Monday, 9 September 2013

4 Tips for Photographers

I'm not a professional photographer or even anything close. I like taking pictures with my 14 year old Fujifilm Finepix S60Zoom and I am one of those people who believe 1 picture is worth 1000 words (however I also write the 1000 words to assist the picture tell even more of the story). Anyway, I have recently been looking more into photography and exploring exposure, different lenses, megapixel, optical/digital zoom, image stabilization, ISO and focus and reading a lot about it on the internet. So here are my top 10 tips for photographers like me desperate to know how to take a good photo.

1. Tell a Story
A really good photograph will speak for itself. It will give the viewer questions but also answers. For example, the photograph on the right. What do you think when you look at it? It is sunset but why is there nobody on the seats?
The photo is not the best example but it emphasizes the point that you need to tell a story with your pictures. Don't just snap at anything.
When you are taking a picture you should try and get across a theme or mood. So lots of colours if it is happy, not much light if it is scary and use colours to represent moods (blue for relaxing, green for good, red for danger).

2. Have an Eye for Details
From establishing shots to extreme close ups, detail is key. When you are taking photos you should imagien that when other people look at them there will be no additional information about the photo. Wherever you travel to and photograph you should always start with an establishing shot showing exactly what is going on. Then you can address other smaller things which are going on and show detail. This is where you can get beautiful pictures of tiny rings, colourful buttons and odd ornaments or objects.

3. Address All Aspects of the Frame
There are 3 parts of a picture: the foreground, the subject and the background. A good photographer should pay attention on all 3 of these. It may sometimes mean getting in an awkward position, so maybe standing on a chair or kneeling close to the ground - whilst your there you need to consider focus. What do you want in focus and what do you want out of focus. Always keep in mind that the part in focus will be the first thing the viewer looks at.
Last thing to consider when actually taking a photo is making sure there is no 'dead space'. This is a part of a photo which is wasted or not used correctly because it has something irrelevant in it. It ruins the picture.

4. Be Prepared
If something is about to happen, such as a horse about to dark, a firework about to explode or a plane about to take off you don't want to be scrambling around trying to find the right setting and mode on your camera. You need to know your way around your camera like it is the back of your hand. Know how to quickly and easily change your aperture and shutter speed so when something unexpected does happen - you get the best results.

Final thing, just remember that every photograph you take should be a work of art.

Sources: National Geographic