Eight Tips for Better Pictures Fast
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Posted On :
Aug-04-2010
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Article Word Count :
2020
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Let’s make everyday images more extraordinary. There are some easy to learn everyday tips that can improve your basic photography quickly.
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Let’s make everyday images more extraordinary. There are some easy to learn everyday tips that can improve your basic photography quickly.
I am not one for “fixing it in Photoshop” or “in the mix” as they say in the music business. As a professional, I want to get it right the first time in camera. Downloading files and fixing things in post is just too time consuming and sloppy for me. So here are eight tips to get you started off right.
Tip #1 Get Closer-Get Lower-Get Higher
Most people I observe stand too far away from the subject they are photographing. I am sure that is because they do not want to call attention to themselves; they want to snap a fast picture and not be noticed or be in the way. But I say, “Get closer to your subject!”
Taking a moment to get closer and not have so much distracting background improves an image greatly. Don’t be shy, move in and get a great picture not just an okay one. Cropping in post production later is okay to a point, but I am for doing it right the first time in the camera. Over cropping degrades the image quality by only using a small part of the file.
Speaking of getting right in there, I was in Las Vegas and found a crowd of people watching and taking pictures of three living statues. These beautiful girls were clothed and painted in one color and looked like real statues. Just once in a while they would move ever so slightly. Similar to the English guard, they will not even move to accept a tip or compliment. I carefully worked myself into the center of the crowd and took a photograph…well, okay, lots of photographs. After a few minutes I realized that the crowd had opened up for me, and I had all the elbow room I wanted.
Try not shooting everything at your standing level. Mix it up a bit and add interest to your images by getting lower and shoot at kid level. I squat, kneel, and lay on my stomach (all of which is getting harder at 40 something!) I often get on a ladder and shoot down on someone by two feet or more. Lay your subject on the ground and shoot almost straight down on them with your head in the ceiling fan. That is fun, too!
Tip #2 Look behind your subject
Many times we notice after the fact that we have a tree trunk, pole, or some other line intersecting the head of our subject. Take a moment to look past your subject and see what may become a distraction. You may have to move around a bit to find a more pleasing angle.
If timing is critical, grab your shot regardless of the background first. Then with the luxury of time back on your side, reposition yourself to eliminate those unwanted lines. With children and pets, you may not get another chance to get exactly what you want so get the image now.
The excuse of “I’ll just fix that later in Photoshop” is for amateurs and reflects sloppy work. Fixing files also takes time and time is money. Photoshop is a great tool to assist you with challenges in images, but it is not an excuse not to do things right in the first place.
Tip #3 Cropping
Go ahead and cut through the top of a head or hat on someone’s head on purpose. Look at the magazines, even scenes on television; they do it all of the time. It adds drama to an image. It draws you to their eyes. Yes, grandma will exclaim, “You cut her head off!” It is an artistic decision. They can learn to deal with it.
Not all images are improved by cropping. Sometimes a client will ask me “How will you crop that?” I prefer to crop in the camera and get the shot I am visualizing at the moment. So what I show them is what it will look like. As mentioned in tip number one, over cropping after the image is taken degrades the image quality by only using a small part of the original file.
Be aware that even if a client likes a photographic style and comments on how much they like it, they may still not be comfortable with it on their own images. That happens quite a bit. Educating your client or subject will make it more acceptable to them, and maybe in time they will trust you to do something creative.
Go ahead and include some images that have dramatic cropping. It adds to the variety of choices. The client may not select them, and that’s okay. Put one on your wall as a display and enjoy the compliments.
Tip #4 Lens Selection
The focal length of the lens you select and the aperture you shoot at also affects the look of your photograph.
For you techies, I realize that the size of the digital sensor can change the true results of our lenses depending on what camera model we have, but for now lets keep it simple.
A standard 50mm lens that comes with most cameras sees like your eye does. It sees a similar field of view of about 50-55 degrees. It is the most natural look because it is like our eyes, but I find it so boring that I do not own a prime lens like this.
A wider angle lens, less than 50 mm, is going to see a wider view that your own eye can normally see. This is helpful when you want to record scenery. This makes for a great vacation lens. Do be careful when using it for portrait work as you may get distortion. When working at a wide open f-stop you will need to be more careful on how you focus.
A telephoto lens, over 50mm, is going to have a tighter view and magnify the subject. I think portraits look better this way. The larger the number, the more magnification it has.
A macro lens is for getting close-ups of small items like flowers, insects, or other details. Use a tripod for best results and eliminate the blur that easily occurs from being at such close range.
Try an experiment for yourself. Find a simple subject like a flower in the garden. Stand in one place and use some different focal length lenses. See how much the image changes when you go from wide angle, to normal, to telephoto.
The aperture you select will also determine the look of your photograph. A large f stop number like f16 will have a greater depth of field than a small f stop number like f4.
The shutter speed you use also plays a part in the final look of the image. A faster shutter speed will stop motion and a slower shutter speed can might show some blur.
Tip #5 Distortion
One way distortion happens is if you are too close to your subject using a wide angle lens. You will find the facial features warped and distorted. I see many amateur images that have this problem, and they generally do not notice it.
Don’t use 28mm, stand close to a person and try to take a nice portrait. You will have a very distorted face and an unhappy customer. Any lens focal length greater than 50mm would look much better for a portrait. I personally prefer to shoot at 135mm – 200mm and stand a good ten to fifteen feet from my portrait subject. The compression is great and it is very flattering.
If someone sits facing you and has their feet or hands extended out towards you, their feet or hands are going to look too big and out of proportion. Unless you are shooting a shoe catalog, or going for an unusual technique, this perspective may not be an attractive look. Keeping the body parts on a more similar plane of focus will look nicer.
Tip #6 Expression
The most endearing part of any photograph of people is the expression. All other elements may fail, and we still love the photograph because of the expression.
Getting a great expression is often the hardest part of taking portraits. There are so many factors that come into play. This skill takes time to develop and find out what works and what does not.
You could try talking about something funny or sing silly songs. Saying “cheese” is not recommended. You know what you’ll get? A big, fake, toothy, goofy face.
Putting so much pressure on a child to perform can really get in the way of getting real expressions. Let them play a little, relax, and let them warm up to you.
It is often harder photographing your own kids and pets because they know how to push your buttons! That’s a good thing for us professional photographers. Our many years of experience working with so many people of all ages really shows in our work.
Tip #7 Color
Our eye wants to look at the brightest area of an image first. If you want the center attention to be the face, a really bright orange shirt, pretty as it may be, will only detract from that great expression you just captured. Oftentimes a portrait client will want to wear something that makes them feel good. That wild stripe shirt or loud graphic often is not the best choice for a portrait as it demands a lot of attention. A solid color that matches or is close to your subject’s eye color will really be more attractive.
Many people love to wear red. It is an understandable selection for an outgoing, fun loving person, but not the best choice for a professional portrait. Pair that up with the corporate white shirt and power tie. It makes sense. However! The red is so powerful and demands so much attention that it is not my idea of a great professional image. After a consultation with me where I showed them other possibilities and suggestions, they selected softer colors that let you see their faces first. After that you can appreciate the understated details of a well coordinated wardrobe.
Tip #8 Exposure
This is a big in-depth topic as it has so many variables. One change you can make is to be aware that the exposure will be difficult when photographing very light and very dark items at the same time. The large amount of contrast is difficult to record well.
That is why I prefer overcast days, big clouds over the sun in a bright sky, or working in complete shade. If you can place your subject in the shade, so they can have their eyes open and not have a really bright sky or hot spot behind them, that will look much nicer than out in full sun with harsh shadows and squinty eyes.
If you are using automatic settings, try to avoid lighting conditions that have high contrast. Full sunlight coming through sparse trees makes for a lot of bright spots on the ground is not the best place to photograph.
Mid day is kind of a tricky time of the day to photograph. Think about shooting at almost sunset or sunrise when the shadows are long and the light is softer. We call that “sweet light.” Other solutions (that would be easier if it wasn’t a prey animal we were dealing with) would be a more evenly shaded area, adding reflection or extra lighting.
Go out and shoot!
With practice, these eight tips will become easier to do in your everyday photography. Eventually, these steps will become practically automatic, and you won’t have to try to remember them. Then you can move on to other techniques and acquire more skills.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Eight Tips for Better Pictures Fast_28044.aspx
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Author Resource :
Photography expert Barb Gordon, Master Photographer, weekly publishes Barb Gordon Photo Coach’s Shooting For Success, a free ezine. If you’re ready to take your photography to the next level, get your FREE reports “Make Photography More than a Hobby” and “15 Ways to Make More Money with your Photography” now at http://www.BarbGordonPhotoCoach.com
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Keywords :
Taking pictures, photographs, How to take better pictures, Tips for taking better pictures, photography tips,
Category :
Arts and Entertainment
:
Photography
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