Since a long time ago, when I started to study photography, I have been asked how I take such good pictures. There are many different styles and types of photography, but I usually end up giving the same key photography tips for most of them.
Professionals use SLR cameras
I cannot stress enough, if you want to take quality pictures, learn how to use a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. You wouldn’t believe how many self-proclaimed hobbyist photographers haven’t started learning how to use an SLR (some still use those point-and-click cameras).
I know that with advances in technology, digital cameras and memory are getting better every day, but there just isn’t enough versatility with a point and click camera. They’re great for general day-to-day snapshots, but they’ll never quite measure up to the versatility and professional results you get with an SLR camera.
That being said, increased versatility equates to more features on the camera. So once you have a good SLR (preferably digital), learn these features from the owner’s manual. Learn how to control shutter speed, aperture settings, ISO (film) settings, and white balance.
Note: On older (non-digital) SLR cameras, ISO is a function of the film and refers to the speed of the film. Only digital SLRs offer ISO function settings.
clear viewer
Too many photographers take pictures much wider than they really want and have to use software to crop the shot to the scene they want. This just causes more work later, and there’s no guarantee that all distractions can be removed.
Unlike a point-and-click camera, an SLR’s viewfinder uses a prism and mirrors that allow you to look directly through the lens. That’s why with an SLR, “what you see is what you get.” By taking into account everything that appears in the viewfinder, you may notice distractions that you wouldn’t otherwise.
Don’t you hate it when you think you’ve captured a really good scene only to find out later that there was something distracting in the background?
Composition
One of the most used composition techniques is the rule of thirds. Divide the viewer into nine squares of the same size as on a tic-tac-toe board. Where the dividing lines meet is where the interesting points of the scene should be placed. Relatively straight lines (vertical and horizontal), such as a long tree trunk or ocean horizon, should be placed on a horizontal or vertical dividing line.
This technique causes stress in the scene, and this stress causes interest.
Keep in mind that the more a shot is prepared before it is shot, the less likely it is that Photoshop will be needed.
Note: Before every major session change, reset your camera’s white balance. Lighting conditions may change throughout the day (from one session to another). Correcting the white balance between sessions will reduce the necessary Photoshop corrections. The answer to how to take good photographs does not go through correcting them afterwards.
Pictures
Although the techniques we just discussed work with almost any style, there are some techniques that are commonly used with particular styles. In portraits, the subject is not the whole scene, but only a part of it, so it is important that the subject stands out.
Shooting your subject with a shallow depth of field is one of the easiest ways to make sure it stands out. Depth of field is the length of distance in front of the camera where things in the scene appear equally in focus. This is controlled by the size of the aperture opening. The smaller the setting, the larger the aperture at the aperture and the narrower the depth of field.
Note: This allows more light to pass through your camera lens, so film (ISO) and shutter settings must be changed to compensate.
Taking a portrait of a subject with a narrow depth of field while keeping the foreground and background outside the depth of field makes the subject appear in focus while keeping the rest of the landscape slightly out of focus. This results in the subject really standing out and even appearing to pop out of the image.
landscapes
Another common style that requires specific photographic techniques is landscape photography. Unlike portraits, in landscape photography the subject is the entire scene; it is often desirable to keep the entire scene equally in focus and shoot with a wider perspective to take in as much of the landscape as possible.
To achieve this you need an infinite depth of field and a lens that allows a broader perspective than the human eye. This is the reason why wide angle lenses are commonly used in landscape photography. These lenses allow you to capture a wide perspective of a scene.
A high aperture setting should be used to get infinite depth of field. This makes the opening in the opening very small. To compensate for this, the shutter must be left open longer. With that understood, it is absolutely necessary to use a tripod or other camera stabilizing device with landscape photography so that the camera does not shake while the shutter is open.
I hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful. If it has helped you in any way, the next time someone asks you how you take such great photos, feel free to forward this article to them.