Tips
Jun 23, 2018 12:22:43 #
Tomcat5133
Loc: Gladwyne PA
Think out-of-the-box. I told this story a long time ago my grandaughter was young and grabbed a camera in our basement.
She began shooting the carpet designs books and a lot of arty stuff we have. She knew what she wanted to do right away.
I left her alone when she finished I liked some of the shots a lot. She is visiting us in Florida coming this week for a month.
She wants to take pictures. I will just sit back and watch. She knows what she wants to do.
Go with your instinct. Break the rules. Tell a story. Don't shoot what is obvious. Good luck.
She began shooting the carpet designs books and a lot of arty stuff we have. She knew what she wanted to do right away.
I left her alone when she finished I liked some of the shots a lot. She is visiting us in Florida coming this week for a month.
She wants to take pictures. I will just sit back and watch. She knows what she wants to do.
Go with your instinct. Break the rules. Tell a story. Don't shoot what is obvious. Good luck.
Jun 23, 2018 13:28:51 #
Best tips I read so far aimed at a beginner!! Pertinent and understandable.
PGHphoto wrote:
1) Fill the frame with your subject
2) Don't put the main subject in the dead center of your shot
3) When shooting people, from a semi profile, leave more room on the side they are facing.
4) Ignore these rules when it makes a better composition or tells a better story
2) Don't put the main subject in the dead center of your shot
3) When shooting people, from a semi profile, leave more room on the side they are facing.
4) Ignore these rules when it makes a better composition or tells a better story
Jun 23, 2018 16:05:28 #
kskarma
Loc: Topeka, KS
My tip would be....make a first exposure or two...THEN...start working on making that photo better. Don't stop with just taking a shot from where you happen to be standing, but try to improve your "Point of View"...this means moving both the camera and yourself around. Move the camera to put your subject at other places in the viewfinder...upper left, on the side, zoomed out for more of their surroundings? Oftentimes just changing a few feet from side to side can dramatically change the framing and relationships of the objects or people in your shot.
DO NOT use the viewfinder like a rifle sight, but instead, treat it as a total photograph....think of it as a large print, framed and hanging on your wall. Experiment with your subject by adjusting the zoom, altering your location...is there a way to get higher or lower than the 'normal'...but oftentimes, boring, 'eye-level' view?? Many times you can look around and see a stairway or porch that might give a new way to improve your composition...by moving your camera...and of course, your viewpoint, you can find dozens of ways to alter that first shot.... If you have a camera with a moveable LCD viewfinder, this would be a good time to try a high angle view with it...or...get it down low...(especially good with pets or kids...or BOTH TOGETHER!) You will find that each successive image will add something to your final result. It's rare that I ever end up using the first image I took....and that's a GOOD thing...!
I see way too many people, when ready to take a photo, just raise their camera to their eye and snap a single shot....never taking the time to look for a better angle, location, viewpoint, etc. I like the advice of one of the famous photographers for Life magazine, Alfred Eisenstaedt, who said "I always make TWO exposures, for one will always be better than the other....!" Great advice and especially true in these times with the near unlimited capacity of digital photography.
DO NOT use the viewfinder like a rifle sight, but instead, treat it as a total photograph....think of it as a large print, framed and hanging on your wall. Experiment with your subject by adjusting the zoom, altering your location...is there a way to get higher or lower than the 'normal'...but oftentimes, boring, 'eye-level' view?? Many times you can look around and see a stairway or porch that might give a new way to improve your composition...by moving your camera...and of course, your viewpoint, you can find dozens of ways to alter that first shot.... If you have a camera with a moveable LCD viewfinder, this would be a good time to try a high angle view with it...or...get it down low...(especially good with pets or kids...or BOTH TOGETHER!) You will find that each successive image will add something to your final result. It's rare that I ever end up using the first image I took....and that's a GOOD thing...!
I see way too many people, when ready to take a photo, just raise their camera to their eye and snap a single shot....never taking the time to look for a better angle, location, viewpoint, etc. I like the advice of one of the famous photographers for Life magazine, Alfred Eisenstaedt, who said "I always make TWO exposures, for one will always be better than the other....!" Great advice and especially true in these times with the near unlimited capacity of digital photography.
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