There really is no secret to taking a great photo, anyone can take pictures that are beautiful and worth sharing. What amazes me are the roadblocks to great photography that seem to pop up in everyone's photos. If you follow a couple basics, you will have great photos to show off as well. The first things that I always tell people is that if you want a great shot, don't expect to get it with a camera phone that you hold up with one wobbly hand. Sorry, won't happen, no offense to the Instragram users out there, but getting a cute shot of your dog for Facebook is one thing, pulling off quality shots is another. Second, I am always amazed by the amount of folks that can't focus a camera, relying on auto-focus all the time will get you in trouble and will hold you back in the long run. The two photos above highlight what knowing how and when to focus your camera lens will help you get the photo you are looking for. By focusing on either the boy or the man behind him, the feeling and attention in the photo is changed. Play with your camera, take it outside in all kinds of light, shoot a ton of photos so you can get a feel for your lens' and what they can do. You don't want to come across an amazing photo opportunity and miss out because you are not familial enough with your camera. Learn to focus your lens on what you want to photograph, check the horizon line to make sure your photo is not tilted, and if you are shoot people or animals, make sure they are not looking directly into the sun, squinty eyes look bad on everyone!
And finally the biggest secret to getting a great shot: numbers
That's right, numbers, what you never hear is that it takes hundred of so-so and bad shots to get one great one. Take this shoot of a loon as an example. I will use it as a stock or background image for my company, but I did not just shoot this one good photo. I took about 12 photos of this loon in rapid succession. After finding it in my viewfinder and adjusting my focus so the bird was crisp and clear I shot an entire group of photos of this one bird. Back at home, I sorted through all of the shots until I arrived at the best one. Never Ever shoot just one picture! You can always delete the bad ones, and the more images you shoot, the better odds of ending up with a great photo.
No comments:
Post a Comment