An Introduction to Photography

How to be a good Photographer! 10 things to KNOW and DO There are some key things you must remember when taking photos. Consider them like the BASIC RULES of PHOTOGRAPHY!! Doing these things will help you to develop your confidence and photography skills and ultimately help you with your GCSE.

How to be a good Photographer! 1. EXPERIMENT Most shots students take, are mostly of the same things – this cab be pretty boring… so experiment. Shoot from different PERSPECTIVES (up-high, down-low etc) Getting in Close and Stepping back for a wider angle Moving around your subject – to shoot from different sides Experimenting with different settings (exposure modes etc)

How to be a good Photographer! 2. CHECK YOUR BACKGROUNDS A simple concept that can enhance and image is to check out the background of a shot to check for clutter or distractions. Scan the Background (and the Foreground) of an image quickly and to change the framing if there’s too many distractions – otherwise the shot will end up with all kind of objects growing out of the heads of those being photographed!!

How to be a good Photographer! 3. HOLD THE CAMERA STRAIGHT The other Obvious problem photographers can have! While shots that are not straight can be quite effective, they can also be a cliché and have a ‘candid’ feel to them. It is good to check the framing of the shot first – before hitting the shutter

How to be a good Photographer! 4. HOW TO HOLD THE CAMERA It is easy to assume that everyone knows how to hold a camera. Those people who do not hold it properly, can have images that suffer with camera shake as a result of poor technique.

How to be a good Photographer! 5.GET IN CLOSE Most shots students take, are mostly have their subject somewhere off in the distance. Just because your camera might not have a zoom lens, doesn’t mean you have to not zoom in! Your Legs can be used as well as a Zoom Lens, to allow you to get closer to your subject!!

How to be a good Photographer! 6. TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS Digital Photography has revolutionised the approach to photography. Taking lots of photos is no longer something that is too costly. Taking lots of images is a great way to learn different techniques of photography. By taking 4/5 photos of the same shot, You increase the likeliness of getting the ‘right shot’!

6. TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS

How to be a good Photographer! 7. FIND A POINT OF INTEREST Interesting photographs have interesting things in them – they need a visual point of interest (a focal point). Identify the point of interest in your composition, and think about how to highlight it (by positioning themselves, using their zoom etc)

How to be a good Photographer! 8. FOCAL LOCK One important technique to learn is how to use focus lock. While most cameras do well in auto focusing upon subjects, there are times when you’ll end up with out of focus shots, because the camera doesn’t know what the main subject is. Hold the Shutter half way to focus, then frame the shot whilst holding it down!

How to be a good Photographer! 9. RULE OF THIRDS A simple rule of photography …The Rule of Thirds Sometimes breaking this rule, can have a powerful effect – but you need to know and use the rules… before you learn how to break them. Placing your main subject along a line of a ‘Thrid – can add balance and make a more interesting shot.

How to be a good Photographer! 9. What is the RULE OF THIRDS . The basic principle behind the Rule of Thirds, is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds – both horizontally and vertically – so you have 9 parts. You imagine this through your viewfinder on the camera. With this grid in the mind – you have 4 intersecting lines, that are useful positions for the subject in your photo.

How to be a good Photographer! 9. RULE OF THIRDS in Use Take a look at these examples… you’ll notice that all key features of the subject fall on one of the intersecting lines.

How to be a good Photographer! 9. RULE OF THIRDS in Use Take a look at these examples… you’ll notice that all key features of the subject fall on one of the intersecting lines.

How to be a good Photographer! 9. RULE OF THIRDS in Use Take a look at these examples… you’ll notice that all key features of the subject fall on one of the intersecting lines. Remember to use the rule of thirds in post production editing later on – cropping images within the rules, to see what impact it has on your results.

How to be a good Photographer! 10. Review your Work One thing that can drastically help you to improve your photography is to sit down with your friends and go through the shots. As you scroll down through your images, point out things that could be done better next time and how to improve future results. Make a note of the improvements to be made or things to consider as part of your ‘GCSE Foundation Handbook’