Tips for Photography
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Here are some tips for photography:
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Focal Length: Focal length is the zoom of your lens, which affects how much of the view is included in the shot.
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Depth-Of-Field: Depth-of-field is the f-stop of your lens, which affects how much of the foreground and background is in focus.
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Lenses: The first thing to play with on most cameras is the lens. A long lens (say 210mm), allows you to zoom-in to your subject, to get close to it. A short lens (say 35mm), is often called a wide-angle lens because it allows you to zoom-out and get a wider view. The numbers (e.g. 210mm) represent the focal length of the lens. This is the distance between the focal plane (film) and where the light rays appear to originate (when focused on infinity).
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Exposure: Four Factors-A camera is just a box with a hole in it. The correct exposure is determined by four factors:
1. How large this hole is (the aperture)
2. How long it stays open for (the shutter speed)
3. How quickly the camera reacts (the ISO), and
4. How much light is reflected off the subject (the light level)
Fortunately, most cameras are automatic and will make all these decisions for you. However, higher-end cameras allow you to intervene to create particular effects. Its useful to understand how these four factors interact so that you can use them to your creative advantage.
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Get Close Up Shots: Don't be afraid to get close up shots. You can then zero in on the person or object you want to capture. It will often help focus the eye on what you want to show. Background becomes less a problem but always a concern.
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Catch Your Subjects Being Natural: When taking your shots most of the time it is best if you don't pose your subjects. Let them act naturally and you can then catch the shot. It may take you a little longer to get the shot but the end result will be a better photo with more natural faces.
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Lighting Is Important: Lighting is always and important factor to think about when you take pictures.
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Background is important: Thinking about your background is very important component in getting a good photo. Many people don't think about this when they take their pictures. If you want to focus on a particular object or objects, don't have a cluttered background.
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Hold your camera steady: Holding your camera steady is an important part of getting a quality shot. If you are taking your photo outside sometimes the weather conditions make it touch to keep steady. A tripod comes in handy to help this but if you don't have it handy just try to use something to prop your elbows on to help steady the camera.
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Try shooting at different angles: If you experiment with holding your camera at a different angle you might be surprised with your results. Where you hold you camera can also create unique effects.
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Be Creative: One of the keys to taking good pictures is to be creative. Try to shoot things that seem out of the ordinary or you want to test to see the results. Experimenting can lead to some new techniques and some great shots.
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Location: The first thing to do is find your location. Choose a spot with a simple, medium-toned background. Tree foliage, grass or the ocean works well. For darker skin, look for a similarly dark background to keep the highlight (and thus the camera's exposure) on the face.
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Lighting: Get the sun behind you and to one side. If it's bright, put people in the shade (harsh, direct sunlight washes out the face). If it's dark in the shade, use the fill-flash feature to brighten up the face.
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Lens: If you have an SLR, use a 135mm or similar lens for the most pleasing perspective. Use the widest aperture (lowest f-number) to blur the background and highlight the face for a movie-like look. If the background is important, use a small aperture (high f-number) to get everything in focus.
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Positioning: Get close. Don't include their full body but zoom straight in to the face. For close ups, crop out the top of the head and overfill the frame. Being at eye level usually works best.
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Proportion: Generally try to keep the eyes, not necessarily the head, in the center of the frame. If the person is looking slightly to one side, add extra space to that side.
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Relax Your Subject: Get your subject relaxed and happy.
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