My Photography Book

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The 6 Most Important Hints For Capturing Great Photographs

By Autumn Lockwood


The majority of us fall a little bit short in terms of taking pictures that warrant showing in picture frames on top of our desks at work. However, digital cameras are becoming better and better, allowing everybody to capture excellent snapshots. After all, most digital cameras available today are point-and-shoot models that do all the hard things for you, from face recognition to identifying on their own if a flash is needed. Nonetheless, becoming a better photographer is doable when you have some experience with your camera under your belt, and a sense of know-how. Get out your digital camera and have a peek at the hints below which will be sure to improve your pictures.

* Make eye contact with your subject to get a more engaging photo. Keep your camera at your subject's eye level and you are sure to notice that you obtain a much more unique shot. When shooting pictures of children or household pets, get down to their level. This turns out looking much nicer than photographs that are looking down onto the main focus of the photo. Also, when a photograph is taken at eye level it is usually much more personalized and welcoming, and will draw in the viewer.

* Emphasize your main focus in the picture by keeping distractions out of the background. A flagpole which seems to be spearing your subject through their head will draw attention away from the real focus of the photograph. Make sure you take into account the surroundings of the subject when taking pictures. A common or undecorated setting with little to no distracting activity is the most ideal.

* Find out when you should make use of the camera's flash. A large amount of sunlight often creates dramatic shadows on a face. A good method to remove these shadows is by using your camera's flash, even when there is a lot of light outdoors. This is especially true if the day is really sunny. If you have to choose between full flash and fill flash, the standard rule is to use the fill flash when photographing subjects five feet or closer, and the full flash for those subjects that are farther away than five feet.

* Know when you should move up closer. For subjects smaller than a normal sized automobile, take a few steps closer to your subject before snapping your picture. Or it may be an even better idea to use the zoom function on your camera. The thing you are trying to obtain is revealing features, like a charming set of freckles or a stunning set of teeth.

* Know if you're too close to your subject. While getting close makes for a much better shot most of the time, you need to also avoid coming too close. If you are too close, your pictures will end up blurry. The closest focusing distance on the standard digital camera is about a yard, which is around one step away from the lens of the camera. If you get any nearer than this you may not get the nice clear pictures you desire.

* Position your subject in the very center of the picture, but only if that is the way it looks the best. The nice thing about the digital camera is that you are able to shoot, shoot, and re-shoot until the shot you are taking turns out like you want it. Many times, the middle is an ideal position for the subject, but this is not always true. Snap multiple shots so you can compare them side by side and discover which position works the best for the subject.

If you really take time to think things through, you can easily capture pictures that are well worth putting in picture frames all over your office and house.




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