Photography Tips for the Beginner

Taking photographs can be an enjoyable and useful activity. Whether you want to take pictures to capture a certain moment or event in your life, or whether it is used as a creative outlet, knowing some basics can drastically improve your photographs. Here are a few simple tips and rules to take great photos.

One of the first things you should do is learn your camera. It doesn't matter what kind of camera you choose to use, but knowing how to use it is paramount. If you do not understand how your camera functions you can ruin a potentially great picture. As you learn more about photography you can get more in-depth with the camera functions. The basics are enough for the beginner.

Take pictures of things you enjoy. Having a passion for your subject will show through to the finished product. For an amateur enthusiast having a prolific understand of many different subjects is unnecessary. Focus on what you like and expand when it interests you.

Once you decide what to take photographs of you need to decide how. You have a few options. You can the photograph horizontally, vertically, or tilted. I recommend horizontal for landscapes and long buildings. Vertically works well for tall objects and making people look taller and thinner. You do not always need to hold your camera perpendicularly to the floor. For an extremely tall object try and take the camera and pointing it up towards the top of the object. This will give it an interesting angle. And tilted and askew is a lot of fun to experiment with. It won't give you a traditional picture, but sometimes that's ok. Play with these until you understand them and how they best show off subjects.

Where the horizon is in picture is important. Breaking a picture in half is usually not recommended. Try placing the horizon in the upper or lower third of the picture. Something else to keep in mind is something called the rule of thirds. This works by basically breaking the photo you want to take up into a 3x3 grid, forming 9 squares. You want to put the focus of your photo on one of the crosses formed from the bisecting lines. This can help the composition of your photograph. Remember though, this is your photo. If you feel the photo benefits from having something centered don't be afraid to try it. This is an artistic endeavor. It's not all about rules.

Almost all professionals would say it is all about lighting. And this is true. Knowing how light will work and manipulating it will get the perfect photo. For an amateur enthusiast you should have a basic understanding of light. A lot of cameras come with flashes. Indoors this should be used, or outside when it is dark. Outdoors, if you are taking pictures of landscapes there is no need for a flash. For taking photos of closer objects you can use your flash for something called fill-flash. This will get rid of shadows on your subject. One of the most flattering times for subjects outdoors in right before sunset and right after sunrise.

Fill the frame. Get closer to the object of your photograph. If your child is the focus of your photo don't have most of your frame filled up by background.

Use a tripod, especially in darker atmospheres. The steadier your camera, the crisper your photograph.

These are just the basics for the beginner photographer but if you use these easy tips your photographs will show it.