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Photography Tips

These are tips to help us take better pictures. They are generally written for users of digital SLRs. However some of the tips will apply more generally.

General

• Exploit digital. Shoot lots of pictures. Use the image review to check the results.

• When using the viewfinder, keep both eyes open and remember to blink.

• Be conscious of the background. A great foreground figure can be lost in a noisy or confusing background. Consider how much better this picture would be if the background was not interfering.

Exposure

• It is better to under-expose than to over-expose.

• The exposure meter wants to make the average brightness of the image a middle grey. This can be incorrect if the subject you are photographing is actually dark or light. Be aware of this, and manually compensate when necessary.

Image Clarity

• When using an effective focal length of Nmm, use a shutter speed 1/Nth of a second or faster. For example, if you are shooting at 300mm, you should try to use a shutter speed of 1/300th of a second or faster.

• Camera shake is the result of your body moving while holding the camera. Steady yourself however possible to help reduce the effect. Lean against a wall, support the camera with something or kneel and rest your elbow on your knee.

• When pressing the shutter release button, gently squeeze it. If you stab with your finger you can jiggle the camera. Eventually this will become automatic.

• If your camera has a continuous shooting mode, take a couple frames in a row. Sometimes the second or third picture will be sharper than the first.

• Use your breath. Breathe in deeply, hold your breath, then slowly release it. When you breathe in, you'll probably notice you camera aims up slightly. As you release you breath, the camera will slowly point down. Release the shutter while exhaling.