JT Spunk | Photography

Top 10 Photography Tips

Whether you are an SLR Professional, a Nikon Novice or an iPhone ‘spur of the moment’ photographer there are certain techniques you can implement to capture images truly worth sharing.

My Top 10 Digital Photography tips are as follows:

10. The Rule of Thirds

Focal points are the key areas of interest in a photograph. If you are taking a portrait it maybe the persons eyes. If you are taking a landscape shot it maybe the mountain in the background.

The golden rule is never place focal points at the middle of a photograph. The powerful effect of a focal point is accentuated when it’s taken off center. Mentally visualize every image as being divided into 9 boxes created by two evenly spaced vertical lines and two even spaced horizontal lines.

Now, picture that middle square in the grid. The four corners of that square mark the locations of your areas of interest.

Consider an image taken of the statue of liberty. Keep the focal point (Statue of Liberty) out of the middle box. This creates a more dramatic image with the Manhattan skyline providing a superb backdrop. This ‘rule of thirds’ is very useful for all types of images e.g. for sunset images use the horizontal top line to position the sun, and thus ensure the foreground accounts for 2/3s of the shot. This gives the images more depth and dramatic effect.

9. Pick a Point to Frame a Shot for Professional Effect

A very effective way to create an instantly professional image is to use a nearby object to give an image perspective or to alter its perspective. For example consider an image taken in a relatively ‘unexciting’ restaurant environment. By purposely using two pint glasses the photographer can add an element of ‘altered perspective’ to the image, by making the pint glasses seem larger than life by positioning the camera near the glasses and the person in the background. It would also emphasize what the individuals in the image were engaging in, at that moment in time.

8. Vary the angle the shot is taken

This is a very simple concept which is seldom realized by amateur photographers. By altering the angle the image is taken, the subject matter can be greatly enhanced. For example whenever I’m at the beach or in a boat, I take images by holding the camera at water level. This provides a dramatic panoramic image that looks liked the camera was floating on the water. In fact this low level camera angle can work very well in many different types of situations. When I was in New York, I used capture images of the skyscrapers by placing the camera at footpath level. This had the desired effect of emphasizing the height of the skyscrapers.

7. Slow Motion Effects Creating a slow motion effect on subject matters ordinarily associated with swift motion, creates photographs that have the ‘wow’ factor. The most effective subject matter for this type of image is waterfalls. Commence by discovering a nice composition with running water, then prolong the time the cameras shutter is open. Be sure to use a tripod to ensure the camera stays study during the long exposure.

It’s advisable to trip the shutter using a self timer. You will need to keep the camera steady during the long exposure so a tripod is strongly recommended.

According to photography expert Dereck Story “If your camera has an aperture priority setting, use it and set the aperture to f-8, f-11, or f-16 if possible. This will give you greater depth of field and cause the shutter to slow down.

Ideally, you’ll want an exposure of one second or longer to create the flowing effect of the water. That means you probably will want to look for streams and waterfalls that are in the shade instead of the bright sunlight.

Another trick is to use your sunglasses over the lens to darken the scene and create even a longer exposure. Plus you get the added bonus of eliminating distracting reflections from your composition.”

6. Expression of Motion

Capturing a moving object is an important conversation in digital photography. You can generally achieve three different types of effect:

a. A complete freeze frame with both the subject and background clear, non blurred and still.

b. An image where the background is still but the subject matter is blurred to illustrate the speed they are travelling

c. An image where everything is blurred

To create an effect where every aspect of the motion is clear and sharp you need to use a high shutter speed. Use a shutter speed of at least 1/300th of a second. Set the shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second if you are shooting a fast moving object.

If you seek to blur everything in the shot to convey to the viewer how fast everything is moving, slower the shutter speed to 1/100th of a second or less.

To achieve ‘panning’, motion blur of the background while the subject stays clear you need to use a slower shutter speed while moving the camera at the same rate as the moving object.

5. Taking Spectacular Night time Images

The key secret here is to always use a tripod. This is necessary to achieve a clear exposure with a great depth of field. Many professional photographers integrate a foreground object in the frame. This gives the object depth and serves to frame the image.

4. Taking Portraits

The most effective portrait photos are those taken when the subject is not expecting or not ready. Many top photographers will take the image when the subject is fixing their hair, or clothing while getting ready for the shot. These provide more genuine images that are far more appealing.

3. Take Black and White

Black and white images are a very effective means of transforming the mood of a photograph. If you find yourself at a beach on a cloudy day, a black and white image will appear more scintillating and bring to life shots which would otherwise have appeared colorless. This technique is also useful for night time images taken within big cities e.g. Manhattan.

2. Timing is Critical

Whether you are on a city break to Prague or visiting the Pyramids in Egypt, taking images at dawn or dusk will present more exciting photo opportunities. You are more likely to get a clear landscape shot because less people are around early on. Considering the sun shines at different angles through out the day, you will gain from varying intensities of shadows and colors. This is particularly noticeable in the evening when the light becomes warm and golden.

1. Monetize Your Images

Upload your images to sites such as shutterstock.com and get paid for every time someone downloads your images.

About the Author

Hobeze.com is the
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