Taking Better Photos

1
Taking Better Photos

• 15 Tips You Can Try

2
Move in CLOSER.

• Take a few steps closer.
• Use the zoom lens to zoom in.
• Most people leave too much dead space around
  their subjects. Get closer to make your subject
  the center of attention in the photo.

3
Use the Rule of Thirds.

• Dont center every subject in your photos.
• Place the subject on a grid using the rule of
  thirds.
• Leave space for the subject to move into or out
  of the frame.

4
Use Leading Lines.

• Carefully frame the subject and the lines,
  curves, and angles of the scene to direct the
  viewers eye within the frame.

5
Anticipate Action.

• Most small digital cameras have a shutter delay
  between the time you push the button and the time
  the picture is actually taken.
• You need to anticipate that delay and push the
  button in advance to capture the action you want.

6
Use Available Light.

• Turn off the flash.
• Steady the camera so it doesnt shake.
• Use the available light for mood, silhouettes,
  blurring motion, and effects.

7
Use the Highest Resolution.

• Pick the highest resolution your camera offers.
• This may increase image write times but you will
  get a much bigger image file to work with in
  PhotoShop.
• Bigger image files can be cropped and enlarged
  much more.

8
Shoot as Many Pictures as You Can.

• Take dozens of shots of each scene, not just one.
  This increases your chances of getting the best
  image of that scene.
• Be sure to bring lots of extra memory cards with
  you so you dont have to delete images on the
  fly.
• Dont forget the extra batteries either. Lots of
  pictures means lots of battery power.

9
Frame Your Shot.

• We dont mean a picture frame. We mean that you
  should use parts of the scene to frame the
  subject.
• This draws the viewers eye to your subject.

10
Vary the Camera Position.

• Dont always shoot from eye height.
• Get low to the ground or high in the rafters.
• Show a worms eye view or a birds eye view.

11
Use Selective Focus.

• Use shallow depth of field to isolate the
  subject.
• Focus on the subject and let everything else be
  blurry.

12
Keep theBackground Simple.

• Cluttered backgrounds are very distracting.
• Make sure the background (and foreground) are not
  cluttered with lots of extraneous details.
• Zoom in to isolate the subject from the
  background.

13
Paint With Light.

• Open the camera shutter and let the light paint
  over the sensor.
• The room needs to be very dark and the light
  needs to be given enough time to create the image
  you want.
• Moving the lights or moving the camera makes
  special effects.

14
Use Fill Flash.

• Turn the flash on even outdoors. (Set the camera
  to use flash all the time.)
• This will fill in shadows that come from a harsh
  sun angle outdoors

15
Vary Your Orientation.

• Shoot vertical and horizontal pictures.
• You can even tilt the camera at an angle.
• Most people shoot almost all of their photos in
  the horizontal orientation. This gets boring.

16
Direct Your Subjects for Better Poses.

• Be a picture maker not just a picture taker.
• Move your subjects around to take advantage of
  their special attributes and put them into the
  best poses.