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How To Take Good Pictures – 10 Essential Tips

With the price of digital photography within the grasp of nearly everyone, taking scores of pictures of nearly everything has become a fad. If you don’t like one, you have a dozen others to choose from. Gone are the days when pictures were well planned because, good or bad, each one cost you money. Unfortunately, gone also are the days when amateurs studied how to take good pictures.

The sad reality is that, far too often, when the dozens of pictures of an important event are downloaded, we discover that some key parts were never photographed well. To remedy this problem, memorize these points taken from Kodak’s website and practice them before the next important event takes place.

Principle number one: get down to the subject’s level. Unless you desire a special effect, you will want to bend over or kneel down so that you capture the person’s face in a personal way. Don’t worry about being self-conscious about your method. The picture will last a lot longer than your damaged pride.

Rule number two: pay attention to the background. If it is cluttered, it will distract from the subject. The background can also give a false impression. A bright light above a child’s head may give the appearance of a halo that is inappropriate! Be sure the background focuses attention on the subject.

The third rule is, use a flash, even in broad daylight. Normally the camera will measure the light and determine if a flash is needed. If you are taking a close portrait, force the camera to flash, even when not needed. This will brighten a face in the shade, and get rid of shadows in the sun.

Rule number four: move in close. Friends rarely want to see whole bodies; they want to see faces. If you can, move in as close as possible physically. Fill the picture with your subject. If you must use the zoom lens, remember that the flash still must light the entire area, not just what you see.

The fifth principle: Perhaps it would be better to take the picture vertically. The camera takes a rectangular picture, so a tall subject may be better photographed sideways and then rotated in the printer, camera, or computer afterwards. A family gathering would probably best be photographed horizontally, but a small family might be better closer and vertically.

Rule number six: Is the focus right? When your close subject is off center, the camera may focus on the background instead, leaving the subject blurry. To fool the camera, push the shutter button half way down as you point the camera directly at your subject. This procedure will lock the focus. Then, leaving the button half pushed, move the camera where you wanted it and take the picture. The camera will focus on the subject even though it is not in the center.

Rule number seven: Don’t always try to center your subject. Sometimes an added warmth is accomplished by moving the subject off center. For example, you want to include a picture of your house in a Christmas card. If centered, it just says, “This is where we live.” If, on the other land, the picture is taken from the driveway, it may be inviting people to come visit. Be sure to follow the focus rule as described above when doing this.

Rule number eight: know the strength of your flash. Most cameras have a flash range of ten feet or less. Thus, if you want the flash to light your subject, you have to be that close to it. And don’t forget, if the zoom is used, the subject may still be out of range, even though it looks close.

The ninth rule is, check your light. The long shadows of the morning and evening are best for scenic shots. Avoid taking pictures of people in direct sunlight, but if you must, remember to use your flash.

The tenth rule is, direct your own picture. Arrange the subjects as you want, move to a different perspective if that is best, add some props as needed to balance the picture. In other words, don’t just take a shot; prepare the shot the way you want it. A good picture will do more than just record an event. It will make the viewers feel the event as well.

Follow these tips and you will never have to wonder how to take good pictures.