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It Starts with You
It Starts with You
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a thousand bad pictures result in many headaches. One of the essential steps to building a curated collection of quality photos is to learn how to take better pictures. In this lesson, we'll learn the following:
Tips and tricks for taking better shots.
Exploring simple options to get the most out of our equipment.
The Elements of a Great Picture
The Elements of a Great Picture
Taking better pictures is a skill that can pay huge dividends. You will improve your joy at capturing precious memories and positively impact your collection. Fewer bad images taken means less for you to delete. Developing an eye for good pictures means improved efficiency when reviewing your collection.
A great picture is a result of thinking about these three concepts:
Composition. Great photographers "see" the picture before they take it. Improving how you arrange your shot is the most important way to get a great picture. Some careful thought before pressing the shutter and a little practice go a long way!
Clarity. A blurry picture can ruin the best composition! So knowing how to keep things sharp is an imperative skill.
Control. With a bit of knowledge, you can extend your creative skills to realize what you've envisioned. Take advantage of the power of modern technology and creation tools.
Composition Tips
Composition Tips
Good photographers don't simply take a picture; they "make" a picture. Therefore, having an idea about the result you envision is the most essential skill you can improve. There is no advantage to having better equipment without developing your composition skills.
Some people have natural, intuitive composition skills. Others have to work harder at it. Regardless, with some practice and knowledge, anyone can improve their ability to take better pictures.
Here are some tips to help you take your photos from good to great!
Don't Forget Some Video
Don't Forget Some Video
Taking video does require new skills and experience. However, there are always priceless aspects that you can only capture with video. For example, a baby taking her first steps or a moment of surprise and wonder. Additionally, collection services like Google Photos can curate parts of your video for interesting future creations.
Make it a habit to add video content when capturing an event. Keep these clips short, and start practicing how to capture video well. Your enjoyment will increase as you begin to reap the rewards of multimedia content.
Clarity Tips
Clarity Tips
Taking video does require new skills and experience. However, there are always priceless aspects that you can only capture with video. For example, a baby taking her first steps or a moment of surprise and wonder. Additionally, collection services like Google Photos can curate parts of your video for interesting future creations.
Make it a habit to add video content when capturing an event. Keep these clips short, and start practicing how to capture video well. Your enjoyment will increase as you begin to reap the rewards of multimedia content.
Controlling Light
Controlling Light
Ultimately, when you take a picture, you're essentially controlling how the image sensor on your camera captures light. There are some technical components involved, but unless you're a professional photographer, you don't need to know this level of detail.
We'll show you a couple of unique situations where you would require controlling these aspects. But, mainly, you only need to explore a few features of your equipment to take advantage of some of the magic it can do.
Controlling Your Smartphone
Controlling Your Smartphone
Here are some helpful hints for managing your iPhone or Android smartphone:
Hold your phone in landscape to take a wider shot
Use the shutter or volume button to take a picture
Try out Portrait and Video modes
Touch the screen to select a focal and exposure point
Pinch the screen to zoom in or out
Turn off the flash and turn off Live Photos/Top Shot
Controlling Your Camera
Controlling Your Camera
Here are some helpful hints for managing your digital camera:
Press the shutter halfway to lock the focus
Use no-flash mode instead of automatic for most situations
Use P or the automatic Scene modes for more creative options
Use Av/A to control the aperture or depth of field
Use Tv/S to control the shutter speed to freeze or blur action
Don’t capture RAW images unless you plan to do some serious editing work
Improving Control
Improving Control
Although it still requires special equipment and lenses to get specific shots, more and more complexity is automatically taken care of by powerful computers in your device. Although smartphones have some limitations, their computational abilities solve very complex photography challenges, eliminating hours of previous editing and technical work.
Here are just a few superpowers available:
HDR - Real-time capture of high dynamic range images
Enhanced low light shooting without adding additional lighting
Intelligent object and scene identification
Automated panoramic stitching
Depth of field detection and computationally blurred backgrounds
Automated editing capabilities
In Summary
In Summary
In review, you can improve your skill at taking a great picture by paying attention to these three concepts:
Composition. Think about what you want a picture to look like before you take it. Check out other great photos for inspiration and ideas.
Clarity. Keep your camera steady and clean to avoid blurry shots. Learn how to focus your camera on the right area of your picture.
Control. Turn off the unnecessary features and try out some of the specialized abilities of your camera. Use some editing features to make your images shine!
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