Tips for better photos Continue

 Keep Your Camera Ready  Get Close  Keep People Busy  Use A Simple Background  Place The Subject Off-Center  Include Foreground In Scenics Click on a topic  Look For Good Lighting  Hold Your Camera Steady  Use Your Flash  Vary Your Angle For more information go to

 Keep Your Camera Ready How many once-in-a-lifetime pictures have you missed because you didn’t have your camera with you? It’s easy to avoid that frustration by keeping a camera handy. Spontaneous moments make priceless pictures. To capture them you need a camera with you. If your regular camera is too large, consider a low-cost pocket-sized camera as a standby. Index

 Get Close As a general rule, the closer you get to the subject, the better your pictures will be. Getting close eliminates distracting, unnecessary backgrounds and the shows the subject clearly. Think about showing just enough of the scene to make the picture clear and interesting. Be sure to check your camera manual to learn the closest distance at which distance your camera will take sharp pictures.

Index  Keep People Busy When photographing people, keep them busy! Your pictures will have a feeling of lively spontaneity. Avoid stiff, static poses, prompt your subjects to be active. Their expressions will be more relaxed and natural.

Index  Use A Simple Background A simple background focuses attention on the subject and makes clear, strong pictures. Take control and move your subject or your camera to find a simple, uncluttered background.

Index  Place The Subject Off-Center There is nothing wrong with placing the subject in the center of your viewfinder. However, placing the subject off-center can make the composition more dynamic and interesting to the eye. Try using the “Rule of Thirds.” The Rule Of Thirds

Index  Include Foreground In Scenics When taking scenic pictures, try including objects in the foreground. Elements in the foreground add a sense of distance, depth, and dimension. I don’t have any good photos demonstrating this, so I found this from the URL below:

Index  Look For Good Lighting Good lighting can make your pictures more interesting, colorful, dimen- sional, and flattering to the subject. Strong sunlight is only one of many types of good lighting. Many people are surprised to learn that cloudy, overcast days provide the best lighting for pictures of people. Bright sun makes people squint, and it throws harsh shadows. On overcast days, the light is soft and flattering to faces. (sunset is actually best)

Index  Hold Your Camera Steady Sometimes good pictures are missed by overlooking the basics. Holding the camera steady is vital for sharp, clear pictures. When you push the shutter button, press it gently rather than jabbing it. Even slight camera move- ment can rob your pictures of sharp- ness. Use a brace to steady your arm or use tripod, if available.

Index  Use Your Flash You can improve your pictures by using your flash. It provides extra light when you need it, especially indoors, and it freezes action for sharp pictures. Flash can improve pictures outdoors. Using “Fill-Flash” outdoors will soften shadows and brighten colors.

 Vary Your Angle Good pictures usually depend on selecting the proper point of view. You may only need to move your camera a few inches of a few feet to change the composition decidedly. Using a low angle to photograph active people further animates them to reinforce the sense of movement. By choosing an unusual viewpoint, the photo- graher made a striking image of a commonly photographed landmark. More Examples Index

 Vary Your Angle The photographer pointed the camera down from a high vantage point to capture this unusual design of cars and pavement. Where you place the horizon can alter the mood of a photo. Also notice the that the center line leads you into the photo. Previous PageIndex

Previous Page “Rule of Thirds To understand the rule of thirds, imagine two horizontal lines cutting the picture into thirds. Then imagine two vertical lines cutting the same picture into thirds vertically. The intersections of these imaginary lines suggest four possible options for placing the center of interest for a pleasing composition. Index