1. Switch your camera to manual mode
Digital slrs are incredibly clever devices. Much of the power lies in the software that is installed in them. The reason they take great pictures is that the software in them can figure out the correct exposure, ISO, shutter speed for most situations.
As your photography progresses you will reach a stage where you can work out all of the settings better than your cameras software. A great first step to taking more control of your camera is to switch your camera to aperture priority (AV) mode. This mode lets you select the aperture, leaving the camera to work out the correct shutter speed in order to get a good exposure. Once your comfortable with aperture priority mode, you’re already well on the way to using manual mode.
2. Never leave home without it
Try to get into the habit of always taking your camera with you when you leave the house. The more you take pictures the better you become at spotting good compositions. It is even well worth investing in an old 35mm film camera or digging out that old digital from the back of the draw to take with you on everyday life.
Once you start doing this you’ll be amazed at the number of good images you get from the most inopportune moments you would otherwise have not noticed.
3. Learn About White balance
Ever take pictures indoors that come out with a yellow hue to them? This is due to the camera using the wrong White balance.
If you look around you now you will notice that there are almost an infinite number of shade of White. Indoors under tungsten lights white walls take on a yellow shade. Outdoors under cloud white can actually look grey or blue in colour. Once you notice this it is very hard to see something as just ‘pure white’ anymore. Your camera has this problem too.
Every time you take a picture you camera has to use one shade of white as a base from which to base all the colour tones on. If say you are indoors the camera may use the yellow white colour as pure white hence you will get a yellow tinge to your picture.
What you need to do then is before you take any picture is tell you camera what kind of light you are in by either setting a custom white balance or by using one of the presets such as cloudy, sun, florescent, tungsten or shade.
4. Learn to Decompose Other Peoples Photographs
Next time you pick up a newspaper or are surfing the net try to make a point of really looking at the pictures you see.
Take a look at the photograph below. What can you tell from it? Pay attention to the focus, is that background blurred by using a big aperture? How is the shot composed? Was a flash used? Which direction is the light coming from? Where are the shadows? What makes it a nice image?
When you start to look at pictures in this way you will soon start to learn what makes a good photo and will be able to apply the same techniques to you own photography. For some more insight into how a professional approaches the photographs they take check out this interview with Joe McNally.
5. Shoot more pictures!
It is simple, the more you shoot the better you will become at photography. It take time to develop an eye for composition, to read lighting conditions, to master you cameras settings and to put subjects at ease. Photgraphy is an art form and as with all arts the only way to improve is to keep practising.
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