Photo Tips for Beginners

You are fond of photography, so you will be able to turn your passion for picture taking into a Full-Time Money-Maker! You just need to get over the initial hesitation and inertia. “Will I be any good in this field?” “Would my photographs appeal to others?” “Will anybody pay for my photographs or even like to see them?” These questions may keep coming to your mind and this is natural also. And even the most successful professional photographers of today must have faced this situation when they started their careers. So get over those butterflies in your stomach and think positive.

A career in the business of photography is great. You are doing something which is interesting to you. And at the same time you are earning a livelihood out of your hobby. Your interest in the field will make it more entertaining for you to learn new things, experiment with them and come out with fabulous results.

Broadly speaking, there are three areas of photography viz. general, commercial, and advertising. Most people go into the area that best interests them and sometimes it is just in general photography. Whatever may be your experience, it is always advisable to get some formal training in photography. This will give you a lot of success when it comes to commercial or advertising photography. When you take the classes or training program you are bound to learn something new about the art of photography. Training will also enable you to find your niche in the photography market.

General photographers shoot general things like weddings, portraits, and family pictures. General photography will help you to do some freelance work for mostly commercial businesses.

Commercial photographers do work for companies. This includes doing work for newspapers, catalogues, architectural businesses, and other corporations that need photographs to be taken. They may be part of the company staff or they may just be freelance photographer working on contract. Most commercial photographers specialize in a particular area.

Advertising photographers help companies in advertising. It is difficult to be successful here. But once they get through they get high rates. They will have their name in magazines, TV shows, etc.

You have to decide where you belong based on your knowledge, capability, capital, and the effort you can put in. Now let me give some tips on taking quality photographs. As a photographer, the weather can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Since it is impossible to control the weather and have ideal conditions all the time for your shootings, you have to make the most of what you get. Whether it is a sunny, rainy, or cloudy day, you can always use the landscape to create beautiful shots.

The golden hours for photographers are two hours in a day. These two hours occur right after sunrise and right before sunset. During the early morning and late afternoon, the sun is in a perfect position for dramatic lighting, but at the same time it does not create harsh shadows or blazes of light, especially when shooting with persons. You may have noticed that if you take a subject outside to shoot a little bit before noon one of the three possibilities may occur. First, your subject in trying not to squint into the sun could ruin your picture. Second, your subjects look too dark because they are standing with the sun behind them, creating a silhouette effect. Lastly, your subject’s face and features look distorted because standing with the sun at one side creates awkward shadows. None of the options can give a good photograph. Sunrise and sunset provide exactly the right kind of lighting and shadows, and a beautiful photographic opportunity since the colors are so beautiful in the sky.
When it comes to a cloudy day or overcast conditions, do not lose hope ; you can still get great pictures. The clouds in the sky diffuse the light so that the subject is illuminated with natural evenly distributed light with the harsh shadows eliminated. You may still need to use a flash if the pictures appear too flat, but you may also like to shoot in black and white, instead of color. Black and white photography works very well on overcast days.

On rainy days you get apprehensive and worried, but you can still get some great shots. Rain will add an interesting element to the image and you will still be able get to a good picture. Use the rain to make a great and stunning effect on the pictures.

In landscape shooting, you may be disappointed when the prints do not look as professional as pictures taken by other photographers. Landscape photography is as much an art as portrait or still life photography. However, you have to learn to use what you got when it comes to making a landscape work for you and take the pictures that you desire. Remember the basics and always think with the mind of a photographer. You do not have the power to move the scenery, but you can move to get the perfect position. And learn from experience and common sense how to pick a good scenery to work with.

You also need to think about color and tones. Most people look for spectacular colors of nature to make their photograph beautiful. You also want to use color to give the pictures added sparkle; however you also have to learn to use the colors to enhance and not distract you from the lines of the pictures. In fact, if they are too intense, try simplifying things by cutting out color completely—shoot in black and white.

Nature is one of the best snapshots that you can capture. You will find that the sun light is perfect and the animals and birds might even give you an added surprise. Always be ready for a surprise shot and capture the beauty of the moment. You will be able to get mystifying shots when you keep in mind the basic rules of photography.