We all love photos, we are surrounded by them, facebook, blogs, websites in general, the news, advertisement and so on. We see a photo taken by a "pro" photographer and always go "I wish I could do that". Well, you can!
Taking a good photo is actually not that hard, there are many many ways to perfect the art, but to get you to a good starting point it only takes a few simple tips that will take your photos to that wow factor.
What you need.
- A camera
- You
You do not need a massive $2000 SLR, they sure have their advantages but they don't make you a good photographer. A good photographer can use their mobile phone, a disposable camera or a professional SLR and STILL take a good photo. Ok, so its time for you to take some killer shots. We will start with things you can do to improve, and then things you should avoid.
1. Rule of Thirds
It all starts here, the rule of thirds is a way of composing a photo, which is composition, which is where you place the subject matter in the photo. Its simple, it's easy and you will not forget it. You imagine the screen/viewfinder/thing you look at when taking the photo is cut into 3 secions horizontal and vertical. Like this.
It all starts here, the rule of thirds is a way of composing a photo, which is composition, which is where you place the subject matter in the photo. Its simple, it's easy and you will not forget it. You imagine the screen/viewfinder/thing you look at when taking the photo is cut into 3 secions horizontal and vertical. Like this.
Ok great, so what do you do with this? You put your subject on a line. So if you are taking a photo of a person, you would usually put them on the right or left hand side of the frame, what's the frame? Its slang for the viewfinder/screen etc. Using the rule of thirds will give your photos instant pop.
See what I did there? If you look back to the grid you will see I colour coded the lines, that was on purpose. The photo above I put my subject, in this case the beautiful Elise on the black line. What you really need to see is a before and after. So check this.
Without Rule of Thirds
With Rule of Thirds
You can see my beastly Diahatsu Terios pretending to be a real 4WD. What I did was crop the photo you can crop on just about any computer and even in some cameras. I lined it up so the car was shifted from being in the middle to the green line, as you can see even though its a boring photo, its now more interesting to look at, more flattering to the eye.
The reason I cropped after I took the photo was to show you that you can start making old photos you have look better, before you even pick up the camera. However I recommend (from now on) do not crop, instead make sure you use the rule of thirds when you take the photo, that way you get to use all the megapixels of your camera and it forces you to get better at composition.
To wrap up on the rule of thirds, I have a few more tips.
- Place eyes on the red line
- For landscape put the horizon on the blue line
- For people put them on the black or green line
- Place the subject where the points crossover
The rule of thirds does not mean all your photos have to be all lopsided, you can still take a photo of someone in the middle of the frame, but by placing their eyes on the red line you are using the rule of thirds, remember, you do not have to use the rule of thirds, it is just a guide and a good way to improve your composition, there are millions of fantastic photos that do not use the rule of thirds, but they are very well composed. So that is the rule of thirds, give it a crack, you will be suprised.
2. Keep it clean
This is a very simple tip, but will go a long way in improving your photos. Always look at what else is in the frame, if you are taking a photo of someone take it against a plain painted wall, or something that is all the same, if you shoot with a whole lot of clutter in the background it will make the photo distracting and confusing to the eye, because the viewers brain will be trying to figure out what is the focal point of the photo, what they are meant to be looking at, and a distracting background makes it harder. See this.
Bad Background
Happy Background
Well really, at this stage your photos will now pop heaps more, these two tips would be 80% if not more, of what I personally use and what gives my photos that extra touch. You can go away and try both of these out and see how you go.
3. People
Ok ladies, this one is for you. I love girls, to me they are just the best thing ever, and I absolutely love taking photos of you all. But there are a few things to keep in mind when taking photos of people, especially ladies.
Shoot from above.
3. People
Ok ladies, this one is for you. I love girls, to me they are just the best thing ever, and I absolutely love taking photos of you all. But there are a few things to keep in mind when taking photos of people, especially ladies.
Shoot from above.
This means take the photo so the camera is looking down on the person, this will instantly make any girl (or guy) look better, and if you ask your subject to look at the camera it makes the eyes look a lot nicer as well. It reduces weight, and helps hide imperfections. Shooting from below however will exaggerate any blemishes and add weight.
Keep it close.
Get in there, shoot in nice and tight, using just the head and upper body, no need to have the whole person in there. If your subject is overweight a full body shot is not the way to go, by keeping it close it is much more flattering.
Keep it in.
Too many times a good photo is ruined when the person shooting accidently takes a photo and then realises they cut an arm off, or a leg, or the top half of the head. Always give a 10 to 20% buffer around what you are shooting, so make sure if its a person, have space above their head, otherwise the photo can feel cramped, you gotta let it breath.
Lean.
Yes, lean, lean forward, this will make you look good, it makes the proportions of your head to your body look better.
4. Light
This right here is the sneaky ninja. You do not need expensive studio gear to nail this. If you are outdoors put the sun behind the subject, shoot into it, it will halo your subject, makes the ladies look like angels. Avoid the sunlight for most of the time, its harsh and looks crap, best times to use the sun are sunrise but especially sunset, it is a much softer much warmer light and looks freaking awesome if you nail it. Shoot when its overcast, the clouds diffuse the harsh sunlight and make it nice and even and soft, photos will look much better. If you have to shoot in the midday sun, try and find some shade and use that.
TURN YOUR FLASH OFF! The good ol flash will kill any effort you have used this far, it makes that horrible dear in the headlights look, its nasty, turn it off, all cameras can do this, read your manual to find out. If it is so dark that you need the flash, use it that's ok, BUT do this, get some white paper and make a little guard (bounce card) so the flash is not shooting straight ahead but instead at the roof. Look at these for ideas.
A B C D
Keep it close.
Get in there, shoot in nice and tight, using just the head and upper body, no need to have the whole person in there. If your subject is overweight a full body shot is not the way to go, by keeping it close it is much more flattering.
Keep it in.
Too many times a good photo is ruined when the person shooting accidently takes a photo and then realises they cut an arm off, or a leg, or the top half of the head. Always give a 10 to 20% buffer around what you are shooting, so make sure if its a person, have space above their head, otherwise the photo can feel cramped, you gotta let it breath.
Lean.
Yes, lean, lean forward, this will make you look good, it makes the proportions of your head to your body look better.
4. Light
This right here is the sneaky ninja. You do not need expensive studio gear to nail this. If you are outdoors put the sun behind the subject, shoot into it, it will halo your subject, makes the ladies look like angels. Avoid the sunlight for most of the time, its harsh and looks crap, best times to use the sun are sunrise but especially sunset, it is a much softer much warmer light and looks freaking awesome if you nail it. Shoot when its overcast, the clouds diffuse the harsh sunlight and make it nice and even and soft, photos will look much better. If you have to shoot in the midday sun, try and find some shade and use that.
TURN YOUR FLASH OFF! The good ol flash will kill any effort you have used this far, it makes that horrible dear in the headlights look, its nasty, turn it off, all cameras can do this, read your manual to find out. If it is so dark that you need the flash, use it that's ok, BUT do this, get some white paper and make a little guard (bounce card) so the flash is not shooting straight ahead but instead at the roof. Look at these for ideas.
A B C D
What a bounce card does is softens out that super harsh point of light, by spreading it out onto the roof and then all that light comes back down from the roof hitting your subject, its much more full, and much more flattering. You can also diffuse the flash by putting an opaque covering over the flash, this can be something as simple as scotch tape. Here is a before and after, now I havent used direct flash in ages, so I don't have anything to show you that I shot, but here is one I found.
Right; Horrible Direct Flash. Left; Lovely Bounce Flash.
See how much nicer that is, now the trick I mentioned is no good if you are outdoors or don't have anything to bounce the light off (roof, wall etc) the only option you have is a diffuser, or to carry a complex apparatus to somehow bounce the flash of something. In pro photography we use a thing called a soft box or a shoot-through umbrella or a bounce umbrella, you can of course get one, but you would need a whole bunch of other gear to do so, and this blog isn't about pro photography, its about getting your skills to the next level.
5. Experiment
Everything I have mentioned is a guide, they are not the law. You can bend and break these, and people often do when creating masterpieces, if it looks good, it looks good, it doesn't have to be textbook. Read your manual, there is heaps of good stuff in there, all kinds of tips and tricks and advanced features, like most cameras have a grid you can turn on if you are new to the rule of thirds.
Make the person laugh, don't be saying ok on three say "cheese" that's crap and the photo will look pathetic as the person will overdo their expression as they know they are about to have a photo taken and they will close their eyes most of the time expecting some flash to strike them down, seriously start making them laugh, be fun and happy, and then you will get the real smiles.
Read, Read, Read. I must of read an encyclopedia's worth of information on photography before I ever picked up the camera, and it does help, heaps. So if you want to know how to take photos of ducks, then look up, how to take photos of ducks and there will be something there. Photography is massive, there are so many things you can do, but the things I have mentioned here today will give you the foundations you need to begin. Most people find their own style, be it weddings, people, animals, landscapes, cars, food or whatever it may be, and there are special tips and tricks for each of those.
I hope you all got something from this, I will be doing another blog on how to process your photos, or edit them on the computer, so stay tuned. If you want more, then let me know and I will do more, if you have a request, ask me, or a question, ask me, I would be more than happy to help.
Sam
Hurt Me - The Jezabels (She's So Hard EP)
5. Experiment
Everything I have mentioned is a guide, they are not the law. You can bend and break these, and people often do when creating masterpieces, if it looks good, it looks good, it doesn't have to be textbook. Read your manual, there is heaps of good stuff in there, all kinds of tips and tricks and advanced features, like most cameras have a grid you can turn on if you are new to the rule of thirds.
Make the person laugh, don't be saying ok on three say "cheese" that's crap and the photo will look pathetic as the person will overdo their expression as they know they are about to have a photo taken and they will close their eyes most of the time expecting some flash to strike them down, seriously start making them laugh, be fun and happy, and then you will get the real smiles.
Read, Read, Read. I must of read an encyclopedia's worth of information on photography before I ever picked up the camera, and it does help, heaps. So if you want to know how to take photos of ducks, then look up, how to take photos of ducks and there will be something there. Photography is massive, there are so many things you can do, but the things I have mentioned here today will give you the foundations you need to begin. Most people find their own style, be it weddings, people, animals, landscapes, cars, food or whatever it may be, and there are special tips and tricks for each of those.
I hope you all got something from this, I will be doing another blog on how to process your photos, or edit them on the computer, so stay tuned. If you want more, then let me know and I will do more, if you have a request, ask me, or a question, ask me, I would be more than happy to help.
Sam
Hurt Me - The Jezabels (She's So Hard EP)
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