10 Easy Photography Tips For Folks Who Say "CHEESE"

1. Keep Your Camera Ready

How many once-in-a-lifetime pictures have you missed because you didn’t have a 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 to carry conveniently, consider a low-cost pocket-sized model as a stand-by.


2. 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 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 your camera takes sharp pictures. Many point-and-shoot cameras cannot focus closer than four feet from the subject.

3. Keep People Busy

When photographing people, keep them busy! Your pictures will have a feeling of lively spontaneity.

To avoid stiff and boring poses encourage people to be active. Their expressions will be more relaxed and natural. You will have a better picture.

4. 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.

5. Include the Objects In Front Of Your Scenic Pictures

When taking pictures of landscapes or city scenes try to include the objects in front of your main subject matter. For example, if you are focusing on a tree include the bushes in front of the tree. This will give your picture more depth.

6. 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.

7. Look For Good Lighting

A fair amount of lighting is essential to expose film, but good lighting can make your pictures more interesting, colorful, dimensional, and flattering to the subject. Strong sunlight is only one of many types of good lighting.

Some 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 makes people look good.

8 Try Vertical

Most pictures are taken horizontally. But try turning your camera to a vertical position. This will give you a different look at the same picture.

9. Use Your Flash

You can improve your pictures by taking full advantage of the flash. Some flashes are built into the camera. It provides extra light when you need it, especially indoors, and it freezes action for sharp pictures.

Be sure to stay within the “flash range." This is the range of distance that will be most effective. A typical range is four to twelve feet. Check your camera manual for the effective range of your flash.

Flash can improve pictures outdoors, as well as indoors. Using flash outdoors will soften shadows and brighten colors.

10. Choose The Right ISO Setting

The three most popular ISO speeds are 400, 200, and 100. Consider using 400,200 for lower light subjects. Use 400 for sport action and lower light. And 100 speed for bright to average light for both film or digital.

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