Over the past few months a few people have made comments like “I just got my first DSLR and I’m not sure what I’m doing yet. I’m still shooting on Auto!” Well you dear commenters, this post is for you. Here are some easy tricks and tips to get you on the road to better photographs right out of the box. It doesn’t matter what you’re taking a photo of, whether it be dog, person, or flower, your shots will look just a little bit better by doing these easy peasy no-brainer things.
- Tip #1: Pretend you don’t have a flash. Just forget that it’s on there and don’t ever use it. If you do nothing else, do this. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo that’s been better because of a camera’s pop-up flash. I promise that you don’t need it and you can still get great photos without it.
taken in my basement without using a flash
- Tip #2: Put your camera in Aperture Priority Mode. Manual mode can hard and tricky and all kinds of intimidating. There’s a lot of brain power involved when you’re shooting in manual. It takes time to learn, and if you’re not super interested in it, you’ll be hard-pressed to learn it (I was interested in it and it took me a long time!). Aperture Priority mode on the other hand is almost a no-brainer. If you like those blurry backgrounds that everyone gets, set your aperture to a low number (try starting around 2.5 or 3.5) and shoot away. A low aperture will also help you since you’re not using a flash anymore. Forget about all those other shooting modes on your camera dial and stick with aperture priority mode.
get a pretty blurry background instantly by using a wide (low numbered) aperture
- Tip #3: Practice the rule of thirds. Anyone remember this lesson from the 12 Weeks to Better Photos lesson? Instead of centering your subject, move it to the left or right a bit (or, up or down if you’re shooting a portrait oriented photo). Your photos will automatically be more interesting.
- Tip #4: When you’re inside, shoot near a window. This is another great way to get around using your flash. (See how many ways you can get around using a flash?) You’ll get lots of pretty dynamic light to illuminate your subject.
my light source here was a big window to the right
- Tip #5: When you’re outside, shoot in the shade and not in full bright sunlight. If you can, shoot right before sunset or right after sunrise (maybe you’re an early riser?) to get the best light. Good light doesn’t equal a lot of light, so avoid shooting in the middle of the day when the sun is high and bright. It causes harsh dark shadows.
I took this right before the sun went down
- Bonus Tip #6: Buy a 50mm f/1.8 lens. Okay, this isn’t something that you can do “right out of the box,” but it’s worth the $100 investment. Better yet, if you haven’t bought your DSLR yet, don’t get the kit lens that your camera comes with and buy this lens instead.
Also:
How to Make Your own Fake Photography Studio
Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens Review
12 Weeks to Better Photos: Aperture