Taking a picture is as easy as pushing a button, but taking a beautiful photograph is a work of art. You can take great photos with a simple, point-and-shoot camera or get lousy shots with the most expensive, top-of-the-line camera. It is not the camera that produces wonderful images, it is the photographer. To help you take great photographs, here are some helpful tips.
Be mindful of the framing of your subject. What this means will vary by subject. For instance, if you are taking a picture of one person, getting a close shot where the subject fills the frame is your best bet, since details are important. On the other hand, a landscape shot might benefit from being further away, as you get the entire scene this way.
Play with the manual white balance feature. Indoor shots tend to have a yellowish tone to them due to the lighting. Instead of spending the time to fix the lighting, you can just change the white balance from your camera. Implementing this feature will create a look of professionalism in the images you produce.
Get an external flash unit with a diffuser instead of the built-in flash feature. These built-in flashes often make a picture look very harsh. An external flash unit gives a more natural aspect to your photographs and allows you to edit them without the noise you get when you use another kind of flash.
You can do a lot to change the quality of your pictures by adjusting the focus of the shot. What is your primary subject? This doesn’t always have to be in the center of the photo. Having your subject in the lower right hand or left hand corner, for example, can increase dramatic aspects of your picture.
If you like the creative feeling an old camera gives you, consider buying some vintage gear in a second hand shop. Try getting some black and white film that has a ISO 200 rating; it is the best for all situations. The developed film can be printed on art or handmade papers, producing interesting artistic effects.
Positioning of the subject can make the difference between a good photo and a great photo. The subject should rarely be dead center in the middle of the photo. When taking your photo, try to position the subject in the upper, or lower third of the image. This effect works best when there is a horizon in the distance.
A good photography tip you should try is to to add an object to your photograph that will show the scale of another object. A big tree might not look that impressive by itself, but having a tiny person standing right next to it can make the tree look humongous.
Now that you have some helpful tips, you will be able to start taking more great pictures. With this knowledge and some willingness to make some easy adjustments to your shooting techniques and your camera, you can get some pretty amazing shots from any camera that you are using.