How to take a proper photo?

[FlyinCustard]

Hello

I like to take photos of my bike and stuff so I've been looking at the possibility of attending a Digital Photography course somewhere in my area.

After looking into these courses I have noticed that they contain a lot about different lens, light and complex things.

Seeing as tho I will be using a normal point and click digital camera this is not of that much interest to me.

I wondered if the mighty org would be able to do a thread on how to take a good photo?

[plowsie]

My first recommendation, would be to get yourself a Bridge camera, this will aid things slightly. I have one. It does help take some better pictures.

A simple point and shoot should still be okay, just explore the options a bit...

Post up what your using.

[Alpinestarhero]

So you might be wondering about composition? Thats a very subjective thing, but there are general points to follow, such as the rule of thirds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds)

Also think about things like where the light is coming from, sometimes when the sun is behind you and is reflecting off the bike into the camera lense, it can create harsh colours that are not flattering...try having the sun at 90 degrees to you when you shoot...this way, you can capture shadows which give some definition to the picture (at elast, this is what I've found).

If possible, play around with white balance settings to make sure the colours are all proportional...your whites should be white, not a bit red or a bit blue or whatever!

Take loads of photos, play around with whatever settings you can on your camera, see what sort of changes occur. Look at other pictures for inspiration and dont be afraid to emulate something you like for yourself :D

Although I have a nice Nikon D60 SLR camera, me and Maria have both manged to take some great shots with her very very humble HP 5 megapixel point-and-shoot camera. When the light is correct, its a great camera!

[fizzwheel]

Dunno.. I just line it up so it looks right to my eye and then I take the picture...

Theory of thirds as mentioned above seems to be a good rule of thumb, but also dont be afraid to take risks and break the established rules, sometimes it can make a better pic...

[FlyinCustard]

My first recommendation, would be to get yourself a Bridge camera, this will aid things slightly. I have one. It does help take some better pictures.

A simple point and shoot should still be okay, just explore the options a bit...

Post up what your using.

I was using a sony 5 mp point and click nothing special but it broke whilst on holiday, so I will be in the market for a new camera soon. As soon as I've sorted myself a new lid out!

So recently I've been using my phone cam which isn't great, but I've always got it on me when I pop out.

Thanks to every1 for all the tips given:thumbsup:

[lukemillar]

Biggest thing which will affect the way your pics look, is light. Forget the buttons on the camera - the type of light, direction of light and amount of light will make the biggest difference between how your pics look. :D

There are different lighting techniques to can learn but in your position - I'd just experiment for yourself.

[cmsd2]

Biggest thing which will affect the way your pics look, is light. Forget the buttons on the camera - the type of light, direction of light and amount of light will make the biggest difference between how your pics look. :D

There are different lighting techniques to can learn but in your position - I'd just experiment for yourself.

uhuh. lighting's really important :)

here's one I cooked up just now to demonstrate (showing off slightly):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3987803003_3d86a34fa7.jpg

It's a fairly basic composition, but I'm still learning so it took me a while to figure out how to get this far. I did pick up lots of tips from strobist.com

[BanannaMan]

Good advice so far......

Point and shoot camera's generally work fairly well for pics taken in the daylight. (outside)

Also...get a good photo editing program such as photoshop, etc.
Take loads of pics and crop what you don't want in the pic, and play around with contrast, brightness, hue, etc.
Learning to edit photos helped me a lot as to what works and what doesn't and what I want in the pic when I'm taking it.
And it can make your photos look like you know what you're doing untill you really do. ;)

[jambo]

uhuh. lighting's really important :)

here's one I cooked up just now to demonstrate (showing off slightly):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3987803003_3d86a34fa7.jpg

It's a fairly basic composition, but I'm still learning so it took me a while to figure out how to get this far. I did pick up lots of tips from strobist.com

Chris,
That's a really good shot, I have succumbed to strobist.com as well, some of my photos have improved from learning to light but the composition takes thought and practice too :) You're right to show off, that's one to be proud of.

Jambo

[falc]

Yer that is a great pic cmsd2!

FlyinCustard, my advice would be to get out there and just take pictures, take them from all different angles and you will soon see what looks right.

A good photo editor is a good idea too as they can really help your creative side.

In terms of options, even on your camera you will have options that you can change, every time you go out and take photos maybe try to use on of these features or two so you get a good idea of what it does.

[Alpinestarhero]

Just to expand on flac's post, one thing to try is modifying the "aperture" setting, which is quantified by a number given as an "f" number

A small "f" number means the size of the hole letting light into your camera is very big; effect-wise, this means that the things that are in focus are very sharp, and stuff that is either closer, or further away, is blurred; this can allow you to "make" the veiwer concentrate on one particular aspect of the picture

Conversly, a big "f" number means the hole letting light into the camera is small, which means whe you focus, more things will also be in focus that are in front and behind the thing you are taking a picture of

Its quite a usefull tool, especially when taking close-up pictures (maybe if you are getting an image of a sticker ("SV650") or a super-clean brake caliper or something

Have a go!

[FlyinCustard]

Right, been on a ride out today, spotted the chance for a pic.

Thinking of the rule of thirds I tried to compose a more interesting picture.

I have tried to get the bike on the cross over point to the bottom right, the island on the cross over point top left and the horizon on the top third line.

What do you think?
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/neonclio/25102009138.jpg

[anna]

Great shot, but it is important to keep horizon lines straight unless they are angled specifically to aid your composition.

There are so many books out there on composition, the best thing to do is to look at other peoples photo´s. See how their compositions are made up and then try to incorporate the same in your own photos.

There are two things to have to make good photo´s, from what I can gather; I add here that I am by no means an expert and have only a NIKON D60 that I have been playing with, there are FAR more experianced people on here then I am but, the composition is the first and foremost thing, the second is how to drive your camera.

You have an artistic eye, you can learn how to drive any camera you buy to get the best from it, the composition however, is something that having a natural curiosity for your surroundings is a big plus for being able to make great photos.

Any books by Ken Rockwell that are about composition are IMHO on the mark, his comments on the technical elements may not always be on parr. www.kenrockwell.com

Remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Sean_C]

If that was straight and the mirror wasn't chopped off, there wouldn't be much wrong at all ;)

Just a point- I don't like using photo editing software, though I agree that it is useful to use to see what you can do to photos. I like getting everything right in camera, the only thing I struggle with is getting the bloody photo straight..

[keith_d]

IMO there are three components to photography and you can improve on all of them.

1) Composition.

How things are arranged within the frame. There are some basic rules which can be learned from books, but they're made to be broken. You can learn a lot from looking at other peoples photos, and also by going back over your own photos looking at composition.

2) Lighting.

You don't always get a choice, but there are times when flash or reflectors can make a huge difference. IMO the best way to get out and take photos, then look at how the lighting affected the appearance of your pictures.

3) Mechanics

It's worth learning a bit about shutter speeds, aperture and focal lengths. But much of the time you can leave this to the camera. If you take a photography course this should be covered in the first few sessions.


Just my off the cuff thoughts,

Keith

[Alpinestarhero]

If I want to take a picture of a particular scene, then I'll take lots of pictures from many differant angles. Later on, on the big screen, you can see better what you do and dont like

In any case, that pic of your SV there by the water is cool :D If you had a clear sky, then you could have done a longer exposure picture (if you had a tripod too, or somewhere to put the camera down!) and it would have smoothed the water out (but since you had clouds, they might have looked a bit smeared aswell?)

I like it though, the clouds add depth to the image

[cmsd2]

If I want to take a picture of a particular scene, then I'll take lots of pictures from many differant angles. Later on, on the big screen, you can see better what you do and dont like

In any case, that pic of your SV there by the water is cool :D If you had a clear sky, then you could have done a longer exposure picture (if you had a tripod too, or somewhere to put the camera down!) and it would have smoothed the water out (but since you had clouds, they might have looked a bit smeared aswell?)

I like it though, the clouds add depth to the image

you can expose the sky and everything else differently by using graduated filters:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduated_neutral_density_filter

(usually square bits of glass held in an adapter on the front of the lense)

For example, in the city at night, the sky has a lot of light pollution which can overwhelm a nicely exposed picture of lit buildings on the skyline.

By stopping down just the sky, you can get closer to an inky black at the top, or in your case, a deep range of greys in the clouds, while preserving a good exposure elsewhere in the image.

cmsd2.

[Alpinestarhero]

you can expose the sky and everything else differently by using graduated filters:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduated_neutral_density_filter

(usually square bits of glass held in an adapter on the front of the lense)

For example, in the city at night, the sky has a lot of light pollution which can overwhelm a nicely exposed picture of lit buildings on the skyline.

By stopping down just the sky, you can get closer to an inky black at the top, or in your case, a deep range of greys in the clouds, while preserving a good exposure elsewhere in the image.

cmsd2.

I've read alot about them, I'd like to experiment with gradient filters...I like night-time photography, and I get that exact problem

[Richie]

Just got back from a photo shoot from my Dining room table with a couple of beautiful Italian models..;)

photo-shopped of course... :-k but Meh...
hope you like...
if not :smt075...


http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/1999/photozr.jpg