Photography is an art and another way to express the way the world reflects upon an individual.  It is simply capturing a moment in time that reflects what you can hear, smell, taste, feel, and see.  As some say, “You are writing a story with light”. Everyone has a great photograph in them, but not everyone can be a great photographer.  Creating a visual narrative, consistently, is the gift that photographers have.

In this article I will be sharing with you some basic tips to help you improve and advanced your photography skills.  This article is geared toward the amateur photographer or the beginner that is just starting out and looking for a path to help guide them.

1.  Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a visual rule of thumb that states the image should be divided into nine equal parts.  This is a very well known rule and is not only applied to photography, but also can be applied to different kinds of art and design work.  There are two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines that you place over an image (visually in your head) to help better compose your scene.  By aligning your subject on the intersected guidelines (any of the 4 points), and by aligning a horizon or other elements in the photograph with the horizontal lines at the top or bottom this will help create a more visual/natural experience for the eye.  Today’s software editing tools allow you to fix your photographs with ease by following the rule of thirds.  So do not be discouraged if you miss applying the rules to a certain photograph because it can always be fixed in post-production.  Below are a few examples from my own photographs to help explain what I mean.

2.  Break the Rules

You need to understand how to utilize the Rule of Thirds before you can concentrate on when to break them.  I know I just explained to you that there is a set visual rule that you need to follow to make your photos more visually compelling.  More often than not this is true, however, it is also true that not everything needs to conform to the standards in this world.  Breaking the rules can be just as effective as following the rules.  In select situations moving your subject dead center of your frame can and will produce powerful and confronting images.  You see this a lot in portrait style photographs or when there is intriguing symmetry in the scene.  Deciding whether to follow the rules or break them is where the photographer in you comes out and recognizes the scene’s composition before the shot is finalized.  Practicing these two techniques will not only better your skills as a photographer, but also help your workflow to reduce time spent in post-production.  Below are some of my photographs that help explain what I mean.

3.  Shooting in direct sunlight is bad

A lot of people often believe shooting in direct sunlight (overhead, mid day) is the best time to take a photo.  You have a lot of available light and the sun is shining on everything … so what’s the problem?  The problem is direct sunlight will cause blown out highlights, high contrast, sometimes lens flares, possible over saturation of colors, squinting from your subjects, and what is referred to as raccoon eyes on people.  Raccoon eyes are caused by direct sunlight that produces harsh shadows underneath or around the eye areas.  If you must shoot in direct sunlight then try to use fill flash, get the subject under some shade, use reflectors to fill in the harsh shadows (most reflective materials can work; even car sunlight deflectors for windows work), and using a transparent fabric/reflector that is hung above your subject will help soften the light.  The best time to shoot is when the sky is overcast because it eliminates virtually all shadows by the clouds acting as a huge softbox. A plus to shooting in overcast is that it will render accurate colors to your subjects, but the draw back is the quality of light is shapless. This means there is no direction with the light to emphasize your subjects. Other than shooting in overcast, shooting during or a few hours before sunset and after or during sunrise are the better times. Below are a couple pictures where i placed my subject under some trees (the first picture) and my mom and uncle underneath a roof extending out (second picture).

4.  Get on their level

Get down on your knees or even lay down and get dirty to get on your subject’s level.  If you are shooting animals or kids, get way down and shot from their perspective to create a more inviting image.  Eye level will create a more inviting feeling from the reflections in their eyes and beautiful smiles that your subject offers.  It creates a more personal feeling to the image as if you were in their shoes seeing everything from their perspective.

5.  Shoot candid / Observe

Nothing is more fun then seeing a candid moment in a photograph and is often what creates such a wonderful photo.  Often times I will carry my camera with me to most places I go (even every day travel) and in public places I will just sit and observe.  I will observe mannerisms, the way light hits subjects, and anticipate a reaction or scene to photograph based on my observations.  Getting your subjects in their comfortable environment is a big plus.  Try shooting your subject with a long zoom lens so you can stay out of the way and not make the subject nervous as if he/she is being watched.  Getting individuals in their natural habitat, while interacting normally, creates a special feeling to an image.

6.  Reduce camera shake

Camera shake is the blurring of images without the intent to blur them.  It will almost always ruin a photograph you so badly wanted.  Camera shake can be caused by many factors.  Too heavy of a lens, not a fast enough shutter, not shooting wide open enough in low light situations (bigger aperture to let in more light), bad shooting form, and without the use of a tripod.  To improve some of these just by using a faster shutter can often minimize camera shake.  If that fails then open up your aperture by reducing the number, say from f/4.5 to f/2.8 (if your lens allows it).  Also increasing your ISO number while increasing your shutter can also reduce camera shake.  Try using a tripod to hold the camera still while you are shooting the photograph.  If you do not have a tripod, then try propping the camera on a fixed object (like a trash can or a ledge).  While the camera is on the tripod, use a wireless or wired shutter release so you are not physically touching the camera to click the shutter.  If you do not have a remote for triggering the shutter try using your camera’s timed settings.  Some cameras have a ten-second timer or a two-second timer you can use so you are not clicking the shutter.  When shooting without a tripod and with the camera in your hands; pull your elbows inward towards your body by your chest to better your stability, kneel on the ground and use your body parts as a tripod (set it on your knee) or lay on the ground, and hold it like a gun with one hand on the end of the lens and the other on the top of the camera for the shutter to stabilize the lens.

7.  Be the director

Coordinate your photo sessions.  Add props to the scene and place everything how you want it.  Tell individuals to stand certain ways or perform certain moves to create your vision.  Take shots in successions during photo shoots to show the candid moments.  Often times the first photograph of group photos are not on par with how you wanted it.  So tell everyone to smile and start popping off two or three images in a row to yield better results then just taking one photo.  This can be really important when shooting impatient subjects like animals or children.  They do not sit still for very long or at all, and taking a bunch of random shots can often create an image that you had not thought would come about.  Make individuals get out of their comfort zone.  Have them do things they are not comfortable with or often seen in photos.  Sometimes people will let go and open up to the ideas creating a more fascinating and inviting image than originally planned.  The ordinary works, but is not often desired.

8.  Recognize the light

Light makes everything in a photograph.  It is the single most important factor in any image.  Using ambient light or your own light (strobes, moonlights, etc) you can come with an infinite amount of ideas to light your subjects.  From using side lighting, rim lighting, backlighting, silhouetting, or using “cookies” to create cool light patterns.  Metering for specific lighting in a photograph and then re-composing the scene with the locked exposure can create awesome effects on your subject.  Study how the light falls on subjects and where it might affect your highlights or shadows in the image before you finalize the image.  Also think before you shoot and always look behind what you are shooting to see what your sensor might capture if you render the highlights, midtones, or shadows as the priority.  Check your histogram in the camera after the shot to verify where your tones fall for verifying if you exposed the scene to how you wanted it.

9.  Framing

Framing is a very important part of the composition for your image.  Framing is using borders to compose a subject or shooting the scene at different angles and perspectives to create an effective image.  Usually you want to use framing as a way to draw specific attention to your subject(s) leading your eyes to the focal point.  There are many ways to frame a shot.  You can use windows, people, shrubs, buildings, doorways, tunnels, and etc.  When composing with certain framing techniques it is important you ask yourself ... Will this enhance the scene or take away from it?  Clutter becomes a problem when trying to frame subjects and can be distracting to the image rather than enhance the subject.  Using a shallow depth of field (smaller aperture number/wider open lens) helps create the frame outside the focal point (your subject) blurry so it draws even more focus to the subject.  Below are a few examples I have taken over the years to help illustrate this idea.

10.  Learn the controls on your camera / practice

Know what aperture and shutter control on your camera and how they affect your exposure.  Explore what ISO will do if it is increased or decreased.  I will not go into detail on the subject matter because this would take me another page to explain.  Read your manual and experiment with your camera as much as possible.  Know that your aperture controls the depth of field, and the shutter controls the way motion appears in your image.  Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot! Practicing shooting everywhere and anywhere you can.  You can never take enough photos.  You always have the option of deleting what does not look good later on, but sometimes you cannot re-shoot a scene or situation.  I am not sure why, but some people are afraid of taking lots of photos.  It does not mean you are a bad photographer if you take 20 photos of a specific scene.  Practicing with different shutter speeds and aperture settings is the only way to learn how the camera renders a scene.  I remember the first time I picked my camera up to actually learn about the controls.  I sat down, turned the knob on top, and wondered what all those little settings stood for.  So I picked up the manual and read all about them. After I understood the technical terms I decided to apply the knowledge by taking photos of my sink faucet for 2 hours.  I was using my shutter speed to control the motion of the water coming out by freezing it with a fast shutter, or blurring it with a slower shutter speed. I was so fascinated by the results of that technique that I began to do more research on photography and practice as much as I could.

If you have any general questions regarding photography or comments/feedback, feel free to leave them below.

©2010 Ryan O. Hicks. All Rights Reserved.

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