How to Take Better Photographs

More people than ever are taking more photographs than ever. The question of “What digital camera should I buy?” is being asked more and more. Whether you’ve decided that your digital camera of choice is your smartphone or a dedicated DSLR, you’re probably sharing many of your pictures online. In fact, about 20 percent of all photos taken this year will be posted to Facebook. As such, many people might consider themselves on the level of amateur photographers, but there are many things to take into consideration when taking a photograph. So before you try to decide what digital camera should I buy, or the differences between digital camera vs DSLR, here is some general information on digital cameras and photography to help you take better pictures.

The fist thing you need to realize when starting out with photography (before you even ask yourself “What digital camera should i buy?”) is that expensive equipment is not necessary to take great photos. You can get extremely nice photos from the cheapest point and shoots or smartphone cameras. While a complex and expensive DSLR may help a professional photographer get the most out of his/her photos, most beginner photographers will never take advantage of all the features available. Even if your camera is causing quality issues, anybody can use programs like Picasa or iPhoto to crop, color-correct, adjust exposure, or remove red-eye. The first rule of learning basic photography is to take as many photos as possible, regardless of what kind of camera you have.

So if great photography isn’t about what kind of equipment you have, what is it about then? The basic rules of photography that you must first understand are lighting and composition. Good light and strong composition can help you take a great photo of any subject with any equipment. The most basic rule of composition is the rule of thirds. This essentially has you dividing your frame into 9 squares of equal size. Even the most basic digital cameras will have a grid option that will layover your picture, helping you adhere to the rule of thirds. The idea is to place important elements of your photo along the lines and at the intersections of the grid. This will help you achieve much more dramatic and visually interesting shots.

Photography could be described as an art all about manipulating light, so it’s extremely important that you consider lighting as much as possible when taking your photographs. One of the most fundamental aspects that any photographer should understand is aperture. The aperture of a camera is what controls how much light passes through the lens, effecting things such depth of field and diffraction. Consider how bright it is while taking your picture to get the best photo possible. For example, if you are outside, you will want to make sure you don’t take photos of a person when the sun is at their back.

Thinking about lighting also includes thinking about your flash. Flash is almost never necessary during the times people think it is. If you are taking a picture a night, you will have much better luck balancing the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO speed than turning on the flash. You can use a flash to fill in shadows if you’d like, but normally it is far too harsh and will wash out any pictures you take. For more information, read this website.