I ran across these tips By Chase Guttman and wanted to share them with the followers of my blog. Handy ideas and good common sense stuff...
By Chase Guttman
Some might argue the point that photography is an art form. Training your eye to see the world and translating your perspective visually takes time and patience. Yet, there’s also technique involved in creating arresting images. There are ways to quickly improve your photography and impact your creative vision. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
1. Read The Manual. Resist the impulse to cavalierly toss your manual in the trash as it holds a plethora of knowledge. For savvy shooters, manuals are the holy grail of photography books. They teach us the functions, capabilities and basics of our most important piece of equipment. The camera manual should be the bible for your gear. I recommend placing it in your camera bag. It will be worth the extra weight.
2. Never Leave Home Without It. It’s a good idea to always have your camera handy. Creativity, opportunity, lighting, chance encounters, and especially visual splendor won’t wait for you, so be prepared. After all, “photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again,” and one of history’s greatest photographers, Henri-Cartier Bresson, should know. You may have only one chance to capture emotions of profound nature so make certain that you don’t have to live in regret. Make the most of every opportunity presented to you. Your next great moment may be lurking just around the corner.
3. Lighting Lessons in a Flash. Beginners seem to misunderstand the magic of a flash. Keep in mind that most flashes illuminate only about ten feet in front of you. Furthermore, there are two main ways to optimally use flash — flash fill and bounce flash. In flash fill, you use the light source to attempt to fill the shadows created by natural lighting sources such as the midday sun. Bounce flash on the other hand is when the flash’s light is bounced off a wall or surface so it lights an indoor room evenly. To take better pictures, try to diffuse your flash by either aiming the light away from the subject or by using gels to minimize the light’s strength. Harsh or strong light isn’t kind on a subject’s face. Additionally, if the light isn’t diffused you may experience flash blow out, where your subject is a pitch white color and there’s a lack of highlights in your image. For maximum creativity and flexibility purchase an external flash.
The combined use of blur and diffused flash light makes for an exciting image that’s full of emotions.
4. Bring Backdrops to Your Forethought. Backgrounds are often the best way to either accentuate your subject or to tell a multifaceted story. A simple background serves to spotlight your subject and the details within your frame. On the other hand, more complicated backdrops can help tell an intriguing story about your portrait subjects. Try to find visual contrasts between the background and foreground. Often backdrops can make or break an image’s impact so make the most of your available visual real estate.
5. Details Tell The Story. Presenting a big message by only using small details can make your images. Be aware that framing your image to leave out various elements, can add a sense of mystery to your canvas. Remember, details can be an important component of an enticing image.
6. Follow the Sun. Early morning conditions offer unique advantages for photographers. Wildlife are more likely to be active and visible, the tranquil atmosphere makes water reflections more pristine, the tourists are still in bed, and there’s a higher chance of dawn’s magical mist and dew. Also, the golden “hour” and blue “hour” lighting gives you ample opportunities to compose stupendous landscape shots.
7. Move to Nature’s Beat. Movement and action add a layer of vibrancy to your images. As you infuse your photographs with energy, you take your art to the next level.
8. Get Ready for a Close-up. Capturing stunning portraits is about creating a feeling of intimacy and connection with your subject. Wide angle lenses are often ideal, because they force you to get closer and assist you in accurately representing an individuals personality. Every face tells a story— wrinkles map out a life of hardship and textured eyes enable you to peak into a person’s emotional state. As a photographer, you can expose the realities of life so don’t be afraid to get closer or jump into the middle of the action.
9. Angle Singularity. Think, shoot, and aim outside the box. Sometimes, creating a captivating composition is all about seeing the world from a different angle. Experiment— stake out a peculiar position and your images will stand out from the crowd.
You can read the full post at:http://www.lightstalking.com/improvephotography
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