Quote:
Originally Posted by ASU2003
I searched for a thread like this, but wasn't able to find it.
So, I was wondering if you all had any tips for getting better pictures. I know I'm not quite at the level of the OneExposure guys ( Onexposure - 1x.com - Best photos in the world), but I am thinking of buying a camera that will be able to do that now. And since I won't be able to blame the equipment, I better know what I am doing. Now, I have taken good pictures before, though I may have just got lucky. 
Here are the tips I know of:
1. If you are at a public event with other professional photographers, there is a reason they are where they are. You may want to try and get close or buy tickets near where they are.
2. You have to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right weather conditions.
3. Always keep the horizon horizontal.
4. Reflections in water are a good thing.
5. The light is best at sunrise and sunset.
6. Use lines and patterns.
7. Take as many pictures as you need and sort them out later. |
Light is not best at those times, but rather an hour or two before sunset and after sunrise. Either time creates deep shadows and loss of detail not to mention can create glare and an imbalance of shadows to brighter areas.
The truest colors actually will show in your images on bright but cloudy days-when the sun is not shining in one's eyes and creating all that brightness.
Using lines and patterns may make some interesting images, but overdoing either one just makes the viewer go "Huh?" Use lines OR patterns to draw the eye in to a focal point. Good general rule of thumb-if someone asks "where's the subject?" you failed.
Reflections in water might be a good subject, but they can also wash out if the sun is also being reflected. Like any subject, reflections should be interesting and clear.
From an artisitc standpoint, sometime tilting the camera is a good idea; it also can allow you to fill the frame with the subject when straight up and down doesn't. Just be sure to allow for "waste" when it comes time to crop.