Assignment on Fundamentals of photography Understanding Your Camera and Ways to Land a Quality Image

They say that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Photography is an art and by using this art form we can express our point in a powerful manner. A picture captures a moment in time and freezes that moment. A photograph can essentially be used to represent a social movement or express an idea. We can create beautiful memories and recall them whenever we want. Photography can transport us to a new world and see the world from a different angle. This is the era of smartphones and everyone is carrying their camera with them in their pockets. You can shoot great photos from your smartphone camera if you know the basics right. When it comes to DSLR’s people usually rely on the auto mode and click the shot without being aware of what they are doing. Taking professional photos require you to think like a professional photographer. You need to follow the basics and understand your camera to land a quality photo. It requires some practise and getting out of your comfort zone. Since DSLR’s are common for professional photography we are going to focus on DSLR photography and how to understand its controls. Here are some ways you can land a quality image.

Holding your camera properly: Most of the beginners don’t know how to hold the camera properly. This causes blurry images and overexposed images. Tripods are always an option, but you won’t be using them often and you should learn to hold your camera properly. Camera should be gripped with both hands your right hand should be on the grip and left hand should be under the lens of the camera to give support. To avoid shaking you should hold your camera closer to your body. You can always take support of a wall or sit down on your knees to adjust the angle.

Shoot in RAW: Shooting in RAW mode gives you the full image data and does not compress it. You get higher quality images when you shoot in RAW and it gives you headroom in postprocessing. You can adjust the image according to your needs in post processing rather than relying on the camera’s processing. One downside in shooting RAW is that it takes much more space than shooting in auto mode. It is because the image contains all the information and isn’t compressed. If you have time and know about photo editing than shooting RAW can give you an edge.

Understanding the Exposure: Exposure means how much the sensor is being exposed to light and what amount will be suitable for the image. There are three important factors to consider when dealing with exposure which are ISO, aperture and shutter speed. You can adjust these settings when you are in manual mode. By adjusting ISO, you can control the sensor sensitivity to light. A higher ISO means the sensor will be more sensitive to light and a lower ISO means the sensor will be less sensitive to light. Lower ISO is good for outdoor shooting in the daytime and lower ISO helps in low light situations. Aperture controls how much light goes through your camera’s sensor and the depth of field. A narrow aperture is good for group shots while a wider aperture is good for isolating your subject. Shutter speed can be used to let more light in and get interesting effects in our shots.

Do not use Flash: Using flash can create some unwanted effects like red eyes and deep shadows. Instead it is better that you increase the ISO and get as much light as possible into the image. The image will be a bit noisy, but it will be much better than the flash version.

Try Different Perspectives: You can be a add creativity to your photography by trying different angles and perspectives. You can experiment with different angles to take a shot and maybe you end up with something amazing in the process.

Rule of Thirds: Rule of thirds basically divides your picture into nine sections by placing a grid of two vertical and two horizontal lines. It helps in positioning your subject or important elements of a scene. You can enable this feature from your camera settings. It is a handy feature to have if you are a beginner in photography.

Analyse your Background: Background of the picture should not be distracting and should be simple. Subject should be the main focus of the picture rather than the background. You can get close to your subject in a distracting environment to get a perfect shot. Try to keep your background neutral to make the image pop.

Shooting in Sunrise and in Sunset: Lightning conditions can greatly affect your photo. Sunrise and sunset time are widely considered to be the ideal time for taking photos. Lightning conditions in these times are perfect for a shot. They photos taken in these situations are perfectly light balanced and provide a serene feeling.

Be Selective in Your Shots: Be selective and analyse your photos before sharing or posting. You can take multiple shots and narrow down the one which you think is perfect. By analysing your photos, you will learn about the mistakes you make during taking pictures.

Using a Tripod: Using a tripod will help you in getting interesting and sharper images. It will also help you in long exposure shots. Taking long exposure shots requires you to keep the camera still and the shutter open for longer period that’s where the tripod comes in and makes things easier for you.

Learn from Mistakes: Learning from your mistakes can greatly help you in mastering photography. You can’t always get the perfect shot. You need to think about what went wrong and try to analyse the situation. You can also refer to books and blogs written by professional photographers to improve your photography skills.

            Photography is an art and you can inspire people with art. If you follow the above tips and practise them then you will be taking great photos in no time. Happy Photography.