15471867 photography how to take great photos

8/9/2019 15471867 Photography How to Take Great Photos

1/33

How to Take GREAT Photos!


2/33

2

Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: This information is provided "as is". The author, publishers and

Marketers of this information disclaim any loss or liability, either directly or

indirectly as a consequence of applying the information presented herein, or in regard

to the use and application of said information. No guarantee is given, either expressed

or implied, in regard to the merchantability, accuracy, or acceptability of the

information.

Copyright 2007 To Present, All Rights Reserved.


3/33

3

Table of Contents

Click on the Chapter Title to forward to a topic.

Do You Prefer Film or Digital? 4

What Can YOUR Camera Do? 6

What Are You Taking a Picture Of? 8

How Light Affects Your Picture 10

How to Determine Correct Exposure 12

How to Use the Aperture 14

How Shutter Speed Affects Your Photos 16

Tips for Taking Outside Photos 18

Tips for Taking Indoor Photos 20

Tips for Taking Portrait Shots 22

Tips for Taking Motion Shots 24

Tips for Taking Group Pictures 26

Tips for Taking Macro Pictures 28Tips for Taking Candid Photos of Children 30

Tips for Taking Stunning Landscape Shots 32


4/33

4

Do You Prefer Film or Digital?

Most people have embraced digital photography with enthusiasm. The lower cost of

printing and storage is a big factor in the popularity of digital photography, especially

for amateurs. With digital photography you dont have to pay for the printing of a

snapshot that has turned out awful. You can view the shot as soon as youve taken it

and if its not up to scratch, delete it from the memory card with a simple click. If you

want to wait and look at it on your computer or on the printout machine in the store,

you can do that too.

The low cost of taking a photo means that you can practice more and hone your skills

without spending lots of money. The LCD window is there for checking the quality.

You can take lots of photos before your memory card is full too. No counting to thirty

or so photos and then having to change the film. What if you forgot to buy an extra

one? You can easily miss that great snapshot just because your camera ran out of film.

With a traditional film camera, you have to take the shot without knowing just how it

will turn out. You send the film away to be developed and have to wait a week to get

it back, depending on where you live. You have to pay for the whole film, no matter

whether youve cut Uncle Joes head off, or one of the kids decided to poke out their

tongue just as you clicked.

The storage capacity of your computer is almost unlimited. You dont have to have a

cupboard full of photo albums (or cardboard boxes full of old photos) that you never

get around to updating. It can all go on the computer, and then be copied to a CD-R to

back it up or take it with you. With a digital photo, you can crop out that strangers

head or the rusty drum you didnt notice. You can change the color from cold to warm

and do all sorts of other fancy stuff to improve that snapshot you want to keep but is

not perfect.

Another great thing about digital photography is the position. You can hold the

camera at almost any angle to take a shot. With a traditional camera, you might have


5/33

5

to lie on the ground to get the right focus for some difficult shots. And what happens

if youve bought film suited for bright sun and it rains nearly all the time on your

holiday? Wasted film equals wasted money. You can get distant shots and close upshots, shots on dull days or bright sunny days without changing the film or the setting

if you use the auto feature.

Of course, this doesnt mean that there is now no use for the traditional film. Many

professional photographers need to keep using their expensive film cameras for the

types of shots they need to take. But technology will soon catch up to them, too.

Digital cameras dont last as long as traditional ones do, but they are a lot of fun for

the amateur.


6/33

6

What Can YOUR Camera Do?

Many of todays digital cameras are multi-function; they do many things that wereonce not even dreamed of with traditional cameras. Even the cheapest, most basic

digital camera can take both still pictures and moving ones, so if your kids are having

a great game of soccer you should be able to shoot that winning goal for posterity. If

you are not experienced with cameras, its important to find out just what your camera

can do.

When you go into a shop to buy a camera, make sure the salesman gives you a good

demonstration of all the features in it. They are trained in camera usage or should be- for this very purpose, and there is nothing like having an expert show you the ropes.

Even if you buy from a generic store, the person behind the counter usually knows

something about the products.

Many digital cameras can capture a video clip right to the capacity of your memory

card, while others only go for thirty seconds. Some capture the sound as well, while

others do not, so if you want sound be sure to pay attention to what you are buying.

Some allow voice recording and also playback, which is a good feature if you want to

record notes to go with your photographs. The camera will need to have a built in

microphone to play back recordings.

Some cameras can play MP3 or other audio files; they also have earphones, which are

great for music-lovers, but the quality of the photos is often poor. So if you are more

shutterbug than music-lover, watch out for this. You will be able to resize, crop or

copy images, or edit video clips before you download them to your computer with

some cameras.

Digital camera makers have copied cell-phone technology to give us alarm clocks and

international time display, a very handy feature if you go overseas for business or

holidays. Even if you want to ring an overseas friend, this feature will enable you to


7/33

7

find out what time it is over there. Your friend may not appreciate being woken at

2am.

If you are not sure what features your new camera has, you could take it to a specialty

shop and ask. The salesman will no doubt hope to sell you a better one and he may

even succeed, but at least youll know what youve got. Some regions host short

courses for digital photography and it could be worthwhile to attend one of these.

Otherwise, youll be down to reading the book that came with it and experimenting on

your own. At least the photos wont cost you an arm and a leg!


8/33

8

What Are You Taking a Picture Of?

No matter what you are taking a picture of, there are tips and hints to guide you intoimproving it. Most people take photographs of their families, friends, pets, gardens

and family celebrations. We like to record our lives for ourselves and for future

generations. The days in which we had just one photo of grandpa sitting on a chair

and grandma standing next to him both wearing the most solemn expression - have

gone, thank goodness! Lets get into color, light, and happy smiles. Lets catch granny

cuddling the kids and granddad with a blob of birthday cake on his chin! Lets leave a

legacy for our great-grandchildren to enjoy. But let it be the best kind of photo that we

can manage.

When taking photographs of animals or children, remember that they are a lot lower

than where you are holding the camera, so get down to their level, otherwise their

photo will look bigheaded. Kneeling to take a photo of a pet will bring its face into

focus more sharply. Of course kneeling in front of your pet may also make him take a

flying leap into your arms, but thats a risk a photographer has to take.

Youve seen those photographs of people sitting on something (the sofa, a rock, the

ground) and their legs look huge? They are the ones everybody screams at. So what is

the cause of this? Its because when you take the photograph, the legs are in front,

closer to the camera. You have unwittingly focused the camera on the legs instead of

the faces. You may not have had the camera high enough.

Watch that sun! When taking photographs outdoors, the sun will cast a nasty, dark

shady over a face. Use the flash, or stand the subject in the shade. If your subject is in

the sun, it often makes them squint their eyes because the light is too bright. But if

they wear a cap or hat, the shadow thrown by it will screen the face. Thats why its

necessary to use a flash.


9/33

9

When taking photographs of that gorgeous rose in the garden, come up close to it.

Digital cameras are wonderful for taking close-ups. You can be just a few inches

away. Use the macro feature to achieve a sharp, clear photograph of flowers. Foranimals that you cant get close enough to, use your zoom feature. Also lock the focus

by half depressing the button and re-focusing on the animal. This will save you

getting a sharp background and a blurry animal.

Take time to pose your subject. A group standing straight up and looking at the

camera is a bit boring. Get some fun into it. Maybe they can all wear pink sunnies and

sling their arms around each other. Perhaps they could group around an interesting

tree one or two could be up in the tree. Whatever picture you decide to take, workon it just that bit more to upgrade from ordinary to spectacular.


10/33

10

How Light Affects Your Picture

Light is one of the main components of taking a good photograph. As soon as thatbutton clicks, light filters into the camera and records the image. In this case, you

might think that the more light the better, and so place your subjects in full sun. This

does not always work as you can see by the washed-out color and squinting eyes or

shadows in the finished product. Many otherwise good photographs have been spoiled

by a dark shadow thrown across the face so it cannot be seen clearly at all. You would

think a hat will take care of the squinting, but it will also cast a shadow over the

subjects face, so it wont be very clear in the photograph. Sometimes a shadow is

thrown across the lower part of the face by the nose, totally spoiling the shot. So howdo we utilize available light for the best effects?

First, a dull day will give excellent quality photos. There are no shadows cast in

unexpected places and no squinting needed. But all days are not dull, so what can we

do to eliminate those shadows? One way is to pose your subject on the shady side of a

building or tree. Make sure their face is in total shade, but it is best if the shade is not

too dark. Bright or light shade is best.

Another trick is to use a flash. This will eliminate or reduce the shadows that fall

across the face. You may need to manually adjust your camera to achieve this. Those

cameras on automatic flash will not be likely to flash if the sun is beaming down.

Keeping your back to the sun will take the glare out of an exposure, but there is a

problem. If your back is to the sun, your subject will then have to face it and squint.

Thats why its important to keep a shady spot reserved for the face. But the back to

sun rule is good to remember when you are taking scenery.

Of course if you are shooting indoors, youll need the flash for sure. Usually the

automatic feature will see that it comes on when needed, but sometimes, extra lighting

will enhance your photographs. Good artificial light is usually enough, but if you are

taking special photos, another strong source of light might be useful to give a


11/33

11

highlight effect. One thing to be aware of is sunlight coming through windows or

doors onto the subject. Get rid of it by closing the blind or door. Otherwise your flash

will come on and the result will be an over-exposure, leaving the subject lookingfaded or washed out.


12/33

12

How to Determine Correct Exposure

Exposure is a term that really means how much light has been let into thephotographic medium, whether it is film or a digital image sensor. Most cameras

have an automatic exposure feature so why bother worrying about it? Well, automatic

feature or not, your camera can get it wrong sometimes. If over-exposure is the

problem, the colors will be really light or even white, with no fine details showing. If

it has been under-exposed, it will be really dark. This usually happens when there are

elements in the picture that are radically different. These could be in distance, or in

light/shade. For instance, if you are taking a picture of a mountain on a clear sunny

day, the mountain could be fine, but that wonderful, blue sky a long way off shows upso white youd think it was covered in light cloud. What happened? In setting the

correct exposure for the mountain, the sky has been overexposed.

Or perhaps you are trying to capture the way sunbeams slant through the trees, but the

finished product is mostly shadows, or else the suns rays did not show up at all.

Thats because the automatic exposure feature focused on either trees or sunbeams to

the detriment of the other. The problem was that there were dark and bright elements

in the same photo. So in these cases, it might be necessary to adjust the exposure

yourself. This will consist of adjusting both shutter speed and lens aperture.

Exposure is not only to do with the amount of light on the photographic medium

though; it is also to do with the length of time it is exposed. Many unusual

photographs can be taken by using long exposure techniques. A faster film requires

less exposure, with the time controlled by the shutter speed. If the exposure is to be a

long one, then a smaller aperture is needed to reduce the amount of light. This is

called reciprocity.

If you intend to photograph something using a long exposure time, youll need a

tripod on which to rest the camera to prevent movement. Purists would declare that

there is no such thing as correct exposure since using different exposures may give


13/33

13

many different and delightful effects of a single scene. But unless you are an expert, it

may be wise to allow the automatic function on your camera to set it for you.

For studio photography, a light meter is needed to ensure your photograph will be

properly exposed. The most accurate readings are called compensation reading. To do

this you take a reading from the darkest point then adjust it by two stops. This ensures

that there will be the proper detail.


14/33

14

How to Use the Aperture

The aperture on your camera is what controls the amount of light when taking aphotograph. It is how wide the lens opens when you click that button. A large aperture

will give you a photograph where the area of focus is small and the depth of field

shallow. This is good for close-ups like portraits or close-up photographs of wildlife.

The aperture setting should be from f2.8 to f5.6. Shallow depth of field will give

clarity to the closest thing in your photo. (The smaller the f-number, the larger the

aperture setting and thus, the more light let in).

A small aperture, on the other hand, is necessary for landscapes and distant shots, as itwill give clarity in foreground and background details. The settings for small aperture

would be between f16 to f32. For mid-range shots the in-between settings of f8 to f11

will give high clarity and detail, maximizing the sharpness of your lens. A small

aperture will give a greater depth of field.

Depth of field can be explained as the distance between the closest thing in your

photo and the furthest thing. If you have good depth of field, the details in your photo

will be clear at both five feet and fifteen feet. Most digital cameras have a great depth

of field, which is why it is hard to blur the background so the foreground is sharp and

in contrast. Most cameras with an automatic depth of field cannot be set manually. If

you want to take photographs that are very precise, you need a camera that allows

manual adjustment.

If you want clarity of detail between 1 and 2 meters, then use a 22mm lens and set

to f8 and a bit less than 1 meters. This means that the background will be suitably

unsharp, throwing the foreground into relief. The larger the aperture number, the less

time is required to take a photo. So if you want to photograph something that is

moving, make sure your f-number is fairly large.


15/33

15

Correct exposure is determined by both shutter speed and aperture, but when you are

shooting during times of low light such as dusk, you will need to adjust the aperture to

let in as much light as possible. In bright conditions, the aperture should be set to asmaller f-number to prevent excessive light spoiling the picture.

Many people dont worry their heads about such things as aperture, exposure and

shutter speeds and if this is you and youre happy with your photographs, thats great.

Otherwise, a little attention to details like this could improve the quality of your

photographs a great deal.


16/33

16

How Shutter Speed Affects Your Photos

Shutter speed is one of the most important things to learn about in digitalphotography. It is this that controls the amount of light beaming onto your cameras

sensors. Cheaper digital cameras dont allow you to manually adjust the shutter speed,

so if you want to play around with this, get a more expensive one. Great results can be

achieved by adjusting the shutter speed.

Shutter speed is measured in F-stops. It is written as f-stop or f stop, it doesnt matter.

Inside the lens of your camera is a shutter that rotates. Shutter speed is a measurement

of how fast the rotation is. To get a good shot of a speeding car, you will need to havea shutter speed of something like 2000th of a second. Any fast moving photography

relies on fast shutter speed; sports photographers for example, need to have a fast

shutter sped to catch people who are moving fast. So when you see a shot of a

footballer caught and frozen in full flight, youll know the photographer had his

camera set to a really fast shutter speed.

Digital cameras are really good for this type of photography. In fact, some of the

newspapers have closed down their dark rooms due to the new technology. Babies,

kids and animal photos also need to have fast shutter speeds or you risk missing that

great moment that only lasts for a second. Shutter speed also depends on your

lighting. If you dont have much lighting, then the shutter speed needs to be less to let

more light in.

If you want to take a shot of children running, and you want the motion to look

frozen, then you would need to set the shutter speed to 1/500 to 1/1000, depending on

the light. If you want a deliberate blur, the shutter speed should be more like 1/250. A

reflex digital camera single lens, is the ideal one to use if you want to adjust your

shutter speed. Some cameras allow you to change both exposure value and shutter

speed, but not shutter speed alone. With these, you can fiddle and adjust to your

hearts content, but still, being able to adjust shutter speed alone is a great benefit.


17/33

17

When you are just learning, go with the shutter speed first, then try out aperture

before trying both together. This will give you a good sense of what effects you can

get with each alone and what shots you need to adjust both for.


18/33

18

Tips for Taking Outside Photos

There are three important factors in taking outside photos: location, lighting andcomposition. Most photos are of people. Even when you are on vacation and want to

take a photo of where youve been, you usually have a person in it too. That way it

proves youve been there! However, you must decide which one is the most

important to get a good photo. If the scene is more important than the person, make

sure there is enough light and that you are not too far away. Sometimes we think that

castle would be a great photo, but find its not much more than a blur in the

background, or the person has taken up so much of the photo the castle is obliterated.

If the person is to be the most important say, its an outdoor wedding photo, then

dont have too much in the background. A single tree would enhance the picture,

rather than distract the eye into looking at something else. A large, gnarled tree-trunk

often forms a wonderful background for an outside snapshot of a person or group. The

thing is not to make the background too busy.

If you are taking a photo of a scene, it can add appeal to have one side at the top

framed in some close vegetation like branches. Or there may be a tree or rock that

could feature to one side. Look through some geographical magazines for shots like

these. Some of them are beauties, and you can do that too. If you photograph a

building, try moving it from the center of focus to the side for greater appeal.

Lighting is another point of outdoor pictures. Mostly the light is great outdoors, but

just watch the play of light and shade, particularly on your subjects face. If you have

your back to the sun and its late, watch that your own shadow is not featured in the

snapshot. An easy tip to get the shadow off your subjects face is to use a light colored

cardboard or T-shirt to reflect light onto it. Someone who is not going to be in the

photo should hold this and you must be careful you dont accidentally get them in.


19/33

19

Composition consists of who and what is in the photo and what they are doing. A

straight line of cheesy grins may be okay, but you can make it so much more

interesting with a few props. When taking children at play, you still need them to lookat the camera; otherwise their faces will be half hidden. To do this, quietly focus the

camera on them, then call their name or just say, Hey! Click as soon as their heads

jerk up, but before they have a chance to get out of play position.


20/33

20

Tips for Taking Indoor Photos

Once you become a shutterbug, youll find opportunities to take as many indoorphotographs as outdoor ones. The basic difference of indoor and outdoor photos is the

lighting. Outdoors lighting is generally good, so long as you watch for shadow in

inappropriate places. Indoors, youll probably need the artificial lighting provided by

the flash. But there are still some things that could go wrong.

One thing that can spoil your picture is reflected light. This is light that reflects off a

shiny surface and causes bright, white patches in the wrong place. Lets face it;

anywhere is the wrong place. If youre lucky it wont be right in Aunty Ellas face. Sobeware of posing your subject close to a window. Even the shiny surface of a wall or

refrigerator can cause reflected light to show up.

Red eyes are another horrible addition to your photo. These days, most cameras have

a red-eye reduction feature. If yours doesnt, console yourself with the thought that

red eyes means your eyesight is good. One neat little trick to reduce red-eye is to take

two photographs quickly, one after the other. Red-eye is caused by the flash reflecting

on the iris of the eye which is wider inside due to the dimmer light. Once your flash

has gone off, the bright light will cause the iris to close so the second photograph

should have a greatly reduced red-eye, or none at all. Just watch that the subject is not

still blinking from the first flash when you take the second photo. If you increase the

light in the room it will have the same effect of helping the iris to close. Another tip is

to have the subject avert their eyes from the camera.

When you take an indoor photo with just the flash it tends to bleach out the front

people while dimming out those in the back. To avoid this problem, try opening your

aperture to as big as it will go. This will let lots of light in. The best shutter speed is

about 1/60. If your camera does not allow manual adjustment, make sure there is

plenty of light from other sources. If you have lamps, try and have them overhead if


21/33

21

possible to mimic the position of the sun. Your flash should prevent any unwanted

shadows from forming.

Indoors, people are more likely to sit on the sofa to have their photo taken. This can

be a problem if the sofa is under a window, or the wall behind it is shiny. But another

problem is that their legs are closer to the camera than their faces. It might be

advisable to take the photo from the waist up. That way no one will be able to

complain that you gave them fat legs or knobbly knees.


22/33

22

Tips for Taking Portrait Shots

Sooner or later youll want to take a portrait shot. Unless you are practicing to becomea professional photographer, this will probably be fairly informal, but there are some

tips that will make your portrait taking easier and give you better results than you

might otherwise get. Many amateur portrait shots end up in the bin due to over-

exposure or being out of focus. Dont let this happen to yours.

When you take a portrait shot, you need to focus on your subjects eyes. Character is

in the eyes and you want to express the character of the person. Use an aperture of f8

and be about three feet away. Make sure your subject is relaxed and in a happy frameof mind. Any anger or tension will show up in the photo. Chat to them, crack jokes if

they are that type of person or play music. Make sure the music is something they

like; otherwise you could get a scowl rather than a smile.

Make sure your subject is comfortable. Provide a chair or other seating with good

back support so they dont slump. Make sure they are not too hot, too cold or thirsty.

If the subject is a child, offer an appropriate toy to hold. If they are very small, they

may not want to give the toy up easily so it could well be in the photo. In this case,

make sure it is not dirty or tattered. You could also have interesting pictures on the

wall for them to look at while you get ready.

You will need to get all your props and things ready ahead of time. Children and old

people get fussy if they have to wait. If you have spotlights coming from anywhere

but your camera, you may need light deflectors such as a white board or umbrella.

This will diffuse the light, make the tones warmer and prevent red-eye.

The background is important. If you are taking a portrait in your house you wont

have access to much gear with which to create a plain background, so try for a blank

wall. One with wallpaper could be good to prevent light reflection. In front of drawn


23/33

23

curtains would also be suitable. At least, try not to get the refrigerator in the

background.

An ordinary 35mm camera is ideal for portraits, but they can be taken with other

cameras. If you dont have a 35mm, just use whatever you have and see what

happens.


24/33

24

Tips for Taking Motion Shots

Motion shots come under three headings; stop, pan and blur. Each will give a differenteffect. Most people want the stop kind where the motion of the subject is frozen in a

millisecond of time. This is what you see in most sports photos. It is achieved by a

very fast shutter speed that allows the picture to be etched on the film or sensor so

quickly that they are, in effect, frozen in a moment of time. The faster shutter speed

means that your ISO setting needs to be higher to allow in more light.

To pan is to follow the motion with your camera, which will give a sharply focused

subject, but a blurred surround. The effect here is similar to the above, as it stops themotion of the subject. Tracking the subject with your camera whilst keeping it steady

is skill that takes much practice. To help, you could try using a tripod with a swiveling

head. Background that is fairly plain works best for panning. Start with a shutter

speed of 1/30th of a second to start and make sure nothing will obstruct your view as

the subject moves.

Blurring is when you use a slow shutter speed so the subject is deliberately blurred,

but the impression given is one of speed, which is the whole aim of the shot. If your

camera is a point and click, it may also have a sports or action mode.

A good tip for shooting motion is to use the burst or servo mode on your camera. This

will give you a series of shots taken in a burst, making it more likely to get that extra

special shot. This is because there is but a fleeting chance to see when a great shot

could be coming up and photograph it. It all happens faster than a speeding bullet. But

if you shoot in burst mode your camera will be clicking away regardless. Youll want

a memory card with a large-capacity for this. If shutter lag is a problem with your

camera, burst mode will improve your chances of a great shot.

If you want to get a scene where something is moving yet you also want the

background to be clear - like a landscape with moving water, use a slow shutter speed


25/33

25

and a tripod to prevent camera shake. This will give an unusual affect in that the water

will be blurred to the extent that it looks like its been painted in.


26/33

26

Tips for Taking Group Pictures

There are probably more group photographs taken than any other kind. Think of allthe weddings and birthday parties, not to mention other gatherings and celebrations.

So what can you do to make your group shot one that the subjects will be delighted

with, rather than moaning that they blinked or had their head cut off? Here are some

tips.

Give some thought to where you will pose the group ahead of time. There may be an

old tree in the backyard or park that would make a fabulous background without

intruding. See that the background is appropriate, eg, your daughters soccer teamwould look great posed at the sporting field, but may be a little weird on the beach.

Make sure there are no odd things like telegraph poles, swing sets or rubbish bins in

the background. Or anything else that may look as if it were growing out of

someones head.

Take multiple shots quickly. Often people sub-consciously pose in a rather artificial

manner for the first shot, but tend to relax after that and look more natural. If anyone

is wearing glasses, tactfully suggest they remove them; otherwise the flash could

reflect off the glass and ruin the shot. For the same reason, never pose people in front

of a window.

Vary your shots by taking some of just head and shoulders, some up really close and

some a bit further off. If there is a large group, its an idea to take a shot from the top

of a ladder. This will allow you to get more people in and also to focus on heads

rather than bodies. You may be lucky enough to have an elevated deck you can use

for height. Pose the group on the grass below and shoot from the deck.

Of course, you will remember to have the short people in the front and tall ones

behind. Some can kneel in front or sit on the grass, particularly children, who get

bored with standing. Just be careful you dont miss them when focusing. Its easy


27/33

27

enough to get so absorbed in getting the adults lined up correctly, you find that youve

only managed to get the top of Juniors head.

One more thing to remember in group photography is that the important people like

the birthday girl or the bride and groom should be in the central position. And for

sharp focus throughout, keep the group no more than about three rows deep. If it is

more, use a narrow aperture.


28/33

28

Tips for Taking Macro Pictures

What are macro pictures? Basically, they are close-ups of small objects. Most digitalcameras have a macro feature that should be used when taking close-ups of flowers

and other tiny things. To find it, look for a tulip shaped diagram on your camera or on

the LCD menu. The macro feature automatically sets the camera to prevent the

subject becoming blurry. You may not realize that you can also use the zoom-in

feature for macro shots. Try it; you may be delighted with the results. Dont forget to

turn it off when youre done; otherwise your normal shots will be blurry.

So you are ready with your camera on macro, your flower or bug all lined up, andyour eye squinting up against the viewfinder because it seems clearer that way but

theres a problem. No matter how you try, you cant get the subject to sit neatly inside

the frame. Whats happening? This is called parallax, and is caused by the optical

viewfinder being a few inches away from the lens. The best way to fix the problem is

to use the LCD display to frame the picture. But sometimes, due to the angle of the

sun, the LCD window is not very clear. If you really have to look through the

viewfinder, there should be correction marks to help you adjust the frame.

When shooting with the macro feature, the depth of field will automatically be

reduced to just a few inches or even less. This allows the subject of the shot to remain

really sharp while the background is less clear. This is usually the effect you want, but

to keep the background clearer, you can adjust the aperture to the biggest number

f16 or f32 for instance - thus increasing the depth of field. Not all cameras allow you

to do this, but yours might.

Another way to take even better macros is to purchase macro lens that screw or fit on

over your built-in lens. Your macro shots will be more greatly magnified. Most digital

cameras will take a screw or snap on macro lens. Make sure they are good quality,

though.


29/33

29

No matter how steady your hands are, there will always be some tiny movement when

you depress that shutter, so another good idea to enhance your macro shots is to use a

tripod. This wont always be possible, especially if that bug is on the ground, but itwill help if you can use it.

Of course, if you want to take macros of flowers in your garden and its windy, there

is nothing you can do but wait.


30/33

30

Tips for Taking Candid Photos of Children

Candid photos of children can be lots of fun, not only to take, but also to look at inyears to come. To get good candid shots, you will need to have your camera handy at

all times and take lots of shots. Some may be no good, but if you have a digital

camera this wont matter; you can simply delete them. Dont make a lot of fuss when

you are taking candid shots, or the children will become self-conscious and may end

up running away every time they see you trying to point and click.

Never show your really candid shots of children to others in front of the children,

while laughing about them. Theyll hate it and refuse to pose in the future. Childrenhave dignity too. If you make sure its fun for the children, they will enjoy it and be

more co-operative. With older children, you can also point out the things you did to

make the shot more special. This will get them interested and help train them to take

good shots of their own.

Some posed shots will be necessary, but try to make them a little more creative than

just standing in a straight line. How about posing two children on a tricycle? They

will be having fun and concentrating on more than just posing for the shot. You would

normally have the older child with his feet on the pedals and the younger one standing

in the tray, but try reversing this. For starters, the younger child will be shortest and so

should be in front. But reversing their positions in this way creates unusual

expressions on their faces that are fun to catch on film

Remember to get up close and personal for great candid shots of kids. Also get down

to their level to prevent distortion. When the pictures are of babies, making eye

contact will aid in interaction and expression. You want to avoid that vague look that

lots of babies have when there is no one to focus on. But if your want their expression

to be one of absorption in a toy or some other thing that intrigues them, try and stay

out of their focus. Wait until baby is entirely focused on the other object, then click.


31/33

31

If the baby is moving, follow the movement with your camera and gently squeeze the

button rather than clicking sharply. This will help to prevent blurring the shot with

camera shake. If you miss that great smile, it could be because of shutter lag. This isthe time between when your finger began to squeeze the button and when the shutter

finished moving.


32/33

32

Tips for Taking Stunning Landscape Shots

The kind of camera you have and how much it cost is not the most important criteriain taking great landscape shots. No camera can be creative by itself. Once you learn

about the components of composition, your landscape shots taken with a point and

press camera can be better than someone whose camera cost them $8,000 if they dont

know about composition. The single most important factor in taking decent landscape

photographs is composition, or the way objects are put together. Once you begin to

pay attention to this factor, your landscape photos will improve dramatically.

Some people seem to understand intuitively how to take creative landscape photos.Whether you are one of those people or not, practice can only make you better, so

take plenty of shots. But first you must decide what the main subject of the shot is

going to be. Is it the gnarled old oak tree, the mountain in the background or the

waterfall that is creating rainbows in the middle distance? You are the one to decide;

after all its your photograph.

The subject of the photograph is the part that should be the focus. Say its a bay full of

sailing boats. It may be framed by a beautiful branch of glorious fall colors, there may

be mountains in the background or wonderful cloud shapes in the sky or all three -

but everything should lead the eyes to focus on the bay and sailing boats. Therefore,

the settings on your camera should be for that. The bay should be the central focus of

the photograph, with the other components given less room and importance. If all

have equal room in the photo, they will detract from each other, creating less visual

appeal.

Light is another important factor is taking landscape photographs. The best time of

day is early in the morning and late in the afternoon and evening. The brighter light in

the middle of the day can cause too much contrast in light and shadow, which your

camera will find hard to handle. Both digital and film cameras like all things to be

equal when it comes to lighting. If you try and focus on the shady areas, then the


33/33

lighter areas may bleach out, while if you set the camera for the light, areas of shade

will be much too dark. A graduated, neutral density filter can help out here.

Angle and elevation are also important in a landscape. When you see a scene that

grabs your fancy, try it from various positions before you shoot. Or better still, shoot

from a variety of angles, then delete those that are sub-standard. Remember to try

vertical shots as well.

15471867 photography how to take great photos

Documents