In this era of digital cameras and social media, most people are becoming fond of photography. Photos are the best way to capture memories and joy of life to reminisce later. You want the best picture to be clicked but somewhere you fall behind in some Basic Photography Techniques. Though things are not easy when you start off but nothing to worry about, we’ve bought you mind blowing techniques that will enhance your skills. Here you’ll explore 8 Basic Photography Techniques which is a must learn for beginner.
We’ll dive into each concept in detail but, these are the some Basic Photography Techniques covered in a nutshell:
- Holding a camera
- Rule of Thirds
- Investing in a tripod
- Time to shoot
- Exposure triangle
- Lighting
- Over and under-exposure
- Avoiding blurry pictures
- Be selective….
Below there are these basics spelled out in a very subtle way. You’ll definitely find yourself on a way to boost up your skills and master all the basic photography fundamentals through these techniques in a flash !!
1. Learn to Hold your Camera Properly.
This may sound obvious to many that is it even a thing to be told…but yes! many newcomers into photography make mistakes while holding their cameras. It makes their camera shake and gives blurred images as a result.
Tripods are of course a great tool to operate but you will not use it until and unless you’re shooting in low light conditions. So, the point of everything is it’s important to learn how to hold the camera in a proper way to avoid unnecessary movement.
By the time you will discover your own way to hold a camera but what is advised is to hold it with both hands. One should keep their right hand towards the right side of the camera and left hand should be placed beneath the lens for supporting the camera. Another way to keep your camera still is to hold it closer to your body. Sometimes you require extra stability so you can lean against a wall or bend your knees down but if there’s no support then opt for a wider stance.
2. The ‘Rule of Thirds’.
A famous rule in the field of photography is the ‘Rule of Thirds’. It is usually taught in the very first lessons of photography. There are four lines which make the rule of thirds. You’ll find two lines horizontally placed and two lines vertically placed which makes a grid of nine squares. The picture is divided into these boxes for a better knowledge of the image and the view. This geometry helps in the positioning of the subject.
This theory is to put the main points of an image on intersections of the squares to mark the balance and make the photograph look more professional. It is seen that most of the viewers focus on the points of intersection rather than the picture itself. Keeping these tips in mind will help you enhance your skills of capturing good pictures.
This is one of the important elements of Basic Photography Techniques which people might take lightly but you definitely shouldn’t. To know more about this you may look through our another article “The Rule Of Thirds”.
3. Investing in a Tripod.
A tripod is an essential accessory when you need to shoot in low light conditions without raising the ISO too much. You can also experiment with photography with long exposure, which means the shutter can be left opened for seconds or minutes at an instance. This makes some of the amazing effects to the photographs of things such as rivers, landscapes or cityscapes. While purchasing your new tripod there are some things to keep in mind such as
- Height
- Weight
- Stability
Weight of a tripod is important as you have to carry it along with you and of course you don’t want anything too heavy. It should be stable enough to hold your camera and lens the way you want.
4. Shoot in the Early Morning and Evening.
Lighting can make or break a photograph. What time is thought to be the best to click pictures is early morning and evening. In terms of photography, the hour just after the sunrise and the hour just before the sunset is referred to as the ‘golden hour’. During this time the sun gets lower in the sky and the light is quite softer and warmer.
Whether you shoot landscapes, portraits or anything, clicking pictures in the early morning light or evening light can give your images a serene feel with its warm glow and long shadows. Though pictures can be clicked at any time of the day but golden hour pictures hits different !!
We are sure that you might not know these Basic Photography Techniques before. For more such impressive information, stay tuned with us till the end.
5. Avoid Blurry Pictures.
Blurry pictures are a huge disappointment for the photographers as well as the viewers as everyone prefers clear pictures rather than blurry ones. At times it happens with many people even though all the things are perfectly settled such as lighting, ambiance, etc., still the pictures come out to be blurred. The solution to this is the autofocus mode. You can turn on the autofocus mode to get clear pictures.
If the subject is in motion, manual settings and shutter speed can be used to diminish the chances of getting the picture blurry in future. If the subject is static, you can make use of One Shot or AF-S to make your images focused well and not make them blurred. As a photographer, one tip for beginners that should be paid more attention to is getting sharp pictures. Clicking blurred images intentionally could be an exception to this but clear and sharp images are given more preference.
We hope you are enjoying these Basic Photography Techniques with help of our guide and grasping as much as possible !!
6. Avoid Underexposing and Overexposing the Highlights.
As you are aware, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity and aperture are all very important to brighten up the image. Out of all these, aperture and shutter speed are the exposers.
Conditions for a brighter view: the ISO number should be higher and shutter speed should be slow.
Similarly, conditions for a darker view: the ISO number should be lower and shutter speed should be faster.
These Basic Photography Techniques are quite difficult for a beginner to understand but once you get the hang of it, they’re going to save a lot of your time. A picture is said to be overexposed when it is too brighter than required. Similarly, a picture is underexposed when it is darker than what is actually needed. A good exposure consists of both highlights and shadows with proper darkness and brightness.
7. Get Closer !!
Another minor mistake made by the beginners is they zoom in on the subject instead of taking a few steps nearer to the subject. It’s been well said by Robert Capa that “If your photographs are not good enough, you’re not close enough”. Though zooming in can work out sometimes, but developing a habit out of it is not at all advisable. By getting closer, you can observe the subject in a more detailed manner and can build up a deeper connection with it.
8. Be Selective
Done with the shoot ? Now time for the main step, selecting the pictures you’ve clicked! When it comes to choosing photos to show other people or to add them to your portfolio you have to be very picky. Sounds weird right? But you have to. So if you’re thinking of presenting before them with 8-10 of your shots, show them only 4-5. Or if you have 5 shots, go with only 3.
Doing this will let you know all the strengths and weaknesses of your photographs. It not only makes your work look better than others but also increases the chances of your appreciation as you are showing only the best of your work. Though it is very time consuming as making a choice between two photos of similar competition isn’t an easy task but once it is selected you are good to go!
This is a step which is not considered much in terms of Basic Photography Techniques but moving ahead with incomplete information is not right. Though you must be having many shots but at the time of presenting them, not being aware about this tip could let you down.
Closure…
Photography is surely a fun activity to do but it does require great skills for one to excel. So, summing up with all the information, these were some of the Basic Photography Techniques one should pay attention to.
You’re now completely stuffed with the knowledge and ready to carry on with your learnings. Keeping all these tips in mind and continuing your journey will surely let you achieve great heights.
Our vision is to provide you with the best source for your betterment. We’ll keep coming up with more such tips and tricks to guide you at every step. Do let us know which tip you found the most helpful or anything we lack in.
FAQ’s
Q. Are these Basic Photography Techniques advised by the experts?
Ans. Yes, all these are professional advices.
Q. How do I manage to click pictures in low light without using a flash.
Ans. Using a tripod will help you out.
Q. How do I improve my skills in photography for effectively.
Ans. Practice all these Basic Photography Techniques mentioned in this article consistently to see mind blowing results in your shoots.
Q. How can I use natural light in my shoot ?
Ans. The right way to use natural light is to shoot right after the sunrise or before the sunsets, in the golden hour as mentioned above to see adorable glow in your photographs due to the warmer and softer lighting.