Photography Now

Best Digital Photgraphy Tips For Beginner’s.

The Digital Camera is one of the great inventions of the technological age, it won’t change the world but it does help capture that great moment in time, in your life. Here, we walk the amateur photographer through some of the best digital photography tips that can bring on a photographers skills in leaps and bounds. These tips can help you become a better photographer and help you feel more comfortable and confident with your camera.

Get to know your camera and how to use it properly. Each digital camera has its own individual modes and functions. The best way to get to know your camera is to read the instruction manual which comes with it. Don’t just throw it out.

Even on sunny days you still might need to use your flash outdoors. Sometimes, when taking photographs on a sunny day the sun can throw dark patches or shadows on your subjects. Using the flash on the camera can help brighten up the subjects in the photo.

Learning how to hold your camera properly can help you from deleting wasted shots from your camera at a later stage. Hold your camera tightly in both hands, in order to avoid that dreaded shake in your shot. Try and keep your limbs and watches/jewellery behind the lens. Also, when pushing the capture button, push it gently and make sure that the camera doesn’t move. If possible you can use a tripod.

If you’re not planning to use you digital camera for long periods then make sure to remove the batteries from the camera. Sometimes the batteries will leak within the camera which is not good and can cause damage. Better to be safe than sorry.

Check your local area for camera clubs or groups. You could join a local photography club or group and get any queries or questains that you have answered. Other photographers are bound to have the same problems and issues as you. Maybe you could accompany a more experienced photographer on a shoot and see if you can pick up any tips.

There’s no need to go mad and buy the most expensive equipment right at the start. Use a cheap and easy camera starting off so that you can get to know the basics first. It’s easier and cheaper to iron out the problems at the start and buy more expensive equipment as you get more confident.

Study other photographers work and try and learn from them. Visit photographic competitions or galleries and maybe you will pick up some tips or ideas for your own photographs. Try to develop a style from the ideas that you pick up, not just copying the types of photos that you see but bring their ideas on to the next level.

These are just some of the best digital photography tips that I remember being given when I started off with my first digital camera. Being able to get the basics right in digital photography is the key to getting those developed, skillful shots.

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To beginners, photography opens up amazing opportunities to see the world in a completely new way. With access to a Digital SLR, the potential for stunning pictures is in your hands. But if you are new to using one, it can seem overwhelming. In time, for truly memorable shots, you should master manual settings. But, as a prelude to this, it makes sense to practice with Automatic Modes. Using these effectively will enable some great-looking shots, and allow you to concentrate on other important aspects of your photograph.

The automatic modes show on your Shooting Mode dial as a series of icons. Selecting one of these prepares the camera for specific situations. Let’s look at 4 Automatic Modes and the situations you would use them in.

Full Auto Mode – blank rectangle icon. This mode is the most basic – point and shoot. Your DSLR will assume that what you want to focus on the object closest to the camera. Press the shutter button halfway down, and you will see that, in the viewfinder, a focus point is highlighted. You can now recompose your picture, if necessary, and complete the shutter press. Job done! The camera will take care of any exposure, or flash, decisions. Please look at one of my previous beginner’s photography articles for more about composition.

Portrait Mode – face icon. When taking a portrait, you don’t want the background distracting from your subject. Choosing Portrait Mode will cause the camera to select a larger aperture, in turn creating a narrower depth of field. This effectively blurs the background and places the attention on your subject. In portrait mode, use a lens of length 50mm or longer. This will give a natural feel, and aid in keeping the depth of field narrow.

Landscape Mode – mountain icon. Not surprisingly, selecting this mode sets up the camera for a landscape image. Emphasis is placed on the picture style, with a resultant attempt to boost greens or blues in the picture. This make sense, in order to make trees, grass and skies appear more colourful. Landscape Mode also boosts the picture’s sharpness. The lowest possible ISO is automatically applied, which keeps any “noise” to a minimum. A small aperture will be applied, allowing a greater depth of field.

Close-up Mode – flower icon. This mode is designed to capture small details, for example when photographing flowers, plants or insects. If using a zoom lens, this won’t support “real” macro settings – but you can still get some acceptable close-up shots. To achieve this, move yourself as close as possible to the subject – Close-up Mode will help you obtain more than decent levels of sharp focus. The camera will select a small aperture, whilst keeping shutter speed fast. The ISO will be raised (which may give some “noise”) or the flash may deploy (with the possible result of harsh shadows).

So you can see that practicing with Automatic Modes can be a key aspect of beginners photography. It does allow you to focus your energy on other important and creative elements of your photograph. Once you have mastered composition, for example, you can try using manual settings. Watch out for a subsequent article where I will look at the remaining Automatic Modes.

Properly composing your pictures can mean the difference between a bad picture and a great one. Learn how to properly compose your pictures by understanding these three important concepts.

Filling the Frame & Clearing Clutter

There are exceptions to this as you’ll see in a second, but generally filling the frame is one of the easiest things you can do to compose interesting photographs.

Most people make the mistake of trying to include too much in their picture and end up with a boring photo where nothing really stands out.

For example, if you’re taking a picture of your child on a swing in the backyard, fill the frame with your child and swing, and leave out the rest of the swing set, Uncle Ed at the barbecue, and the other kids doing cartwheels on the lawn.

If you don’t fill the frame with just your child, you will lose them in the background and won’t be able to capture their excited expression from swinging high in the air. You can always go back and take a close up of Uncle Ed flipping the burgers.

One of the great benefits of digital cameras is that you can see the picture you just took in playback mode to make sure it turned out okay. By looking at the picture right then, you can re-shoot it if it doesn’t turn out quite right.

Sometimes leaving lots of empty space in the photo also works well. You may want to fill two thirds of the picture of something like a sandy beach to get a special effect. Just be sure to get a close enough shot that your subject fills at least about a third of the frame. And that brings us to another important tip for taking digital pictures.

Rule of Thirds Technique

Most snapshots have empty (or cluttered) space on either side of the subject, with the subject dead center. This happens because most people use digital compacts in auto focus mode and these cameras usually have a center-weighted focus.

Rarely do professional photographer have the subject in the center because they use manual focus. However, if you have an auto focus camera there is a trick you can use to avoid center weighted focus. If you have a DSLR you can also use this trick too.

The “Rule of Thirds” is one of the most popular techniques. To use this composition technique, imagine six evenly spaced lines that separate the image into nine even sections. Some cameras have a feature that lets you opt to have this tic tac toe grid, superimposed over your image in preview mode.

Using this grid in preview mode – or your imagination – you can frame the composition so that the subject (whether an individual, group or object) is on one of the lines of the grid. The lines of the grid are intended as guides so don’t try to line up your subject perfectly with the grid. Before long, using the rule of thirds will become automatic with just a little practice.

Focus on Focusing

So, it’s time to talk about how to get your subject in focus without placing them directly in the center of your picture. This technique works great for subjects that are not moving, like people sitting down or a picture of a statue or tree. Here is how you do it:

1. Move your subject in the middle of the frame where your viewfinder’s focus point is in the center and press the shutter release button half way down.

2. Wait for the green light to glow steadily signifying your focus is locked.

3. Keeping your finger pressed on the shutter release button so it stays pressed half way down, move the camera until you have the composition you want.

4. Keeping the camera still, press the shutter button the rest of the way down.

5. You need to wait until you see the green light on the camera as this indicates that the picture has been taken.

More Composition Tips for Taking Digital Pictures (Or Film)

Focus on the the main point of interest of your subject. Usually the eyes are the most expressive areas with people and pets so they tend to be the area most focused upon.

If you want your pictures to stand out, train your eye to look for photo opportunities with contrast. Contrast in a photo is good when the dark colors are truly dark and the brights are very bright.

For a new perspective and added appeal, try using different angles when photographing your picture. Try to get up high or lie down to get a unique perspective to your photograph. Try to mix it up and use different vantage points or shooting angles for your pictures.

By using these composition tips, you will be able to compose better photographs and will soon be framing your best pictures for all to enjoy.

We all love taking photographs; wherever we are we’ll happily snap away at anything that we like the look of. Now with the invention of cameras on cell phones, this hobby has increased, in fact taking pictures is becoming a daily occurrence for some. Occasionally, due to nothing more than pure luck, we capture an image that is perfect, but how many of us have downloaded or had photos printed that are completely spoilt by the lighting? ….

What would have been a photo to be proud of is in the dark, or gets spoilt by shadows. Professional photographers don’t make this kind of mistake,and it isn’t rocket science to make sure that your photos are always taken in the correct light. A few tips that Pro’s live by;

Always read through your camera manual fully before approaching the camera! – It may seem obvious, but cameras can be so complicated to use, most people manage to point and click. While the manuals may look very daunting, they can in fact improve your photography skills, surely it’s worth making the effort to actually read them?

Learn about lighting – In terms of lighting, there are only two types of light – natural, or artificial. Usually photos that are taken in natural light have better clarity, but even then there are natural conditions in which you shouldn’t take photos.

Time Your Camera Clicking – Mid afternoon is the time when most shadows will appear in your photos due to the sun being at its peak. You need to watch for two points with a dark sky, there is a tendency for the photo to appear dull and gloomy and also to appear quite a bit darker than you may have expected. If you’re on holiday and snapping away, time your photographs. Although this may sound totally obsessive, the best results will come from taking photos in the morning or just as the sun sets.

It’s not all in the flash – Artificial light is a whole different ball game; Even having a good quality flash doesn’t automatically make for a good photo. The key here is to get the artificial light to imitate the natural, and unless you have the big lights that the pro’s use, your photos aren’t going to turn out professional!.

When taking a photograph of an individual, ensure that there is never a window behind them. This may turn a potentially good shot in to a shot of a body with a ball of light where their head should be!

There is a tendency for warm colours to look washed out in artificial lighting. Try to create as much light in the room in order to bring out the warmth of the colours. Also bear in mind the background, if you are on a sofa and you are blending in with the colour of it, put something behind you or change your clothes. This is a trick much employed by the photographers who take baby pictures in a shopping mall. They will use fabrics and textures to make the baby stand out, and the background emphasizes the subject, as opposed to the opposite.

Once you know the basics, photography is a very satisfying hobby, and can result in beautiful photos that will be treasured for years to come. If you take note of these few tips, your days of dark, dull and disfigured photos should be a thing of the past.

A new photographer spends a lot of time worrying about getting good shots. There is lighting, composition and other technical considerations to think about. This is when everything is ideal in the surroundings. When you get into a challenging situation, like taking night shots, a beginner can really start to panic. Just like anything, you can learn to take better night shots. Here are some rules of thumb and relevant digital photography tricks to make note of as you start to increase your skills and shooting repertoire.

When you stop and look at a truly amazing photograph, you don’t see the blood, sweat and tears that has gone into getting that one great shot. Visit an artistic display by your favourite photographer and it’s tempting to go crawl into the corner and nurse your feeling of inferiority. However, even the best photographer needs many attempts before bagging that one perfect image. That’s one advantage of digital when learning night shooting. You can take hundreds of shots of one subject or situation. The more pictures you take, the better chance you have of capturing a really great night shot.

There is quite a learning curve when it comes to taking night shots. There are challenges and limitations that are not present in any other shooting environment. If you have a night setting on your camera, start there. However, to really master the night shot, the digital photography trick to suggest is to experiment with your camera’s manual settings. Make tiny adjustments with each series of shots. It will increase your chances of hitting that sweet spot. An online photography course would be able to guide you in detail on how best to move from auto to manual settings, in order to take control of your photographs.

Light is a huge challenge with night shooting. Frankly, there is just much less of it. That makes for rough waters, as your digital camera relies on the nuances of light to capture any image. The first thing you need to do in order to compensate is to get that shutter open. You will need a longer capture time to get a decent shot. Don’t worry too much if you get some blur. It can add to the ambience. If it is not conducive to the type of image that you desire, play with other settings, like pumping up the ISO. In most circumstances, you should not need to resort to flash. It will likely not be effective and can detract from the desired mood.

Camera shake is the instability that comes into play in a shot when you are holding the camera yourself. As with any living and breathing person, you can never be entirely still. In daylight, the affect of camera shake can be less obvious. However, at night you need a longer period of time to capture the shot, and any movement becomes apparent. There are ways to compensate for camera shake. First, you can use a lens with built in image stabalisation, designed to compensate for the problem. Even with this, though, the tried and tested method is to invest in a decent tripod, with the addition of a shutter cable release.

With any craft, you will improve incrementally the more you practice. Find different occasions to practice night shots and create different scenes and moods in your lens. Once you master the necessary digital photography tricks, why not try photographing fireworks, people, bridges, cityscapes, moving traffic or simply anything that catches your imagination at night? Before you know it, you could have people calling you professional as well.

Someone telling you how to hold your camera? This is a joke, surely? To avid beginners, photography is all about getting on with interesting stuff like learning composition, camera settings and techniques to use for portraits, landscapes or any other type of picture. But, believe it or not, one of the basic rules to master is how to hold your camera correctly when taking your photographs. Get this part wrong and it can totally undermine your photograph. It’s like trying to build a house without foundations.

Basically what we want to achieve is a “shake – free” shot. Many a potentially decent photo is ruined because the camera was not held steadily in the first place. Even using post-production tricks in Photoshop will not mend a blurred image caused by shakiness. In all situations, the photographer must use every tool in his arsenal to take the very best shot he can, so that applications such as Photoshop are used only how intended, which is to enhance rather than repair.

The exact method you should use will vary slightly depending on the type of camera you use but, as far as beginner’s photography tips go, apply the following and you will not go far wrong.

Using your right hand, grip the right hand end of the camera. Your forefinger should be poised above the shutter button, and your remaining fingers curled around the front. This leaves your thumb, which is gripping the camera back. Modern cameras have grips or indentations that naturally mimic this action. Generally, your left hand supports the weight of the camera, and will sit under or just around the lens, if using a Digital SLR.

If using the viewfinder to line up your shot, the camera will naturally be close to your body, so this combined with the grip mentioned above will provide stability. If using an LCD screen to view your image, don’t hold the camera too far away from you, although this may be an easy habit to get into. Tuck your elbows in, and hold the camera just a short way away from your face (no more than 30 cm should do it).

All you need to get right now is your stance – it’s no good having the right grip if your legs are unsteady. If available, use a wall or other solid object to lean against. Alternatively you can kneel or sit down. Obviously, this is not always possible so if you are free standing you must make sure you are as stable as possible. The stance I have is to position the subject of my photograph at around 45 degrees to the left of my standing position. With my right foot pointing straight ahead I turn myself slightly to the left with my left foot at 45 degrees to the right foot (so my left foot is pointing straight at the subject). My feet are shoulder width apart.

And that’s it. A basic, but easy to take for granted, element of beginner’s photography, that if you get wrong can ruin a photo before it has even been taken.