BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
For Digital Photography

One of the most overlooked aspects of photography is for the beginner to NOT experiment with non-landscape formats.

Since most cameras are manufactured with a landscape format as the "normal view," the photographer needs to remind themselves to take pictures from other perspectives.

Get used to rotating your camera 90 degrees and looking at the world that way too. For some very creative shots, experiment with rotating your camera anywhere between 15 and 75 degrees.

If you develop the photography habit of looking at the world from multiple perspectives, you will soon discover the artistic side of photography and will be thankful you did.

In the beginning, when just learning photography, it's a good idea to always photograph every subject from landscape and portrait formats. Of course some subjects fit more naturally into one orientation, but having to work at using the other can often produce more interesting results.


Basic Photography Tip #6:  Move in Close

The most basic of your photography "accessories" are your feet. One of the most common faults in photography is capturing pictures while too far away from your subject, especially when your subject is people.

Unless you are taking pictures of dangerous situations such as a burning building or wild animal, move in close.

Yes, I can tell what you're thinking... "If I have a good telephoto lens, I don't have to move in close." Umm... not exactly true.

Telephoto lenses are great. I use them all the time.

However, there is a difference between taking a photograph from afar with a telephoto lens, verses moving in close and not having to use one.

No, this isn't technically a "basic photography" tip, but the best way to see the difference is to test it out yourself.

Take pictures of the same subject from close and from a distance with a telephoto lens and note the difference.

As a rule, if you're not using a flash, always move in close.

If you are using a flash, you need to observe all the basic photography rules for flash photography. Bottom line, if you feel your photographs aren't good enough, you're probably not close enough.


Basic Photography Tip #7:  Don't Place your Subject Exactly in the Middle

The composition goal of photography IS NOT to place the subject in the center of your frame. However, as with most "rules," there are exceptions.

Occasionally, it does make sense to have your main subject in the center of your picture (as in the sample to the left). When, you wonder? Usually when you want to make an image deliberately symmetrical, perhaps to emphasize its formality or when the background is irrelevant.

Because most cameras still focus (either manually or automatically) on the center, many beginners have the erroneous impression that good photographs should be composed with the main subject at the center.

When you are setting up a picture, focus in on the most important part in the middle, and then recompose the shot so the main subject is off center. How far off center? A basic photography goal on composition is using the rule of thirds for where to place the main subject.

Word of caution... don't become a photographic robot! Use the rule of thirds when it makes sense, but not automatically for every subject!

Once you begin to move beyond basic photography, you will start to develop an intuitive feel for things. When that happens, the best advice any photographer can give is to let the subject of the picture determine its own composition. If you're not sure, take several photos placing it in several spots; bearing in mind the right place is almost never in the middle.

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