Take Better Photos

So you’re on your dream vacation. Of course, you want to take the best photos you can so you can show them off to friends, put them in your scrapbook, and look back at them years from now. So how do you make your pictures even better than before?

1. Get closer. One of the biggest mistakes most beginning photographers make is shooting from too far away. Don’t be afraid to get up close and personal. Fill the camera frame with your subject. You can always reshape, trim, and resize a good quality shot. But you can’t continue to blow up a distant subject and hope that it will come into focus.

2. Focus on just one. Subject, that is. Determine what the main subject – person, pet, building, etc. – of the photo will be, and catch that image. Ignore the rest. (Or rather, save them for other pictures!)

3. Keep it simple. Busy, distracting backgrounds pull the attention away from the subject, and anything that detracts from the subject can ruin your shot. Remember what’s important: the subject, and keep the rest as simple as possible. (This is easier if you also follow #1 and fill most of your picture with your subject.)

4. Use the rule of thirds. Imagine having a camera lens split into 9 equal sized boxes, 3 across and 3 down (like having a tic-tac-toe game printed right on your camera lens). Where those “tic-tac-toe” lines cross is the optimum place to focus your subject when you’re arranging to take your photo. Basically, put your subject on one of the third lines. This is especially true of landscape photos – keep the horizon line on one of the thirds as opposed to right smack in the middle, and you’ll see an improvement in your landscape pictures.

Now all you need is a fun vacation so you can put these tips to use. Happy snapping!

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Michael’s philosophy of traveling is simple: take lots of pictures and put your feet up as much as possible. Read more of his articles at http://www.fun-travel-blog.com/.
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Posted: on Monday, June 26th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Category: Scrapbooking.