11 Photography Tips for Beginners!

Here are my top tips for beginner photographers. Feel free to leave your tips in the comments!

1) Break the rules - There are so many "rules" that you learn when youre just starting out..so my first piece of advice is dont be afraid to break those rules. Youll learn as you go that some of those things that they tell you to always (or sometimes never) do, create some really amazing photos if you do the opposite. NEVER be afraid to experiment.

2) Be aware of lighting - One of those rules you hear is "always shoot with the sun to your back" Dont listen to that. Example, how are you supposed to get those amazing sunset pictures if the sun is to your back? Different lighting situations make your images interesting and creative. Different angles create different textures and can make colors appear differently. If you dont like the way your photos are turning out, you can always change angles.

3) Composition - Another one of those rules is the "rule of thirds" They say always use the rule of thirds. Breaking that rule can lead to much more interesting and dramatic photos in some cases. Take plenty of shots at different angles, with different focus points, closer, further; play with it. You can always crop in closer, but you cant crop out further. (but remember, cropping too much will degrade image quality)

4) Timing - Play with different shutter speeds. (for longer shutter speeds you will need a nice sturdy tripod) Long exposures can create veryyy interesting, beautiful pictures. And fast shutter speeds can create very captivating exciting photos. Take a bunch of photos, and different shutter speeds. You can always delete the ones you dont like later, but sometimes you cant go back and take the same photo again.

5) Take LOTS of shots - Make sure you have a memory card that can hold a lot, because its important to take a lot of shots, you can always delete the bad ones, and it can take hundreds of tries to get that perfect photograph.

6) Stay positive - Dont expect every time to be perfect, dont expect to get perfect shots every time..but dont let that discourage you. Dont give up just because everything doesnt work out every time. Ive heard of people simply giving up because they werent confident enough in their photography..you will get better with time and practice.

7) Play with settings - You dont always have to shoot in full manuel. Its okay to use semi automatic modes, they can actually be very helpful at times. But dont depend on them, and try not to use full auto modes.

8) Dont buy the most expensive equipment right away - Just because its expensive, doesnt mean its good. And just because you have the top of the line equipment, doesnt mean your photography will automatically be better. Do your research before buying, dont be afraid to ask people for advice. You can save a lot of money by simply doing a google search before hand.

9) Take notes - Write things down. I keep a notepad with me at all times to jot down photo ideas. In my camera bag I keep a "cheat sheet" where I keep notes on settings I liked for different shoots and whatnot.

10) Think outside of the box - You dont have to go out to amazing places to get amazing shots. Be creative! Some of my favorite photos have been stuff I shot right in my bedroom! There are manyyy days I just wanna go out and shoot, but I dont always have the ability to, so I set up fun little experiments in my room, and just play around.

11) Shoot regularly - Like I said above, you cant always go out and shoot whenever you want, sometimes its raining or snowing, or whatever other reasons, its not always possible to go outside, but there are so many really cool things you can take photos of right in your home. You dont have to go to amazing places to get amazing photos, sometimes the simplest objects create the most amazing pictures.

I hope these little tips help you! And again, please feel free to leave tips in the comments! I love hearing other peoples opinions on things. And remember to follow/subscribe and share this with your friends!

:)

Lesson: Composition.

The composition of your photo can either make the photo, or break it. Bad composition can make an amazing scene look sloppy and unappealing. But good composition can take an ordinary scene and turn it into an extraordinary image.

A few things you must know about composition:

The subject - The subject itself, if its not interesting, chances are the image is also going to be uninteresting. 

Colors, if the background is white, and your subject is white, your image is going to be dull, look for contrast and interesting color combinations. If possible move your subject or change your background for still life images. 

Lighting, is the lighting too harsh, does it create an interesting shadow, or take away from the overall image?

And most importantly, sore the image tell a story, is it easy to understand, does it make you think, is it clear and easy on the eyes?

These are all important things to consider when initially photographing an object or scene.

The composition - 

Layout and position of subject. 

Camera position, angle and height.

Appropriate lens.

Focus point and depth of field.

Shutter speed.

These are all things you need to think about and adjust to create your perfect photo.

How to compose an image that is appealing to the eye:

Rule of thirds - The rule of thirds basically means, split your image into three sections horizontally and vertically. Where the lines cross is usually the best place to place your subject. Placing your secondary subject and the opposite crossing point makes for an even more interesting and balanced photo. Of course, rules are meant to be broken, and some images are more compelling when you dont follow this rule.

Basic and Advanced Shooting Modes Explained

If youre just getting started with your DSLR, all the new words and settings can be very confusing to you. So, today Im going to break down what the different settings mean, and what theyre used for.

Heres what my dial looks like
(and pretty much what most other cameras dials look like as well)
First Ill explain the presets, which is the lower half. Basic Shooting Techniques.

With the "Basic Zone" modes, all you have to do is point and shoot, the camera sets everything automatically based on which mode youre in. Most point and shoot cameras also have these settings.

Starting with the green square in the center, working down the dial.

Full Auto - Pretty self explanatory, everything is automatic, everything will adjust itself for whatever you shoot, just shoot away. 

Portrait - Portrait mode blurs the background to make the human subject stand out. It also makes flesh tones and the hair look softer than with the full auto mode.

Landscape - Us the landscape mode for wide scenery, night scenes, or to have everything in focus from near to far. The greens and blues also become more vivid and sharper than with full auto.

Close up - When you want to photograph flowers or small things close up, use the close up more. To make small things appear much larger, use a macro lens.

Sports - To photograph a moving subject use the sports mode. You can use this to shoot a child running, playing sports (as the name suggests) or even a moving vehicle.

Night Portrait - To shoot someone at night and obtain a natural looking exposure in the background, use this mode. Using a tripod will help prevent camera shake in the low light.

Flash off - In places where flash photography is prohibited, use the flash off mode. This mode is also effective for candlelight scenes when you want to capture the ambient light. This is another one where you might need a tripod if the light is somewhat dim.

*Movie Shooting - (Live View) Not all cameras have this, my Canon T1i does, so Im explaining it. Using this mode will close the view finder, and the screen will now work like a point and shoot. To focus you now press the little * button, half pressing the shutter button doesnt work in this mode. When focused press the shutter button to take a photo, or the button with the little red camera above it to take video. Note: this camera will not keep autofocusing while youre shooting, when your subject moves out of focus you have to refocus yourself, the camera wont do it for you. Also, focusing can be pretty noisy, and you can hear it in the video. If you want to take good videos get yourself an actual video camera. 

Now for the upper half, Advanced Shooting Techniques.

In the basic zone modes (explained above) to prevent spoiled shots, most functions are set automatically and cannot be changed. In theses modes you can change your settings to achieve the image you want.

Going up from the green square..

Creative Auto Shooting - Some people might put this under the basic modes, but Im explaining it under more advanced. Basic modes except creative auto take care of everything, whereas the creative auto mode enables you to easily change the pictures brightness, depth of field, color tone, etc. The default settings are the same as the full auto mode. 

Program AE - In the program ae mode, you can set various functions and be more creative. The camera sets the shutter speed and aperture automatically to obtain the standard exposure.  P stands for program; AE stands for auto exposure. 

Action Shots - You can either freeze the action or create motion blur with the Tv (shutter priority AE) mode. Tv stands for Time Value. In this mode you can change the shutter speed, ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance and metering mode, aperture is automatically set. 

Aperture Priority - To obtain a blurry background or to make everything near or far look sharp, set the mode dial to Av, aperture priority AE) to adjust the depth of field. Av stands for aperture value, which is the size of the diaphragm home inside the lens. In this mode you can change aperture, ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance and metering mode. Shutter speed is automatically set.

Manual - Pretty self explanatory, in manual mode, you manually set everything, nothing is automatic unless you set it to auto. In this mode you can change the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance, and metering mode. Nothing is automatically set.

Auto Depth of Field - Objects in the foreground and background will be in focus automatically. All the AF (autofocus) points will function to detect the subject, and the aperture required to attain the necessary depth of field will be set automatically. In this mode you can change the ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance, and metering mode. The shutter speed and aperture are automatically set. 

I hope this helps you understand you shooting modes a little better. If anything is unclear or you have any suggestions please feel free to leave a comment below. 

For a break down on shutter speed and aperture click ->HERE<-

For a break down on some photography terminology click ->HERE<-

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.

Lesson: Photo Lingo

I know photography "slang" can be very confusing..and honestly, a lot of the time the words are just redundant, and mean nothing more than changing the shutter speed or exposure.
Working in your presets help you avoid running into these words, but lets face it..you will never be able to take full advantage of your cameras (and your own) abilities until you figure this stuff out. So Im going to try to make it a little easier on you.

Here is a quick explanation of some confusing terms you might run into:
ISO speed - This one might not be as confusing, I did touch on this a little here, but basically, what that does, it controls how sensitive your cameras sensor is to the light that reaches it. If your ISO is too high your image will be too light, too low and your image will be too dark. Adjusting this is one of the main things that will affect the exposure of your image.

ex. here is the same image, at the same settings, just changing the ISO speed.

click to enlarge image

 from left to right: iso 100, iso 200, iso 400, iso 800, iso 1600, iso 3200

Exposure Compensation - This goes hand in hand with what I talked about here, when you adjust your aperture/shutter speed, sometimes its still to dark or bright, so you can adjust this to compensate for that. On your camera it will look like the image below (the highlighted area) It will show -2..1..0..1..+2 (or something similar) Adjusting to the + side will brighten your image, adjusting to the - side, will darken your image.

Auto Exposure Bracketing - (AEB) This is something that can be very useful in certain situations. When you dont have time to be messing with your settings in between every shot and want to take an image at different exposures. How this works..you will see your exposure compensation meter again, but this time when you change it you will see two lines which move opposite of each other, so when you turn it once, they will be at the same spots, one on the left side of 0, one on the right. You will then take three shots of the same image, and your camera will adjust the exposure for you. Taking one at 0, then one darkening and one lightening to where you have it set. (having it on continuous shooting makes this easier) Every camera is different for setting this, so check your manuel if you arent sure how.

ex. heres some shots I took using AEB.

click to enlarge image

from left to right: exposure -2, exposure 0, exposure +2

Bulb Exposure - This is a shutter speed setting. When set at bulb, or just b on some cameras, you basically hold in the shutter release button as long as you want the shutter to be open. This is good for when you want to test different shutter speeds without having to manually change it every time. Using a timer remote is helpful when shooting in bulb, because it reduces possible shake from your hand on the camera.
TTL metering - This stands for "Through The Lens" Metering. And all that does is measures the light reflected back through the camera lens from the scene in front of it.
Center Weighted Metering - Using the cameras exposure meter to concentrate on the central 60-80% of the image.
Flash Ratio - The balance of natural and artificial light when using more than one light source.
Hyperfocal Distance - The distance into your picture at where the selected aperture will be most effective.

Depth of Field - the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image.

Hopefully that helps clear up some confusion. As you can see most of these terms have to do with shutter speed and aperture, or exposure of your image. 

Remember: Don't be afraid to play with your settings, sometimes just reading about it isn't enough. Get hands on..practice different set ups until you figure it out. This can be a very confusing topic that can take some time to understand. Don't let the technical words scare you away, once you get the hang of it you'll completely impress yourself. 

Keep on shooting. :)

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.

Lesson: Aperture and Shutter Speed

Aperture and Shutter Speed.

You can shoot all day long in your preset modes, but you will never be able to take full advantage of your cameras abilities until you begin shooting in your manual settings. But before you can do that you have to understand what each means.

Aperture: (AV = Aperture Value) Aperture is the hole that light has to pass through. You change your aperture to allow more, or less light through the lens. (a large aperture letting in more light, and small letting in less) On your camera the aperture will be shown as f/number. The smaller the number, the larger the opening. (i know that might be a little confusing, usually bigger number would mean bigger hole, but not in this case) The f/number is a ratio of focal length to aperture diameter (the size of the hole that is letting light through)

Now lets get to what this all means in your photograph. Basically, a small aperture (higher f/number) means your subject, as well as anything in front and behind will be in focus; and a large aperture (lower f/number) means your subject will be in focus, while your foreground and background will be out of focus, or blurred.

Here's an example:

In this image I used a large aperture. You can see the background is blurred.

In this image I used a small aperture. You can see the background is more in focus.

Shutter Speed: (TV = Time Value) Shutter speed is pretty self explanatory, it is the speed that the shutter opens and closes, allowing light to pass through the lens. A slow shutter speed will be open longer, allowing more light to pass through; while a fast shutter speed will open faster, allowing less light to pass through. The shutter speed is shown as a number such as 8000. What that actually means is 1/8000th of a second. That is a very fast shutter speed. (8 would be 1/8th of a second) If the number is shown as x", the shutter will stay open for x amount of seconds (8" would be 8 seconds)

Here's a few more examples:

1000 = 1/1000th of a second

250 = 1/250th of a second

4 = 1/4 of a second

2 = 1/2 of a second

1" = 1 second

2" = 2 seconds

30" = 30 seconds

With fast shutter speeds, movement will become frozen in your image, while a slow shutter speed will blur movement.

Here's an example:

In this image I used a fast shutter speed. The movement of the ball falling is frozen. 

In this image I used a slow shutter speed. The movement of the ball falling is blurred.

How the two effect each other: With a fast shutter speed, you let in less light, so your aperture should be adjusted to allow more light to pass through, so your image wont be too dark. With a slow shutter speed, you let in more light, so you must adjust your aperture to let in less, or your image will be too light. Aperture and shutter speed are both measured in stops, so when you adjust one stop, you must adjust the other the same amount of stops to compensate for the adjustment. (this is called equivalent exposures)

Some other uses for slow slow shutter speed are: (I'll go more into detail on these later)

Night shots (or low light shots)

Light art (moving a small light source in a dark environment to create a stream of light)

To create blurred movement such as flowing water

Once you understand aperture and shutter speed, you won't believe how much your photographs will improve.

Remember: Don't be afraid to play with your settings, sometimes just reading about it isn't enough. Get hands on..practice different set ups until you figure it out. This can be a very confusing topic that can take some time to understand. Don't let the technical words scare you away, once you get the hang of it you'll completely impress yourself. 

Keep on shooting. :)

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.