Tips on taking better photographs

Before we go any further, you have to understand one thing: your camera is not important – you are! No matter how bad (or good) your camera is, you have to give your best to make the most perfect photo you can! And then (and only then) your photo will be the most beautiful photo there is.

So the first thing about good photography is that it doesn’t start when you get your camera out: it begins in your mind or when you see a potentially good shot. You can even ask yourself about this shot: why and how do you want to capture it.

Other thing you should know is – the more you take your camera with you, the more pictures you will take, so you will practice more. And with more practice, you will only get better and better (as in all things). With your camera with you at all times, your eyes will become your lenses and you will look at the world in a different way. And if people close to you get used to you with a camera they will feel less intimidated when you take photos, which will lead to more spontaneous images.

One of the great advices when starting of with your camera is to read its manual – this will help you to better understand certain functions and take full advantage of them. Get to really know your apparatus and its limitations because it takes time to learn how your camera reacts to certain distance, movement and lighting.

Make sure that your background is clear and if you know how, blur it when taking portraits. Plain background can emphasize the subject more, so study the area behind the subject carefully. If you are shooting a family photo, tell them to put any extra stuff they have on them and away from the frame – this will clean up messy photos and make much nicer images.

If you notice red eyes on photos, you should know they are the consequence of poor lighting and can be best avoided by not using a flash; but if you have to use it, tell a person not to look directly into the camera. You can also aim flash at something bright, so it will pick up the light from there (and not from the pupils).

Famous Rule of thirds is something you should definitely know:simple yet effective rule of three lines – just imagine that your photo is cut in three, either horizontally or vertically (some cameras even have display divided in this way). Now move your subject away from the middle by putting it at the intersection of these lines; this will make your photo much interesting.

Take as many pictures as you can and don’t stop after each one to check your progress – it is distracting and it will eat up your battery. In the end, look through your photos and make notes what worked for you. You can learn a lot from bad photos, so take time to think about why they are not good.

When taking photos at some interesting (mainly touristic) place, often there are many people around doing the same thing. Go late in the evening or very early in the morning and take stunning photos when nobody’s around.

Take same picture in different lighting: one during the night and other at daylight; experiment with different kinds of lighting and environment to see how you see it and how your camera sees it. Light can also play a different game on different types of skin: it can soften the wrinkles for example or make them more visible.

When taking photos of kids (or anyone else), stand close to the subject – hold camera at person’s eye level. Always smile when taking children’s photos – this will encourage them to smile too. If you move really close to your subject you can reveal some fascinating details like dimples in their cheeks or sunny freckles that give them personality.

As a true photographer, give directions and share your thoughts: people often don’t know what to do in front of the camera (we are not all models) so tell them what they could do – make a funny face, climb on a chair, dance – this will help people relax and make your photos much more natural.

In the end, ignore any rule you have ever heard – you probably know that any rule can be broken for artistic reason. Some unfocused photos can bring more life and color into the picture, it all depends on the circumstances you are in. As long as you put your whole energy into it, you can even make everyday photo look amazing. So, practice every day, have patience, set your mind and your heart at it – and watch how you turn into a professional.

Good luck!