Photography Tips for Beginners

Everyone who is interested in photography has a desire to take or capture better photos. Most of these tips can be applied when using any camera, not just a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera. Even if you have a point and shoot or a camera on your smartphone, then it's worth reading these.

TIP 1: Understanding the Rule of Thirds.

Most photos look better it your subject isn't centered. Almost all digital cameras and ever popular Iphone has a Grid option or format. This consists of vertical and horizontal lines that when over-layed split the image into nine sections. Place items of focus (your subject) on these lines or intersections for a better composition.

TIP 2: always take photos in Full Resolution.

Memory Cards and different storage devices are relatively cheap nowadays. It is always best to take Hi-Resolution photos, because you can always edit a photo down for Facebook or any other social media, but you can never quite fix a "bad" jgeg that is low in quality and resolution to begin with.

TIP 3: Perfect Exposure

The perfect exposure requires the right setting on each of the required fields: ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. To explain briefly then, these three factors determine everything.

ISO/Exposure is how sensitive the camera chip is to light; a high ISO will allow you to take photos even in very low light, but there’ll be more noise (“grainy”). Lower ISOs are better, but not always possible.

Aperture determines the focal length and is the size of the physical opening to the lens. A higher number means there’s a smaller hole letting light in, which results in more of the background being sharp and in focus. A smaller number is a larger opening, so background objects appear out of focus.

Shutter Speed is how long the shutter remains open for, allowing more light in. Leaving it open for a longer time will show motion in a photo, while a short time will show a single moment.

TIP 4: Experiment with you Point of View.
Most people take photos at eye level, right? Boring. Move the camera either up or down for a more interesting shot. Experiment with putting the camera high above your head or close to the ground, for example.

TIP 5: Learn the Modes on your Camera
Even your most basic point and shoot will have at least:

Manual mode where you can specify everything.
Automatic mode where the camera will make a best guess.
Programmed mode where certain characteristics are pre-determined.

On a DSLR, you’ll find a few other modes, and it’s important you understand those too. These modes allow you to set a particular variable and let the camera work out the best values for the others.

Av: Aperture Value. This is the most widely used mode for general shooting and gives you control over the Aperture. The camera will calculate the best shutter speed and exposure to use.
Tv: Time Value. This gives you control over the shutter speed, allowing you to capture either motion or a single moment. The camera will calculate the best aperture and exposure values to use.

Thanks for reading, and I hope these photography tips help you in some way. I don’t presume to be an expert in photography, so if you have any tips, advice or corrections you think should be included then please, let us know in the comments.