Top 10 Tips For An Amateur Photographer
1) Move in close to the subject
Whenever you see an item, take pictures and then move on to better opportunities. Having your subject almost fill the frame helps your viewer understand and appreciate your pictures better. In addition, details are often more interesting than the image.
Keep moving in until you are sure that the images successfully represent your subject.
2) You need to be swift
It is possible that the subject can move, fly away, smile, or just tired of waiting for you to take the picture, shoot decisively once right away.
Practice to get faster and faster to shoot.
Do not worry about taking too many pictures and do not wait until you are absolutely sure all the knobs and the buttons are in the correct position.
As the saying goes, “shoot first, ask questions later.”
3) Compose with care
Whether you plan to sell your images as a photographer, do keep then balanced and beautiful. In one way or another, everyone responds better to an image where all elements are in balance.
Try to ensure you lead the eye along the exciting path through the pictures, use strong lines or patterns.
Play with perspective so that all lines show a pattern or draw attention to the main theme;
4) Be selective
Identify what you are really interested in and centre your efforts on getting the best pictures of the subject, e.g. zoo animals, funny cats, dogs, friends, family affairs, mood, place or culture.
Then be sure to keep anything that might distract from the image.
The easiest way to do is look at the border – the border to see the view through the camera viewfinder. Then recompose – such an interesting handset cord, soda cans, signs of disturbance, finger, or your camera strap – hangs in the picture.
5) Focus on the subject
Practice shooting with different holds and track the results after learning the depth of field of your photo.
You will find that the shallow depth of field (and the smallest f-stop #) focuses all attention on the subject. This is great for taking pictures of your children, your dog or your husband/wife – the theme stand out against a blurred background.
In addition, there is a greater depth-of-field (bigger f-stop number) will do everything from here to forever appear in focus. This will help attract and captivating scenery, sky, mountains, sea etc.
You must also be familiar with how to focus the camera. If it is a simple point and shoot camera, you can indicate which part of the picture to focus on the following steps:
a) Target the desired subject in focus in the viewfinder,
b) Press the shutter button and hold,
c) Move the camera to the composition you want,
d) Press the button down the rest of the way to take the picture.
6) Experiment with shutter speeds
One of the most basic, often forgotten and the fun aspect of photography is that you have the power to slow time or see a capture of a fraction of a second.
An image happens so slowly that we cannot see. In other cases things happen so quickly in real time we will never know. Playing with shutter speed!
Use a slow shutter and a tripod to make a good picture of any creek or river. Otherwise, you can use a shutter speed (1 / 500 and upward) to capture a moving object.
Combining a fast shutter speed with a long lens, you sports buffs can get a trophy of your own when you are able to catch the expression on your favourite 100m runner’s face as he slips past the final defence toward a winning touchdown. Remember, catching the moment in fast-paced action photography may take a little more practice so hang in there.
7) Look at the light
For this, I mean look at the sun – no, not at all. But it is good to see what kind of light works. In what way are the shadows falling? Unless you want a silhouette effect, where the subject is black with a wonderful background, it is usually best to shoot the sun behind you.
How light affects the subject? This is the subject squinting?
It was a bright light shining directly on the subject? This works well if you’re in love with the bold colour of your theme.
Side lighting, on the other hand, can add drama but can also cause extreme, hard-to-print contrasts.
Lastly, indirect light can be used to make your subject glow soft and pretty.
8) Check the weather, too
Look further and decide if you want to have the sky in the picture.
If it is overcast simply keep the sky out of the picture as much as possible. It is usually the best way to avoid the muted tones in the subject and the sky fades into the background. You can also find black and white image on a cloudy day a more pleasant colour.
When it is a beautiful day, go ahead and make the most of it.
If the camera allows the use of filters, buy a polariser. This will help create a deep blue sky with white clouds against a brilliant, beautiful colour contrast and other effects with a simple twist of the wrist.
9) Keep the camera settings simple
While you may want to have “all the bells and whistles” available in the case, you will probably get better results if you try to use all the time and instead learn a simple configuration that best that works for you in most situations.
Do not always hold the camera in the “Programs” – while it can be so perfect in its infancy, can be frustrating because of all the controls.
Rather than rely on fully automated program, choose a simple, semi-automatic and aperture priority shooting programs. Then you will be able to control some of the basics without allowing the basics control you.
10) Be bold and be adventures
Do not be afraid of using the wrong configuration hold you in your tracks.
If you are afraid take someone’s picture then ask them for their consent and give then a picture in return.
When taking pictures of the wildlife then go that step further than other have gone before.
Be smart … But dare.
Now that was all there is it to it – hope it was helpful. The best thing to do now is to go out there and practice. Take some great pictures, learn from failures, and most of all enjoy the moments.