Upload
rishov-chakrabarti
View
29
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
40 Tips to Take Better Photos is a 0Invaluable advice for the beginning photographers
Citation preview
40 TIPS TO TAKE BETTER PHOTOS
Rishov Chakrabarti
Many years ago when I was a starry-eyed undergrad I would ask every photographer I came across the same question:
“How do I take better photos?”
I was extremely lucky to have many talented and generous photographers take
me under their wing to show me the ropes. Without their valuable advice there is no way I would have become the photographer I am today.
Ironically, the number one question I now get asked as an Open producer is “How do I take better photos?”
So along with some tips that I’ve picked up over the years, I’ve recruited some
outstanding snappers across Australia to share their own secret techniques about how they take their photos to the next level.
1. Get in close
It was the famous photojournalist Robert Capa who once said “If your
photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” He was talking about
getting in amongst the action. If you feel like your images aren’t ‘popping’, take a
step or two closer to your subject. Fill the frame with your subject and see how
much better your photo will look without so much wasted space. The closer you are to the subject, the better you can see their facial expressions too.
2. Shoot every day
The best way to hone your skills is to practice. A lot. Shoot as much as you can – it
doesn’t really matter what. Spend hours and hours behind your camera. As your
technical skills improve over time, your ability to harness them to tell stories and should too. Don’t worry too much about shooting a certain way to begin with.
Experiment. Your style – your ‘voice’ – will emerge in time. And it will be more
authentic when it does. — Leah Robertson
Leah Robertson is a super talented Melbourne based photographer and
videographer, specialising in music and documentary photography.You can see her
work here.
3. See the light
Before you raise your camera, see where the light is coming from, and use it to
your advantage. Whether it is natural light coming from the sun, or an artificial
source like a lamp; how can you use it to make your photos better? How is the
light interacting with the scene and the subject? Is it highlighting an area or
casting interesting shadows? These are all things you can utilise to make an ordinary photo extraordinary.
4. Ask permission
When photographing people, especially while in countries with different cultures
and languages, it can be hard to communicate. In certain countries if you
photograph someone you are not ‘supposed’ to photograph, it can get ugly and
rough very quickly if you are not careful. So out of respect you should always ask permission. I have started shooting a series of school children in Pakistan. These
are all posed portraits and they are looking down the lens. My guide helps me
with the language and I limit myself to smiling, shaking hands, giving ‘hi-five’ and
showing them the image on the back of my camera once it is done. You would be amazed how quickly people open up. — Andrea Francolini
Andrea Francolini is a well known Italian born, Sydney based sports photographer.
He is also the founder ofMy First School, as trust which has the aim to facilitate
educations in Northern Pakistan. You can see his work here.
5. Use flash during the day
You might think that you should only use flash at night time or indoors, but that’s
not the case at all. If it is an extremely bright day outside and the sun is creating
harsh shadows on your subject, switch on your flash. By forcing extra light onto
your subject, you will be able to fill in those ugly shadows and create an even exposure.
6. ISO
There are questions to ask yourself when deciding what ISO to use:
What time of day are you shooting? If you are shooting outside during the middle
of the day you will need to use a lower ISO such as 100 or 200. If you are shooting
at night time without a tripod you will have to increase the ISO to a higher number to be able to record the light on the camera’s sensor.
Will the subject be well lit? If your subject or scene is too dark you will need to use a higher ISO such as 800 or 1600.
Do you want a sharp image or an image with more movement in it? Using a high
shutter speed to capture fast movement might mean that you need to use a high
ISO to compensate. Likewise, if you’re using a slow shutter speed to capture blur you will need a low ISO to compensate.
Don’t forget, increasing your ISO increases the grain or pixel size in your photo.
So don’t use an ISO of 3200 or 6400 if you don’t want a photo with a lot of ‘digital
noise’.
7. f/4
f/4 is my ‘go to’ aperture. If you use a wide aperture with a long lens (200mm-
400mm) you’re able to separate the subject from the background. This helps
them stand out. Works every time. — Peter Wallis
Peter Wallis is a sports photographer extraordinaire, working for The Courier Mail
in Brisbane. You can see his work here.
8. You’ve got to be joking
A well timed joke will always yield a more natural smile, than simply saying
“smile” — Dean Bottrell
Dean Bottrell is a Emerald based photographer who specializes in portraiture. You
can see his work here.
9. Buy books, not gear
Having expensive camera equipment doesn’t always mean that you’ll take good
photos. I’ve seen some absolutely amazing images shot with nothing more than a
smart phone. Instead of having ten different lenses, invest in some fantastic
photography books. By looking at the work of the masters, not only do you get
inspired, you come away with ideas to improve your own photos.
10. Read your camera’s manual
The best way to know what to do with your camera is to actually read the
manual. So many people miss this really important step on their photographic
journey. Every camera is different, so by reading the manual you’ll get to know all the funky things it’s capable of.
11. Slow down
Take time to think about what is going on in the viewfinder before pressing the
shutter. How are you going to compose the shot? How are you going to light it?
Don’t jump straight in without giving it some thought first. — Brad Marsellos
Brad Marsellos is the Wide Bay über Open producer. You can see his photos, videos
and musings on lifehere.
12. Stop chimping (checking the photo on the back screen)
It’s a bad habit digital photographers can develop. Time and time again I see
photographers take a photograph and then look at the back of the screen straight
away. By doing that you could miss all the special moments. You can look at your
photos later. You can miss ‘the shot’ and it affects the flow of your work, so just
keep shooting! – Marina Dot Perkins
The lovely Marina Dot Perkins is a news, travel and wedding photographer who
worked for The Canberra Times and is now based in Newcastle.
13. Framing
This is a technique to use when you want to draw attention to something in your
photograph. By framing a scene or a subject, say with a window or an archway,
you lead the viewer’s eye to the primary focal point.
14. Shape with light
Never shoot with the sun directly behind you. It creates boring, flat light on the
subject. If you shoot with the light source to the side or behind the subject, you
are able to shape with the light, creating a more interesting photo. — Patria
Jannides
Patria is not only a talented news photographer, she is also my long term friend,
mentor, and personal cheer squad. She even helped me to land my first job as a paid
photographer. Thanks for everything P xxx
15. Watermarks
This tip isn’t in direct relation to TAKING photos, but it does affect the look of
photos. When it comes to watermarks, the smaller the better. And if you can
avoid using them, do.
Chances are, unless you are a paid professional, there’s not much of a chance of
your photos getting nicked. But in reality, they won’t prevent your images from
getting stolen. They only distract from the fabulous image that you’ve created,
because once you’ve slapped a watermark all over it, that’s all the viewer will be
looking at. The only way you can prevent your images from being stolen is to not publish them on the internet.
Read Open producer Luke Wong’s blog post on watermarks here.
16. Be present
This means make eye-contact, engage and listen to your subject. With the eyes –
lower that camera and be human. Bring the camera up for a decisive shot. But
remember to lower it, like you’re coming up for air, to check in with your subject.
Don’t treat them like a science experiment under a microscope. Being there with
your subject shows them respect, levels the playing field in terms of power
dynamics, and calms them down. You’ll get much more natural images this way. — Heather Faulkner
Heather Faulkner is a photographer who convenes the ePhotojournalism major at
QCA, Griffith University. She is also the executive director of The Argus, a student-
run, visual journalism online magazine. See her personal work here.
17. Shutter speed
Being aware of your shutter speed means the difference between taking a blurry
photo and a sharp photo. It all depends on what you are after. If you are shooting
a sporting event or children running around in the backyard, you probably want
your subjects to be in focus. To capture fast action you will have to use a shutter
speed over 1/500th of a second, if not 1/1000th to 1/2000th. On the opposite
end of the scale, you might want to capture the long streaks of a car’s tail lights
running through your shot. Therefore you would change your camera’s shutter speed to a long exposure. This could be one second, ten seconds, or even longer.
18. Charge your batteries
This seems like a simple one, but pretty much every photographer on the face of
the planet has been caught out before. Including myself. The trick is to put the
battery onto the charger as soon as you get home from your photo shoot. The
only thing then is to make sure you remember to put it back into the camera after it has been recharged…
19. Focal length
Keep it simple. I shoot with two prime lenses and one camera; A 28mm and a
35mm. For everything. I use the 35mm lens 70% and the 28mm lens 30% of
time. It takes some time to get used to it, but once you work it out, shooting
primes is the only way to go. It means you have to work with what you have and
you can’t be lazy. Basically, this means more pictures and less fiddling around
with zooming and maybe missing moments. It also helps for consistency. If
you’re working on a project or a series, keeping the same focal lengths is a great
way to maintain a powerful sense of consistency. — Justin Wilkes
Justin Wilkes quit his job in Sydney this year to cover the political and social change
in post revolution Egypt. He has since had his photographs published in The New
York Times, TIME magazine, and The Jakata Globe to name but a few. You can see
his amazing documentary work here.
20. Be part of a photographic community
Like ABC Open! Not only will you be able to publish your photos for the rest of
the country to see, you’ll be part of an active group that offers feedback on how
great you are going. You can learn new things to help you improve your
technique, and you might even make some new photography buddies.
21. Shoot with your mind
Even when you’re not shooting, shoot with your mind. Practice noticing
expressions and light conditions. Work out how you’d compose a picture of that
scene over there that interests you, and what sort of exposure you might use to
capture it best. — Leah Robertson
22. Return the favor
Always remember that if you are shooting people in a different country, they are
probably doing you a favor by posing. So the least you can do is return this favor
some way or another.
I often return to the same places year after year, so I bring along prints and look
for the people I photographed previously. In some areas people do not have a
picture of themselves. Imagine not having a picture of you and your family?
Strange don’t you think? Yet many people don’t. So a $0.50 print can really make
someone happy. It also opens doors for more photography further down the track. — Andrea Francolini
23. Have a camera on you at all times
You can’t take great photos if you don’t have a camera on you, can you? DSLR,
point-and-shoot or smart phone, it doesn’t really matter. As long as you have
access to a camera, you’re able to capture those spontaneous and unique moments in life that you might have otherwise missed.
24. The golden hour
Shoot portraits and landscapes in the golden hours — the light is softer and the colours are more vibrant. — Dean Bottrell
25. Keep it simple
Don’t try to pack too many elements into your image; it will just end up looking
messy. If you just include one or two points of interest, your audience won’t be confused at where they should be looking or what they should be looking at.
26. Don’t get bogged down by equipment
We’ve all seen these types of photographers out and about. They usually have
three or four different cameras strapped around their necks with lenses long
enough for an African safari. In reality, there’s probably no need for all that
equipment. One body with one or two lenses means that you’ll be freer in your movements to capture interesting angles or subjects on the move.
27. Perspective
Minimize the belly-button photograph. This is a reference to Moholy Nagy of
the Bauhaus movement in photography (which was all about lines of
perspective). In other words, perspectives are more engaging when we crouch
down, or lie down, or elevate our position in reference to the subject. Look at
how changing your perspective can change the visual language and implied
power dynamics of the image. Crouching low can make your subject more
dynamic, whereas gaining height on your subject can often minimize their
presence in the image. One of my favorite exercises is to make my students lie
down and take pictures, often in the dirt. I am a little cheeky. — Heather Faulkner
28. Be aware of backgrounds
What’s in your frame? So often I see great photos and think “didn’t they see that
garbage bin, ugly wall, sign, etc?” It’s not just the person or object in your frame,
it’s everything else in the background that can make or break a great photograph.
So don’t be afraid to ask the person to move (or move yourself) to avoid
something ugly in the background. — Marina Dot Perkins
29. Shade
Shade can be your best friend. If there is no way you can make the available light
work for your photo, shoot in the shade. You’ll get a nice even exposure with no
patchy highlights throughout your shot.
30. Rule of Thirds
This is one of the most common tips that pop up when it comes to improving
your photos.
To break it down, you cut your frame into thirds by using both horizontal and
vertical lines. You then place your point of interest over the cross sections of the
grid.
Check out this article for further details about using the rule of thirds.
31. Exposure
I’ve been shooting a lot of protests lately. Basically, they’re just a lot of people
really close to one another; often moving. After having made many mistakes with
getting my exposures right, I worked out that if the sun is behind me and in the
face of protestors I will set exposure compensation to underexpose by a stop to
bring out even tonal range. When the sun is behind the protestors I like to over
expose just slightly to bring out the shadow details on their faces. This could
apply to street photography when the light is in front or behind your subject. —
Justin Wilkes
32. Don’t spend too much time post-processing
The key is to get it right in the camera first, so you don’t HAVE to spend time
editing. Over working a photo in editing software very rarely looks good, unless
you are trying to achieve a super-artsy effect. If it takes you longer than ten
minutes to alter your photo, maybe think about going back out into the field to re-shoot it.
33. Variation
Variation is key. I often use a recipe from Life Magazine picture editors for
building a story narrative. I look for: over-all shots or scene-setters, interaction,
action, portraits, details, medium shots and of course the signature image. Having
this list in my head helps me start photographing a story that sometimes isn’t
visually apparent until you get into it. This is great when you’re in a crowded or
busy place. — Heather Faulkner
34. Become one with the camera
Push the button regardless of the outcome so the camera becomes part of your
hand. — Dean Saffron
Dean Saffron is a photojournalist and an ABC Open superstar. His video The
Spokesman, has had over 170,000 views. Woah!
35. Hold your camera properly
You might not know it, but there is a right way and a wrong way to hold a DSLR
camera. The correct way is to support the lens by cupping your hand underneath
it. This is usually done with the left hand, with your right hand gripping the body
of the camera. This helps to prevent camera shake. If you are gripping your
camera with your hands on either side of the camera body, there is nothing
supporting the lens, and you might end up with blurry photos. To get an even
stabler stance, tuck your elbows into the side of your body.
36. Limit your palette
When photos have too many colours spewing out from them, they’re often hard
to look at. Unless it’s a photo of a rainbow or the Mardi Gras. Try to focus on
having one or two colours predominately featuring in your photograph. It will be more pleasing to the eye and will help set the tone of the image.
37. Get your subject to relax
This applies mostly to portrait style photography. As a press photographer, I
spend most of my time doing one on one portrait shoots. I think it’s really
beneficial to take the time (if you have it) talking to your subject, asking
questions, showing an interest in whatever it is they do. I find it really helpful in
relaxing the person and often they’ll say something and that can lead to a better photo opportunity. — Marina Dot Perkins
38. Inspiration from all forms
Take in as much photography as you can – online, and in books and magazines.
But not passively. Look at different styles. Work out what you like or don’t like
about them. Look at the technical elements of pictures and think about how they
were made, and what the photographer is trying to say. The more you take in, the
more arsenal you’ll have when creating your own work. — Leah Robertson
39. Be patient and persevere
With time, patience, and perseverance, you will get better; with each and every
photo you take.
40. Break the rules
Now that you know some of the rules, go ahead and break them! Experiment.
Have fun. Learn from your mistakes. Make up your own tips and techniques for
taking fantastic photographs. I’d love to hear them.
Go forth and shoot!
A special thank you to all the amazing photographers who made this blog post possible.