The first "tip" I am going to go over is on Composition. One of my pet peeves as a photographer, is when people tell me I take great pictures because I have a great camera. I do have a great camera, but there DEFIANTLY is LOTS more to it than that. You can take great pictures with whatever camera you have. You just have to learn how. Without getting into all the technical boring stuff, I am going to start with the basics of composition.
A true understanding of composition will improve every shot you take. You have to learn to frame your shot through the lense. Sounds simple but, takes a bit of time and patience.
- Make a quick 4-corner check. Is everything you want included in the frame? Are there any unwanted distracting elements in the frame.
-Do you want to take it horizontal or vertical.
- Are you filling the frame? Fill the entire frame with your subject. It is ok to crop the top of the head a little or not get a persons entire body in a shot.
-Are you using the rule of thirds?
Rule of thirds:
When you compose a shot, you should try to have whatever you are shooting fall at or some or all of the intersecting points. Such as eyes at one of the points. The result will be a much more dynamic and engaging picture.
Here is a couple of examples of the rule of thirds. See how her eye sits on one of the intersects. Also, notice how the line of the pillar in the picture matches up with the line from the grid. You never want to have your "horizon" line or a main line in your picture, to be straight in the middle. Have it line up with one of the "thirds" lines.
Here is a couple of examples of the rule of thirds. See how her eye sits on one of the intersects. Also, notice how the line of the pillar in the picture matches up with the line from the grid. You never want to have your "horizon" line or a main line in your picture, to be straight in the middle. Have it line up with one of the "thirds" lines.
Also, an image will also usually flow better if the main subject is in the right third of the frame. Why is that? Because your eye usually enters a space from the left and then it moves to the right and looks for a place to rest. Your subject should be were it rests. Notice in the image below how you come to rest on her face.
Something fun to try, is to get a clear piece of transparency (or I used to use my clear viewfinder protectors) and draw the Thirds diagram on it. That way when you are looking into your viewfinder you can see if your subject hits on one of those points. Soon, you will not need it anymore because you will have trained yourself to see it.
