TOP 5 PHOTOGRAPHY

TIPS TO IMPROVE
YOUR PHOTOS
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1. Choose an interesting subject to photograph

One of the easiest ways to improve your photography is by taking photos of interesting subjects. Of
course, you can take great creative photos of uninteresting subjects, but if you choose an interesting
subject to photograph in the first place, it makes taking a great photo much easier.
So where do you find these interesting subjects? They can be found everywhere, from a stormy
landscape:

The Worn Picket Fence by Stuck in Customs on flickr

to a simple street scene:

Streets of Manila by wili_hybrid on flickr

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to a flower in your garden or local park:

~ The Sunny Side ~ by ViaMoi on flickr

Just take a walk around your local neighbourhood with your camera, and you're sure to find
something interesting to photograph.

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2. Compose your photograph carefully

When taking a photograph, it's all too easy to just point and shoot. However, try and take a bit more
time to think about the photo and the composition.

Rule of thirds
Composition is how the elements in the photograph are arranged, and a good guideline for
composition is the 'rule of thirds'. The rule of thirds works by splitting an image into thirds, so you
end up with 9 sections.

Patterns in Nature by Garry - www.visionandimagination.com on flickr

You can see in the above photo how the photographer has placed the horizon in the top third of the
photo, while the landscape takes up the bottom two thirds of the photo.

As well as placing elements

along the thirds lines, you
can also try and put your
main point of focus so that
it falls on the intersection
of two of the thirds lines. If
you look at the photo
below, you can see the
photographer has placed
the cat's eye on the
intersection of the right
and top thirds lines:

Allie Grunge by Picture Zealot on flickr

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The Fibonacci spiral or Golden spiral
The Fibonacci spiral is a spiral based on the Fibonacci sequence, while the Golden spiral is based on
the Golden ratio. Both are very similar, and can be used as a compositional tool.

The curve of the spiral helps lead the viewer's eye through the photograph. You can see the grass in
the below photo roughly follows the Fibonacci spiral:

drops of spring by Steve took it on flickr

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The Golden triangle
The golden triangle is a good compositional guideline to use when your photograph contains strong
diagonal elements. It involves splitting the photo into three triangles that contain the same angles
(are the same shape). You can see the below photo has been composed roughly around the golden
triangle:

Vang Vieng by abmiller99 on flickr

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Leading lines and converging lines
Use leading lines or converging lines to draw the viewer's eye into the image. Good examples of this
you can use in landscape photography are roads, paths, fences, hedges etc, anything that creates a
line that leads into the image.

On the road again ... / De nuevo en el camino ... by Claudio.Ar ■ on flickr

In the below photo you can see the edges of the flowerbed and lake create converging lines that
leads the eye towards the building:

Schweriner Schloss - BUGA 2009 Preview by saturn ♄ on flickr

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In this photo the photographer has used the shoreline and waves as lines that lead your eye towards
the funfair:

Pacific Park in Santa Monica by szeke on flickr

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3. Pay attention to the light quality

Something that has a big effect on how your photograph looks is the quality of light that is hitting
your subject. There are two aspects of lighting that you need to pay attention to - the colour of the
light and how harsh / diffused the light is.

Colour temperature
As a general rule, we tend to prefer photos with a warm (golden) tone. The warmest light naturally
occurs around sunrise and sunset, and this is why many landscape photographers prefer this time of
day.

The colour temperature of a photo can also be modified by adjusting the white balance setting on
your camera. And if you are taking photos using flash, you can use a warming gel on the flash to
warm up the light.

Some Kid and Mr. Bokeh by anton khoff on flickr

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Of course, in some instances you may want to go the opposite way, and use light with a cold (blue)
colour temperature.

Lamento. by Simon Pais on flickr

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Diffuse vs. harsh light
Diffuse light is where the light creates soft shadows, which is preferred for most types of
photography, particularly portraits.

Diffused light can be created

by reflecting light from a
large surface (like a wall), or
by using a large piece of
semi-transparent material
between the light and your
subject. This works the same
way as when there is a thin
layer of cloud, which diffuses
the sunlight and creates a
nice soft light.

Regal Elegance by dragon762w on flickr

Harsh light creates strong

shadows. Natural light is at its
harshest around midday, while
an undiffused flash will also
create a harsh light. When
shooting with harsh light, try
and use the strong shadows it
creates to your advantage,
incorporating them as an
element of your photograph.

Repetition by Georgios Karamanis on flickr

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4. Check the exposure

One of the main advantages of digital photography is the ability to check the photo on the camera's
rear LCD. When taking photos, you should check that the photo has been exposed properly, i.e. is
not too dark or too bright. Although modern cameras have sophisticated auto exposure systems,
they don't always get it right.

As well as inspecting the image, most digital cameras also have a couple of tools that can help you
judge the exposure of an image. The first one is Highlight Warning, colloquially known as 'blinkies'.
What this does is that any areas blown out white will flash when reviewing the photo on the camera's
LCD.

The second tool is the histogram. This is a graph that shows the range of tones in your photo. If
there is a peak at the very left edge of the histogram, this means that some of your photo is solid
black. And if there is a peak at the very right edge of the histogram, this means that some of your
photo is solid white.

Historama by Pictr 30D on flickr

Either way, areas of the photo that are solid white or black contain no detail. Maybe this is what you
want, but generally it is better to have detail available even if you don't need it.

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You can modify the exposure of the photo by adjusting the exposure compensation. Use negative
exposure compensation to darken the photo, or positive exposure compensation to brighten. Take
the photo again, check the exposure again, and repeat if any more exposure adjustment is
necessary.

Determining Proper Exposure For Specular Reflections by kevincole on flickr

Generally the ideally exposed photo is one that is as bright as possible without any detail being
blown out white. You can then adjust the photo on the computer to darken it if necessary. It is an
extra step, but maximises the image quality.

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5. Reduce camera shake

Blurry photos can be a problem, especially if shooting handheld when it is relatively dark. The key to
reducing blur caused by camera shake is either to make sure you are using a fast shutter speed or to
make sure the camera has a solid support like a tripod.

To ensure a fast shutter speed, put your camera in the shutter priority shooting mode. As a general
rule, the shutter speed should be 1 over the 35mm equivalent focal length, e.g.

• A full frame camera with a 50mm lens would need 1/50s shutter speed for a sharp handheld
photo
• A 50mm lens on a camera with an APS-C sized sensor has a 35mm equivalent focal length of
75mm, and so would need 1/75s shutter speed for a sharp handheld photo
• A four thirds camera has a 2x crop factor, meaning a 50mm lens has the equivalent 35mm focal
length of 100mm. So it would need at least 1/100s for a sharp handheld photo
The actual shutter speed you need will depend on your handholding ability. To try and give the
camera more support when shooting handheld, hold the camera up against your eye, use both hands
to grip the camera, and push your elbows in against your stomach / chest.

If using a fast shutter speed makes your photos too dark, try increasing your camera's ISO setting,
and / or using a wider aperture. This will allow more light to reach the camera's sensor without
having to reduce the shutter speed. If you are photographing a person or nearby object you can also
use flash to provide enough light for a fast shutter speed.

If your camera or lens has a Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization function, turn this on as it will
help steady your shots when shooting handheld.

The other alternative to increasing the shutter speed is to use a tripod or some other form of support
(e.g. placing the camera on a wall or table). Make sure the camera is secured tightly on the tripod
and either use a cable release or self timer to trigger the camera's shutter. This way the camera
doesn't receive any shake from the process of pressing and releasing the shutter button.

For more photography advice and tips, updated with

new tips on a regular basis, make sure you check out
www.discoverdigitalphotography.com

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