Some Basic Tips On Using
Your Camera
by Yvonne Volante
It's true that taking photos is as simple as running out and grabbing a cheap
five dollar camera. But taking good, quality photos has never been easier. So
lets explore some quick ideas that can help you take photos that you will be
happy to share with friends and family.
Photography as an art has never been more exciting or enjoyable. Todays
photography enthusiast has many styles, topics, and tools open to them. Plus,
the blending of digital with print makes the craft of taking photos very
versatile.
Here are four tips to help
1. Get a little closer, don't be shy. One of the biggest mistakes most
beginning photographers make is shooting from so far away. They leave too much
distance between themselves and their subjects. Instead, get up close and
personal. Fill up as much of the camera frame, with your subject, as you can.
You can always reshape, trim, and resize a good quality shot. But you can't
continue to blow up a distant subject and hope that it will come into focus. It
just won't happen.
2. This tip springs directly from #1(above)... focus your shot on only
one subject. Determine what the main subject of the photo will be, and catch
that image. Try and find the one key subject, person, or event that accurately
portrays the feeling you are trying to capture.
3. In addition to getting one subject, in your photos, you will want to
make the background of the photo as simple as possible. Busy, distracting
backgrounds pull the attention away from the central theme of your photo. The
subject of your photo is absolutely the most important element, and anything
that detracts from the subject can ruin your shot.
4. Finally, you want to take your subject out of the exact center of the
frame. You do this by using the rule of thirds. Imagine having a camera lens
split into 9 equal sized boxes, 3 across and 3 down (like having a tic-tac-toe
game printed right on your camera lens). Where those "tic-tac-toe" lines cross,
should become the focusing point of your subject, when you are arranging to take
your photo.
Based on this tip, every time you compose a shot, the main subject of
your photo should be located primarily on one of these "third" lines.
These are just four very basic tips and strategies to help improve your
photos. As you know, photography skills can always be improved. In fact, most
professional photographers exhibit a life long passion for learning new
techniques, photography angles, and photo inspirations.
Yvonne Volante is an author, webmistress and camera junkie. She has a site at
http://www.ylcamera.com which is a great source for camera information.
Please be sure to visit
http://www.ylcamera.com