Information Technology Systems & Services
Photography Tips
How do you learn to take better pictures? Once you know the technical basics, where do you go from there? Every time you make an exposure you make choices, either deliberately or accidentally. So your first step is to see your options.
Although it may appear obvious, an awareness of the frame of an image is extremely important. Scan the edges of the frame (edges of the picture) before clicking the shutter. Before you make the exposure, try to visualize the way the scene will look in the finished picture. As you look through the viewfinder, pretend you are looking at a print. But remember you can still change it. You can eliminate a distracting background by changing positions to a different angle, making sure it will be out of focus, and so on. Judicious cropping, can strengthen a picture. If background objects don't add anything to a picture except visual clutter, do what you can to eliminate them or at least minimize their importance. Use the background when it contributes something. Backgrounds can give scale to a photo etc.
The simpler the better. Get in close to
the subjects or use the zoom on the camera. Beginners are
usually reluctant to show anything less than the whole
subject, whether it be a building, a room, a tree or a
person. The best shots are usually simple so move closer and
remove any clutter from the picture. If you look at most good
"people" shots they don't show the whole body. Move close,
fill the frame. Give the shot some impact. Crop the image
tighter. Eliminate anything that doesn't relate. If your
pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough,
said Robert Capa, a photographer known for the intensity and
immediacy in his images.
Basic Design Principles
What is good design? It is important for photographers to understand design concepts such as emphasis, the rule of thirds, line and balance because they are powerful in their ability to direct a viewer's attention.
- Most good photos have a center of interest or an "emphasis". The center in "center of interest" does not actually mean placing the subject in the center of the frame. It is the strategic placement of subjects or objects in the frame to give the image focus and structure.
- Remember the rule of thirds from junior high art class? If you divide a picture area into thirds from side to side and top to bottom, then place the subject at the intersection the imaginary lines at one side or the other, you will often have a more pleasing composition that placing the subject in the center (this is called the bulls-eye syndrome, and should be avoided most of the time).
- A line is a shape that is longer than it is wide. An object that points toward the subject is a leading line, whether it is an actual line or implied. Lines give direction by moving the eye across the picture. Try leading line composition in some photos.
- People know when a picture is in balanced even when they can't explain why. A picture that is in balance does not call attention to the fact, but an unbalanced one can feel uncomfortably off center or top heavy. Visually, dark is heavier than light, large is heavier than small, an object at the edge has more weight than at the center (like a weight on a seesaw), and a picture needs more apparent weight at the bottom to avoid a top heavy felling. A viewer intuitively weighs complexities of tone, size, position, and other elements, and you can do the same looking through the viewfinder. Ask yourself if the image in the viewfinder feels balanced or if something isn't quite right. Move around as you continue to compose the photo. Even a slight change in angle can make a big difference in a scene.
Edward Weston once said:
Good composition is only the strongest way of seeing the
subject. It cannot be taught because, like all creative
effort, it is a matter of personal growth.
Perhaps it can't be taught, but good composition can be learned by looking at photographs , looking at more photographs, responding to them, asking questions, looking at a scene, trying something, seeing how it looks...and trying again.