Photography tips

Here are some photography tips that I have picked up myself that have helped me and will certainly help anyone who is looking to change their style. So, here you go:

• When taking pictures you should picture the end result first. Is there any objects in the picture that you CAN move prior to shooting which will be less for you to fix in Photoshop later on like a toy, people, rock or branch? Think of where the lighting will be as well, that is a huge part of what makes your pictures turn out good.
• Make sure to use depth of field to your advantage. There are some shots that I took that would not have came out as well without me zooming in on the subject (ie. Bobcat picture on the right). Always keep this in mind. Depth of field can also be used to really make your subject pop out from the background (ie. the portrait I took of my best friend to the right).
• Never stand still when taking a photo. Make sure you look up, down, left, right, bend down, get to high ground, take a walk, etc. Look for photo angles when taking your pictures. Sometime you just need the certain angle to get the perfect photo!
• Use composition as I have mentioned before in a past post. It is very hard for me to think in terms of composition when I am out shooting but composition is almost a rule in photography if you think about it. So give it a try, can never hurt.
• TURN OFF THE FLASH!!! My boyfriend always says to me, "Jack, try turning off the flash. It looks better." Well I hated doing that because you need to have steady hands (which I don't) or a surface to use with your camera otherwise you will get "camera shake". After my teacher assigned us Natural Lighting as a topic to shoot I have found that turning off the flash does work nicely. Yes, it is still a pain to use it but I just make sure I have my tripod or find a way to make myself into a tripod by leaning against a wall or tree. Just make sure to check your exposure, too much exposure will "white out" your subject. When that happens, you will loose any "data" that was there. You could try editing the picture and make it darker in that area BUT it will not change and will remain washed out.
  

So there's some tips that I have found have helped me out over the semester. I will try and post a scrapbooking post soon, I just haven't had a chance to do that yet, but I will hopefully do so soon :)