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• Digital Photography Review

Basic Photo Techniques

Once you have chosen your camera then this should be the first section you read. If you take many photographs then sooner or later you will quickly be able to judge the difference between good and bad photos. What is not so easy is deciding why certain photos are better than others. If you follow the guidelines here then you should quickly be able to reduce the number of bad photos and be ready to move on to the advanced stages to take excellent photos.

I have to admit that I am still making basic mistakes after many years of photography, but since owning my digital camera I have at last started to follow some of the guidelines below. One of the biggest problems I have found is where there is part of the picture in heavy shade and the other part in bright sunlight. The human eye seems to adapt to this condition well, but the resultant photo is clearly unbalanced. Uneven light in interiors due to windows also causes me difficulty. Probably my most common mistake is not keeping the main subject in focus - which is really annoying.

Interest in the Subject Matter

Only take pictures of subjects that really interest you. If you are enthusiastic this will show in the picture. Conversely, if your interest is not there, then the picture will most likely be uninteresting to other people.

Cropping Pictures

One of the most effective operations, is to crop the picture, so that a single subject stands out. Very often it turns out that a picture succeeds because it has been cropped substantially.

Clearly Separate Objects

Try to make sure that foreground objects do not intersect the main themes. For example flagpoles, masts, small towers and even people. There are famous examples where heads have antlers or signs pointing. These all distract from the theme so always try to give each object it's own space.

Arrange the Foreground and Background

For landscape photographs this provides depth so that one can easily see the main object and it's relationship. Portrait techniques are better if the subject is not taken full face on, but rather sideview so that arms and shoulders can provide depth. Make sure that the face is in sharp focus particularly the eyes.

Use the Depth Effect of Light and Shade

The old advice that the light should always be located in the back, is not the best. Light from the rear is actually rather unfavorable. It makes the pictures flat, by hiding the shade behind the objects. Outlines are illuminated and thus flat.

Taking Landscapes

Use mist and fog when taking landscapes to provide some idea of the perspective. Using a wide angle lens can also enhance a landscape, but often you will find merging photos together will better simulate the eye scanning across the landscape.

Taking Portraits

Choose a simple background to avoid the subject being overshadowed by the background. Make sure the person's face and particularly the eyes are in focus. Some cameras allow a portrait mode to keep the face in focus while blurring the near background. Although flash is best avoided due to red-eye, some cameras have a night portrait setting using the flash to illuminate the subject, while a slow sync speed captures a natural looking exposure of the background.

Keeping the Camera Still

One of the commonest problems with pictures sent for printing is that the subject is blurred. For example, if you are in a dark church and you don't have a tripod, then it is often quite feasible to rest the camera on a bench. With compact digital cameras you can use the screen without having to line up through the viewfinder. Of course if you have a tripod then this provides the best solution. Blurred images are most common in poor light when you need a long exposure and again when using zoom where a small movement can cause a large distortion. If you are using a zoom lens then it is always recommended to use a tripod or a rest such as a wall or bench.

Use Flash Correctly

The advice is to use flash sparingly. It makes no sense at all to use flash in large buildings such as cathedrals, football stadiums or night landscapes. In these circumstances it is often better to increase the exposure time, of course with the corresponding problem of blurred images. If you have a camera where the flash cannot be controlled on and off then the best solution is to sell it.

Dark Conditions

The flash range is normally up to 2.5m, but you have to be careful about possible ugly reflections from glass and window panes. In addition it can result in disturbing hard shadows on the walls behind persons. Frontal lighting is not good for shooting portraits as it gives a harsh light. In these cases you need to consider indirect lighting that can be adjusted and tilted. Another possibility is using a slow sync mode on the camera possibly with a tripod. In this case the camera will use the environmental light for the background scene and flash to illuminate the person. You need to consider using a stand otherwise the background may be blurred. Another problem is red-eye which can be reduced by some cameras but often the only effective means of elimination is to edit the resultant image.

Day Conditions

Using flash during the day allows near objects to be lightened, for example if you are shooting a picture framed by a brighter window and you wish to lighten the foreground detail. This is often worth considering when trying to avoid light from the rear. With most cameras you will need to manually set the flash on because the automatic mode will assume there is enough light. Also it is worth considering this mode for taking portraits by preventing the person appearing as a silhouette.

Sharp Images

Obtaining sharp images for the subject area is one of the most important quality points for your pictures. Most cameras allow you to focus on particular point(s) by half pressing the shutter. The main subject must be sharp, not the background, so if you are photographing an insect on a leaf it is the insect that must be sharp. Similarly with portraits, make sure the eyes are sharp. The sharpness range for most digital cameras is fairly small making it even more important to focus correctly on the subject. You should look at using the macro function on the digital cameras to obtain the sharpness at close quarters. Like most people who have tried to use the sharpness filters in PC software such as Adobe Photoshop, you will probably find the results disappointing as you will get disturbance and fringes at the edges.
Another cause of camera shake is shooting in low light when the aperture is wide open and shutter speed is slow. In this case try to use a tripod or if this is not practical brace yourself against a fixed object holding the camera in both hands and brace your elbows against your body. Using the viewfinder instead of an LCD viewer will also help to minimise shake.
Apart from poor focus the other main reason for lack of sharpness is caused by the subject moving. You may be able to overcome some of this by moving the camera with the subject. This way the background may be a little blurred but with practise the main subject will stay sharp.