Simple Photography Tips

15/08/2014


beautiful bride


So some of you may already know that I actually studied photography at University, mainly in a fine art capacity in terms of my personal work but I was lucky enough to received excellent training in traditional photography and dark room printing and film development along with studio and lighting work. The great thing about modern photography and cameras is that you don't need to know everything to take beautiful and well composed images but with a few keys skills and basic knowledge anyone can create some beautiful memories and the one advantage of working with digital is that you can play around until you find what works for you, unlike film which is expensive (although still my favourite)

studio portrait

My top tips for creating beautiful photographs are

1. Get to know your camera - whenever I use a new camera I always have a proper look through the manual - I know this is pretty boring but each cameras is slightly different and actually knowing how to use it properly is key to understanding it and how to get the best out of your equipment

2. Learn how to make use of natural light - it's far more flattering. Flash can be very harsh if not controlled properly and most of the most beautiful photography is shot in ambient lighting.

3. When shooting people don't forget to have fun and don't get too caught up in perfect composition, it's more about capturing moments rather than a perfectly balanced image


child photography


4. If shooting objects don't be afraid to style the shoot, the finer details are often what makes it eye catching.


amazing cupcake


5. Learn how to control your aperture - this is key if you want to create a shallow depth of field aka focus in the forefront and a blurry background. You will need to take your camera off Auto to create this look.


wedding photography


6. Don't get too caught up in the idea you need a expensive camera, if you have a DSLR the most important thing is actually the lens, at the end of the day all a camera is in theory is a light proof housing. The better the lens the better the glass used to manufacture them which adds to the sharpness and softness of the image and an expensive lens on a cheaper camera will always produce better images than a cheap lens on an expensive camera.

7. Get to grips with some post-production software such as lightroom and photoshop but don't rely on these to correct mistakes or salvaged badly lit images, they should simply be used to enhance your photography.

Photobox have put together a great little guide - 9 essential portrait photography tips if your starting out in photography and want to get to grips with what does and doesn't work, it's a really wonderful little guide and even if you have a lot of experience it's good to remind yourself of some of the key rules when it comes to taking beautiful photographs

The main thing is to have fun, learn through trial and error and don't give up.


This guide was sent to me and created by PhotoBox

14 comments:

  1. Great tips! I'm going to out some of these into practise this weekend at the festival. X

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  2. Love this post, I'm working on a photography event for Cardiff but if it all falls through I will do one myself and get the lovely St David's photographer in to help xx

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  3. I always love your photography, some great tips! x

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  4. totally agree with point 3! sometimes it's more about capturing the moment rather than worrying about perfect composition, etc. and n.6! it's all about the lens rather than the camera when it comes down to it.

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  5. Great tips, especially the one about an expensive lens on a cheaper camera being better than vice versa. I really want to upgrade my camera, in fact I really need to as using mine on manual is a pain but I think maybe I will just go one up then get a better lens :) x

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  6. great tips, I've taken some great photos on my point and shoot, though I do love my DSLR!

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  7. I bought a new camera recently, not a DSLR, but quite a good one and I'm ashamed to say I still always have it on auto. I really need to get to grips with the manual and play with it more. Thanks for these tips x

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  8. I really need and want to get better at photography, thanks for the tips!

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  9. Fantastic pictures and super tips. I love the picture of the cake and how you have captured the fine detail.

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  10. These are awesome tips, I am in desperate need of a camera, I am currently relying on my iPhone 5 and it is alright but just doesn't do some of my photos justice!

    Georgia x

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  11. ooh i didn't know some of these things, they're so simple yet so important. Fab photos btw :) x
    | Life as a Petite || Fashion, Crafts & Lifestyle Blog |

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  12. The comment I made on another post that was meant for this one. Great advice. I would love to take photography class.

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  13. Great post!

    I'm on the hunt for some new lenses for my DSLR at the moment, do you have any suggestions for good all rounders? I'm using a Canon EOS :)

    Cheryl
    x

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  14. This is perfect timing as I've just promised my readers I'll make some effort to improve my pictures! I actually did a City and Guilds in photography many years ago, but I've forgotten a lot of it. Mostly though I've just got lazy and don't put the effort in. These tips will definitely help. Thank you!

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