How To Take Top Class Photos
How to take top-class shots yourself It’s not vital for aspiring snappers to invest in costly equipment. Steve says: ‘Have you heard this before? Digital cameras do all the work. You just push the button and great pictures magically appear. The better the camera, the better the photos. Isn’t that right? Heck, no! ‘The truth is that you can make great photos with a simple consumer point-and-shoot camera, or take lousy shots with the most expensive Nikon. It’s not the camera that makes beautiful images; it’s the photographer. ‘With a little knowledge and a willingness to make an adjustment here and there, you can squeeze better photos out of the smallest digicam.’
1. Direction of light. Shoot when the sun is low in the sky, either in the early morning or late afternoon. The colour of the light is warmer and reds and yellows are stronger which generally gives a more pleasing effect.
2. Exposure. Use auto exposure to your advantage. In most modern cameras the default metering system is ‘centre weighted average’, which means that, although it takes an average reading of the whole scene, it takes more notice of what is in the middle of the frame. If your main point of interest is not in the centre, put it there temporarily while you focus and take your light reading, then move the camera whilst still holding the button halfway down and compose the picture the way you want.
3. Cluttered images. In photography, less is often more. Before pressing the shutter-release button, ask yourself what you first noticed in a scene that made you want to take this photo and then try to isolate whatever you saw, without including too much in the scene.
4. Use a tripod. Especially for landscapes and macro shots, it’s best to use a tripod. It reduces camera shake and it slows down the picturetaking process, which means you have more time to concentrate on the composition.
5. Experiment. Take lots of photos and experiment. Experiment with different settings – lighting, object position, white-balancing settings – to get different colour temperatures, exposures and depth of field.
6.Use proportion: the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a way of describing where to place focal points in a photograph. If you are taking a portrait, the obvious area of interest is the person’s eyes. If you are taking a landscape it could be a tree in the foreground. Don’t put the areas of interest in the middle of the photograph. Photographs work better when they are off-centre.
7.Composition. Compose your photos for added interest. Use strong lines within the composition to lead the viewer’s eye into the shot, such as a path or road, to a focal point. Try to find something to add foreground interest in wider scenic views such as a plant or rock. Try turning the camera on its side for portrait format pictures or tilting it to add drama.
8. Get up early… to capture a deserted beach or local town. Holiday destinations change character when no one is around and you can take home some different photos of a wellknown location even if the weather is bad. It changes the character of a place. If you are at the coast and the weather turns stormy you are in luck: crashing waves and dramatic skies make for awesome images.
9. Sunglasses polariser. If you really want to add some punch to your images, then get a polarising filter – the one filter every photographer should have handy for landscapes and general outdoor shooting. By reducing glare and unwanted reflections, polarised shots have richer, more saturated colours, especially in the sky. If your digital camera can’t accommodate filters but you have a pair of quality sunglasses, then take them off and use them as your filter.
10. Assess your photographs. Do an honest assessment of your shoot. How could you have improved it? Did you have a game plan and how did that play out? What would you do differently? Also, don’t forget to congratulate yourself for what went right