While there are many great tips for better photography, I try to keep at least these five in mind every time I take a photo. Adjusting just one will give you a whole new perspective. Mostly you should remember to have fun, take many photos, try every option and always take your camera with you!
1. GET CLOSE. Getting closer helps to determine not only who or what your main subject is but also helps avoid having distracting items around your subject giving it a better composition. Look at the photo edges of the picture, choose your subject and adjust by either zooming in or changing your position to avoid those distracting items that might otherwise overwhelm your photo.
2. WHEN TO FLASH. Turning your flash on outdoors helps avoid harsh shadows on your subject’s faces, this is called Fill Flash. Also remember to turn your flash off indoors when you want to get a more natural look on your subject’s face.
3. TURN UP THE ISO. The camera’s ISO determines the camera’s sensitive is to light. The higher the ISO the less light the camera needs. So by raising the camera’s ISO to 800 or higher can be the difference between a sharp or blurry picture as the higher ISO will let the camera use a higher shutter speed.
4. WHITE BALANCE. Trying out or playing with different white balance options can end up giving you some very creative photos. The cloudy or shade white balance will create more warm colors which could be great for sunsets while the tungsten or fluorescent setting can be used when you want a blue cast on your images.
5. HAVE FUN. Trying different angles like getting lower or higher or shooting vertically will jazz up and give you more interesting photos. Also watch out for your subject’s reactions and try to capture the emotions on their faces which often times make the best pictures.
