Tips

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Techniques in getting a Great Picture !

Have you heard of, “There is more than meets the eye ?”

Frankly, the following points which I am going to share with you, I myself have yet to fully master all of them, but I usually keep them in mind whenever I plan to do any shooting. So here goes…

We use our eyes to view things in our environment. However, through time, man has devised ways on how to preserve the things normally seen and thus treasured, whether these are beautiful or not, and one of which is by using cameras.

The images that are captured by cameras can make our eyes see things that have happened before. Moreover, it enables the heart to wish for beautiful things to happen in the future.

These days, the biggest sellers in the camera market are the so-called Digital SLR cameras. These are the modern gadgets that can trigger our creativity and seats of emotion.

Most people choose Digital SLRs because it can be easily manipulated. However, having these cameras does not completely guarantee that the every captured image is great and perfect.

Following are some point by point guidelines that should be considered to maximize the expense of your digital cameras :

1. Simplicity

Zoom in to capture the part that you want to emphasize. Thus, irrelevant objects or areas can be taken away or just allow them to soften (or blur the background)

2. Rule of thirds

When capturing a subject, imaginary lines are drawn dividing the “working space” into thirds both horizontally and vertically. You place important elements of your composition (subject) where these lines intersect. Good places to put things; a third of the way up, a third of the way in from the left and so on…

3. Shapes and lines

Shapes can be made more dominant by placing them against plain contrasting backgrounds; for example, consider again the white sail against the dark water background. The greatest emphasis of shape is achieved when the shape is silhouetted, thus eliminating other qualities of the shape, such as texture and roundness, or the illusion of the third dimension.

Vertical, diagonal, horizontal, and curved lines create different moods. Vertical lines communicate a sense of strength, rigidity, power, and solidarity to the viewer. On the other hand, horizontal lines represent peace, tranquility, and quietness. A generally accepted practice is to use a vertical format for pictures having predominantly vertical lines and horizontal format for pictures having predominantly horizontal lines. Again, this is a generally accepted practice, NOT a rule. Diagonal lines represent movement, action, and speed. A picture with diagonal lines conveys a feeling of dynamic action even when the subject is static. Curved lines present a sense of grace,  smoothness, and dignity to a photograph. The most common curved line is the S curve.

4. Vantage point

Stressing key details and making the most of your frame depends upon where you choose to stand with the camera. Your vantage point often determines your message. Most beginners hold their cameras at eye level, and confront their subjects head on. This vantage point usually produces static, descriptive pictures. By moving the camera in, out, up, down, around, and even behind the subject, you can make images that say a lot more.

5. Balance

While it’s a difficult thing to be specific about (it’s not like the Rule of Thirds where you can identify key spots on an image by imagining lines through it) it is a compositional factor worth considering when framing shots.

Perhaps the most effective way of learning about balance is by looking at photos that don’t have it.

We’ve all taken them - shots with strong points of interest on one side of an image and ‘emptiness’ in another area.

I’m not talking about symmetry - images don’t need to be the same on each side - but sometimes images can be improved greatly by having a secondary point of interest counter balancing the main focal point of an image and providing those ‘empty’ spots with a little weight.

Achieving Balance in shots is something that photographers learn over time. The best way to learn it is to scan through some of your older images, looking for those that could be more balanced.

6. Framing

One of the easiest ways to take a creative photograph is to compose your subject with a frame around it. A photographic frame is an object that that acts as a border or frame for your subject. The frame directs the viewer’s attention to a particular subject or point of interest within the photograph. Frames also create perspective and show depth.

Creatively think of objects to use as a frame. Some examples include branches, windows, tunnels, doorways, and archways. Anything that lets you look through one thing at another thing will make a good frame.

Use an interesting frame for your photograph. If possible use a symbolic object for framing your subject, something that has a meaning in relation to the subject

Consider depth of field when working with a frame as a foreground object. Since you have a foreground object (the frame) and a background object (the subject) you can chose your depth of field. Do you want your foreground to be in focus? If so, then use a small aperture to keep the frame and subject in focus. Conversely, if you want only the subject in focus, use a large aperture.

Keep the camera’s focusing and lighting sensors on the main subject. If possible, use a foreground frame that is a darker object than the background. Expose for the subject in the background and let the frame darken.

Emphasize your subject. All framing directs the viewer’s attention to the subject, but you do not need to always go tightly into the frame. You can leave the subject framed but still leave other objects around the edges of the photograph. In this photograph the frame is a window, but you can still see the cannon around the edges of the photograph.

7. Indoor photographs

The first secret to taking good indoor shots is that you need light. The major problem with indoor shots is really just they are far too dark. I’ve taken shots of things inside and sometimes found that no matter how hard I try, without the aid of an overhead lamp or sunlight streaming through the window my shots just won’t turn out.

Portrait shots are a classic example of this. There is a very good reason as to why photographers who work at their family residence, have lots of big and obtrusive lights, lamps etc, creating a lot of light. That’s because they know that in order to work successfully indoors, they must have adequate lighting or forget it. It’s really that simple.

The correct balance of a light is a tricky one at times. You can have too much light which tends to create too many areas of white light. These blocks of overexposed light eliminate detail.

The problem with indoor pictures is that too often the picture is underexposed. This means not enough exposure to light. Because we see differently to the camera, it’s difficult to know exactly how much light to have in your picture.

The good news is that the more you take pictures indoors and play around with the light, the more you know about what light you need at that time to take that subject. Its really just a matter of practice. With this practice you develop a subconscious knowledge about what light will work. Its funny how that just happens automatically after a while of practice.

To work successfully indoors try taking a picture of your subject under window light in the beginning of the day. Even turn the overhead light on to create more light to help the camera pick up the subject more clearly.

You may even want to angle the light onto a wall to be reflected back onto your subject. This can work well inside if done properly. You can even create different types of light on your camera itself. And if you want to get really creative, remember that there are things you can do to create different effects with a very limited amount of money.

8. Camera adjustments

The aperture allows light to enter. You must learn how to adjust this properly and appropriately so that images will not appear as either very bright or very dim.

Lowering the shutter speed allows the image to be more exposed to light. You must learn the proper length of exposure so that images will not appear as blurry.

9. ISO speeds

Digital cameras have ISO speeds ranging from 100 to 3200. The higher the ISO, the higher the camera’s sensitivity to light’s exposure. Be sure to master using this element along with the camera’s aperture and shutter speeds.

10. Lens/Filters

Digital SLRs allow additional lenses to be attached to the main lens, or the lenses can be completely interchangeable.

Lenses can be categorized as follows :

• macro lens – allows you to get closer to objects like insects and flowers
• wide-angle lens – used for capturing landmarks, and large and wide scenaries
• telephoto lens – allows longer zooms that let you get close to objects that are rather unsafe

Filters, on the other hand are used to :

• soften the effect of the image
• provide blurring on the edges for portraits that have sensitive moods
• add light flares for the image to be more dramatic
• to reduce glare so that photos appear more saturated, crisp, and vivid.

However, if you still want to improve on the images that you have taken, the following list of software can allow touch-ups:

• Adobe Photoshop
• Apple’s iPhoto
• Corel Paint Shop Pro
• Google Picasa
• LView

In addition, here’s a link for Canon’s website on how fun and easy it is to use a digital SLR camera, and experience the true joy of photography.

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/

If you have anything you would like to share or add on, feel free to let me know via email.