Photography is so much more than taking a picture. It is an art and a science combined when done correctly. This article by a Washington DC Wedding Photographer will provide some of the most important tips to ensure that you are treating this hobby with respect and therefore coming away with quality end results.
In photography, it is very important to vary the amount of angles that you use on your subject. Shoot pictures from the front, side, and back, which will help to give you an elegant collage instead of just one angle. Move around as often as possible to optimize your results.
Make sure you hold the camera correctly. Holding the camera correctly reduces the chance that an inopportune movement ruins your shot. Hold the camera with your arms close to your body and the palm of your hand under the camera to prevent the camera from falling or shaking.
If you know that you have a really important shoot the next day, make sure that you get ample rest. Yes, a lack of sleep will directly result in loss of judgment, which will hurt the quality of the shots that you take. Get at least eight hours of rest the night before a photo shoot.
Use manual white balance to spice up your photos. It is possible to let the camera decide the proper white balance for a given environment, but sometimes the camera will get it wrong and the photo will look washed out. Using a manual white balance also allows you to take artsy photos with sepia tones, for instance.
Get professional equipment if you are serious about photography. Look for a digital camera with a dSLR feature. This allows you to get a better idea of the frame of your picture. What you preview actually looks like the picture you are taking. With a good sensor, you should be able to take much better pictures.
When photographing portraits, isolate your subject. Use a medium telephoto lens or the medium telephoto setting on your zoom. That, combined with a large aperture (try f/4 or larger), blurs the foreground and background. Focus on the eyes. Use diffused lighting for a flattering look. If outdoors, wait for an overcast sky or shoot with the subject in the shadows and the sun at your back.
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.
Play around with different color schemes, camera angles and photography features. You do not need an original object to take a high-quality picture. A skilled photographer can take even the most overshot subject and create an image which is creative and jaw-dropping. Experimenting is key, so don’t be afraid to do it.
Do not try to be unique all the time. You will not lose your status as a good photographer if you take some classic looking shots. Learn to make the difference between what is art and what is not. Do not edit your basic pictures of your friends to make them look artsy.
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.
Develop your creative vision. You can make an object from your everyday life look interesting if you know how to adopt a point of view that differs from what everyone sees. You can use your imagination to show usual objects in original settings or outside of their everyday use. Look at the world with a different point of view.
In conclusion, it is important to understand that photography involves so much more than pointing a camera and pushing a button. In order to consider what you do as art, there are certain standards that you usually need to adhere to. Hopefully you will be able to use the information in this article to your advantage.