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Home > 15 Tips On Taking Better Digital Photos
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15 Tips On Taking Better Digital Photos
by Ryan Oylear
Ever returned home from a day out or holiday to find your photos are a real disappointment? You thought you had done everything right but you left with a collection of red eyed, unclear blurs. Well, have a look at our 15 top tips of digital photography below and we might have the answer to your problem!
1. Know your camera- It may seem obvious, but so many people end up disappointed with the quality of their snaps because they don't fully realize their camera's potential. Even if you only use your camera once every family get together, it's vitally important to appreciate your camera's capabilities and limitations. Don't just presume that the little dial with the funny symbols on is for professionals- this control the camera's mode and is the gateway to great pictures. Remember, the camera manufacturer is not out to confuse you, so if there is a setting symbolized by a group of people, that's probably the setting you need when photographing your friends! Develop a good relationship with your camera's manual- if you've lost it you will most likely be able to download it off the internet. If you know your camera inside out, you will know a drastic improvement in your picture quality.
2. The more the merrier- It is often a common conception amongst budding photographers that to get that one perfect shot, you need to take one perfect image. Well, 5 minutes in the company of any professional photographer will prove this theory wrong straight away. You don't necessarily have to be taking 40 frames every 10 seconds like you may see in a supermodel shoot, but the more shots of the same image that you take the higher your chances of finding 'the one' are. So don't be afraid to go trigger happy with your camera!
3. Keep on your toes- Just because your camera has up to date digital zoom, doesn't mean you have to use it every time! For better shots, your best option is to move closer yourself. Get right up close with your target- this way your photos will have a much more real life feel to them, and it enables you to really capture the mood of the image. Instead of photographing a field of plants, try and focus on one individual flower. This will enhance your photos' imaging quality immediately.
4. Steady as a rock- Use both hand when taking your photos to make sure your camera is held steady. There is nothing worse than lining up that perfect shop, then realizing when you upload your photos at home that you were shaking like a leaf! Although one-handed shots may look professional to the outsider when you're taking them, they rarely transfer as well onto your mantelpiece. Keep you hands as firm and still as possible and your pictures will improve straight away!
5. Time is of the essence- Taking a photo is not like a western gun draw- don't draw the camera and shoot straight away! The best way to find those perfect images is to take time in your photography- this could me a matter of an extra five seconds, but is the fine line between a good shot and an excellent one. Take a second to make sure the basics are in place to make sure your shot is as good as it can be, camera held firm and straight, finger not covering the lens etc. I may seem elementary now, but that extra few seconds will prevent the most frustrating and avoidable mistakes from occurring.
6. Stuck in the middle- How may time will you tell your children to move inwards, to make sure that they're all in the middle of the shot? And how many times have they sulked because they were bored of waiting for you to take their photo? Well, bad news, they're right! Off-centre photos combine aspects of the background with the main focus in the foreground, providing each individual photo with a feeling originality. Off centre snaps are the easiest way to break the monotony of the typical photo foreground-background scenario.
7. Anticipate- As you most probably know, on most digital cameras there is a small time delay between holding down the button to take your shot and the actual saving of the image. Therefore, it is vital that you take care when you are taking photos of an object in motion- anticipate where your object will be in a few seconds time. If you bear this in mind when taking your shot, then your results will be significantly better.
8. Viewfinder- A quick tip on battery saving- use the natural viewfinder as opposed to the camera's LCD screen where possible. As well as allowing you to apply your own feel to the scene you're photographing, it's a handy was of limiting how many batteries that your camera consumes. Because it will go through a lot. Fast.
9. Light up your life- Reluctance to turn on the flash is good. If there's natural light available, use it. Station your muse by a window or an open door- natural light will provide you with a better feel for the ambience of the scene. Flash is very limited so use nature as much as possible! Your chances of red eye spoiling your photos are also dramatically decreased by turning the flash off.
10. High's the limit- Set your camera to the highest resolution possible when you take your pictures. This maximizes your photos' printing and enlarging capabilities. If you want to make your photo smaller at all e.g. for sending via email, a larger image can always be resized. However, this doesn't happen in the reverse! So for [http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk]printing, high resolution is a must, every time.
11. Size matters- It is more than likely than the memory card supplied with your camera is simply not big enough for all your photos, and a great photo not saving because of a full memory card is something that infuriates photographers all over the world. To prevent this, don't be afraid to invest in a big memory card- it may seem expensive at first but in the long run is more than worth it to make sure all your pictures are stored and safe.
12. Save that battery!- Although it may be polite to show each and every member the photos of the day out individually, it will burn a hole in the pocket as you camera eats through more and more batteries. The 'play mode' on most digital cameras really does run the battery down so be patient- you can look at all your pictures in the comfort of your living room later on!
13. Picture perfect- Think that editing your photos is exclusive to professionals? Well, you're wrong. Both Mac and PC come with basic software to enable easy photography editing such as red eye removal and image sharpening. There is also a large spectrum of software which allows more advanced editing, such as Photoshop, which are all downloadable off the internet. Those ten minutes at home afterwards provide the fun of admiring your day's work as well as allowing you to improve it!
14. Keep it clean- The lens of camera is the door to a whole world of photography and imagery. So every time you let your kids 'have a go' on the camera, the lens is covered ever so slightly more with fingerprints, grubby marks etc. The answer? A simple lens cleaning kit guarantees much clearer pictures, without you having to hide your camera from your children!
15. Be ruthless- if your photo isn't what you want, then don't hang around - hit the delete button straight away! Storing unwanted photos fills up your memory card far too quickly and makes your after editing process much more laborious.
Many of you will have your own tricks of the trade, but by taking these fifteen points into account you will definitely see an improvement in you photography!
About the Author
Ryan Oylear has been an expert in the business industry for over twenty five years. He now specialises in helping startup small businesses discover ways to save money and to stretch their budgets. Ryan Oylear wants to share the benefits of purchasing ink and toner cartridges printers, which can save money for your business in the long run.
Photo Realistic Cat Painting! (digital... timelapsed)
And now for something completely different... And a fun little fact about me: This artist who draws a lot of mean scary dragons LOVES KITTIES! ;-) Seriously... I'm a sucker for cats. I love em. Not much into dogs, but cats always get me. ;-)
Anyway-- The art is another practice/portfolio piece. Photo realism is a HUGE plus right now for my portfolio. For those who question what the point is to doing this, I'm telling you right now. And believe me, a lot of people make comments about it being a waste of time, etc. ("Just use a camera"!) It does help in more ways than one to show that I can do this. As always-- it strengthens the abilities, but more than anything the demand from my clients to see stuff like this in the 'folio is high. So there you go.
For this piece, I had a reference photo off to the side... I didn't follow it verbatim-- (there was also another cat in the photo that I didn't paint, and had to improvise detail.) For this one I really went for the advantages that Photoshop offers for convenience to the artist. For example, those speckle looking brushes that come in their brush palette work REAL NICE for fur and hair! But having said that, it doesn't mean that the computer does any of this for you... It is still 100% freehand painted by the artist. This is another favorite comment people like to pick on... The whole, "Yeah, but can you paint it with real paint?" attitude. Of course you can. This is essentially the same abilities and skill. Just a different medium.
Also, I think I should mention that even though I fire back at a lot of the critics the way I do-- I don't do it necessarily because I am taking it personally. (once in a while I'll get irritated and roll my eyes and snap back something). But to be honest, I do it for the people out there who are young, struggling and have yet to find their footing in their passion for art. My rebuttles are for them. Every now and then I get a comment from someone who tells me I shouldn't worry about what others say about my work... Truth is, I don't. But I do want to be a voice whenever I can for the others out there who need to hear those responses from someone in the field who can reassure them. I am very passionate about this aspect of art and it's critics for this reason... I hate arrogance, and I hate hate seeing people stepping on others' dreams. And since I am very confident in my work, and enjoy a good career doing what I love, I can't resist responding the way I do sometimes.
UPDATE INSERT:
Critics are fine. I'm talking about the haters and arrogant people. The ones who are just not being nice. By all means, I am totally for being able to accept criticism. But there is HUGE difference in some of the comments I was referring to, and legit constructive criticism. There needs to be definite discernment between the two.
I have been through some nasty hard starving artist times in my life... And I'll never forget it. And so I do care about those others who may go through the same woes.
Also, I want to mention that I started a Facebook acct for my art. I had a lot of people that I didn't know who they were trying to add me on their facebook account, and I noted that some of them were from youtube. But since I have my personal facebook account for family, friends and some professional peers, I figured that most of the youtube viewers would not be interested in seeing family pics and what not-- so it was logical to start a separate account for the art career stuff. I will be putting fun stuff on there, like drawings I did as a kid etc. for some who were curious about that.
You can find it by searching "Chris Scalf Art" on facebook.
Photoshop CS (Mac)
Captured with Snaps Pro X
Wacom Intuos 3
Actual time to complete approx. 2 hrs and 15 minutes.
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