking photos of people, your subject will stand out best against a background that is a little blurred. If you focus less on the background and more on your subject, you’ll find that the focus will be directly on them. An easy way to do this is to make your background is further from your subject.
Photograph human subjects. Always ask their permission first. These photos will bring back memories from when you travel, even though the subjects of the photographs weren’t people who would normally stand out in a crowd. Look for candid pictures and casual clothing.
If you like to buy souvenirs when you travel, take photographs of them. Photograph the souvenir on the shelf in the store, or get a shot of it with the sales clerk. This helps create stories for your souvenirs that you can enjoy when you return home.
Perhaps the best way to get high quality photos is to take a lot of pictures, so it’s important that your camera has a big memory card. A 16 gigabyte memory card will store all of your photos without the necessity of changing memory cards during a photo shoot. You can also use your camera to shoot your pictures in the RAW format, which allows for greater editing later.
As you take photographs, also take notes. It’s good to have a context for when and where a certain photograph was taken. Take a small notepad wherever you go and jot down the description and picture number.
Take photographs of souvenirs and mementos gathered during your travels. You could photograph the store you bought the item from, or you can place it somewhere with a unique background. You’ll be able to craft a story with your photograph to share when you show friends and family your album.
Many tasks call for us to place things evenly and symmetrically for best results. Perfection may be the desire of most, but shooting a photograph which is slightly less than perfect, off center, for example, can create an effect that is astounding. Be aware of the auto-focus feature, which can lock the view to the middle of the lens. Focus the shot manually, then fix the focus before hitting the shutter button.
Shutter speed, ISO and aperture are important aspects of any great photo. It’s important to find the combination of these. The combination of these three properties will affect the photo’s exposure. Avoid overexposed photos unless you purposely want them that way. If you try out the different features and how they work together you can find what works best for you!
By reading this article you now understand that photography is much more than taking technically correct, well-lit pictures. You can really step up the quality of your photos if you do.
Try to put your models at ease as much as you can, particularly if you are not acquainted with them. Some people look at photographers as threatening. You can ease their reluctance by engaging them in a friendly conversation and asking permission to photograph them. Be sure to explain why you are taking the photographs, and your love of artful expression through photography.
