9 tips for better photography
1. Take more photographs
This hardly seems like a tip, but it's true that most people I know who claim to be really into photography spend so much time talking about (and lusting after) camera gear that they rarely seem to actually take any pictures.
If you find yourself examining the sharpness of your lenses, or planning how much better your images will be when you get your next camera, then you probably will not be creating great photos and are unlikely to until you get out there and use the gear you already have!
When you are actually out taking photographs, don't just take one picture. Snap several from different positions or with different settings - digital is cheap and you should take advantage of that!
2. Experiment
Take your camera off it's usual settings and take several different versions of the same photograph using different ones. If you have a fully manual camera, learn how the three kings (Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO) work together - you can use many combinations of all three to achieve the same exposure, but with different effect.
3. Change your point of view
99% of all images I see are taken from adult head height, simply because this is the default point of view of the shooter. Try crouching (or lying) down to take that shot. See if you can get up high and shoot from above.
Simple changes in position can radically change the drama of a composition and set your pictures apart.
4. Go hunting
Unless you are incredibly lucky, great pictures do not come to you. You need to go out looking to find them. Never forget that light is not constant throughout time, try going back to places at different times of the day to see how the changes in lighting affect the look of a scene. I have lost count of the number of times I have found a location and returned to the same spot at dusk, early in the morning, in summer and in winter just to see how it changes. I return to some scenes year after year waiting for the perfect moment to capture it's essence.
5. Bad weather means interesting pictures
Put your coat on and go out in the rain. If the weather looks unsettled, then that should be a signal to look for interesting sights. You could catch unusual light patterns as the sun breaks through the clouds, rainbows, unusual reflections on wet roads or dramatic skies.
6. Look for light everywhere
When the sun goes down don't put your camera away. When you are inside, don't instantly pop up your flash. Often there is enough light to take a good image just providing you take a longer exposure. You will probably need to keep your camera steady (unless you are taking abstract photographs) so need to take a tripod or look for a suitable surface to keep the camera steady.
7. Learn your equipment
Do you know what all the settings on your camera do? Read the manual and try them out! If you don't understand the terms, then "Google is your friend". The best place to try out features you don't understand is at home, in your lounge, garden or kitchen. I use garden ornaments, shoes and common household items - ignoring the strange looks I get from Yve!
8. Use shadows
Look around, sometimes the shadows cast by objects are more interesting than the objects themselves. Shadows can provide visual clues as to the shape of something, or can lead the eye into an image.
A good deep shadow can provide visual contrast in an otherwise flat photograph.
9. Study other peoples photographs
Another really obvious one that many people don't do. Browse Flickr, or any magazine looking for photographs you like. Try and work out what it is that you like about them and see if you can replicate that aspect in your images. Discussing photographs with other photographers is often a good way to pick up tips or think about things in a different way (in direct contrast to talking about cameras with other photographers).
