Well done! There is a lot of available information about photography; so much so, that it can be overwhelming and hard to know where to start. Read on for some simple tips for a beginner that will let you see a dramatic improvement in your pictures.
Strive to create some perspective of depth whenever you are shooting landscapes. Have a person or an object in the foreground to provide an idea of scale for your image. A small aperture, usually smaller than f/8 in many digital cameras and f/16 for SLR’s, allows greater sharpness throughout the entire picture.
Choose only the best photos to showcase or display. Avoid showing every photo you have taken of a particular subject. Seeing the same things repeatedly can become boring. Keep things fresh by showing off a variety of your photography.
Try to adjust your camera so that the background has a bit of a blur to it when people are the subjects of your photos. If your background isn’t blurred, it may draw the viewer’s eye to the background and away from the subject. You can do this by making the background farther away than your subject.
Experiment with all of your cameras features, as well as color composition and the angle at which you take the photo. The subject of your photos can be very ordinary, yet will create an interesting picture. A great picture will make an every day object look interesting and show your creativity off. Try experimenting to find your own unique style.
A good photograph needs a great subject. You can have the very best equipment and be extremely talented, but without the right subject you will not get quality pictures. Look for models or objects of inspiration for your photos.
Focus your shot and make sure the subject is off center. Centering photos is expected and not very unique. Try to off-center your shots so that they are more enticing to the viewers.
Regardless of whether you are pursuing photography as a hobby or career, good composition is the key to taking high quality photos. Like any other art form, if the composition in your photo is not right, the work will suffer. Study up on different methods of composition and then apply it to your own photos.
When you are photographing a landscape, your photos need to be composed with three distinct and important planes of focus. These include the foreground, mid-ground and background of the image. Not only are these important for photography purposes, but most types of art.
There’s a myth that white is an excellent color to wear for photos, but this is false. Many photographers use the auto focus setting on their cameras. This setting doesn’t work as well if the camera can’t pick up different shades in its lens’ range. For example, if a subject wears white and the background is also white, the camera won’t focus properly. White is almost always “washed out” in shots like this.
If you set your digital camera to the lowest setting, you will be able to fit more images on your memory card, though you will also be sacrificing the quality of the pictures. Only use the lowest image quality settings if you are completely sure that the images will only be viewed on a computer monitor.
Experiment with the focus on your camera to create interesting pictures. Changing the depth of field, or the f-stop, will put all of the focus on the subject of your shot, and blur the background. In portrait photography, this is a valuable approach in getting the results that you desire. A higher f-stop number brings the whole view into focus. This is perfect for landscape photos.
Create more unique photos by using a variety of angles. Anyone can take a photo of a scene head-on. You can try switching your photography style by trying a birds-eye view of your subject. Alternatively, try kneeling and looking up. You could also consider taking sideways or diagonal shots to make them more interesting.
Use many different shutter speeds. Consider using a slow speed, even as low as 1/30, rather than relying on the fastest shutter speed possible. Look at the cyclist riding past! The end result will be a sharp cyclist with a background that has some horizontal streaking to express his speed.
Taking a picture from a low angle makes your subject appear more powerful. If you want him to look weaker, shoot from high up. There are times when both techniques are appropriate, and you’ll learn which will work at any given time and when to try something different.
If you stay standing, you risk getting a shot featuring only the top of the child’s head rather than his or her full body. If you squat down, you’ll have a much better chance at taking a high-quality picture. Doing so provides a simple solution that makes a rather huge difference.
When taking a photograph with your cell phone you must be even more careful about the lighting you use. Most of the time, cameras in cell phones don’t have any flash available, so you will need to make good use of your available light. Zooming in will help you cut down on the amount of shadows and sunspots that are present in the photo.
Before you click the shutter, think about the purpose of your shot. It is better to take some pictures in landscape mode than portrait mode. You can probably edit your photo either way once it has been downloaded, but sometimes, you can get a better result by using the right orientation in the first place.
You should now have a clue as to what you need to do to improve your photography skills. Return to this list as needed to brush up on the techniques discussed. The important thing is to be persistent so that you can transform your photography into art.