Take Better Pictures

Thus far we have introduced you to two important compositional tools, the rule of thirds and leading lines.   I want to pause for a moment and discuss the most important consideration in photography.  I call it the Big 3 .   What the heck is the Big 3? The Big 3 are three elements in photography that enable you to create a perfectly exposed picture. These elements are: ISO Aperture (f-stop) Shutter Speed These elements have to be in balance in order to create a perfectly exposed picture.  If you make a change to one, you must make a change to one of the other or both.  Let's look at each of these elements. ISO relates to the sensitivity of the sensor in your camera.  It can be made more sensitive or less sensitive by adjusting the ISO number.  For example, the lower the number the lower the light sensitivity, and the higher the number the higher the light sensitivity.  Also, the higher the number the greater the opportunity for noise to be i...

Have you ever wondered why some pictures immediately draw you in when you look at them?  Your eyes find themselves focused on the main subject of the picture.  What draws you in? Science has found a way to track exactly where your eyes are looking as you examine a picture.  As you look at a photograph, your eyes tend to scan the picture while you assess what you are looking at.  When it is a dull picture, your eyes go all over the place.  However, when the photographer has included some simple compositional tools your eyes follow a predictable path as you examine the picture.   One of the tools is the rule of thirds which we discussed in my last post.  Another one of the powerful composition tools are leading lines .  What the heck are leading lines? Leading lines are natural or man-made lines or curves that you include in your pictures that draw the viewer's eye to the main subject.  These lines can be naturally occurring or objects tha...

The most basic tool for photographic composition is the “Rule of Thirds”. Sounds mystical, doesn’t it?  (Spoken with an echo)  The     Rule     of     Thirds! What the Heck is it? The rule of thirds is simply a tool to help create interesting photo composition.  Mystics nor magic have anything to do with it.  Let me explain. Imagine a grid like this one.  When you look through your viewfinder or back of your camera visualize this grid.   You see the four places where the lines cross?  It is believed that if you put your subject on any one of the four places you will have a stronger composition.   Example Let's look at an example. Notice the ship (the main subject) is just above the lower right line cross. When you look at the photo your eyes are drawn to the ship because that is the main subject of the photo.  The horizon line is just above the lower line which gives great exposure of the...

  I always tell people you can take great pictures with the camera you own.  The majority of us walk around with a very sophisticated camera in our pocket or purse every day. It is called your cell or mobile phone.  Here is a picture I took with my mobile phone. Mobile Phone Camera  Personally, I have an iPhone, you may have an android.  It doesn’t matter.  Both have a very sophisticated camera built into their phones.   With your phone, you can take great photographs and videos.  You have lots of capabilities built into the phone. Even with its small sensor, it provides high-quality photographs. I will use my iPhone as an example. The camera built into the phone has the capability of taking wide-angle and telephoto photos.  It can take:  regular photos,  portrait-mode photos Night photos with the built-in flash  and panoramas.  In addition, you can edit your photos with a built-in editing suite.  You can: crop,...

Don't you wish you could take pictures like the ones you admire on Facebook or Instagram?   How do they do it?   What kind of equipment do they use?   I’ll let you in on a little secret.  YOU can take pictures like that too. Yes, you can! You don’t need expensive equipment.  You just need the desire to learn the elements of photography. Once you do, you’ll be able to take photographs that will amaze your friends.   Your pictures will get noticed on Facebook and Instagram.   And, you can do all this using the camera you already own! How do they do it? The people who take the pictures you admire are either lucky or have taken the time to understand the principles of creating beautiful pictures.  They have learned techniques that take advantage of visual elements that enable them to enhance their photography. They learned the basics of photography.  They learned about controlling exposure, using shutter speed, compositio...