Photography isn’t easy to learn. But if you own a good camera with a lot of features, coupled with good advice, you are able to take excellent pictures.
To create photographic images that resemble paintings, try having your photos printed onto matte or semi-gloss papers, then painting them by hand with photographic oils or pastels. These items can be picked up at most art supply stores and many camera shops. The most popular paints are made by Marshall’s and are created specifically for use on photographs.
When aiming for the perfect shot, remember to keep sunlight in mind. Too little and you can’t see the subject. Too much and one of two things happen. The first is that too much sunlight is directed into the camera’s lens or on the subject and washes out the picture. The second is the person being photographed has to blink or close his eyes because of the massive amounts of sunlight coming into his eyes.
The number one lighting to avoid in photography is the use of your built in camera flash. Using the flash setting in your camera actually creates the dreaded red eyes and makes your subjects appear featureless shadow blobs. Only use this setting in the case of an emergency if you are left with no other choice.
A good photography tip is to try and be helpful when you’re offering criticism. Don’t just tell someone that their photograph is nice, or that you like it. Tell them specifically what you like about it, and why you think it makes the photograph strong. The same goes for what you don’t like about the photograph.
Keep your photo subject simple. The busier the subject is the more difficult it is to capture something that is going to be interesting. Keeping the backgrounds simple will make it easier for the eye to focus on the subject that you are capturing. Keeping it uncomplicated seems simple, but many forget to do it.
A good photography tip is to remind yourself that less is more. Don’t think that by adding more stuff to your shot that you’ll make it more interesting. If anything, more stuff will only confuse your viewer. Simplicity is something you should keep in mind when composing photographs.
Try to plan out all of your shots. You should plan out everything from the subject, to the angle, to the lighting in the area where you will be shooting. Taking a bit of time to plan all of this out, can lead to much better and more interesting photographs.
Patterns have a natural ability to draw people’s attention. Patterns, especially repeating ones, make photographs much more interesting to view. You can use the patterns to your advantage by creating different angles and backgrounds with your subject.
As you’ve seen, photography is just a matter of getting the right camera, and using the right strategies. Even if you can’t draw or paint, you can take a picture. After reading this article, you now know just what it takes to take a great picture, and you can turn photography into an art!