Every good photograph tells a story. The most common mistake that people make when taking a photo is including too much ambiguous information when taking a picture.
Take this photo from example.
The photo is of a boy in a yard. It does not do a good job of telling a story. Had I not taken the photo, I might not have noticed the boy. The only thing that I can truly tell from the picture is that it was taken in a wooded area. A better photograph would zoom in on the child and try to give an indication of what he is doing.
This photograph is a better one. It was taken on the same day, in the same yard. This picture shows a boy playing with a ball. This tells a simple story and provides elements for you as a scrapbooker to play off of like the ball, leaves, etc.
Another typical problem with photographs is focus. Focus issues can arise from many problems, your camera will automatically focus for you. It won't always focus on the area of the photo that you want resulting in a blurry subject.
In the picture below, the photographer wanted a close-up of the welds, not the tire. The tire is in perfect focus, but the welds are fuzzy. This is because the camera was controlling where to focus instead of the photographer.
To avoid this issue, most point and shoot cameras allow you to press the button 1/2 way down to focus on your subject. When doing this, make sure that your subject is in the middle of the view finder. Once the camera has focused, continue to hold the button 1/2 way down while you recompose your shot. Once you are happy with the composition, push the button the rest of the way down to capture your shot. Not all cameras do this, you will want to check your camera manual to ensure that it has this capability.
The other common issue with blurry photos is camera shake. With automatic cameras, the exposure will be automatically set for you. The exposure dictates the shutter speed. If the shutter speed is greater than 1/60 second, you will need to use a tri-pod as most people cannot hold a camera still for more than a 1/60 second. The picture below demonstrates camera shake.
The picture below is a good example of good focus and good composition. The photograph tells a story of a child hiding behind a tree. The natural smile also provides some insight into this child's personality. I know because I'm his mom.
Another element of this snapshot is the lighting. This picture was taken on a overcast day. Yes, I am suggesting to take pictures on an overcast or cloudy day, not a rainy day, but an overcast day. Overcast or cloudy days provide nice even lighting which makes for excellent exposures. Since you can't make everyday a cloudy one, remember that shade is good as well.
Summary of Tips
- Tell a story
- Eliminate Excess or unneeded information.
- Use Selective Focus - You choose the focus point, not the camera.
- Camera Shake can be avoided by using a tri-pod.
- Don't be afaird of overcast days. They provide excellent lighting.
- When taking a portrait picture - Focus on the persons eyes as the eyes tell the story.
- Take more than one picture as you can always delete the ones you don't use and film is cheaper than trying to recreate the perfect moment.
Now go take some pictures!!
As Always, Happy Creatin'
