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Not everyone is a professional when it comes to taking good pictures. But the good news is that you do not have to be. How often do you get your pictures back, only to realize the shot you took, isn’t as great as you wanted it to be? But take heart. There are a few simple tricks, which will have you shooting like a pro.
Ever take a picture of a loved one, only to find that the face is dark when you get the picture back? There is a simple way to fix that. Watch the sun. Whenever possible, you should have the sun behind you when taking a picture. That way Mother Nature is providing the lights for you. The sun will highlight the areas you want to see, usually the face. If the sun is in front of you, it will cast a shadow right where you want to see.
Surprisingly, the best light comes in the morning and evenings. You will get some neat color tones at these times of the day. However, if possible, try to avoid shots in the middle of the day. That’s when the sun is directly above you, and no matter where you place your subject, there will also be a shadow straight down. If it is a cloudy day, try using the flash—even if it is the middle of the afternoon. The flash will add light, which will add detail.
Here is a little test for you. True or false. When taking a picture, you want to have the subject right in the middle of the frame. False. One of the biggest mistakes people make, is to shot a person, head to toe, right in the middle of the shot. Here is something you can try next time you take a picture. Draw an imaginary tic-tac-toe board over the entire frame. Then try to position the subject where the lines meet, one of the four corners. If it is a person, try framing it in the upper portions. If it’s something else, say a rock, try framing it in the lower portion. When shooting something on the horizon, frame it in the upper half if you want to show more land, frame it on the bottom half if you want to show more sky. Also, move in. That will get rid of a lot of the clutter in the picture. Take a look at some of your favorite people pictures. I bet most of them show just the face and not the entire body. The closer you get, the more details you will be able to show, the better the picture will look.
It can take years of practice to become a professional photographer. If taking pictures is something you enjoy, you might want to look into the hundreds of books that are available. But hopefully, these simple tips will get you well on your way to taking pictures like a pro.
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