Absolute Beginners
Tips to get you started down the road of digital
photography.
- If you are using flash ensure you fingers and thumb are well away
from the flash. It is so easy for a stray digit to block off light and
underexpose the picture.
- Take care when loading the film. Make sure you follow the loading
instructions carefully. It’s a very big disappointment to have
your holiday pictures returned from the developers blank.
- Its not just children that manage to behead subjects when taking a
picture. Ensure that you check the viewfinder, including the parallax
marks on a compact, carefully before taking the picture.
- Camera shake. If you images are consistently suffering from a slight
blur and you don't want to buy a tripod, then use a faster film.
- Camera shake. Make sure you are standing comfortably. Legs slightly
apart, back straight and cup the lens in your left hand. Your body should
take on a shape a bit like a tripod.
Picture Composition
Picture composition is obviously one of the key
components of taking great pictures. It goes without
saying that if you manage to miss the head of someone
that you are taking a portrait shot of, then you
are going to be very disappointed!
- Always give your picture a main focal point
- A picture should have one dominant colour. This is not always easy.
So basically try to avoid putting strong colours that will clash into
the same picture.
- A basic rule of photography is known as the rule of thirds. The rule
of thirds divides a rectangular image into nine, equally sized, smaller
rectangles. You then position the main subject of the picture at any
point where the lines cross.
- Try to ensure that your pictures have a foreground, middle ground
and background. One of the three should be dominant in the photograph.
- If once the picture has been taken you are not 100% happy with the
result. Consider cropping the image. This is especially easy to do with
digital images.
Lighting
If picture composition is critical to great pictures
then lighting is not far behind.
- The brightest sun of the day can wash pictures out. If the time of
day when you take your pictures is not important try to avoid the period
around midday.
- Some of the best lighting conditions are to be found around dawn and
again at dusk. Try taking pictures at these times of the day and notice
the effect.
- In the majority of instances it is usually best to have the sun behind
you when you take a picture.
When the sun is behind you beware that your own shadow doesn't creep into
the picture.
- Beware of the shadows cast behind your subject by the sun as well.
- Also make sure that if you are taking a portrait shot that the sun
isn't causing your subject to squint.
- If you do take a picture with the sun behind the subject (back lit),
take care not to underexpose the subject itself. Use a wide aperture
or a slow shutter speed.
- Try taking pictures with lighting at different angles. Angled and
low level lighting usually offers a more realistic and dramatic effect
than when overhead lighting is used.
Black and White Photography
A number of the most striking picture in history
have been captured using black and white rather
than colour film. Subjects suited by black and white
are as follows.
- Stormy weather shots are often
captured in a more dramatic way using black and
white film.
- Black and white can make elderly people look
even older.
- Some landscape shots. Obviously if you are
trying to capture the vivid colours of a landscape
then black and white is not the medium to use,
but if you are trying to portray a sense of
desolation or isolation then black and white
can increase the impact.
- Dilapidated buildings and run down areas of
a town or city can appear more striking in black
and white.
- Use black and white film in conjunction with
coloured filters for a variety of differing
effects.
Capturing Motion
Whether it is your child's sports day or you are
a professional photographer at a top sporting event,
freezing the action is key to successful photography.
- Anticipate where the action is going to be
and set up your position accordingly. It could
be horses bursting from the starting stalls
or the winner crossing the line in a 100 metre
sprint. Why do you think all the photographers
sit themselves behind the goal at a football
match? The action that makes the news doesn't
happen on the half way line very often.
- Don't miss any of the action. Use a camera
with motor drive. The motor drive advances the
film for you and you don't have to wind the
film on.
- Most of the time you will need a camera with
a lens of at least 200mm. To get close to the
action a little further away you can easily
double or triple that length to get to the heart
of the action.
If you can get head on to the action slower shutter
speeds can be used.
- If you are using a compact camera or you don't
want to trouble yourself with shutter speeds
etc., then use a fast film.
Flash Photography
Taking pictures using flash can have many advantages,
not just lightening up a darkened room. You need
to take care that overexposure and red eye are avoided.
- If the subjects are often overexposed then try using flash further
away from the subject.
- Under exposure occurs when you are working with a subject that is
beyond the reach of your flash unit. It can be something of a surprise
how little impact the built in flash on some cameras can have.
- If you are taking a picture of a group indoors and conditions are
fairly dark, there is a danger that the people near you will be overexposed
and the people further away will be a little in the dark. If you can
arrange the group so that they are all equidistant from the camera.
That way there will be an even spread of light.
- Red eyes can happen when the flash and the lens are closely aligned,
as with a number of compact cameras. Many cameras now offer red eye
reduction. To reduce red eye, try asking your subject to look at a light
shortly before the picture is taken.
Source: http://www.cameras.co.uk |
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