How You Can Improve Your Pictures?
- By Autumn Lockwood
- Published 09/21/2011
- Articles
- Unrated
Autumn Lockwood
Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our selection of extra large picture frames to very small picture frames. Visit our online selection of small and large picture frames or call 800-780-0699.
View all articles by Autumn Lockwood
Photography is a delicate and complex art that requires years of practice, incredible patience, and a dedication to making every picture better than the last. This can seem intimidating to the new or inexperienced photographer, but there’s really no reason for alarm. Many of the more technical skills of photography can be learned gradually by taking lots of pictures over time so if you love photography this won't be a tough goal to achieve. In the interest of making things a little easier, here are five ways to make your next photograph the best one yet:
Go Vertical
This is one of the easiest changes to implement in your daily shoots. Many beginning photographers forget that they can turn their camera to the side to frame images vertically instead of horizontally, and thus miss out on opportunities to make a greater impact in their composition. Think about your framing before you shoot and if a horizontal shot doesn’t seem quite right, it’s time to go sideways.
Change Your Perspective
This is another habit you should work into your every day photography. Standing with the camera pointing head-on at your subject isn’t always the best way to shoot a photograph, so consider trying your shots from a different direction. For example, consider taking a picture of someone by shooting from ground level or even from up above them.
Don’t Fight the Light
When broken down to its core elements, photography is merely light and the way it interacts with objects. Learning how to use light is an important part of photography so play around with different types of light and see what happens. Always be willing to move around so you can get the best possible light and make sure to know the optimal range of your flash so you can use it properly. Try to think outside of the box when it comes to lighting and try backlighting subjects in different ways so you can see what kind of impact this has on your images.
Use Your Camera for Cropping
Learning to use your camera for cropping is difficult to do but it is critical that you learn how to frame your pictures correctly. Try and compose your photographs so that only the parts of the story you want to tell are visible in the frame, and leave the rest out. If you’re having difficulty with finding the perfect setup, try changing your distance to the subject and if all else fails remember that you can always go vertical. This is less of an issue thanks to the abundance of editing software out there, but it’s always best to try and get these things done in-camera.
Get an SLR
Although upgrading your auto focus camera to an SLR does cost money, it is an easy solution to taking better pictures. However, the primary reason for using an SLR over a “point and shoot” digital camera is that it will allow you to manually adjust your aperture, focus, and exposure – all critical aspects of great photography. And unlike many small digital cameras, with an SLR, what you see through the viewfinder is exactly what you get. Finally, SLR cameras will provide you with tons of flexibility in accessories such as additional lenses and filters. These extra photo goodies may not be necessary now, but they will be very handy later on as your skills get more advanced.
As with any skill, the best way to improve your photographs is by practicing as much as you can. This, combined with a healthy regimen of reading up on great photographers and visiting photo exhibits at the local museum, will take your photographs from “okay” to “incredible.” All you have to do is get out there and start shooting!
Go Vertical
This is one of the easiest changes to implement in your daily shoots. Many beginning photographers forget that they can turn their camera to the side to frame images vertically instead of horizontally, and thus miss out on opportunities to make a greater impact in their composition. Think about your framing before you shoot and if a horizontal shot doesn’t seem quite right, it’s time to go sideways.
Change Your Perspective
This is another habit you should work into your every day photography. Standing with the camera pointing head-on at your subject isn’t always the best way to shoot a photograph, so consider trying your shots from a different direction. For example, consider taking a picture of someone by shooting from ground level or even from up above them.
Don’t Fight the Light
When broken down to its core elements, photography is merely light and the way it interacts with objects. Learning how to use light is an important part of photography so play around with different types of light and see what happens. Always be willing to move around so you can get the best possible light and make sure to know the optimal range of your flash so you can use it properly. Try to think outside of the box when it comes to lighting and try backlighting subjects in different ways so you can see what kind of impact this has on your images.
Use Your Camera for Cropping
Learning to use your camera for cropping is difficult to do but it is critical that you learn how to frame your pictures correctly. Try and compose your photographs so that only the parts of the story you want to tell are visible in the frame, and leave the rest out. If you’re having difficulty with finding the perfect setup, try changing your distance to the subject and if all else fails remember that you can always go vertical. This is less of an issue thanks to the abundance of editing software out there, but it’s always best to try and get these things done in-camera.
Get an SLR
Although upgrading your auto focus camera to an SLR does cost money, it is an easy solution to taking better pictures. However, the primary reason for using an SLR over a “point and shoot” digital camera is that it will allow you to manually adjust your aperture, focus, and exposure – all critical aspects of great photography. And unlike many small digital cameras, with an SLR, what you see through the viewfinder is exactly what you get. Finally, SLR cameras will provide you with tons of flexibility in accessories such as additional lenses and filters. These extra photo goodies may not be necessary now, but they will be very handy later on as your skills get more advanced.
As with any skill, the best way to improve your photographs is by practicing as much as you can. This, combined with a healthy regimen of reading up on great photographers and visiting photo exhibits at the local museum, will take your photographs from “okay” to “incredible.” All you have to do is get out there and start shooting!