The Following is a list of Hints and Tips to help better your Photography.
1. Slow down and take your time, keep the photograph simple
and uncluttered, have a point of focus, include foreground
interest.
2. Compose your scene then ask yourself 'am I happy with my
selection'.
3. Include lead in line lines but remember to have them leading to
a point of interest or focus.
4. Use Rule of Thirds when composing scene, areas of interest
should fall on these lines.
5. When looking at a scene ask yourself what should be my focal
point be or what is important to me in the scene.
6. Avoid centering subjects in scenes.
7. Note the Subjects direction of gaze and adjust composition
accordingly.
8. Place subjects or objects off center, top or bottom of a scene.
9. Try photographing from different heights , low view point to
increase subject size or a high view to eliminate back ground
clutter.
10. Try holding the camera at different angles to give a photo a
dynamic look.
11. Always be aware of the direction of light source whether a
lamp or the sun, remember strong reflections will cause the
camera to darken the exposure.
12. Give yourself a theme i.e, Colours, Shapes, patterns, expressions,
body parts (hands or eyes), Textures, Doors, Signs, etc.
With patterns fill the frame, if you cannot fill the frame then normal
rules of composition should apply, look for an imperfection in an
uniform pattern and apply the rule of thirds.
.
13. Try to avoid camera shake, if possible use a tripod remember
if using a tripod with an image stabilizing lens to switch off the
stabilizer on the side of the lens body.
14. To avoid camera shake during hand held photography,
(a) For 35mm lens focal lenght x 2 will equal your shutter
speed ie focal length= 30mm the 30 x 2= 60 shutter speed
will be 1/60 seconds.
(b) For Digital cameras, Lens Focal length x sensor
conversion x 2 i.e 30 x 1.5 = 45 the 45 x 2= 90 shutter
speed will be 1/90 seconds.
15. Do not shoot in mono mode, a lot of cameras have the option
of shooting in mono mode but by doing this you will loose all
colour in the captured image when you can easily convert to
mono later in photoshop and still retain the colour image as
well.
16. Use natural lighting whenever possible i.e diffused window
light is great for Portraits.
17. Invest in a very good quality tripod.
18. Try to be as open and friendly as possible with subjects.
19. Do not try to pose subjects go for natural expressions whether
face or body.
20. Learn all there is to know about your camera, download
camera manual to your phone or notebook.
21. Focus on the eyes for portrait photography.
22. For Portrait photography shoot at f/5.6 and an iso of 100-400,
raise the iso to 800 if required try not to use flash.
23. Use flash for portrait photography on a sunny day to eliminate
facial shadows i.e fill in.
24. Examples of shutter speeds and uses,
(a) 1/4000 - 1/500 seconds to freeze action.
(b) 1/250 - 1/30 seconds for Candids.
(c) 1/15 - 1/2 seconds to blur movement i.e water.
(d) 1 sec - 30 plus Bulb - Late Evening or Night.
25. Histogram, get into the habit of checking the histogram for the
image you just captured ,
(a) Histogram peaks to the left image is too dark.
(b) Histogram peaks to the right image is too bright.
(c) Histogram peaks in the middle correct overall exposure in
image.
26. Aperture, adjustment of your aperture setting will either
increase or decrease your zone of focus,
(a) f/2.8 will give you a short zone of focus.
(b) f/5.6 will give you a longer range of a focus zone.
(c) f/11 - f/16 everything from front to back of the image will be
in focus.
27. Use filters, filter are a great way to get creative ie,
(a) ND Graduated filters can be used for landscape and
seascapes were you need to balance the
exposure between the sky and ground, use low iso
settings i.e iso 100 and aperture settings of f/11 to f/16 also
use a tripod.
(b) ND filters if you wish to reduce shutter speed during day
light to blur motion i.e. water.
(c) Polarising filters suppress reflections in glass and water,
darkens blue skies and can also be used to lower shutter
speeds during daylight shooting.
28. Shooting in mono or black and white, scenes with sharp lines
or edges, contours and textures normally make the best black
and white photographs.
29. Check out post cards when on holidays for new ideas and the
best times and places for photography.
30. Leave your camera on program mode, although a lot of
photographers will say to leave your camera on manual,
aperture or shutter priority mode but what happens
when faced with that once in a lifetime shot and you spend
valuable minutes trying to figure out the best setting to
match your lens focal length, leave the camera
in program mode and concentrate on composition and get
the shot, then go adjusting the camera settings.
31. When photographing flowers photograph from the side and
use aperture values f/2.8 - f/5.6 to focus on flower and blur
the background.
32. Avoid eye level photography.
33. When photographing children lower your stance and get down
to their level.
34. Do not try to pose kids it just wont work instead work around
them and have fun it's a lot less stressful.
35. Walk, Walk, Walk and more walking.
36. Know your camera system well, use frequently, set up a 365
gallery i.e one photograph a day and watch your photography
progress.
37. Get in close, as a famous photographer once said " if you
have to use your zoom your too far away ".
38. Photograph portraits outside at dusk when sun is low, gives a
nice warm golden glow to subjects face.
39. Try photographing in vertical as well as horizontal positions.
40. Try to get out at on location just before golden hour i.e sunrise
or sunset, research weather conditions before hand, some of
the best sunrises are when rain is forecast for later in the day,
" red sky in the morning, etc ".
41. Look for natural frames and man made ones, hedges, trees,
arches, windows and bridges.
42. Shoot after a rain shower to add atmosphere to an urban
scene.
43. Shoot into the sun but use some obstacle to diffuse the light,
i.e clouds, tree trunk, tree branches.
44. Be critical of your photographs, weed out weak from strong,
and try to see ways to improve on the original photograph.
45. Revisit your location at different times of the day, a scene will
look different under different light conditions.
46. Again revisit your shoot location after reviewing the photo's on
your PC, you may see a better way of taking the photo
maybe change your shooting position or angle.
47. Get yourself a good 35mm manual camera like a Nikon fe2
or similar, this will teach you patience and how to read a
scene before you take a photograph.
48. Back up your photo's on location with a backup device like
one of Epson P series backup devices.
49. Keep your horizons level with a hot shoe level, a level will also
show you the degree of vibration your tripod is experiencing
at the time.
50. Label your memory cards, details - card number, your name,
your phone number or email address, if you loose your camera
or memory card and if found or recovered this provides a way
for your property to be returned.
51. On posture, tuck your elbows into your sides for more stable
photographs.
52. Squeeze the shutter button instead of pressing or jabbing at it,
this will prevent the camera vibrating giving a more stable
camera.
53. Every lens will have a sweet spot where focusing will be pin
sharp, for pin sharp images front to rear of the image use ,
(a) Cameras with cropped sensors use an aperture of f/11.
(b) Cameras with full frame sensors use an aperture of f/16.