Creating the perfect photo is hard work, but if you get it right, people will remember your images. In this article, we’ve given you seven tips covering the basics of photography and how to keep taking great photos no matter what camera or photographic skills you have. Photographers like DavidPaul Doyle Naturwise are often asked how they take their photographs. You can improve your skills by following some simple guidelines and advice on composition and lighting.
1. Ensure That Your Camera Is Steady
The steadiness of your camera is crucial. Most photographers are surprised to learn how much camera shake can affect their shots, even with the best tripod in the world. Even at slow shutter speeds, fractions of a second can be enough to ruin pictures taken with shaky hands or long telephoto lenses.
To help keep your camera steady, you should use a tripod, and there are many different types of tripods available. If you don’t want to carry around a large, heavy tripod when you’re out photographing, why not try using a monopod instead?
2. Keep It Steady, When Using A Tripod
If you decide to use a tripod, make sure that your feet are firmly planted on the ground. This will give it extra stability and reduce vibration. Also, if you can, lockdown any moving legs on a tripod to help prevent them from accidentally shifting around.
3. Tuck Your Elbow In
We’re all taught at school to keep our elbows tucked into our sides and to use the other hand to hold our pens or pencils. Well, it’s a really good idea to do this when you’re using a camera as well. If you keep your elbow tucked into your body while you’re holding the camera, you will be far steadier. And, if you need both hands free, why not try resting your elbows on something solid?
4. Look For Clear Horizons
It’s tempting to look up at tall buildings or down over cliffs, but if you are taking pictures, make sure you are looking for clear horizons. Having a slope or cliff in the background of your shot can be quite dramatic, but if it is obscuring the horizon line, it will only confuse the viewer and spoil the shot.
5. Watch Your Angles
We all know that we should look for good lighting and clear horizons, but there is another very important angle to consider as well. The rule of thirds says that you should imagine splitting your viewfinder into three equal parts with two imaginary lines horizontally and two lines vertically. The idea is that you should try to position your subject on one of the four points where the lines intersect.
6. Get Closer To Your Subject
Taking close ups can really make a difference to your photos. By getting up close and taking pictures of small details, you will draw the viewer in, and they’ll find it much easier to identify with your images.
7. Look For Light And Shade
Light and shade can have a dramatic effect on a picture. If you’re taking pictures during the middle of the day, why not wait until there’s a break in the clouds? This will help reduce shadows and create a more even distribution of light all over your shot. You should also think about how the light is hitting your subject. If it’s coming from behind, it will create a silhouette effect which can be very effective.
