|
Beginner photography tips / How
to keep your photos safe / How can I make money with
my camera? /
Five steps to perfect portraits / Tips
for storing photos and negatives
Beginner photography tips
With the exception of home videos there is nothing that preserves the moments
of our lives like photographs. They freeze the wonderful moments we have in our
lifetime and preserve them for our kids, grandkids and others to enjoy.
Photography is one of those rare hobbies that anyone at any age can undertake.
There really is no trick to taking good photographs but there are some things
to consider in order to make your pictures wonderful.
The most important item on your tip checklist is to be well acquainted with your
camera. Whether you have an automatic focus camera or a self-focusing SLR with
all the latest bells and whistles it is very important to know what all the buttons
are for. This may sound silly but it is a good idea to read any documentation
that comes with your camera. You'd be surprised how many folks I know that try
to take a picture by just pushing buttons. Imagine their surprise when they push
a button and the film door pops open exposing the film to the world before its
time. If you ever want to ruin a Kodak moment, that is a good way to do it.
Before you try your hand at preserving posterity, invest in a roll or two of film
and take some pictures around the house and yard. Take several photos of the same
thing but do it at different distances, under different light conditions. If your
camera has a flash, try a flash photo and non-flash photo. A very helpful thing
to do when beginning your foray into photography is to keep notes on each photo
you take. Note the light conditions, flash or no flash, distance from the object,
type of film you are using and any camera settings. When you review your photo's
you will develop a good idea of what works and what doesn't. After a while, you
will automatically know how far away from an object you should be and when you
need to add artificial light or not.
Unless you are aiming for a family portrait, the best photo's are the ones that
are unplanned and unstaged. Once the subject of your photo knows the camera is
about to click, they suddenly become the object folks think they want to show
instead of being themselves. The animated, unknowing subject of a photograph is
far more appealing and interesting than a posed subject.
A suggestion for taking these kinds of photos is to sit the camera on the edge
of a table or arm of a chair. Every so often push the button to take the photo.
Nobody "see's" the photo taken. Folks don't feel as if they are "set
up" for a picture. Everyone is relaxed and the photo's come out much better.
If setting the camera on the table isn't an option, take the picture from off
to the side. Don't announce "I am going to take my pictures now." Just
quietly do it. Unless others are paying attention to your every move, they will
think you are off to get a drink or talk to someone on the other side of the room
or yard.
If you are outside, watch the sun. If the sun is behind the photographer rather
than the subject, the picture will come out with the subject property lighted.
Shooting into the sun will "blind" the camera lens and obliterate the
subject rather than enhance its image.
If there is no sun to light the subject then an artificial light must be introduced
into the picture. This comes in the form of a flash. The trick to flash photography
is to coordinate the amount of light being used with the opening of the camera
lens. Since the flash and click of the camera take milliseconds, there is no way
to tell if you have the proper light/lens opening coordination. It may seem like
they are working properly in tandem but the photograph will be the test of that.
If the coordination is not correct your pictures will either look like they have
melted and all the colors have run together or half the picture will be dark and
the other half will be fine.
Most automatic cameras with a built in flash will make the proper adjustments
when the flash is activated. All you need to do is to push the "flash on"
button. A self-adjusting camera usually has a "hot shoe" plate and requires
a flash attachment. Once the flash is attached, the settings must be manually
(or womanually) set. The setting is related to the distance and artificial light
available. The documentation that comes with the flash unit will note guidelines
for settings necessary to get a properly lighted photograph.
When you look through the lens of your camera you will see a box. That box represents
the outline of your photograph. When setting up a photograph, keep your subject
or the focal point of the photograph centered in that box. If the subject of you
photograph is moving, for instance you want a picture of Aunt Martha walking to
the grill to get a burger, you will have to move with the subject in order to
get the picture. To do this successfully it is important that the camera is not
moving erratically. Hold the camera with 2 hands and keep your arms tucked close
to your sides instead of with your elbows sticking out to the sides. This keeps
your camera stable and eliminates as much camera movement as possible. Twist your
body without moving your feet and follow the subject with your camera, keeping
the subject centered in the box until you snap the picture. If you have too much
movement and camera shaking as you take the photograph your picture will look
like it is "quaking". If that is the desired effect, you have a winner.
But if what you want is a nice picture of Aunt Martha walking to the grill to
get a burger, you will be so out of luck.
As you take more and more photographs you will develop a "sixth sense"
for what works and what doesn't. You will "just know" what the right
flash setting should be and how far away from an object you need to be. As you
become better acquainted with your camera you will know its limits with out having
to take a picture to find out.
Written by Colleen Kelley
|
