There
are many traps for young players in the art of photography. These are not
problems with either film or digital cameras, most of these are common to both,
though some are specific areas which refer to digital cameras and their
capabilities.
The first is a general complaint, and refers to the placement
of the image in the frame. This is where the ability to instantly review images
in digital photography is so good. Look at the image in the viewer on the back
of the camera and see if it can be improved by different placement of the
subject within the frame. Remember the ‘Rule of Thirds’ (place the main subject
one third of the way in from either side and one third of the way up or down
from the top or bottom of the picture). This is a tried and true rule of thumb.
It may feel ‘wrong’ initially not having the subject slap bang in the middle of
the frame, but try it and you will find you are getting better, more pleasing
pictures.
While still on the subject of the overall image, don’t forget
to take each shot two ways - in the landscape (horizontal) format and the second
in the portrait (vertical) format. Again it sounds strange to shoot a landscape
in the vertical format, but it gives the viewer a different emphasis, which can
improve an otherwise ‘ordinary’ shot.
With most digitals having reasonably good zoom lenses these
days, experiment with different zoom settings and distance from the subject. A
‘tele’ setting can give you a very different photograph from the ‘wide’ setting
taken closer to the subject. This ability to experiment, at the time of
shooting, is one of the biggest plusses for digital photography.
One of my standard tips is “Walk several meters closer”, and
by doing this you will find that you can make the subject fill the frame (to
even overflowing) and so get rid of horrible distracting backgrounds.
You can also see the difference in the backgrounds between
shooting at f2.8 as opposed to f16. The larger aperture (f2.8)
gives a blurred background, which is exactly what the ‘portrait’ mode does. Many
of the tricky settings are just automatic combining of different
apertures/shutter speeds, and a general knowledge of first photographic
principles will always help your photography too.
Photography is in reality ‘painting’ with light and you
should never forget this. The position of the subject, relative to the sun (the
celestial lighting technician) can make or break your photos. The amount of
contrast in any scene can also baffle the digital sensors so they will try to
balance out the contrasts which can spoil the effect you were trying to create.
If your camera shows you those dinky little histograms, you can soon see if the
light is biased in any particular direction.
What you have to do is try and balance bright or dim light.
In low light conditions, try using your camera’s night shooting mode, or lower
the ISO to 50 or 100 to get some detail in low light. Also look at trying to use
a tripod, or steady yourself against a wall or pillar to avoid moving the
camera.
In bright light, try your camera’s Beach or Sunshine mode, or
go to manual mode and choose a fast shutter speed to control the amount of light
that comes in.
For better photographs indoors, turn your flash off. Try to
maximize the light by pulling back the curtains, opening doors and turning on
the incandescent lights in the room. Sure, you will have slower shutter speeds
and you may have to look at using the tripod, or even just holding the camera
firmly on a table, but you will get more natural photographs. With portraits,
you can even try sitting the subject beside a window (not in front of the
window, unless you want a silhouette).
Finally, practice getting the ‘decisive moment’ by partially depressing the
shutter button when taking candid shots. This means you are not waiting for the
camera to focus, before the shutter fires. Or simply set the focus manually.
