9 Lessons to Sharpen Your Photography Skills

Back to School!

Photo by Deleece Cook from unsplash.com

’Tis the season to start learning a few new things or to remember something you’ve forgotten. Here are nine basic lessons that may help sharpen your skills.

1. Get It Right In-Camera

Sure, you can fix a lot of mistakes in Photoshop, but getting the best shot possible will save you a lot of time and ultimately make you a better shooter.

Learn how to use your histogram, so you’re not blowing out highlights. Move your camera (and your body) to eliminate distracting objects or bright spots.

2. Have a Point

What moved you to take the photo? The light? An interesting face? A majestic landscape?  Be sure that translates to the final image.

Try to remove all elements that take away from the story you’re telling. Be sure the main subject is the sharpest part of the image. Use basic rules of composition to draw the viewer’s eye to it.

3. Fight the Fuzzy

Photos that lack sharpness can be caused by a variety of issues, including:

• slow shutter speed
• camera shake
• low light
• camera focus setting

That’s too much to cover here, but a quick web search will point you to articles on how to fix this.

A good rule of thumb is to set your shutter speed to 1/ focal length. For example, if you’re shooting with a 200mm lens, your shutter speed should be 1/200 or faster. But some recommend doubling that to 1/400.

4. Go Easy on the Processing

Unless you’re going for a dramatic, over-processed look, ease up on the post production. Yes, adjusting the contrast, color, and sharpness can improve your images, but it’s easy to overdo this and make your shots seem a little off.

5. Don’t Be a Chimp

Back in the day, you had to wait for your film to develop before you knew if your settings were correct. Digital photography offers instant results. So, yes, check the back of your camera (including the histogram) to be sure you’re getting what you want. However, it’s really easy to use this as a crutch and check every shot. That’s a great way to miss some beautiful moments.

This so common, there’s even a name for it (chimping). Check periodically, especially if the light is changing, but keep your eyes up most of the time.

6. Have an Angle

Photo by Juan Manuel Aguilar from unsplash.com

Smartphones have made it really easy to take a picture. Most are taken at eye level because that’s how most people see the world. When you find something to photograph, spend a little time looking for an intriguing perspective.

• Get low.
• Shoot up.
• Shoot down on it.
• Find a way to frame the subject.
• Do something to make your image unique.

Photo by Steve Halama from unsplash.com

 

7. Think in 2D

In our three-dimensional world, that lamp post may be 35 yards behind your subject. In a 2D photo, the post will look like it’s growing out of his head.

Remember to search for distracting elements in the foreground and background while you’re setting up the shot and change something to eliminate them.

8. Start at Square One

It’s a good idea to check your camera before you start shooting to make sure your settings are appropriate.

Perhaps you’re going to the zoo and the last time you used the camera, you were shooting star trails. That first shot of the leaping lion gets completely blown out because you’re in Manual and the ISO is still set on a million.

For this same reason, it’s also a great habit to reset your camera at the end of every shoot.

9. Experiment

Most of these points were elementary, but this one applies to everyone. The comfort zone is overcrowded. Get out of it periodically. Learn a new technique. Shoot a new subject. Do something that makes you nervous. Your future self will thank you!

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7 Non-Technical Tips for Improving Your Photography Right Now

By Jim Hamel

Seems like every time someone gives tips about improving photography, they start with something technical. That is understandable; there is a lot of technical stuff to learn in photography. At the same time, it seems like there should be some non-technical things that could be done today — right now — to improve.

Turns out, there are. Here are seven non-technical tips you can use right now to make your photographs better. Try them out next time you are photographing. I guarantee instant improvement in your outdoor photography.

1. Fill the frame

This cannot be overstated enough. We all tend to put some background elements in our picture so that our viewers will recognize the location or context of the picture. The trouble is, beginners always put way too much context in the picture and it dilutes the subject. In any event, we humans are amazingly perceptive and can place context of the photo with only the tiniest of clues.

Next time, try to include just the subject.

Keeping the exposure dark adds drama to this photo of an old barn. Photo by James Hamel

2. Make it darker

Different levels of exposure create different moods. This is especially true of underexposure. It creates a sense of drama and sometimes mystery. Another benefit of slightly underexposing your images is that it makes your colors appear more saturated. Don’t overdo it, but next time try to knock the exposure level down a touch.

3. Get close

A close cousin to the “fill the frame” tip (it bears repeating) is to get close to your subject. Now get closer. Now get closer still. You actually still might not be close enough. Keep at it.

A nice photo of the Rock of Cashel made more interesting by a bird flying across the frame. Photo by James Hamel

4. Wait for action

So, you’ve got a great scene lined up. Maybe it is a landscape, maybe an urban scene. Go ahead and take the shot, but then recognize that you probably just got the same shot as
everyone else.

The scene isn’t going anywhere. Wait for an interesting development. That might be a person walking through the scene. It might be a flock of birds. It can be anything, so keep your eyes open. That extra something can be the thing that sets your picture apart from countless pictures of the same thing.

You don’t need to wait around all day, but another minute or two might make all the
difference.

Using tree branches to frame in two sides of a photo of a windmill at sunset. Photo by James Hamel

5. Frame the subject

Oftentimes you will find yourself before an interesting subject, but with no interesting
background. A great solution to this problem is to use a frame within your frame. It can be a complete frame, or a partial. The most obvious examples are doorways, windows, and tree branches, but almost anything can be used.

6. Fortify yourself

Right before you go out to take pictures, look at the best photography you can find. If you don’t already have your favorite place(s), start with the Popular page at 500px. Doing this right before you head out seems to always lead to better pictures being taken.

I know you don’t believe me, but it makes a BIG difference. Try it and your will be a believer.

7. Take multiple exposures

Don’t just take one picture and walk off, assuming you’ve nailed it. Take pictures from
different angles. Get low, then get higher. Get behind your subject and then in front of it.
Pros call this “working the scene” and it is not uncommon for them to take dozens of pictures of the same thing from slightly different perspectives.

Remember that with digital photography it costs nothing to take pictures — so take advantage of this and take a lot of them.

Do it today

These are all tips you can put into action today. You don’t need any special equipment.
The total cost of all extra gear needed to put these tips into action is $0. So give them a try and you should see immediate improvement.

Jim Hamel

Jim Hamel is not just a great photographer, writer, and teacher, he’s also one of our very own TAPC members. Check out his free photography guides and tutorials at Outdoor Photo Academy. You can also see this original unedited article (with three more tips) and even more images.

Hunting Season: 6 Ideas for Your Next Photo Shoot

This time of year, some people are grabbing their guns and heading out to shoot. For photographers, this is a great time to put the camera down and hunt for things to shoot next.

Go online
Okay, this is probably everyone’s first instinct. You could start with a search for “great places to photograph in Fort Worth.” Or, if you have something in mind, you could get more specific: “Flower gardens in Bedford” or “junkyards in DFW Metroplex.” Adding quote marks around your search phrase will often give you more-focused results.

Use this little yellow guy
Google Maps has what may be the most well-traveled location scout on the planet. And his services are free. Next time you’re on Google Maps, pull that little yellow dude icon onto whatever street you may be looking at. It’s the fastest way to see if a location is worth a personal visit. See the Alamo image above.

Peruse helpful sites
A few sites exist for the sole purpose of helping photographers find stuff to shoot in their area. ShotHotSpot.com allows you to search an area and see the types of images others have captured at various locations. This is a little hit or miss, but it can give you leads and ideas. Searching locations via Flickr, Instagram, and Google Earth can also be enlightening.

Get the apps
Many apps can help you learn more about an area you plan to visit. For example, The Photographer’s Ephemeris comes highly rated. At $8.99, it’s also highly priced, but it shows topography, angles of the sun and moon, weather, and more. Mapillary is another
option for finding street-level imagery around the world.

Photo by Casey Horner from Unsplash.com

Take the road less traveled
Next time you’re headed home, take the long way. Who knows what exciting things you’ll find to shoot? And if you get lost, you can always use your phone to find your way back.

Ask around
TAPC is filled with local photographers who have years of experience. Someone is bound to have been where you haven’t. “Where do you like to shoot?” is also a great icebreaker question for someone you haven’t met yet.