1. Get to know your camera
Cameras come with instructions for a reason. Use them. Quite often these little books packed full of information will explain the reason for your terrible shots. I teach beginners the ins and outs of not being of scared of your cameras settings and the features they offer. I always tell students that the more they can know about their camera, the quicker they can respond, especially when on holiday, enjoying something like whale watching. Not getting to know all the features of your camera and how to adjust or access them with practice will always ensure you get the after splash not the tail fin of the whale.
2. Use every setting you can find
The features built into some cameras nowadays are astounding. One example is extreme ISO speed where you can set the sensitivity of your camera to see light that essentially can't be seen. The ISO speed in a digital camera is no different to the film speeds we used to use many years ago. Remember from your local supermarket or department store you could buy Kodak 100, 200 or 400 speed film. Well digital doesn't use film, cameras now come with an ISO speed setting built into them, where you can adjust the sensitivity to suit your needs. This is especially good for parties. Here's my tip - FREE to you. Turn off the flash at a party and push your ISO button and move it from the standard of 100 or 200 up to 1600 or 3200 and see what you get. I bet you'll be surprised that without the flash you can actually see all the colours of the party, making for a much more interesting shot. Try it, along with all the other buttons and settings, and experiment.
3. Look at what makes a good photograph... and remember it
4. Become friends with your F-Stops
F-Stops are often identified on a camera's LCD screen or aperture adjustment wheel, as numbers in decimals, e.g. f4.5, f5.6, f8. f11 etc. They are also known as the "aperture" of your camera, which dictates two things in your photographs: How much light is let into the camera to allow for an exposure and how much of your scene is in focus, referred to as "depth of field". I'll start with the first, which is fairly simple, light control. Choosing an "aperture" of say F16 or F22 will generally minimise the amount of light in your exposure, and require a longer time to expose the photo. But choosing F4 will let in a lot more light. That said and done, your chosen aperture, will then dictate your "depth of field" as well. An easy way to remember whats happening is this example.
If we choose F22 for an image, then we will have the equivalent of 22 metres or a "long" focus and we will have turned off 22 of our light bulbs, resulting in a picture that has everything in focus from right in front of our camera to the far off horizon, but we will have a very dark image. Choosing the opposite end of the aperture range, say F4, will give us exactly the opposite (in general terms), I.E., only about 4 metres or a "shallow" focus and with only 4 light bulbs turned off, a much brighter picture. I hope I explained that well. F-Stops are not difficult, and the above should help you get a better understanding of how they can affect your photos.
5. Practice, practice and practice..
This is by far the most important, but it must be done consistently and with a concentrated effort. It took me a long time to understand the relationship between each of the crucial settings on my first camera, but the more I practiced and experimented, the quicker I understood, and then once it just clicked and I no longer had to think about it.
Practice costs nothing other than time, especially now that we are in a digital age with a delete button, to erase our mistakes!
6. Simplify the scene
Including too much in your scene is often too much to view, hence why one of the most effective techniques is to lessen what's in your shot. Keeping a single subject, complemented by a plain simple background or surroundings will make all the difference.
7. Line edges up
Using the edge of something in your scene to interact with another edge creates a visual pathway. The shoreline of a beach leading out to a headland can create the impression of a continual line. Use these to your advantage, line up as many things as possible to lead to your subject.
8. Tell a story
I am always looking for a way to convey a message in my photography, and it can often mean finding a bizarre angle, a lower vantage pint or simply getting closer. But all in all, every photograph is about telling a story and to do so, you need a connection. The stronger the connection between your subject and its surrounds/environment, the stronger the message, therefore the stronger the appeal of the image. Look to include items/things/views etc that compliment the subject or challenge it, either way, questions drawn from your image, all lead to building a story.
9. Experiment with colour
A colour photograph isn't the aim for every photograph. Experimenting with different colour hues, such as converting to black and white or sepia, or some other monotone, or even just desaturating (removing some intensity) the colour a little can help be less distracting. Too much colour, can sometimes distract the viewer from the subject, because they wow over the colour and then look for a subject. It's all about experimenting.
10. Show it off
Showing you work is one of the best ways to get feedback. Show your images to everyone you can, friends, family and little to their very first reaction... "wow" or "oh OK", or "that's nice". The latter two is your first indicator that the image didn't grab their attention immediately.
Look at what can be improved and get out there.
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