It’s a new week and I’ve got a new set of tips to improve your
photography. This week’s tips focus on planning and decision making
while taking your shots…. Eventually it will feel like second nature and
you won’t even be aware of the process, until then… keep these tips in
mind.
1. Daydream
Yes, that’s right keep dreaming about your shot. Pre-Visualize in
your mind what it will look like and walk through the steps you need to
take to get it. This is a shot I thought about for several weeks before
finally setting it up and taking it. With only one camera, I often feel
like I’m constantly juggling lenses!
2. Use wide lens
Try to use wide lenses for landscape shots when you want to create an
impact of size. You can use a wide range of lenses to shoot landscapes
but the vistas are amazing if you shoot with the widest lens possible
because they give you a bigger angle of view.
3. Sharpen Your Subjects
Keep your main subjects sharp. Sharp details in the image truly draw
the viewers’ eyes towards the subject. Use your tripod in low light
conditions to make sharp pictures. Try to make use of the new sharpening
effect in Adobe Camera RAW. It does a great job and has improved from
previous versions.
4. Keep it Clean
A background makes or breaks your shot so be sure to think carefully
about the how you place your subject. Keep the background clean, simple
and clutter free. Think about where the viewer should be focused….
5. You Can’t Have Too Many Clouds
Use fluffy white clouds on a blue sky to produce dramatic skies. Is
it overcast with too many clouds to see the sky? The sky is now a giant
soft box. This is the time to shoot portraits or waterfalls and streams
with a motion blur effect.
6. Behind Every Great Shot is the Sun
Stand with the sun at your back and the light of the sun falling on
your subject. Unless you are making artistic pictures always try to keep
the sun behind you.
7. Light Trails
Enhance your dawn and night urban shots with light trails. Use
vehicles or any other moving lights to add interest, mood, and drama.
Light trails almost always makes the shot interesting (
learn:
how to shoot light trails).
8. Silhouettes
The key is an uncluttered, lit background. Simply place your subject
in the foreground so that you have clean, sharp lines and go for it.
Play with placement and angles to make awesome silhouettes (
learn:
how to shoot Silhouettes).
9. Top to Bottom
Look straight up. Look straight down. Now examine everything in
between. There are great shots from every vantage point, including an
unexpected angle. Sometimes we focus so much on the obvious shot that we
miss something special just a heartbeat away.
10. And finally… It’s a Camera not a Machine Gun
Unless you are taking action shots or a time lapse series, try to
reduce the number of shots. Don’t just fire away hoping for something
good to appear during editing. Think, move, and adjust your framing
before you click the shutter. You’ll develop better instincts and save
hours of time editing those hundreds of extra images.
