Everyone wants to take great photographs, and many of us think we already do. When it comes to taking a picture that others will really want to see, and maybe even pay money for, a little bit of professional help can go a long way! Here we have compiled our list of the top ten outdoor photography tips from the pros.
1- Get ready in advance: Be certain that you have the camera set ahead of time for the conditions of the photograph you want to take. Things such as setting up a long exposure time, locking up the mirror and manual focusing all need to be done in advance to get a great shot of the stars at night for example.
2- Birds in flight are hard to capture: When you want to capture sharp images of birds in full flight (or taking off and landing) you want to make sure you use the "predictive autofocus" feature of your camera. Lock onto the bird before you are ready to take the shot by pressing down gently on the shutter button about half way and hold it. The camera will keep the bird in focus until you are ready to snap the shot, and it should turn out great!
3- People like people: When doing landscape shots, consider adding a person to the picture. This gives the viewer a focal point and puts the size of the landscape into perspective. It can be difficult to grasp the scale of a scene without something familiar to use as a guide. Having a person in the scene can also make it easier to sell.
4- Right place at the right time: Being where you need to be is far more important than having a more expensive camera or micromanaging the camera's controls. Be in the right place at the right time and make sure you don't miss the shot, if you need to fix it up slightly in Photoshop afterward then do so. Great images start out with great vision by the photographer.
5- Half-stop exposure drop: If you dial down the exposure by -.05, it will bring the colors to life and make your shadows really black. This simple step will make your images so much better you will be wondering why you never heard about doing this before!
6- Start looking down: There are so many interesting things at our feet, but how often do we notice them? Try to slow down, relax, and take in everything around you. You may be out to get a shot of an amazing landscape; but there may be a small detail shot right at your feet that could turn out to be the best shot of the day!
7- ND filters can be stacked: If you're trying to take pictures on overcast or cloudy days it can be very difficult to get any details in the sky as well as the landscape. Try stacking two split neutral-density filters, a 2-stop and a 3-stop which makes a 5-stop filter. This gives you more details in the clouds instead of them being overexposed! The trick is to stagger the dark areas of the filters so that there is a gradual and natural transition from the sky to the non-sky area of the photograph.
8- Less really is more: Keep your outdoor photographs simple! Position yourself, or zoom in so that you remove the non-essential elements from the image. What is the most important thing you are photographing and be certain to get rid of anything along the edges that is cluttering up the image.
9- Exposure compensation lives here: Try using Aperture priority for your exposure mode. Adjust the aperture setting, and the camera adjusts the shutter speed. If you need to make changes to the exposure press the exposure compensation button and make your adjustments to save on editing hassles on the computer later.
10- To the moon! To the moon! Try incorporating the moon into your photograph just after sunset. When scheduling a landscape photography session always check the phase of the moon and try to be in a location where you can capture the full moon in your photos. The night before the full moon may even be better as it is higher above the horizon than the night of the actual full moon.
There you have it, our top ten tips from actual professional photographers! Buying some new fancy camera isn't going to help your photographs improve if you don't know how to operate it properly or where to point it. Invest in your skills before you think about buying a new expensive camera.
1- Get ready in advance: Be certain that you have the camera set ahead of time for the conditions of the photograph you want to take. Things such as setting up a long exposure time, locking up the mirror and manual focusing all need to be done in advance to get a great shot of the stars at night for example.
2- Birds in flight are hard to capture: When you want to capture sharp images of birds in full flight (or taking off and landing) you want to make sure you use the "predictive autofocus" feature of your camera. Lock onto the bird before you are ready to take the shot by pressing down gently on the shutter button about half way and hold it. The camera will keep the bird in focus until you are ready to snap the shot, and it should turn out great!
3- People like people: When doing landscape shots, consider adding a person to the picture. This gives the viewer a focal point and puts the size of the landscape into perspective. It can be difficult to grasp the scale of a scene without something familiar to use as a guide. Having a person in the scene can also make it easier to sell.
4- Right place at the right time: Being where you need to be is far more important than having a more expensive camera or micromanaging the camera's controls. Be in the right place at the right time and make sure you don't miss the shot, if you need to fix it up slightly in Photoshop afterward then do so. Great images start out with great vision by the photographer.
5- Half-stop exposure drop: If you dial down the exposure by -.05, it will bring the colors to life and make your shadows really black. This simple step will make your images so much better you will be wondering why you never heard about doing this before!
6- Start looking down: There are so many interesting things at our feet, but how often do we notice them? Try to slow down, relax, and take in everything around you. You may be out to get a shot of an amazing landscape; but there may be a small detail shot right at your feet that could turn out to be the best shot of the day!
7- ND filters can be stacked: If you're trying to take pictures on overcast or cloudy days it can be very difficult to get any details in the sky as well as the landscape. Try stacking two split neutral-density filters, a 2-stop and a 3-stop which makes a 5-stop filter. This gives you more details in the clouds instead of them being overexposed! The trick is to stagger the dark areas of the filters so that there is a gradual and natural transition from the sky to the non-sky area of the photograph.
8- Less really is more: Keep your outdoor photographs simple! Position yourself, or zoom in so that you remove the non-essential elements from the image. What is the most important thing you are photographing and be certain to get rid of anything along the edges that is cluttering up the image.
9- Exposure compensation lives here: Try using Aperture priority for your exposure mode. Adjust the aperture setting, and the camera adjusts the shutter speed. If you need to make changes to the exposure press the exposure compensation button and make your adjustments to save on editing hassles on the computer later.
10- To the moon! To the moon! Try incorporating the moon into your photograph just after sunset. When scheduling a landscape photography session always check the phase of the moon and try to be in a location where you can capture the full moon in your photos. The night before the full moon may even be better as it is higher above the horizon than the night of the actual full moon.
There you have it, our top ten tips from actual professional photographers! Buying some new fancy camera isn't going to help your photographs improve if you don't know how to operate it properly or where to point it. Invest in your skills before you think about buying a new expensive camera.
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