Saturday 30 March 2013

Photography: How To Take Professional Quality Photos Without Extensive Training


Photography: How To Take Professional Quality Photos Without Extensive Training

Photography can be a profession, hobby, or just a way to capture the many memories in progress in life. No matter what the reasoning behind the photo, knowing a few great tips about photography can help you get the clear, crisp pictures that you hope for. The following article is full of tips to help you get the best results.
Don’t be afraid to move your subject, if it can be moved, if it’s not working for you. You don’t have to be the only thing moving if something is amiss. You can create all kinds of interesting shots and compositions by moving to an unexpected location or even using a different source altogether.
A great photography tip is to stop using flash. A lot of people use flash whenever they take pictures because they don’t know any better. Flash flattens everything out, creating an undesirable and artificial photograph. Instead try to stick to more natural lighting when shooting your subjects.

Photography: How To Take Professional Quality Photos Without Extensive Training

If you are having difficulty holding your camera straight, purchase a tripod. A tripod will go a long way in helping to keep your camera in place, so you can focus on other variables other than balance. Tripods work great if you are in the wilderness or on an uneven terrain.
Avoid proprietary films when you are looking for good film to use. Proprietary film is patented, and can only be used in conjunction with the owner patent. Sometimes these film types will be sent to you free of charge. If you do not see a mark for C-41 on the film, avoid using it.
When shooting landscapes, remember the rule of thirds which is to keep one-third or two-thirds of the image as the sky or the foreground. This will give the photo more depth and a more dramatic look. This is an easy tip for beginners to follow but will make a huge difference in the appearance of the photos.
When photographing portraits, isolate your subject. Use a medium telephoto lens or the medium telephoto setting on your zoom. That, combined with a large aperture (try f/4 or larger), blurs the foreground and background. Focus on the eyes. Use diffused lighting for a flattering look. If outdoors, wait for an overcast sky or shoot with the subject in the shadows and the sun at your back.
Before you start using your camera and before you start setting up things to shoot, you need to learn about your most valuable tool; you need to learn about your camera. The best way to do this is by reading the camera’s included manual and learning about everything it does.
Play with lens distortion. Most photographs use portrait lenses or zoom lenses to focus on an object, and use a wide-angle lens for landscapes and such. By using a lens for a different use than its intended one, you will get a very original photograph. Do not let this become your style: learn when you can use an original lens.
Here is a photo timesaver! Get a hot shoe bubble level. They are quite simple to install and even easier to use. This is the best and easiest way for you to insure that the photos that you are taking are completely level. This is something that can be done with editing software but it is much easier to capture the photo the way that you want it to be.
A great photography tip is to make sure your shots have depth in them. An easy way to achieve that is to be sure that you have a background, a middle ground, and a foreground. Having all three of these will give your pictures a sense of atmospheric perspective.
A great photography tip is to keep your sensor as clean as possible. If your sensor is dirty, you’re going to end up with a dirty picture. Having a clean sensor can save you a lot of time by not having to clean up a photo in an image editing program.
A good photography tip is to always be early when you’re planning on shooting a sunset or a sunrise. This will give you ample time to compose the perfect shot. You don’t want to get there and be forced to compose a lousy shot because you’re short on time.
Filters that you should consider investing in include; the polarizing filter to decrease the amount of reflections, the colorizing filters for an added richness in different colors, and the IR filter to shoot in the dark. Many filtering effects can now be added after the photo is taken with photo editing software.
Consider trying black and white film to vary your photography. You may think black and white is old fashioned or outdated. Actually black and white film is the chosen film media of master photographers all over the world. You can easily spice up a drab color photo by redoing it in black and white.
Natural light will always provide you with the highest quality photos. Cloudy days are actually better for shooting than sunny ones, because the clouds act as a natural diffuser, spreading the light out and eliminating shadows and harsh contrasts. Opt for your next photo shoot outside on an overcast day.
One simple tip that can take your photography from okay to fabulous is to simply move in closer. There is a tendency to want to get as much of the scenery as possible in a picture, but the best shots come from moving in nice and tight. Your subject should fill the majority of the frame because details make for a far more interesting photo.
Be selective about the elements that you include in your photo. Go ahead and remove anything from the picture that doesn’t belong there or makes the frame seem unbalanced. Use panning shots that keep your subject in focus but blur the background if you can’t remove all unwanted distractions from your shot.
The best way to ruin a photograph is to move the camera while shooting. Keep your camera steady, and give it some support when pressing the shutter button. When talking with professionals, they will tell you to always use a tripod. Sometimes a tripod is just not a practical solution. Use whatever is available like propping the camera against a wall or on top of a fence to take a great shot.
Photography can be very rewarding, but it can also be a lot of work. Regardless, if you know what to do and how to take better photos, you can get the shots that you want and need. So, do yourself a favour by doing your research and applying the above tips to your photography skill set.

No comments:

Post a Comment