No matter what you are taking a picture of, there are tips and hints to guide you into improving 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! Let’s get into color, light, and happy smiles. Let’s catch granny cuddling the kids and grandad with a blob of birthday cake on his chin! Let’s 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 that’s a risk a photographer has to take.

You’ve 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? It’s 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. That’s why it’s necessary to use a flash.

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 centimetres away. Use the macro feature to achieve a sharp, clear photograph of flowers. For animals that you can’t 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, work on it just that bit more to upgrade from ordinary to spectacular.

Did this article clarify ideas about choosing your subject for pictures? We hope it was helpful.

Visit our site at http://photography.howto-you.com where you can learn even more about photography and purchase our audio/pdf ebook “Photography – How to Take Great Photos.”

Thank You, again!

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Many shutterbugs rush around with their point and click camera and photograph everything in sight – then they seem to be disappointed with the result. How much better would their photographs be if they took a little time to compose? Sure, we can’t always pose candid shots, but there are plenty of times that we can. Even taking time to notice what is in the background can be helpful. At the very least, it could save someone being forever remembered with a pole or tree branch growing out of the top of their head.

So the first rule is look, really look to see what is in the background. Make sure it is visually appealing without detracting from the central focus or subject. The foreground is important too. That headless teddy or the bone from Fido’s last meal doesn’t really need to be there. Nor do we want the foot of the person who happened to be sitting next to our subject, to intrude into a corner.

Background is such an important part of the shot – the background that is meant to be there, that is. The trunk of a tree, a fountain, a lake or mountains; all are part of the background. You can go to a bit more trouble to pose your subject near a really unusual – but still appropriate – background or you can settle for a bit of old wall, it’s up to you.

Simple props can give your photograph special appeal. A feathery scarf or a big, floppy flower pinned to hat or shoulder, or just held in the hand can elevate a shot from ordinary and a little boring to just great. Remember too, to fill up the screen with your subject. Most candid shots of people are simply taken from too far away. This means that you can hardly tell who is in the snap, or whether it is meant to be a landscape instead.

Remember to pay attention to lighting. Too dim or too light and you will lose details that should be there. Don’t have the sunlight shining into your subject’s face and protect your lens from it too. Watch for inappropriate shadows, too, both on the ground and on your subject’s face.

Smiling is important. If you become annoyed while posing your subjects, they will look tense rather than happy. Even if they smile, you will be able to see by their eyes that they are not happy. Smile, laugh, tell a joke or play music; anything to set the mood to one of happiness and joy – or at least, relaxation.

We hope this article on composing beautiful pictures has helped you. In Episode 30, we will discuss what your are taking pictures of.

Meanwhile visit our site at http://photography.howto-you.com where you can learn even more about photography and purchase our audio/pdf ebook “Photography – How to Take Great Photos.”

Thank You, again!

http://photography.howto-you.com

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 don’t have to pay for the printing of a snapshot that has turned out awful. You can view the shot as soon as you’ve taken it and if it’s 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 you’ve cut Uncle Joe’s 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 don’t 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 stranger’s head or the rusty drum you didn’t 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 to lie on the ground to get the right focus for some difficult shots. And what happens if you’ve 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 up shots, shots on dull days or bright sunny days without changing the film or the setting if you use the auto feature.

Of course, this doesn’t 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 don’t last as long as traditional ones do, but they are a lot of fun for the amateur.

We hope this article about film or digital options has helped you. In Episode 29, we will discuss how to compose beautiful pictures of your subjects.

Meanwhile visit our site at http://photography.howto-you.com where you can learn even more about photography and purchase our audio/pdf ebook “Photography – How to Take Great Photos.”

Thank You, again!

http://photography.howto-you.com

Sometimes we are thrilled to have taken a great photograph, but when we see it, either on the computer or printed out, there could be any number of things wrong with it and we feel disappointed. Most of these problems can be prevented or fixed if we just know what’s causing them in the first place. Here are five of the most basic mistakes photographers make.

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1. One of the most common mistakes in taking a photograph is that it turns out too dark. What makes this happen? Basically, not enough light is the cause – it’s called under-exposure. This happens when a photo has been taken indoors when the artificial light is just too dim and no flash has been used. To prevent this, bring in some extra lamps or position the subject closer to a window. Outside, lack of light could be caused by it being too late in the evening, or the shutter speed was too fast for the light conditions. In this case, manually adjust the shutter speed if possible. In both cases, flash may be used for extra light. Most photo software allows you to adjust the lighting of your photos.

1. Red-eye is a common problem. The flash reflecting on the enlarged iris causes this. When we are in dimmer light than normal, our irises enlarge to let in more light. When the flash goes off, it refects on the iris and red-eye is the result. Either don’t use a flash or take two pictures with flash one after the other quickly. The first flash will cause the iris to contract; the second flash will get you a picture with no red-eye. Be careful you don’t get your subject when they are blinking. Most cameras have a red-eye removal feature. Photo software features include red-eye removal with just a few clicks.

1. Blurred photos are another cause of disappointment. Three main reasons that photos come out blurry are (a) camera shakes, (b) subject movement due to shutter lag, and (c) lack of light. To prevent your camera from shaking either use a tripod or steady yourself against something solid to take the picture. It helps to gently squeeze the button rather than depressing it quickly. If subject movement is the problem, focus the camera, then depress the button to half-way down. Wait for that moment of stillness before fully depressing the button. If you want your subject to be moving for the shot, use the action mode on your camera. If lack of light is the problem either slow down the shutter speed or use the automatic night scenery mode – and a tripod with both.

1. Subject is too far away – use the zoom feature or get closer to the subject. After the event, use the crop and enlarge features of your software.

1. Photos look too light with details washed out. This is caused by over-exposure. Usually it is a bright and sunny day that causes deep shadows. The camera tries to ‘fix’ the shadows at the expense of the light. Take photos in bright shade or use a flash, which will cast a more even light. Use software to darken it afterwards.

We hope you learned something new about your camera in this article.  Come back for episode 28 for our discussion about the difference between digital and film cameras and which you might prefer for your photography projects.

Meanwhile, visit our site at http://photography.howto-you.com where you can learn eve more about photography and consider purchasing our audio and text ebook about photography.

Thank You, again!

http://photography.howto-you.com

Many of today’s digital cameras are multi-function; they do many things that were once 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, it’s 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 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 you’ll know what you’ve got. Some regions host short courses for digital photography and it could be worthwhile to attend one of these. Otherwise, you’ll be down to reading the book that came with it and experimenting on your own. At least the photos won’t cost you an arm and a leg!

We hope you learned something new about your camera in this article.  Come back for episode 27 to learn five common photography mistakes and how to correct them.

Meanwhile, visit our site at http://photography.howto-you.com where you can learn eve more about photography and consider purchasing our audio and text ebook about photography.

Thank You, again!

http://photography.howto-you.com