How to take great photos

As far as the eye can see there are photographs waiting to be captured or to be created. Life swirls around us without stopping, but as a photographer, you can put a frame around moments in time. A lot more goes to taking a good photograph than just pushing a button, though.

Learn to use a camera, but most of all, learn to think like a photographer. Here are some valuable tips from expert photographer Neil Johnson to help you get started on your way.

Light

• When lighting a subject, it is important to consider not only the direction of the light (front, side, back), but also the color of the background.
• Light does not always have to fall on the front of your subject.
• On-camera flash is most useful for subjects that are 10 to 15 feet away from you.

Composition

• Making your subject the focus of attention does not mean that you have to put it in the middle of the frame. Placing the subject slightly off center can help lead the viewer into the subject.

Subjects

• When taking pictures of a person, or an animal, focusing on their eyes then getting down to their eye level and moving close will improve your photographs.

• When taking pictures of people, try to get them to forget about the camera and just go about doing what they enjoy.

Quick Tips!

• Don’t rush your pictures.
• Take time and experiment.
• Snap! Snap! Snap! Take as many pictures as you can.
• Study them. Ask yourself why some work and others don’t.
• Learn from mistakes, but most important, keep shooting.

Photo Terms:

SLR Camera: Single Lens Reflex Camera
DSLR Camera: Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera
Composition: The arrangement of everything in your picture – the subject, foreground, background, and surrounding elements.
Exposure: The amount of light coming into the camera and the length of time it strikes the film or the digital medium.
Lens: One or more pieces of glass of plastic designed to collect and focus light on a piece of film or digital medium.
Shutter: The device in a camera that opens to allow light to strike the film or digital medium.
ISO: The letters ISO on your digital camera settings refer to the film speed. ISO determines how sensitive the film or digital medium is to light.
Aperture: The aperture of a lens is the diameter of the lens opening. It regulates the amount of light that passes through onto the film or digital medium inside the camera.
Tripod: A three-legged stand for supporting a camera.





Thank you to: National Geographic Kids Almanac 2010 (Topic source Link)