Photography TIPS
LIGHTING
1.) In order to take a good photograph, you need to get the basics right. Avoid harsh lighting such as the sun shining straight into a person's face, or conditions that are either too dull or too dark.
2.) Avoid the light source shining straight into the camera.
3.) Most problems in photography come from either too much light, or too little light, or the light source is coming from the wrong direction. Make sure you have a good light source and, whenever possible, use natural daylight, even if it's from a window.
4.) If you don't have natural light, use a room's artificial light by all means, but remember that most bulb light is red/yellow, and will need correcting with computer software (colour balance) at a later stage.
5.) If you plan to get really serious about photography, consider purchasing professional lamps. Ask for a set of two or three 'redheads', some stands, and coloured 'gels' which can be used to create blue 'daylight'. For portrait work use three lamps, one key light, a fill light, and a backlight. Some of our links on the left will take you to some sites that sell professional photography lighting.
FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY
1.) When using the flash in dark conditions, be sure not to take snaps out of the flash range.
2.) Indoor photography usually needs flash to avoid under-exposure.
3.) Avoid under-exposure by not relying on your camera's automatic exposure, compensate by using the auto-exposure compensation feature.
4.) Avoid using flash when you are in natural natural light, as flash can reduce depth in your image.
5.) Red-eye is caused by the flash reflecting off your subject's eyes. This can easily be removed via computer software such as iPhoto (Mac), Photoshop or other image manipulation software packages.
6.) Avoid directly facing reflective (white) surfaces when using flash photography. On saying that however, white boards can also be used to your advantage by providing some extra fill light. Learn by experimenting.
MOVEMENT
1.) If the subject you're photographing is moving, set to a faster shutter speed to avoid blurring.
INDOOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
1.) Use a plain background as it's less distracting.
2.) Take photos from eye-level rather from above or below.
3.) Use a background that is a fair distance away from the subject, far enough to be out of focus and therefore not distract from the subject.
4.) Most people in portraits tend to be looking at the camera, however you may want to consider having the subject face away whilst making sure that you capture the person's features.
5.) To capture the context of a portrait photo, include a head and shoulders shot or full body to include costume/prop/background.
6.) Shots where subjects appear natural and less staged tend to produce the most memorable and honest photos.
OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY
1.) Lock focus on image in foreground and move background into view.
2.) Use a tripod for night shots. Due to the shutter speeds involved they will be more affected by camera shake or the camera timer.
3.) Include items to get an idea of scale.
4.) Soft light (ie light relected off something like clouds) will give a richer colour with more depth and detail.
5.) Use natural or physical elements such as trees or doorways to create a natural frame.
6.) Capture interesting light conditions and dramatic shadows.
7.) Try to take outdoor snaps either early or late in the day to make the most of sky effects.
8.) Turn your camera 90 degrees and take a vertical view photo to get more in the shot.
9.) Have your subject off-centre to bring something else into the picture such as a background.
10.) Use items in the foreground such as people for landscape shots.
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