Do you ever wish that you had taken better photos to mat onto your beautiful scrapbook pages or paper projects? I found this online article (written by Jim Miotke) to share with you. I am going to share the first 5 tips today for you to play with and in a few days I will post the last five tips. Have fun!
Top 10 Beginning Photography Tips1. Move in closer.
Each time you spot a subject, snap a shot and then move in closer for a better shot. Having your subject almost fill the frame helps your viewer understand and appreciate your photo. Also, details are often more interesting than an overall view.
Keep moving in closer until you are sure the photo will successfully represent your subject.
2. Be quick.
If it is at all possible that your subject may move, bolt, fly away, stop smiling, or just get tired of waiting for you to take the picture, shoot once right away. Practice getting quicker and quicker to the draw.
Do not worry about taking too many pictures and do not wait until you're absolutely certain all the knobs and buttons are in their correct position. As the motto of one of BetterPhoto old t-shirts states, "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later."
3. Compose with care.
Keep moving in closer until you are sure the photo will successfully represent your subject.
Even if you don't plan on selling your photo to the Smithsonian, make every effort to keep it balanced and beautiful. On one level or another, everyone responds better to a picture that has all elements in balance. Strive to lead the eye along an interesting path through the photo, with the use of strong lines or patterns.
* Keep the horizon level;
* Crop out extra elements that you are not interested in (more on this is the next tip);
* Consciously place your subject where you think it most belongs rather than just accepting it wherever it happens to land in the photo;
* Play with perspective so that all lines show a pattern or lead the eye to your main subject;
* Work with the Rule of Thirds.
4. Be selective.
Discern what you are really interested in and center your efforts on getting the best photo of this subject, whether it a still life, your funny cat, your doggy, a friend, a family matter, a mood, a place or culture.
Then be sure to keep anything that would distract out of the picture. The easiest way to do this is to watch your borders - the edges of the view you see through the camera's viewfinder. Then recompose if anything - such as an unattractive telephone wire, an old soda can, a distracting sign, your finger, or your camera strap - hangs into your picture.
5. Focus on your subject.
Practice shooting with different apertures and monitor the results afterwards to learn how depth-of-field affects your photo. You will find that a smaller depth-of-field (and smaller f-stop #) focuses all the attention upon your subject. This is great for taking a picture of your child, your dog, or your husband - subjects stand out against a blurry background. Likewise, you will find that a greater depth-of-field (bigger f-stop number) will make everything from here to eternity appear in focus. This will help make those landscapes fascinating and lovely.
Come back soon for the final five tips!
