The Best Photography Tips and Tricks DO NOT require expensive equipment…
Have you ever used the excuse that your amateur quality equipment is causing you to take awful photos? Realize that better equipment is solving the symptoms of bad photos, not the root cause. This article will show you how to take great photos without spending any money. Got a camera phone? Great! You can take great photos with inexpensive (often free) photography tips and tricks!
One of the best ways you can improve your photos is by learning how to make your photos more visually appealing through a better “photographers eye”.
Photo by Andrew Stawarz
The best way to improve your eye is to start observing everything. Notice the way the wind blows on plants. Observe the way the sunlight hits the trees around you. Even pay attention to the way the light hits your bedroom when you doze off to sleep. Notice the lines around you, the patterns, the shapes, the shadings, the contrasts between these elements. Great photographers are great observers, able to capture beauty in even the most mundane settings. Not because they have a great camera…but because they are always on the look for beauty and the more you look for beauty, the easier and quicker you’ll begin to find it.
The Camera
A camera is basically an eye. If you can train your eyes to be as described above then your camera will simply work as a tool to show others how you view the world. Knowing how to use this tool is essential.
When we view things with our eyes, what we do is isolate things. Our mind and eyes will do this naturally. If you’re looking at a computer screen like I am right now then your eyes isolate on that screen and everything else is blurred and unnoticed.
Cameras do not do this automatically so you have a few options.If you are using an SLR or manual camera you can use depth of field to isolate subjects. If you have a point and shoot camera you can simply avoid cluttered backgrounds. Also, you can zoom in and take pictures as zoomed in as possible. This will be similar to using a telephoto lens.
The more you learn about how to use the camera, the more creative and flexible you are with the photos you take. This is especially true for trick photography.
Want to learn more about trick and special effect photography? Be sure to take a look at Trick Photography, a how-to guide on creating unique, compelling photos.
Hey There Al,
I was wondering on a similar note,, With Digital Photography, you can have much more influence on the final outcome than was possible when film was the only option. Back then, you concentrated on the photo, and the developing lab did the rest. Nowadays, it is not too difficult for the photographer to take a few easy steps that can have a positive effect on the completed printed photograph. Resolution is key, and the digital photography tricks below will help you understand how to apply this correctly, using Adobe Photoshop or similar post-production application.
I look forward to your next post