I'm back! Did you get a chance to try out some of the suggestions from my previous posting? I'd love to hear your comments! Below are four more tips about composition and camera positioning.
Get up high. Being higher than your subject can also create an interesting perspective. This works especially well when photographing people, if you find you can see up someone's nose then stand on a chair to get a better angle. This works great with group photographs too.
Level your camera. When you're photographing something that has horizontal lines such as a landscape, a building, or a product on a table it's really important for your camera to be straight. Double check that the lines in the photograph are level before you take the picture and you'll save yourself a lot of headache later plus you'll end up with a much more pleasing image.
Well that's it from me, be sure to leave lots of comments below about your experiences. Now get out there and have fun!
AND here are answers to posed questions:
Your
subject is moving - Getting your subject to stay still that's the best
way to insure that your photograph will be sharp. Otherwise try
panning your camera as your subject moves across in front of you. This
can be done by moving your camera along at the same rate as your
subject and pressing the shutter while in motion. Here's an example:
let's say that you're photographing a car going by on a racetrack,
while the car is in the distance frame the car in your viewfinder,
continue to keep the car in your camera as it approaches, and swivel
your camera position as the car comes towards you and eventually passes
you. While you are moving your camera like this (panning) take
pictures, lots of them. This technique takes some practice but
eventually you'll develop a knack for it.
Camera
shake and slow shutter speeds - Blur can also be caused when
photographing in low lighting situations. To compensate for the lack
of light your shutter will be open longer to let more light in, it's
quite likely that during that time the camera has been moved slightly
causing the entire image to appear blurry. Ideally in these situations
you should put your camera on a tripod or another stable surface. You
may even want to try turning on the self-timer, often the act of
pressing the shutter button is enough to cause camera shake. If you
can't set your camera down then turning on the flash might be your best
option. You can also try raising the ISO of your camera, have a look
in your manual for more information.
Shallow
depth of field - If you find that only a small area of your photos are
sharp then your camera may be automatically setting a low F-Stop
number. If this is the case, get out your manual to find out if and
how you can change your aperture setting.
Auto-focus
- Take some time and really test out how your camera works, look in
your manual and see where the different auto-focus areas are for your
camera. Maybe it's focusing on one area when really you'd like it to
focus on another. Some cameras have several different focus areas;
again your manual is a good place to find out more about how yours
works.
When it comes to faces, natural
lighting is often the best. Before you take the photograph look at
your subject's face and see if there are any unnatural shadows or
bright areas on it, perhaps from a tree branch or another person. If
there is, just ask your subject to move or turn until the problem areas
disappear. Positioning your subject in a shady spot is a good quick
fix.
Truly Smitten, the brightness from my
photographs comes from the long shutter speeds that I use to let in
lots of light. I make sure to always use a tripod and I often us a
remote release to deter camera shake.
P.S. Miss B here Souvenir Foto assigement ii can be found here.
