Turn Your Camera Around

The simple vertical turn of your camera is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your daily shooting.  Most photographers forget about the simple technique to turn your camera vertical (instead of horizontal) and miss the opportunity to better compose their subject.  Look at your subject before taking the picture and decide if a horizontal or vertical composition would look better.

Take a Different Look

Changing your perspective is another habit you should focus on in your daily shooting.  Standing with the camera pointing head-on at your subject isn’t always the best way to shoot a photograph, so consider trying your shots from a different direction.  For instance, try shooting a portrait of a friend while you kneel or lie on the ground – this photo will be far more compelling than the normal straight shot. And when you go to frame the photo, just make sure to put it in a picture frame that complements the angle.

Stop Fighting Against the Light

When broken down to its core elements, photography is merely light and the way it interacts with objects.  Understanding how to utilize light is key to great photography, so don’t be afraid to play around with it and see what happens.  Move your subjects (or yourself) to capitalize on the best natural light angles, and be aware of the optimal range of your flash before counting on it to save the day.  Try to think outside of the box when it comes to lighting and try backlighting subjects in different ways so you can see what kind of impact this has on your images.

Use Your Camera for Cropping

Learning to use your camera for cropping is difficult to do but it is critical that you learn how to frame your pictures correctly.  Your goal is to try and compose your pictures so that you leave out anything that isn’t needed for telling your story.  If you’re having difficulty with finding the perfect setup, try changing your distance to the subject and if all else fails remember that you can always go vertical.  Although this is easy to fix using photo editing software, it is always best to try to crop your photo using your camera. And if you can’t do that you can always crop the pictures when you go to put them in 4×6 picture frames.

Upgrade Your Auto Focus Camera

Sure, upgrading your camera is an obvious solution to taking better photographs.  But the reason for upgrading to a SLR (single lens reflex) is to give yourself the ability to manually adjust your aperture, focus and exposure so you can improve the quality of your pictures.  And unlike many small digital cameras, with an SLR, what you see through the viewfinder is exactly what you get.  Finally, SLR cameras will provide you with tons of flexibility in accessories such as additional lenses and filters.  These extra photo goodies may not be necessary now, but they will be very handy later on as your skills get more advanced.

As with any skill, the best way to improve your photographs is by practicing as much as you can.  This, combined with a healthy regimen of reading up on great photographers and visiting photo exhibits at the local museum, will take your photographs from “okay” to “incredible.”  Now all you have to do is get out there and start taking pictures!

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Here’s how to ensure your next group session doesn’t end in disaster:

Plan Ahead

If you’re planning on taking a group photo, always make sure you’ve considered every element before your subjects arrive. Always have two locations in mind- one primary location and a back up in case something goes wrong. Having one outdoor location and one indoor location is also a good idea in case the weather turns bad. Make sure that your subjects know what time you need them there and always have them come a 5-10 minutes early to keep things on schedule. Always make sure your camera equipment is ready to go before anyone shows up as this will make your job a whole lot easier. If you have any clothing requests, make them early and remind everyone at least once.

Play it Safe

Take as many pictures as you can in the time that you have. By taking a lot of photographs this will protect you from having to schedule a re-shoot and will also give your group plenty of options for choosing the best picture. Use a tripod to ease the burden of reproducing the same shot several times, and if at all available make use of a light reflector or studio lights to soften the shadows on your subjects. Flattering pictures will pass muster more quickly than shots where subjects don’t feel they look great, so try to get this done in-camera as opposed to in the darkroom.

Don’t Trust the Group

As the photographer, the final image is your responsibility. So, it’s entirely up to you whether your group picture turns out really good or really bad. Since the success of the shoot is riding on your shoulders, you shouldn’t hesitate in moving the group around and having them pose the way you want. However, an angry group can quickly turn on a photographer, so try to stay upbeat and focus on the goals of the shoot. Helping the group understand why the photograph is important can go a long way in easing the tension, and so can constant communication of what you need from them. For example, if the photos are being used as holiday gifts, help them remember that these photos are going to be display in holiday Christmas picture frames. If the group feels like the photographer is competent and friendly, they shouldn’t have any issues taking a few polite orders.

Don’t Forget the Fun Shot

While this is by no means a requirement for professional photographers, every group loves taking a “fun” picture where they’re allowed to make silly faces or put bunny ears over their friends and family. If you’ve gotten enough good group photos, don’t forget to mix in some creativity with your photos like having a shot where you let the group decide how they want to pose. Sometimes these pictures can even turn out better than the posed ones. And when it comes to displaying the photos, everyone will be happy to display the photo on the wall with other hanging picture frames.

Taking group photos is definitely not for the weak hearted. It requires great organization, an ability to work with people who likely have something better to do, and an innate or learned talent for getting the right shot as quickly as possible. Come prepared, stay positive, and let the group have a bit of freedom and you’ll find that working with large groups isn’t as difficult as it may seem at first glance. All it requires is a bit of determination and the right frame of mind.

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Problem Focusing

The most common cause of blurry pictures is a focusing problem. This problem can be caused by several things. The most common cause is that the photographer didn’t properly focus the camera either because the auto focus didn’t choose the right part of the picture to focus on or due to an error on the photographer’s part.

In most cases, these problems can be easily avoided by making sure the subject you want in focus is what the lens is focusing on. If it’s not, try adjusting the focus until you get the results you want in the viewfinder. Many auto-focuses will also “hold” focus, so you can center the object in your frame, press the shutter button halfway down, then move the camera without letting go of the button for custom framing without dumping the focus area.

Motion Blur

Capturing a fast moving object in an image clearly, can be challenging task. You can spot motion blur because the stationary objects in the picture will be sharp but the moving objects will be blurry.

Motion blur is also easy to prevent. If you find that your action shots are turning out blurry, try setting your shutter speed a little higher to shorten the exposure of the photograph. This will help to capture quick-moving targets with minimal blur. Don’t forget that faster shutter speeds will need more light and often fast film or a different digital setting, so be prepared if you’re shooting fast moving action. By remembering these tips, you’ll be able to create less blurry images and have more pictures for framing in wall picture frames in your house.

Unsteady Camera

A lesser-known villain of blurry photographs, camera shake is still a force to be reckoned with. Basically, humans are always moving whether we can sense it or not (try to hold your hand perfectly steady, as an example), and even these minor movements can have a massive impact on our photos.

You can prevent camera blur by using a fast shutter speed (which should negate the minor movements) or by bracing your arms on something while holding your camera. If you need to use a slow shutter speed, then it’s always best to use a tripod to avoid any possible camera shake problems. Finally, you can remove the issue of minor movement caused by pushing the shutter button by using a remote or cable release.

If you take a bunch of photographs and they turn out blurry, the first step will be figuring out what kind of blur you’ve fallen victim to. If the problem is with focusing, some parts of the picture will be fuzzy while others will be sharp. If the problem is with motion, then only the moving objects will be fuzzy. And if it’s camera shake, then the entire picture will be blurry. Once you have a good idea of what caused your photo blur, go out prepared to compensate for that issue and re-shoot the subject. Your photographs will turn out much, much better and will look great displayed in your favorite frames like some fancy silver leaf picture frames.

When heading into every shooting situation, be aware of what light you will have, what you will be taking pictures of, and what tools you’ll need to ensure those photographs come out perfect. In the case of blur, a little preparation will go a long way.

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Try Bracketing Your Shots

Bracketing is simply the act of taking various exposures of the same picture.  Whenever you’re shooting an important picture, you should bracket your shots by taking one normal picture and one below and above the suggested exposure.  This will give you more options for choosing the best picture and will also prevent over and under exposure. However, if you’re shooting with a digital camera there is no reason to bracket your shot as you don’t need to worry about burning your film.

Properly Care for Your Equipment

A camera lens will give you a near-exact representation of what you saw when you looked through it, but only if that lens is clean of debris. While touching up small details is a breeze in digital photographs, it’s best to invest in a lens cleaning kit and make sure your gear is prepped before every shoot. In addition, you should always protect your photo equipment in a bag or case so you can minimize the amount of dust buildup and avoid accidental damage. And always remember to charge your battery!

Tell a Story

One of the key differences between a good picture and a great photograph is that a photograph has a story to tell.  Every shot you take should convey some sort of narrative with a beginning, middle, and end.  Although this may seem like a daunting task, once you practice, it will become easier to frame your image so the story all comes together. When taking a sequence of images, try to connect them together using a single theme as this will increase their emotional impact. And another way to tie your images together is by framing them in the same type of picture frame.

Work In-Camera

Professional photographers, for the most part, will agree that if you can do something in-camera instead of in the editing room, that’s where you should do it.  By learning how to work with your camera to get the results you want, you’ll become a much better phtoographer than spending all your time editing.  You should always think of photo editing as your safety net, only to be used if you’ve tried every other avenue.

Spend Time Learning

As with any other skill, if you want to become a better photographer you should do everything in your power to learn about your craft. This means that you should do activities like studying the works of great photographers, practice shooting as much as possible and taking classes or reading books about phtoography.  The more you spend time studying photography and what makes one photo better than the others, the more you consistent you will become at shooting quality images. And this will also open up opportunities to display and frame more of your images in 8×10 picture frames on the wall. Another option is to consider joining a photo club or website like a photo forum where you can find useful tips.

There is no great mystery or untold secret to becoming a great photographer.  As you train your eyes to view the world through a frame, you will get better at spotting the types of things that make for amazing photographs.  Putting these five habits into practice and shooting pictures regularly can help you reach this point sooner. With photography, practice may not make you perfect, but it will definitely make you better.

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