Taking Better Photos 15 Tips You Can Try

Move in CLOSER.  Take a few steps closer.  Use the zoom lens to zoom in.  Most people leave too much “dead space” around their subjects. Get closer to make your subject the center of attention in the photo.

Use the Rule of Thirds.  Don’t center every subject in your photos.  Place the subject on a grid using the rule of thirds.  Leave space for the subject to move into or out of the frame.

Use Leading Lines.  Carefully frame the subject and the lines, curves, and angles of the scene to direct the viewer’s eye within the frame.

Anticipate Action.  Most small digital cameras have a shutter delay between the time you push the button and the time the picture is actually taken.  You need to anticipate that delay and push the button in advance to capture the action you want.

Use Available Light.  Turn off the flash.  Steady the camera so it doesn’t shake.  Use the available light for mood, silhouettes, blurring motion, and effects.

Use the Highest Resolution.  Pick the highest resolution your camera offers.  This may increase image write times but you will get a much bigger image file to work with in PhotoShop.  Bigger image files can be cropped and enlarged much more.

Shoot as Many Pictures as You Can.  Take dozens of shots of each scene, not just one. This increases your chances of getting the “best” image of that scene.  Be sure to bring lots of extra memory cards with you so you don’t have to delete images on the fly.  Don’t forget the extra batteries either. Lots of pictures means lots of battery power.

Frame Your Shot.  We don’t mean a picture frame. We mean that you should use parts of the scene to frame the subject.  This draws the viewer’s eye to your subject.

Vary the Camera Position.  Don’t always shoot from eye height.  Get low to the ground or high in the rafters.  Show a worm’s eye view or a bird’s eye view.

Use Selective Focus.  Use shallow depth of field to isolate the subject.  Focus on the subject and let everything else be blurry.

Keep the Background Simple.  Cluttered backgrounds are very distracting.  Make sure the background (and foreground) are not cluttered with lots of extraneous details.  Zoom in to isolate the subject from the background.

Paint With Light.  Open the camera shutter and let the light paint over the sensor.  The room needs to be very dark and the light needs to be given enough time to create the image you want.  Moving the lights or moving the camera makes special effects.

Use Fill Flash.  Turn the flash on even outdoors. (Set the camera to use flash all the time.)  This will fill in shadows that come from a harsh sun angle outdoors

Vary Your Orientation.  Shoot vertical and horizontal pictures.  You can even tilt the camera at an angle.  Most people shoot almost all of their photos in the horizontal orientation. This gets boring.

Direct Your Subjects for Better Poses.  Be a picture maker not just a picture taker.  Move your subjects around to take advantage of their special attributes and put them into the best poses.