“Top 10 Tips” by the Photo Guys

Written by  //  May 19, 2011  //  Tips  //  No comments

Thanks for reading our Top Ten Tips! But note, the videos that are linked to our tips are not part of your Basic membership sample videos. To view them you must upgrade to our Premium level.

  1. ALWAYS USE YOUR FLASH OUTDOORS TO FILL IN THE SHADOWS SO THAT THE DARKER TONES WILL LIGHTEN.  FIND YOUR FLASH SETTING TO DO THIS VIA MANUAL SETTINGS OR ON PORTRAIT MODE, BECAUSE THE FLASH MAY NOT TURN ON IN AUTO MODE.Watch video
  2. DON’T SHOOT TOO WIDE AND LEAVE EXTRA SPACE AROUND YOUR SUBJECT.  USE YOUR ZOOM TO MOVE INTO YOUR IMAGE TO CREATE A BETTER COMPOSITION. Watch video
  3. HAVE A POINT OF VIEW (POV) NEXT TIME WHEN YOU’RE TAKING PICTURES OF YOUR CHILDREN AND PETS.  GET DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL. Watch video
  4. MANY TIMES WE TEND TO FRAME OUR IMAGES AS HORIZONTALS. TRY GOING VERTICAL WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING A PORTRAIT.  GO WITH THE FLOW OF YOUR SUBJECT. Watch video
  5. PRESSING HALFWAY AND HOLDING YOUR SHUTTER BUTTON IS BEST TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE “LOCKING IN” YOUR SUBJECT IN FOCUS.  THEN RECOMPOSE BY JUST MOVING THE FRAMING AROUND THIS SUBJECT, STILL HOLDING THE BUTTON… THEN SHOOT. Watch video
  6. STRENGTHEN YOUR COMPOSITION BY PLACING YOUR SUBJECT ONE THIRD AWAY FROM EITHER EDGE OF YOUR FRAME AND PLACE A SENSE OF IMPORTANCE IN YOUR SUBJECT TO SEE AND FEEL THE DIFFERENCE.  THIS METHOD IS CALLED “RULE OF THIRDS”. Watch video
  7. FOR GREAT CLOSE UPS LIKE A FLOWER, USE THE MACRO MODE FEATURE. BUT MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE CAMERA STEADY. ANY LITTLE SHAKE OR MOVEMENT WHEN PRESSING ON THE SHUTTER BUTTON WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOUR SHARPNESS.  TRY USING YOUR 2 SECOND SELF-TIMER WHEN ON A TRIPOD TO ENSURE THE CAMERA SHOOTS ON ITS OWN.  Watch video
  8.  ALWAYS USE A MONOPOD OR TRIPOD WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING WITH A LONG ZOOM LENS. THIS WILL HELP STABILIZE YOUR LENS AND CAMERA FOR MAXIMUM SHARP IMAGES. REMEMBER THIS SIMPLE RULE: IF YOUR ISO IS SMALLER THEN THE LENS FOCAL LENGTH, YOU NEED A TRIPOD OR MONOPOD. IE: ISO 100 / LENS 300 = TRIPOD. Watch video
  9. USING THE WHITE BALANCE FEATURE NOT ONLY ALLOWS YOU TO CORRECT YOUR IMAGE TONE, BUT IT CAN ALSO ALTER THE MOOD OF YOUR IMAGE. NEXT TIME YOU’RE OUTSIDE AND IT’S A CLOUDY DAY, USE YOUR “CLOUD” FEATURE IN THE WHITE BALANCE MENU. THIS WILL HELP WARM UP YOUR IMAGE.  BUT WE SUGGEST USING THIS WITH SUNNY DAYS TO ADD BEAUTIFUL WARMTONES IN THOSE IMAGES. EXPERIMENT AND CREATE DIFFERENT MOODS IN YOUR SHOTS WITH THE DIFFERENT AWB SELECTIONS. Watch video
  10. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BACKGROUND, ESPECIALLY WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING SOMEONE.  TREE BRANCHES STICKING OUT OF HEADS MAY NOT BE A GOOD IDEA. BEING AWARE OF YOUR BACKGROUND (TREES, BUSHES ETC.) AND FOREGROUND (SUBJECT IN FOCUS/FAMILY, FRIENDS) WILL HELP STRENGTHEN YOUR IMAGE COMPOSITION. Watch video

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.