Reason to avoid the built in flash.
In using the built in flash of your camera, it can provide an undesirable effect to your subject. It can leave your subject with too much light. Thus, if you can save up some money, it is best to invest on a quality external flash. Pair it with a diffuser, and learn how to make use of them properly to obtain the best photo quality.
Talk to your subjects.
When you are trying to take portraits, it is best to talk to your subjects while you are doing it. When you talk to them, it would make them more comfortable in front of the camera, which makes the photos look more natural. Aside from that, it can also provide you a chance to take candid shots.
Testing out the modes of your camera.
If you have just bought a brand new camera, one of the first things that you can do is to test out its different modes. You should try out its auto mode, manual mode, and such. By doing that, you would become more familiar of its settings. Thus, you would learn more about what settings to use in different types of photo taking.
What to do without using a tripod.
If you don’t have a tripod, you can still take quality photos by bracing yourself while shooting. You can do this by leaning against a wall, or resting your camera on top of a stable object. Aside from that though, to make sure that the photos are not blurred, it is best to hold your breath when pressing the on the shutter button.
Always return the settings of your camera to the average one.
There are times when you want to take pictures while you are strolling around the park, or at your neighborhood. To make sure that you can take an instant shot, it is best that you always put your camera on regular settings. With that, you would be able to snap on it immediately, without having to go through lots of hassles in getting the right settings.
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Doing a trick with sunglasses.
Increasing the color saturation can still be done even with the use of a compact camera. All you have to do is to hold your sunglasses on top of the lens, in which it would serve as its polarizing filter. This would reduce the glare and reflections. However, take a few shots first, so that you can ensure that you won’t include the frames of your sunglasses into the picture.
Do some experimenting.
Lots of beginners in photography are pretty serious in following all the things they learned through the books they read. To stand out from the rest, you should do some experimenting by not sticking to the rules all the time. When you do that, you would be able to discover new techniques and compare different perspectives.
Have your own calling cards.
Having your own calling cards is a good way to let people know that you can offer your photography services to them. However, it is also one of the things you can do to make sure that you won’t be offending someone, when you take their picture off the street. If someone confronts you, just hand over the card, so that he would realize that you are an artist or a professional. By doing that, the person would feel good that you have chosen him as your subject.
How to decide in deleting or keeping the image.
Oftentimes, you might find yourself out of space to save your photos in. Therefore, it is best to decide on what images to keep and what images to delete. To decide on deleting an image, just simply think about hanging it on your wall. If you don’t like the thought of doing that, then that means that the image should be deleted.
Build your portfolio.
Whether you want to become a professional photographer or not, building a portfolio can still offer lots of advantages. Building one can be done online, in which all you have to do is to save your best photographs in a certain website, after signing up for your own account. By doing that, you would be able to check your photos easily, even when you are away from home, and set your standards higher.
Making sure that the photo tells a story.
Prior to hitting the shutter in taking a picture, it is best to take some time to check your subject, as well as the frame. Try to see if the subject blends well with its background, and other things that would be included in the photo. By doing that, you would be able to ensure that your photograph would tell a story.
Setting yourself up for a challenge.
Improving your creativity can be done by challenging yourself in taking at least one good photograph each day. Even if you don’t feel like it, you need to stand up, and take a picture even for the most uninspiring objects. By doing that, you would later on realize that you can simply make use of your imagination, in order to take interesting pictures.
Read the user manual.
Many people today do not take time in reading the user manual of their digital cameras, assuming that all of the functions can be learned by simply playing with them. However, if you try to sit down and give it some time, you would realize that there are things that you can really learn from it. Reading your user manual would provide you a way to learn more about your camera’s functionality.
Shooting pictures in the city.
Taking pictures in the city can be dull for some people. However, there are actually lots of ways that you can make the pictures look more interesting. One of which is to go to a multi-story parking lot, and take pictures at its different levels. By doing that, you would be able see great views of the city. Aside from that, it would also offer a fresh perspective over the usual ground shots.
Don’t let rain get you affected.
Oftentimes, when it is raining, you could find yourself getting discouraged in taking pictures. However, there are actually lots of ways that you can go around it, and still take beautiful images. For example, taking a picture through a window that is covered with rain would provide you a gloomy effect for a change.
What to use as a light reflector. 86
Having a light reflector can help you a lot when it comes to taking portraits. Using a large piece of paper that is colored in white can already be used as your light reflector. With a white paper reflector, you can use it for portraits, as well as for still-lifes. Do some experimentation, so that you can achieve the kind of quality you want.
How to prevent your subject closing his eyes.
If you usually end up with pictures of kids closing their eyes when they blink at the wrong moment, you can actually do a simple trick to prevent it from happening again. You can simply tell him to close his eyes, and open them only when you would say so. Tell him to smile as well, so that you would be able to take a good portrait picture, in which has his eyes opened and he is smiling.
A trick to get your focus right.
Oftentimes, people find it quite difficult to get the focus right in doing a self portrait. To get around it, you can turn off the lights, while holding a flash light just right next to your eye. While you are doing that, press your remote shutter half way down to trigger its auto focus. After which, just turn the lights back on and take your self portrait. Your camera should already have the right focus by then.
Using a compact camera.
Using a compact camera can produce images that are not in top quality if it is not set in optical zoom. With that, it is best if you know how to recognize or change it from digital to optical zoom. To achieve that, you can always check the user’s manual that comes with it.
Taking pictures while travelling.
When you are travelling, one of the best ways to learn more about the best spots to take pictures at, is to check out brochures about it. Aside from that, you can also visit travel blogs and sites. By doing these things, you can take a glimpse of marvelous landscape pictures, which should give you a better idea about where to situate yourself when you reach your destination.
Not having the right exposure?
It can be tricky to get the right exposure at times with a new camera. To fix it, you can always put it in Auto mode and take a snap at an object. It the picture comes out in good quality, then check out the settings that the camera has chosen for it. With that, take note of the settings, so that you can follow it in the future.