First 7 Photography tips to take good photos

Canon and Nikon DSLR’s have from 7 up to 39 focus points or more depending on the model.  These can be useful but they can also trip you up, especially against busy backgrounds. Auto-focus technology looks for contrast lines in order to ‘see’.   These lines can appear anywhere off-subject and direct your camera’s focus there.  If you do not spot the misguided focus point your subject will be blurred….Dang!

1-Photography Focusing Tips

1. Especially in situations where you want to have limited depth of field with your subject in sharp focus, set your camera to use one focus point only. (I prefer the central spot)  Focus on your subject.  Then, keeping the shutter half pressed, recompose before taking the shot .

Knowing that your auto-focus looks for contrasting lines, give it some help by pointing the focus points to be intersected by a line on your desired focus area, before recomposing.

On close-ups, aim the focus point on the edge of the retina of your subject’s eyes, for instance, (or the eyelashes, eyebrows or hairline.)

On more distant shots, focus on some edge of your subject against a contrasting background.

2-Photography tips on using Zoom Remember:

1. Telephoto lenses compress subjects to make them appear closer together.
2. Depth of field is decreased the longer the focal length, so focus carefully.
3. The longer the focal length, the more exaggerated camera shake effect is, so use a tripod, monopod, bean bag, rock or some other surface to rest the camera.
4. Less is more!  Don’t crowd the photos, even when you take wide angle shots.
5. Rule of thirds.
6. Your flash might not reach where you’re aiming, so disable it so your camera will use the correct settings on Program mode.
7. Avoid the extremes of your lens’s zoom range.  Ie. Avoid using the minimum or maximum focal lengths of your zoom lens.  That is where it is at its weakest.
8. With a high MP DSLR (10 MP or more) you don’t have to zoom right up to the subject.  You can afford to take in more of the scene and crop/compose later without losing any noticeable definition.
9. 9. Don’t crowd your subject unless you’re doing macro photography.  Getting too close, will distort or exaggerate facial features.  Especially noses that are comparatively close to the camera lens will appear bigger and unflattering.   On the other hand the zoom effect of longer focal lengths lose out on facial contours.  The ideal focal range for good portraits lies between 50 mm and 80mm.

3-Photography Composition Tips

1. Remember the rule of thirds:
   • Position the horizon one third from the top or the bottom of the frame.
   • Position your main subject one third to the left, right, one third from the top bottom.
2. Can you fit in a balancing secondary subject on the other side?
3. Can you frame the subject with a closer subject such as a low hanging leaf or lamp?
4. Give your subject view room. Let your subject look into the photo, not stare away from the rest of the picture and into the frame.
5. Less is more…
6. Check for high contrasts… too light or too dark areas
7. Avoid clutter.

4-Photography tips on Angle of view

The default photographer position is often the most boring.  It is the view everybody has.

1. Kneel down, position your camera low down, even close to the ground, or get on a chair or a roof and shoot from up high or at an unusual angle for interest.
2. Shoot flowers from the side. It is the view seldom seen.
3. Photograph children (I could not bring myself to use ‘shoot’ here) from their level.
4. Take full length people shots from waist level or even lower.
5. In portrait shots, flatter your subject by avoiding full frontal shots of a person with wing-nut ears or profile shots of people with big noses.  Avoid highlighted double chins when shooting from below…(get the double chin in the shade)
6. Shoot buildings or trees from below to make them more majestic and correct the camera or lens distortions with Photoshop later.  (remember though that such distortions often add interest)

5-Photography tips to avoid camera shake

It should not need pointing out, but many amateurs take too little care to hold the camera still, hoping that the shutter speed is fast enough.  A heads-up for the amateur, your lens is probably too slow to be careless.  If you cannot use a tripod…

1. Use the viewfinder, rather than live view.
2. Brace your one arm against your chest.
3. Stop breathing for that crucial second.
4. Lean against something
5. Rest your camera against anything stable
6. Squeeze the shutter gently… don’t jerk down on it thinking that that will speed up the shutter.
7. Learn to pan smoothly with moving subjects

6-Photography Lighting tips

Understanding light is arguable the most important subject in photography.  It is a vast subject worth digging into.  A great Advanced Digital Photography Course focusing on understanding light is offered by Amy Renfry (Digital Photographer and Teacher) that also includes a subscription to an online Emagazine called “Focus”. Amy believes that “Light is the only thing you truly need to give a damn about.”

A great scene but bad timing.

I was lucky to find the water so still and clean.

An example of understanding light.

Become aware of how the angles of the sun early morning or late in the day can dramatically change landscapes and bring out details and contours or different hues that are invisible at other times.  These moments typically last just a minute or two. I came close to catching the perfect moment in the photo on the right. This was also a good time to break the ‘rule of thirds’. Here are just a few light basics – Phot0graphy  tips on lighting to keep in mind:

1. Natural light is always better than flash.
2. In full daylight put your subject in the shade if you can… It is more flattering.
3. Full daylight is harsh and hard.  Cloudy days, dawn or dusk are ideal light conditions.
4. Beware of unwanted shady spots such as the ‘dark side’ of a subject’s face.  If you can, position your subject so that ambient light also reaches the shady side.
5. In full daylight, even in brightly lit indoor environments avoid using the flash.  Your photos will be warmer.  Choose program mode over full auto
6. Use the flash as fill-in when your shaded subject is back-lit by bright light.
7. The built-in flash or shoe mounted flash, being full-on is often not the best choice of light source.   Serious indoor shots require cable connected flash, thoughtful use of ambient light sources like windows, or strategically positioned lamps, reflectors or even coloured filters and reflectors.

7-DSLR Photography Tips – Photo Editors

The greatest advance brought by Digital photography is the opportunity to professionally edit and manipulate photos. You are no longer stuck with only the image captured on a film.  Digital photo editors gives one a legitimate tool to enhance, merge, crop, recompose and correct images.  As a digital photographer these tools are indispensable.  The following are the most popular tools:

• Photoshop CS5 - the ultimate in Digital imaging software.
• Get 30% off Lightroom 3 when purchased with Photoshop CS5 or CS5 Extended.
• Photoshop elements - a more affordable but still powerful and simpler to use version of Photoshop. Get a Free Trial for Photoshop Elements here,
• Google’s Picasa is a Free photo editor that is not nearly as powerful but nevertheless surprisingly useful.

One last piece of advice: If you have invested in the camera, lenses and other technology, don’t skimp on spending some money on at least one good course and one good Image Editor!   These resources will bring your ordinary photos to life.  See my Full reviews of Image Editors and Photography Courses.

A Review of F-Stops and how they work.

Canon 18-200 mm F3.5 IS zoom lens

Every DSLR camera manual gives an overview of what F-stops are about, but I have found that looking at it from all the angles lets me understand it better and made me ‘instinctively’ aware of what my camera and lens are capable of and what they are doing.  You need this awareness ingrained in you in order to make quicker decisions about F-stops, focal length, light, ISO and shutter speed.

Unfortunately a full understanding of F-Stops and the benefits of faster lenses will make you realize that the weak link in the kits for sale at the entry level is not the camera but the Kit lens that is typically supplied with it.   Investment in one or two high quality lenses becomes a priority in most photographers’ minds.  The  Canon 18-200 mm F3.5 IS Zoom is one of the most versatile lenses one can have in your bag.

How do F-stops work and what is a high F-stop lens?   A quick review.

Like much in photography with, F-stops you have to think in opposites.  A small number means a big F-stop.  A large F-stop calls for a faster shutter speed. Another opposite includes the realisation that investment in lenses will far exceed the investment in the camera for any serious photographer.

Keep in mind that F-stops are fractions of aperture value:

• A seemingly ‘lower value’ F-stop such as F2.8 is a larger aperture than F3.5.
• I repeat: A high F-stop (low number) means a larger Aperture.
• It also means you need a faster shutter speed to avoid over exposure.
• A higher F-stop lets in more light over a shorter period of time, increasing sharpness and limiting depth of field.

Firstly the lens size, expressed in mm is not the diameter of the lens, but the distance of the focal point (middle) of the lens from the sensor.  The physical lens size does not come into it.  A cropping factor comes into play on DSLR’s. See the DSLR Cropping Factor article.

Lenses are typically rated by their focal length in mm and  maximum aperture (opening size of the shutter) expressed in F-numbers. The F-numbers refer to fractions of the focal length, not the size of the lens. For example a maximum  F2 for a 50mm Lens would mean that the lens shutter can open to ½ of 50mm, i.e. 25mm. F4 would mean ¼ of 50mm diameter, i.e. 12.5mm and so on.  The cropping factor on DSLR cameras does not come into it.  The aperture is the same regardless of the camera that the lens is mounted on.

Diameter is not equivalent to Area or light.
50% less diameter provides exactly 25% less area for light to pass through.  In the figure on the right, each of the four smaller circles has 50% of the diameter of the larger circle.  The dark blue areas correspond exactly to the white areas, so that each smaller circle’s area is exactly ¼ of the area of the larger circle. Halving a diameter is referred to as a full F-stop.  If you had to half the diameter of the smaller circles again (by a full F-stop) the area(light) would again be reduced to 1/4 of the previous F-stop.

Shutter Aperture with 50 mm Lens
F-stop	F/1	F/2	F/4	F/8
% lens open	100%	50%	25%	12.5%
Diameter	50 mm	25 mm	12.5 mm	6.25 mm
Area/Light	100%	25%	6.25%	1.56%

In practice lenses do not come in whole F-stops only.  So we see lenses with maximum aperture specifications like the following: F/1.2, F/1.4, F/ 1.8, F/2.8, F3.5, F4, F/5.6.

DSLR cameras will allow F-stop adjustments (lens closing stops) at F/1.4, F/ 1.8, F/2 F/2.8, F3.5, F/4, F/5.6, F/8, F/11, F16, F/22, F/32 etc. and more…  The bold F-stops are whole stops, each ¼ the area of the former.  The numbers in between gives the photographer half or third stops in between for greater control.

The following table provides a clue to why these are popular stops.  The bolded lines are full F-stops, and the blue lines are half stops, with third of F-stops in between. Each half step requires a doubling of shutter speed to get the same light exposure.  - Again think in opposites:  A shutter speed of  1/60th of a second is twice as fast but is half as long as 1/30th of a second.

I keep a subset of this table on a laminated card in my bag, because when working manually it gives me great info in balancing shutter speed and aperture.

So a smaller F-stop (larger number) allows exponentially less light through, so that the difference between F 1.8 and F 5.6, is ten times the area of light.

The technology to allow a large F-stop like F1.2, F 1.4 or F 1.8 is complex and expensive, especially in zoom lenses and this is reflected in the price.  To take advantage of a large F-stop you need a camera that is capable of a very high shutter speed to capture the correct exposure.  Fortunately the Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras are up to it.

Both Nikon and Canon entry level DSLR camera ranges have shutter speeds of 1/4000.  This is fast enough for just about any light conditions, but if you are photographing extreme light, such as a zoom view of the full moon you might consider using a neutral density filter to give you even more control of shutter speed and bright light.

Canon Prime 50mm F1.8

Nikon Prime 50mm 1.8

One affordable option for a large F-stop or fast lens is the 50 mm F1.8 Prime lens available for both Canon and Nikon for less than $100.00.  At this price it is an easy decision to buy.  It also does not take up much room in your camera bag.

Learning How to take Good Photos

Why should you learn how to take good photos?

With today’s cell phones, point and shoots and sophisticated DSLR cameras it may not be necessary to learn anything about how to take good photos.  They do most of the work for you and let’s face it, often that is enough.  When the kids are doing something funny or the

How to take good Photos - the basics

family is just having a good time, the candid shot that is non-intrusive is worth recording the memory and I know many pro photographers who carry a good point and shoot on fun occasions.  This is not the time for a large visible camera, tripod, fancy lighting and long setups.

But good amateurs and pros know a few things about how to take good photos even with today’s basic cameras and some of these things are very easy to know:

They will take that half second to consider the First 7 rules of how to take good photos:

• Zoom correctly
• Compose optimally
• Pick an interesting angle by stepping a few paces or kneeling or standing on a chair
• Make sure the camera’s autofocus system has the key subject in focus
• Hold the camera still
• Assess the lighting conditions, natural light, background etc
• Know whether flash is better than the available light or not

Just these few points make a huge difference in the candid shots they take home.  They know how to take good photos quickly.  We we can all easily learn the basics around these points to do the same.

They should be easy to remember and it is only the zoom and flash that involve choices on the camera itself, between Full Auto and Program modes, but you do need to know a just a bit more than the obvious about each of these subjects. Any basic photography book will give you such insights, but I can highly recommend Digital Photography for Dummies as a great intro that will give you these insights and a lot more.

The Second 7 rules of how to take good photos take one into a whole new world.

1. Get to know the features of your camera and how to use them instinctively
2. Develop an eye for the unusual and the artistic.
3. Mastering lens capabilities and limitations
4. Finer points of composition
5. Get up early
6. Get to understand light!
7. Getting to grips with the magic of today’s editing software like Photoshop

Get up early, brave the cold, catch the moment.

Digital Photography For Dummies will give you a brief entry into this world but you will soon want to know more and unfortunately this requires getting your feet really wet.  By this I mean, you cannot just buy equipment, the books and the courses and think that having spent the money you will know how to take good photos.  This is a journey with no end destination and you have to do the exercises.

You have to snap away, not with blind abandon, but with insight into every aspect of your equipment, the subject, the lighting, the many options that you have at every second as well as the objectives you have in mind.  And with every thoughtful picture you take, you need to review what you have done and think what you could have done better for next time, preferably with the guidance of an expert.  As you go on this journey you will learn how to take good photos and then:

• with hard work, which is fortunately a lot of fun
• with taking a lot of good photos you will strike it lucky with some great shots,
• with ongoing learning from many sources
• with growing experience

…you will become a great photographer and be hooked!

As the next step I highly recommend a Digital Photography Course by Amy Renfrey (Digital Photographer and Teacher) that also includes a subscription to an online Emagazine called “Focus”. Amy believes that “Light is the only thing you truly need to give a damn about.” Once you understand LIGHT, you have discovered the secret to great photography.  There is little arguing with this philosophy and she teaches this understanding in great depth and insight and leads her students into this wonderful world.

Amy’s course is not the end of the road (there is no end) but it is a great and richly rewarding scenic route to take from the outset in this journey.

The Emagazine is ongoing support after the course with regular brilliant features to keep you fueled and fired up to want to go out getting even better.

If you have invested in the technology and you have not invested in yourself, you are sitting on a white elephant, but you are just this small step away from making your technology investment something really special.  Follow this link to Amy’s Digital Photography Course to see what it’s about.