7 Digital SLR Tips to Help You Take Better Pictures
Posted: Monday, August 31, 2009
by Phil Town
Digital Photography Advantage
Sure, taking pictures is as simple as grabbing a cheap five dollar camera and snapping away. But, in order to take quality pictures, it takes a bit more. The good news is taking good quality pictures has never been easier with the advent of digital SLR photography. Here are some surefire digital SLR tips to maximize your success with digital photography.
If you're trying to take sharp, crisp images it is imperative you use a tripod. Most professional photographers will agree that you need a tripod or at least a monopod if you want to take crisp pictures, especially long range shots.
Prepare
Always be prepared. That should be your motto. Be sure to have plenty of batteries, film, and different lenses with you. There's not always a store you can buy supplies at, and you'll more often than not lose time by trying to find one. It's better to be prepared.
Framing
Always remember to keep your eye on the main subject of your shot. Look for ways to naturally frame your shot.
Groups
If you're even indoors taking a picture of a group, and conditions happen to be fairly dark, there's a chance you will be overexposed and that the people farther away in the picture will appear slightly in the dark. If you can, try to arrange people in the group so that they're equally as far away from the camera, which ensures and even spread of light.
Lighting
Scout out the area you plan to shoot shots the day before, or at the latest near noon on the day you want to shoot. If you must shoot during the middle of the day, use a polarized filter at a 90 degree angle from the sun. You'll need to open up about 1 to 1 1/2 stops if you want to compensate for the limited amount of light coming through the filter.
For great shots of landscapes, consider using the polarized lens at sunset. The best time to take your night shots is shortly after the sun is setting. This limits the amount of light that you'll have to deal with. Use your digital camera's highest resolution settings, since the last thing you want is a grainy photo. Most of the time, I've found that it's best to have the sun behind you when you're taking a picture. Be sure to watch out for yours and your subjects' shadows.
Shoot
It doesn't cost very much to take shots, so why not take multiple shots. Feel free to experiment with your camera setup, settings, lighting and different camera angles. Try everything and see what works best for you.
Closeups
Especially when first starting out, you'll be surprised just how much a difference moving closer to a subject will make. Close up shots often turn out blurry or overexposed, therefore a tripod is highly recommended, especially if you're taking shots of smaller items. Finding a lens that has an image stabilizer built in is a huge bonus, since you can use the camera in lower lighting situations and avoid blurring in the picture.
If you enjoyed reading about these digital SLR tips, you'll love the brand new e-course I've created to help you start taking amazing pictures. It's yours for free and is delivered straight to your email. You can download it for free here: http://www.digitalphotographyadvantage.com/
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