The Camera, infinite possibility. Okay, okay, this is not Star Trek... but it is a journey.
Photography is not about being the best, it is learning to capture a moment.
A moment may be something as Monochrome as this Picture of the Moon :
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fw8G2yKy.jpg&hash=5bf550e4cdb0fa3de0ceada7d895ee24989e221c)
A moment can also be something really Colorful, like this picture:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FUwpGVFm.jpg&hash=9542b8664d8fd332f98b3c3f2b678d187f089a69)
You just got your first DSLR camera and you want to go out, take stunning pictures, but you have no idea what you should do.
So what can you do as a beginner (on a low Budget) to make these Captured moments look as beautiful as they were in person?
These are some tips on how to learn to take photos, based on my own experience. (now i sound like Buzzfeed...)
PLAY AROUND
Seriously, go into Manual mode and learn how your Camera works, learn about Aperture, ISO and Shutterspeed. Those three Settings are the basic things you need to understand (Creativity and understanding of colors will develop while taking photos).
Go by Trial & Error
Try to edit one setting, if you don't like the effect, go back and try the next one. Do this with one setting, then start using combinations of two and so on. Photography is not about knowing, it's a lot of learning by doing.
Photographers are VERY PICKY
If you upload your Pictures to any social media chances are, that you follow other photographers. They have all these stunning pictures and.... NO STOP they have probably a whole lot of experience, they may shoot 100 pictures (i sometimes get around 150 - 200 after a long day) but they only upload 5-10 pictures, the best 5 - 10 pictures. So those pictures you see are not the only pictures.
NEVER force Pictures
If you go out,wether you're taking photos of landscapes or persons, sometimes we all have a bad day. I once went out, taking all my gear with me. It was very nice to be out, lovely landscape, nice Light, beautiful sky. On that day i took my camera out, for exactly one picture. Why? because a beautiful as it was, sometimes you just can't find any composition.
After all those "Personal Tips" here are three things i like in my pictures (with examples):
CONTRAST
Wether it's a Monochrome picture or a Very Colorful Picture, try to use light and shadows to your advantage.
take this boring Picture of a Duck, what makes it look good?
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FwA1yFtN.jpg&hash=a9f4b08b8a57d0cbd85bde22802dc55b366fddba)
The water is dark green, the duck is light brown and white. That is contrast, the difference in Colors and/or brightness. To learn using Contrast, you can try only shooting monochrome pictures, that means they are only in 255 shades of brightness of a specific color, or Black & White, like this picture:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fgj5zpXu.jpg&hash=407c41697fc6b1b1f76c736c7fc19fe2c19e98fb)
Color of Light & Mood
Things can have many colors. Roses are red, Violets are blue (seems counterintuitive but ok), but what color does the sun have? ou may have the urge to say Yellow, but it's actually white, because white light contains all colors. but when this light hits molecules, it scatters and that is how the sky is blue (it's actually transparent as you can see during nights). So light has many colors and if you use the color of the surrounding light, sometimes it appears yellow-ish (warm) sometimes it appears more blue-ish (cold), you can add mood to your picture, as i did in this picture:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FJ5unqbj.jpg&hash=e34ae3d816898745f2843fff6295d3414a34ead2)
This picture feels warm and actually like the Windows XP Desktop background. Surprise, if look closer, you can see snow near the trees in the background. This picture was shot during winter (and not edited). the green grass has a slight yellow tint and the clear blue sky makes it feel like summer (or Win XP).
PERSPECTIVE
So you went to a huge city, you take pictures but they look like everyone else's pictures. most people use the wrong perspective, straight on, one object, shot from the height of your chest or head while standing (Standard Tourist Perspective). That is VERY BORING and ruins many pictures. if you're taking a picture of Big Ben, don't just go there and take a picture, think about your position, height, surrounding objects and your distance to that object.
Try something like this:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FhiP24WD.jpg&hash=07b1dd504b3ea3ae243714ea6765b94047fd5f3c)
Maybe you don't like closeup, try this (actually a bad picture but a good example):
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FKggB3Mo.jpg&hash=36ccc9f5f1cdc210a962d87beac2c59ca9f761f7)
All these pictures however have one thing in common:
Me, my perfectionism, my style of taking pictures. And that is the most important thing in your pictures, not me... YOU, the Photographer, not the camera. As much as you may think that, the Camera is only a part of your gear, but without you, the camera won't do a thing.
For those, who are sceptic, this picture was shot with my phone camera:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BM7IpOahl-H/ (https://www.instagram.com/p/BM7IpOahl-H/) (sorry, there's no other way of sharing it)
So my final word on this is:
Go out, think about how you want things to look, what you feel. Put your feelings into the picture, Think about the moment, the perspective, color and contrast. At first you might struggle to think about all these things but while you're taking any photo, Take your time, give it the absolute best you have.
A Photographer's Photos are part of them, as well as their camera and the social media profile they may upload to. If you follow some of this advice on learning, take your time and just do it (greets from Shia Labeouf xD) you may find yourself get better over time, learning to use the camera, learning to see a composition.
I hope this is useful to some people, my explanationa aren't the best, but i want to share this with all of you, so you can learn what you like (assuming you like photography).
-Emma
I take photos too. I have a DSLR but it's much easier to use my phone or my mirrorless.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170822/b53143a008c9c6f753bc965950f97d80.png)
That's with my mirrorless. I think the reflection is from the back of my polarizer.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170822/409737d2e7940f7bf4bef01a47959fe6.jpg)
That's with my old phone camera - the good smartphone.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170822/1b12f62d2cb8754a938cd7b65bcb43ad.jpg)
That's taken with my DSLR.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170822/3551d8e9689c277bd0ac67a4f22b800e.jpg)
That's taken with my tablet
I have a cheap flip phone right now and the pictures are soft but ok.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk