Digital cameras have done a lot for the world of photography. It has made the sharing of photos much easier, and there are many more aspiring photographers readily sharing their goods on the World Wide Web. But one aspect of Digital Photography that is both a benefit and an impediment is the fact that your "film" is not such an expensive resource anymore. It's great that you can easily take 1,500 pictures in one weekend without spending a dime. And it's also great that you can take the same picture from a number of angles with a number of settings, just to make sure you get it right. But many new photographers have been spoiled by having a bottomless supply of "film", and it's very easy to forget your photo set-up. In an effort to help you become a better photographer, I offer these few simple tips. Think about these every time you set-up a photograph, and you will spend less time deleting photos and more time improving on your skills.
One side note before I continue: This article is written in a way that can be applied to any type of camera, even film cameras. Your equipment does not matter nearly as much as the effort you put into your photographs.
Know Your Camera
It doesn't matter what kind of camera you're using. The biggest and best (and most expensive) camera out there will not help you to make great photographs if you don't know your camera. You need to know what your camera can do and how to do it. You also need to know its limitations. Make sure you know your camera manual inside and out. You could miss an opportunity for a great photo if you're spending time fiddling with your camera.
Many cameras have mode toggles for "Portrait", "Landscape", "Sports", "Auto", "Aperture Priority", "Speed Priority" and so on. If you spend most of your time in "Auto" mode, that's your first mistake. Auto is great for taking quick snapshots. But if you want to create artistic photographs, you really need to use these other modes. These modes alter the way your camera focuses, what it focuses on and it may affect how your flash works. If you want to freeze something in time, use Sports mode. For close-up photographs, use Portrait (even if it's not a human). If you want everything in focus as far as the eye can see, use Landscape mode. You can obviously get very technical with the Aperture Priority and Speed Priority modes, but I don't intend to cover these finer details in this article.
Know Your Light Source
As you know, light is everything in photography. But when it comes to photography, you have to think about light differently. There are three things working against you: First, your photographs are taken from a single point, unlike how you see the world with two eyes. This removes all perspective. Second, photographs deal with a tiny increment of time. In the live world, light appears very differently than when it is frozen in time. Third, the human eye is an incredibly complex system that cannot be matched by your camera lenses. Your lens will bend and alter light in very subtle but noticeable ways. Knowing your light source helps you to overcome this obstacles and turn them into tools.
First of all, the flash on your camera will make your subject appear very flat and it may even alter the color in negative ways. Shadow is necessary to understand the depth of your subject, so try to avoid head-on lighting. Move your light source or position your subject so that light reaches your subject at an angle. Experiment to find the best angle. Steep angles yield more shadows and provide for more dramatic lighting. Shallow angles yield softer appearances. And don't be afraid to use more than one light source for softer lighting. If you must use your camera's built-in flash, you can deflect it with your hand or soften it with a piece of paper to avoid flat, boring photographs. To avoid outdoor portrait mistakes, make sure the sun isn't directly behind you or directly behind your subject.
If the sun is behind the subject, you will likely get lens flare, even if you're using a lens hood. If the sun is directly behind you, even if the sun is high, your subjects will be squinting and that doesn't make for a great photograph. Finally, be aware of back-lighting. The couch in front of your living room window might make a great place for a photograph. But on a sunny day, the light behind your subject will reach your lens much quicker than your subject. Your subjects will appear dark and the light from behind will bleed into the edges of your subject. The “white balance” feature on your camera won't definitively fix this problem either. Pull the blinds or at least use several light sources to make sure your subjects appear brighter than the background.
