Mastering the art and science behind photography is an intimidating prospect that requires a combination of training and talent. However, if you are not a born photographer, you can certainly learn enough good technique to take great pictures.
Digital photography can be altered and manipulated in software to make them resemble traditional art forms. There are many options for digital editing software, although Adobe Photoshop is considered to be of the highest quality. You will be able to instantly convert the photo into artistic portraits with the simple click of the filter button and choosing the medium that you prefer.
If you’re taking pictures of landscapes, you will want to create depth and perspective for the viewer. Have a person or other object put into the foreground in order to gauge the overall scale of the image. Set a small aperture, try one no greater than a f/8 if it’s a digital or f/16 with an SLR, so that your foreground and background can both be sharp.
Lots of people believe that taking pictures in bright sunshine creates the best images. However, this isn’t the case, because direct sunlight can ruin almost all photographs. Bright sunlight casts awkward shadows and over exposes areas of the image. It can also cause your subjects to close or squint their eyes which looks unnatural. If you’re going to be taking photographs outside, try to take them early in the morning or late in the evening.
Proper shooting stance is very important in photography. You want to hold your arms tight to the body, while having a firm grip on the camera using both hands. This keeps the shaking to a minimum and your shots will be more clear. You can also keep your camera from slipping out of your hands by holding it from the bottom, rather than the top.
Another handy photography tip involves the camera’s shutter. When you know how the shutter speed affects your photographs, you can manipulate them to add interest to your pictures. Your camera has S, A, M and P settings. The ‘P’ button will take you to the program mode. The P is the automatic setting. Choose this to let the camera decide on the aperture speeds and shutter speeds. For general use, the “P” setting is the right one to choose.
When departing on a trip, start shooting photos the minute you walk out the door. While shooting on location will provide you with some great shots, you should also view as the entire trip as a means to capture some great pictures. Instead of only waiting until you reach your desired location, document your trip there. For example, an airport presents lots of engaging subjects for your photographs.
As you should now know, you have the ability to become a successful photographer. There is more to taking pictures than pressing buttons on your camera. Taking a good picture involves recognizing an interesting photograph even before it’s taken.
