Article by Mira Mieraoz
Create the perfect photo! There is no such thing as taking a great shot, unless you just happen to be at the right place at the right time. For all the rest of the times, great images have to be created by you, the photographer. Take the time to set-up the images that you want to shoot.
It’s time for your tripod. Take it out of the closet and find the cable release. Still have those neutral density filters? Get them too. You’re going for a night shoot at the school fair. You have arrived. See the pretty colored lighting at the booths and rides? You will photograph the Ferris wheel, exposing not for the overall scene but for the lights. Place the camera on the tripod and attach the cable release. Set the ISO low, at 100 or if possible, lower. Use a shutter speed of maybe fifteen seconds. Set the aperture at f/16 or smaller if your camera can do it this will make pinpoint lights look like stars. Take some test exposures and make adjustments, and use your neutral density filters if necessary. You have a finished product! Thanks to the tripod, everything is sharp except for the ghostly images of fair goers moving about, and the turning Ferris wheel appears as a circular streak of gorgeous colors. The lights at the booths shine like stars.
Invest in small, high-speed memory cards instead of one that will hold a lot. It will help you protect the photos that you have taken if something should happen to make your card fail. Do not wait too long to back up the images to a hard disk to avoid losing everything.
When you have to rely on steadying your hand instead of using a tripod, use your body to keep it straight. What you need to do to steady your hand when taking a picture is dig your elbow into your body for support and to steady it. This will keep it from shaking.
Vary your lighting when taking several pictures. It is harder to do in natural light, but you should adjust light levels when possible to see the different effects light will have on your picture composition. Keep the lighting comfortable to your subjects, and in line with your chosen color schemes.
Be sure not to place your camera near water. If your camera were to fall into water or get water inside of it, it may not work anymore. If it does work, you may find that it does not take pictures the way that it did prior to its water damage.
When photographing young children, time and patience is your best friend. Children are taught to “say cheese” whenever a camera is focused on them, inevitably creating artificial, fake smiles – or worse. Ideally, a child will become comfortable being photographed when the pressure to “perform” is removed. Simply encourage them to go about their normal activities and then follow them around with your camera, clicking when they naturally smile or are obviously enjoying their surroundings.
Be ready to take a picture at all times. This does not mean you should have your camera in hand, this means you should be in the proper state of mind all the time. Look at the world as if you were seeing it through your camera. When you see something interesting, take a picture.
When taking photographs, make sure that your subject is as relaxed as possible at all times. One way that you can increase relaxation is to use music in the background. This will draw your subject’s focus away from the importance of the photographs so that you can achieve the highest quality picture.
The best photographers out there are skilled composers, so make sure you study composition to improve your skills. There is a lot more that goes in to composing a shot than simply ensuring everything’s in the frame. Composition is more art than science, and the emotion in a picture is what separates a hobbyist from a professional.
A common beginner’s mistake is to place one’s thumb on the lens while taking a photograph. This causes a blurry spot to appear in the corner of a photograph. You should make sure your lens is clean and that you are not obstructing it with your thumb before taking a picture.
Photograph your subject in an environment where they belong. You are sure to find that people are far more comfortable being photographed in their comfort zones and would look stiff and uncomfortable if you were to try to force them into a studio setting. Let the kids play and capture the photos when they are actually happy.
As was stated in the beginning of this article, the difference between photography and good photography is a matter of education. If you know the right way to take a picture, you are more likely to get the shots you really want. Apply the advice from this article and you’ll be on your way to taking the pictures you always dreamed of.
About the Author
Mee Trobaugh has got an internet site on the subject of South Wales photographer
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.
Mee Trobaugh has got an internet site on the subject of South Wales photographer
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.
