Taking pictures may seem a bit “off topic” for a prepping site, our project is a bit different… we have four parts to our name; Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You. From time to time we are going to publish articles for the “You” part of our project’s mission, simply things to help you get more enjoyment out of life based upon our skills and knowledge.
Salty likes pictures
Excuse me while I switch to third-person for just a bit: Salty is a trained photojournalist and has had (literally) thousands of photos published in newspapers and magazines locally, regionally and nationally. He teaches photography to adults in night classes. Even though he has won several major awards for his photography, he doesn’t really claim them because he’s not into “contests” or “being judged by others”.
Photo taken with a pocket point & shoot 35mm film camera, 2016
OK, back to just me being me.
20 Tips For Better Pictures
Here are 20 tips for you (with brief explanations) that will help you both take better pictures and have more fun in the process. They apply just as much with a cell phone, a “one-use” throw away camera, a DSLR or whatever exotic camera you can come up with:
Get the subject’s attention, and be BEHIND the camera. They are going to look at your face, if your face isn’t behind the camera, then they will be looking off to the side in the photo.
- Stop taking pictures in the dark – so many times I see people taking pictures and it’s WAY too dark to get a good shot… all they get is blur. Don’t do that! Take pictures outside, when there is some light!
- Keep the light BEHIND you. Don’t shoot into the sun unless you REALLY know what you are doing and have a fill flash.
- Your flash is probably only good for 15 feet on a camera and 5 feet on a cell phone. At a stadium, turn it off, it’s just a waste of battery power.
- Use a plain background, preferably one without lines, unless you are at some place spectacular (like, say, Niagara Falls). Trees make nice backgrounds, billboards do not.
- Take some horizontal and some vertical.
- Clean your lens (especially on phones). I don’t know how many pictures I have seen with haze on them from fingerprint smears on cell phone lenses. Wipe it clean before you shoot.
- Be STEADY. Concentrate on no moving your camera when you shoot.
- Get in CLOSE. Fill the screen with your subject.
- Jokes never hurt any picture. People look best when they are happy and having a good time. If you are shooting landscapes, the rocks probably won’t laugh (at least I HOPE they don’t) but it won’t HURT them.
- RTFM (Read the freaking manual)
- Slow down. Most people rush through pictures, generally so they can get them posted on social media. Take that extra 15 seconds to make sure have it right, you get close, you hold steady. Slow down, don’t rush, and make the shot a GOOD one.
- STOP CHIMPING! – Quit looking at every single shot, it’s better to think about where you are GOING than where you have been. Once you check on one or two (if you are using a DSLR) then forget about it. If you are using a mirrorless, set your display to show you what your final output will look like, so you know exactly what you are getting to start with.
- Be Present – pay attention to your surroundings, don’t get in the way, and always keep an eye open for a better angle/viewpoint/lighting area.
- Put the camera away and enjoy the day – Take your pictures, then put the camera down and LIVE the day.
- The Golden Hours are the hours when the light is golden, generally around sunrise and sunset. These are the times to do landscapes, then the angle of the sun is low and the shadows pull out the detail of the land.
- High and low angles – Don’t just take pictures at your eye level, get up high, get down low, vary your angles, tilt your camera left and right (intentionally)
- Rule of thirds – Learn the rule of thirds, and follow it for most pictures. WIKI on the Rule of Thirds (click me)
- Relax – photography is supposed to be fun. If you are stressed out, you are doing it wrong.
- Don’t be a dirtbag – if you are in a crowded area, don’t hog the good spot forever… take your shot and then give others their chance. Offer to take group pictures of families for them. If you are unhappy, everybody around you (people that you are photographing) will be unhappy, and it will show!