It’s the time of year where the sun is becoming more of a familiar sight and the weather is starting to get a bit better. This means it’s time to dust off the camera equipment we may have neglected over the past few weeks and take some photos! Sometimes having a fresh tip you read online or remembered from an article months ago can help give a boost of creativity to produce a great photo!
Needs punch? Sometimes you want to add a bit more punch to your photos on a flat day. Try adjusting the exposure compensation to -1/3 on your camera. This will slightly darken your photo and at the same time boost the contrast slightly. Personally, my camera is left with this setting on at all times.
Going from cold to warm climates? Throw a few silica gel packets into your camera bag to help absorb any moisture that could potentially collect when going from one climate to another.
Need a bit of action in a photo? Reduce your shutter speed to 1/15th of a second or slower and take the photo. This will keep the shutter open longer and anything that is moving will become a blur creating a sense of motion in your photo. You may or may not be able to hand hold your camera depending on how slow your shutter speed is. And the slower the object is moving in your frame, the slower your shutter speed will have to be to create a blurred outcome.
Think in threes. We all are familiar with the rule of thirds when it comes to composition, however, when taking photos of groups of similar objects, try to have 3 of the objects that are the focus in your frame. Having an odd number of objects as the focus will be more visually stimulating than an even number. Pair this with the rule of thirds and you are on your way to an eye catching photo.
Sometimes you might find yourself trying to take a photograph in a situation with very little light. Raising your ISO is the logical answer but sometimes it will cause your photo to become very noisy or grainy, and the colours will look flat and lack detail. If you can sacrifice shooting in raw, change your camera setting to shoot jpeg with the colour mode set to black and white. The grain will not have the same negative effect it does with colours and you might be able to pull off a few good frames in a pinch.
Crouch, get low to the ground when composing your photograph, this can create a unique perspective in the photo you are taking.
The best piece of advice I can offer is to get out there and take as many photos as you can. That is the best way to improve your photography and become a better photographer. Break the rules, try new things, and challenge yourself to create images that put your photographic skills to the test.