PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS - FROM CHRIS FOTO, PHOTOGRAPHER

These tips are from my many years of experience as a freelance photographer.  I hope the tips are helpful and will allow you to take better pictures.  If you have any comments about these tips please e-mail me at info@travelexploring.com  or add a comment to my blog.

COMPOSITIONAL TECHNIQUES

1.      The person behind the camera (photographer) is responsible for properly framing the pictures.  When you frame a scene, look for distracting elements and try to re-frame by excluding them from the image.  Remember that the camera picks up what the eyes may overlook.

2.      Try placing your subject in different positions within the frame – don’t always put them in the center but be sure they are in focus.   

3.      Consider the colors in a scene - look for vibrant, muted, or distressed colors - they make the best backgrounds.

4.      Believe it or not, things that are decaying (flowers, wood, etc.) make great photographs!

5.      Put something large in front of the picture and then focus on the subject behind it - this will give the picture a sense of depth.  

6.      Light will make or break your photos.  Choose early morning, late afternoon or dappled light (under trees for example) for fantastic pictures.

7.      Try to balance your frame - if you have something big in the frame, put an equal amount of space around it.

8.      While framing the picture look at it from various angles, e.g. from below or above.  Kneeling down and focusing up to take the image is especially effective if there is a beautiful sky with nice clouds.  This can quickly make the picture much more interesting.

9.      Often including gestures or facial expressions will give you a more natural picture.

10. When taking candid photos try to snap it on the up beat; i.e., the moment just before or just after you would normally take the picture.  It will be more interesting.

11. When taking pictures of wild life, sunsets, sunrises or sporting events, be patient and wait for the right time to take the photo.

12. Avoid taking pictures facing the sun.  Not only might you damage the lens of your camera but your pictures may be blurry.  It is best to have the sun behind you or towards your right hand for a better picture.

13. When the weather is overcast don’t put much of the sky in your image (or don’t take the image at all).  The light meter inside the camera gets confused by reading the entire light spectrum and the image will probably be under-exposed.

HOW AND WHY TO USE THE MANUAL FEATURES OF YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA

Even though putting your camera on AUTO is easy, it often does not give you the best images.  There are definitely times when the use of manual settings, filters, spot meters, etc. will give you better results.  Below you will find a brief review of several of the key manual features of your camera and when to use them.  The modes that I find most useful include manual exposure, aperture priority and shutter priority.  

1.      By understanding and using the aperture and shutter speeds properly you will ensure that the lighting is correct for your exposure and you will ultimately take better pictures.  Remember that light is king in picture taking.

2.      Aperture:  The aperture or hole is like the iris of your eye.  It opens wider to let in more light and closes when less light is required. The width of the aperture is measured by “F” stops with the numbers of the “F” stops engraved on the exterior of the lens.  F.1 number or stop is the widest aperture available. To use that setting, rotate the aperture ring on your lens wide open.  The hole inside the lens will be the biggest it can get and this will mean the depth of the field will be shallower, i.e. you will have items closer to you in better focus.  F.22 number or stop is the smallest aperture available and will let in the least amount of light. This will result in a narrow depth of field.  Based on the lighting around your subject you may need to add light by using a lower F number or to reduce light by using a higher F number.  To do this, press the + / - and or rotate the F stop dial on your camera until your image has the right light. Remember too much light in the image is over exposure and too little light is under exposure. 

3.      Shutter speed can dramatically change your photos. For instance, if you are shooting waterfalls and use a slow shutter speed of 100 or slower, the water pouring down will look like cotton.  With a faster shutter speed (400 - 800 -1000) it will look like splashing waves.

4.      Most digital cameras have a histogram setting.  It is important you learn how to use this setting.  This is a key tool to ensure you have the exposure you want.  On the histogram, you want the image exposure to fall between the left and the right margins of the histogram in the display panel.  If you see a spike on the far right side of the histogram your IMAGE is over exposed.  Correct the light or change the setting on your camera so that the spike is removed. 

5.      Before taking the shot, look through the view finder.  If you see an indicator light on the bottom, inside the frame, you need to reduce the light.  Use the + / - dial to correct the image exposure, use a Polaroid filter, or choose a better location for the picture to get the right results.

6.      It is difficult to get good contrast in your image when shooting in bright sunlight due to the deep shadows this type of light produces.  An image with too much contrast will show deep shadows and accentuated highlights.  Use a polarized filter to help correct this problem.

7.      Noise is the specks or distortion you see in your pictures.  The lower the ISO setting on your camera, the less noise you will have.  And conversely as you increase the ISO settings the noise will increase.  At ISO 100 - 200 the noise factor is approximately 0.7 and this is an excellent place for it to be for good quality pictures.  An ISO setting of 3200 will result in a noise factor that is approximately 2 to 3 times higher.  Use high speed ISO for moving subjects (400, 800 or 1600).  Landscapes should be shot using low speed ISO and a wide angle lens.  

8.      Use your white balance for shaded areas to increase the quality of your image.

9.      Grainy pictures can be under exposed.  At low light, set the camera to P mode in order to take the grain out of the image.  You can also use the fill flash at a low speed to complement a low ISO setting and reduce graininess.

If you have any questions or feedback about this information, feel free to e-mail us at  info@travelexploring

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