1. Rule of thirds The rule of thirds states that a subject is one third away from any edge of the picture. This ensures a viewer's eyes travel throughout the photo, and creates an interesting composition. In this photo, the subject is the no parking sign, and it is one third away from the left edge of the photo. 2. Make sure the subject is in focus This step is fairly simple; if the subject isn't in focus, the viewer can't see the subject, and the impact of the photo is lost. In the picture below, the rose isn't quite in focus and therefore is not a successful picture. 3. ISO, shutter speed, and aperture Understanding camera settings will make taking a good picture much easier. The lower the ISO, the higher the picture quality. When taking pictures in low light, use a tripod when possible to keep the ISO as low as possible. Camera settings can be tailored to the type of photo. For example, stop motion action photos need a fast shutter speed. Motion blur is a result of a slow shutter speed. Aperture controls the range of focus. A landscape where everything is in focus might have an aperture of f/16, while a portrait with only the subject in focus might be f/5. The higher the number of the f-stop, the more subject matter will be in focus. This photo was taken on a tripod to minimize noise. If it had been taken without a tripod, it would have been blurry because the shutter speed had to be low to let in light. 4. Framing Keep in mind the frame of the photograph. Make sure there is nothing distracting from the subject; be aware of the background. If something doesn't contribute to the photo as a whole, crop it out. In this photo, everything in the background is intentional to give the photo a specific mood. 5. Enjoy
Take pictures of things you want to take pictures of instead of trying to copy other people's photos. If you aren't interested in your subject, it will show in your photos, and they will most likely be boring and unoriginal. The only way you can find your voice in photography is to have fun. |
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