CameraCrazy

This post is more aimed at the beginner but still very useful as a refresher for more experienced shooters.

When I got my first SLR camera I had thoughts about actually being able to take decent pictures. After all, finally I had a camera with a light meter, a broader range of focal lengths and a better ability to control the aperture. All excited I loaded Velvia into the camera and went off for the day taking pictures. When I got the film developed I was quite disappointed in my pictures, I was happy with the broader focal length and the fact I could zoom in as much as possible (as I imagine most newbies to SLR’s enjoy zooming their lens in as much as possible), but most of my pictures seemed very static and uneventful. some were badly over exposed, others badly under exposed. I made the critical error of thinking that because I now owned a better camera I now would take better pictures. Well let me say the cost of the camera does not equal the quality of the photographs. Truly great pictures are taken using good technique and attention to details.

The questions that most new photographers are faced with after being disappointed with their first photo shoot is: What makes a good photograph? A very difficult question to answer since everyone has different tastes and opinions. To help new photographers deal with this question, a lot of “rules” have been suggested. Now I put the word “rules” in quotations because throughout the photography literature they are referred to as that (for example, the rule of thirds). In my opinion this is one of those words that misleads people, because it suggests that if the “rules” aren’t followed you won’t end up with a good photograph. A better term to use would be Guidelines. I like the term guidelines because it doesn’t indicate a hard boundary on the suggestion made. It allows for a creative latitude on the suggestions made, no longer should you feel compelled to use only one-thirds, you can now use one-sixths or one-ninths. All of which can still produce stellar pictures.

I present here a collection of basic guidelines that have developed since photography began to teach beginners how they can improve there photographs. Remember these are just guidelines and altering them to suit your need is strongly encouraged. After all it’s the creative side of photography that makes people look at your photo and say WOW!

The Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a fairly basic compositional rule, it starts by dividing your view through the camera into thirds on both the horizontal and vertical planes. This leaves you with an imaginary tic-tactoe board. The suggestion for the rule of thirds is to place important elements of your composition where the lines interact. The rule of thirds is designed to produce a nice balanced photograph for the viewer. It does this by eliminating empty space around your subject, which would be the case if you placed your subject directly in the middle of the frame. It also forces the eye to move around the scene and explore other details. Usually the first place the eye looks at when looking at a picture is the center, since you placed your object of interest away from the center the eye has to move around the picture and look for it. In doing so it usually explores the other elements of the scene.

Sunny ƒ/16

The sunny ƒ/ 16 is an exposure guideline for those who don’t want to use a light meter or don’t have one. It states that on a bright sunny day, the correct exposure for and subject at an aperture of f/16 is to use a shutter speed that is the reciprocal of the ISO. For example, on a bight day with the aperture set to f/16 and using ISO 200 the shutter speed for correct exposure would be 1/200s. Keep in mind this doesn’t mean that to correctly expose you’re stuck shooting at an aperture of f/16 all day. Remember that apertures, ISO’s and shutter speeds work on a 1:2 ratio. Opening the aperture 1 stop (lowering the f-number) allows twice as much light through. So in the above example you could also get correct exposure by using f/8 and doubling the shutter speed to 1/400s or f/22 and 1/100s.

Hand Hold / Tripod Rule

The average photographer can hand hold their camera and avoid noticeable camera shake if your shutter speed is faster then the reciprocal of the focal length of the lens being used. For example, if you’re using a 150mm lens the shutter speed of the camera would have to be 1/150s or faster to not see any significant camera shake. Shutter speeds slower then the reciprocal of the focal length, than typically a tripod or other stabilizing device is needed to not see camera shake. If you’re photographing a moving subject, then it’s suggested that you double the speed (150mm lens with a moving subject = 1/300s or faster). If you are moving triple the speed (150mm at 1/600s). If you’re performing macro work, always use a tripod.

Flash Range Rule

There are two basic flash rules to know if you ever need them. The first is to determine how far your flash will reach. The general rule is that a standard flash will reach double the distance for 4 times the speed of the ISO. This requires that you know how far your flash can originally reach. You can almost certainly find this for ISO 100 either in your camera or flash manual or online. For example, if your flash reaches 15 ft at ISO 100 then your flash will likely be able to reach reach about 30 ft at ISO 400.

Filling the Frame Or Simplifying Your Photo

Filling the frame doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get really close to your subject, it’s more of a guideline to try and compose a picture that doesn’t have a lot of clutter that you don’t want. Filling the frame is one way to do this. You can typically do this by getting closer to your subject or by using zoom and telephoto lenses. Using a shallow depth of field (open aperture) can help eliminate details that are not important, like busy backgrounds.

Frame Your Photos

This guideline is not meant to be for every picture you take, but can add a very nice touch to your photos in certain situations. Framing a photo is using objects to frame your object of interest. For example, using tree limbs, or a archway as a border within your picture. The most difficult part of framing a picture is finding the frame. Take a close look around the area you’re in to see if there is anything you can use as a frame. Frames can be almost anything, from a constructed building or arch to grass blades or clouds.

Find Different Perspectives

Perspective is what can make or break a shot. Take a look at the majority of shots that you like, I imagine that most of them likely aren’t shot from eye level. By exploring a subject from all kinds of angles you can find great and different looks that you typically would never have thought to take. Looking down onto a flower or pet usually won’t produce a very interesting shot because most people see them that way all the time. Try getting down low so you’re at face level (or below) with your pet, or underneath a flower. Try the opposite and get up high or to the side of a subject that has a usual face or plane to it. Some angle with work and some won’t, but I assure you the ones that do work will almost always look better then the typical eye level shot.

Be Ready!

The last one of these tips is more like a rule than the rest. Always be ready! Make sure you have charged batteries, memory cards, film and all the necessary equipment for taking photographs. Also carry your camera around, because the best opportunities are when you least expect it.