Photography Step By Step

I will conclude this first beginner tutorial with some basic ideas that you need to have in mind when taking photos, so that you will be satisfied with the final result.

What goes through your mind in the moments as you raise your digital camera up to take a shot and before you press the shutter? If you’re like many digital photographers you’re not thinking about too much – you just want to capture the moment and then move on. However getting in the habit of asking some simple questions can help take your images to the next level. Here are some questions to get in the habit of asking while framing your shots.

What story am I telling? – This is an important question and one that should help you to make any number of decisions in terms of composition, framing, exposure etc. In essence what you’re asking is “why am I taking this shot? What is it’s purpose and what am I trying to convey?” Is it purely a way to keep a record of a moment, are you trying to capture the emotion of a moment, is it possibly a shot to give to someone, is it part of a larger series of shots or will it be the only shot to commemorate the moment etc.
What is the visual focal point of this shot? – What will viewers of this picture naturally have their eye drawn to in this scene? Once you’ve identified this focal point you can think about where to place it in the frame (consider the rule of thirds for example).
What competing focal points are there? – Once you’ve identified what you do want your viewers eyes to be drawn towards and have placed it in the frame – scan your eyes over the shot and see if there are any competing focal points and ask yourself whether they add to or take away from the image? Secondary focal points can add depth to shots but they can also be very distracting and so you might need to reposition yourself or adjust your focal length and/or depth of field to accommodate or remove them from your shots. Also keep in mind that if your shot has more than one focal point that it might be worth taking two shots, one of each focal point, in order to keep things simple.
What is in the background and foreground? – One of most common places for distractions in digital photography is the background of your shots. Run your eyes over the space behind your subject to see what else is in the image (do the same for the foreground). Consider whether you want the background in focus or nice and blurry.
Am I close enough? – Another common mistake in digital photography is taking shots where your subject is too small in the frame. Shots that fill the frame with your subject tend to be much more dynamic and show a lot more detail of your subject. To get this effect you have the option of moving yourself closer, moving your subject closer or using a longer focal length to give the effect of closeness.
What is the main source of light? – Always give consideration to how your subject is lit. Without light you’ll lose detail and clarity in your image and your camera will have to compensate by doing things like increasing ISO and lengthening shutter speeds (which could lead to noisy and blurred images). What is the main source of light, where is it coming from, is there enough light, do you need artificial light sources (flash etc), do you need to stabilize your camera on a tripod to stop camera shake due to low light etc.
Is my Framing Straight? – It’s amazing how many otherwise good photos are spoiled by framing that is slightly offline. Sloping horizons and slightly leaning people or buildings should always be in the back of your mind to check.
What other perspectives could I capture this subject from? – Put 10 digital camera owners in front of a scene and most of them will take exactly the same shot from the same position. Make your images stand out from the crowd by challenging yourself to not only take the standard shots that everyone else will get but to find creative and fresh angles and perspectives to shoot from.
How would holding the camera in the other format change this shot? – Many photographers get into the habit of always holding their camera the same way (horizontally/landscape or vertically/portrait). While it’s OK to have a preference one way or the other it’s also worth remembering that changing the format can drastically change the impact of the shot. Don’t forget you can also hold your camera at an angle for an effective result too.
How will the eye travel through this image? – This is related to asking about focal points but gets in touch with the fact that while you’re photographing a still image your viewers eyes don’t remain still as they look at an image. People tend to follow lines and are attracted to shapes and colors so considering all of these different visual elements and cues can help improve your shots considerably.

Of course you probably won’t remember all the questions and you’re unlikely to go through each of them with every shot you take – however next time you head out with your digital camera concentrate on asking yourself at least one or two of them as you take your shots. As you do you’ll find that they become more automatic and in time you’ll naturally take digital photography shots that take into account all of these elements.

The background in a photography is both an opportunities and a challenge to photographers. On the one hand it can put a subjects in context and make it stand out in a way that highlights it wonderfully, but on the other hand backgrounds can overwhelm subjects and distract from them. Some of the common problems that photographers have with backgrounds are:

Distracting Focal Points – this can happen to everyone – you line up a shot of a friend to take a portrait and just as you press the shutter someone else pops into the frame with the intention of ruin your shot. The result is that the real focal point of the shot becomes this person which pops into the frame. This is an extreme example of distracting focal points in the background but it’s something that happens quite a lot.
Protruding Elements from Subjects Heads – this is something so common that I have to mention it. When shooting a portrait one of the common mistakes is for some background element to look like it’s sticking up out of a person’s head – like a horn. It’s often trees but could be anything. These shots can be quite comical but can also really throw the composition of a shot off.
Competing Lines – if your subject has lines in it and your background also has strong lines they can compete in such a way that the image becomes busy or so that the lines clash with one another.

There are a couple of strategies for dealing with distracting backgrounds:
Check your Background Before Hitting the Shutter Release: Always scan the background of your shots before taking a shot. Look for colors that don’t fit with the rest of the image, bright patches that might distract the eye, lines that clash, people that don’t belong etc.
Move Your Subject: This is a fairly simple technique but is probably the first thing you should consider. Quite often asking a portrait subject to take a step to the left or right will fix things either by putting the distraction behind them or by putting it out of frame.
Change your Shooting Angle: If you have distracting elements in the background of a shot but can’t move your subject another strategy is to move yourself and shoot from a new angle. This might mean rotating around your subject but could also include getting down low to make the sky the background or even getting up high and shooting down onto your subject to make the background the ground.
Using Aperture to Blur Backgrounds: One of the most useful things to learn as a way to combat distractions in backgrounds (and foregrounds) is to use the power of your lens to throw the background out of focus using depth of field. What you’re trying to achieve with this technique is a nice blurred background where you can’t really make out what’s going on there. The easiest way to do this is to use a wide aperture (the smaller the number the wider the aperture). The wider your aperture the more blurry your background should become. The quickest way to see the impact of this strategy is to switch your camera into aperture priority mode and to take a number of shots at different apertures. Start with an aperture of f/20 and work your way down – one stop at a time. Once you get down to under f/4 you’ll start seeing the background in your shots getting blurrier and blurrier.
Using Focal Length to Blur Backgrounds: Another way to help get your backgrounds nice and blurry is to use a lens with a long focal length. Longer tele-photo do help a little to get narrower depth of field. In actual fact the impact is smaller than it seems and the main reason for the change is that with a longer focal length the subject actually takes up more space in the frame. Using longer focal lengths does seem to have some impact and is worth experimenting with.
Place Subjects In front of Open Spaces: Placing your subject a long way in front of other objects will also help to make those objects more blurry. For example if you have the choice between shooting your subject standing right in front of a brick wall or standing in front of an open field – the open field shot will have a much more blurred background simply because the brick wall is just centimeters from your subject whereas an open field stretches off into the distance where everything will be out of focus.
Fill your frame with your subject: One of the most effective ways of removing distractions from backgrounds is to remove the background altogether by totally filling the frame with your subject. Get up close and/or use your zoom lens to tightly frame the shot and you’ll not only remove distractions but could end up with a high impact shot as well.
Make your Own Background: Sometimes there just isn’t any suitable background and so you might want to consider making your own. This could range from buying a purpose built studio background or simply buying some cloth to do the job for you. The other thing to keep in mind is that in many instances you can move things around in the background of your shots (especially if you’re shooting indoors).
Post Processing: There are numerous ways of editing a shot after you’ve taken it to get rid of distracting elements. These can include blurring techniques, actual removing of elements and replacing them and techniques such as selective coloring (making your subject stand out by making your background black and white).

There is a rule in photography that says if you want to improve your photographs 100 percent, move closer. It’s true. The one sure way to keep from including too much extraneous information in a photograph is to fill the frame with your subject and nothing but your subject. Filling the frame from edge to edge leaves little doubt about what your intended target was. There are two ways to get closer: Use a telephoto lens or walk closer to the subject.

While empty spaces can be used effectively in photos to create stunning results you’re much more likely to get a positive appreciation from those looking at your photos if your shots are filled with interest. This technique is particularly important when taking pictures of people whose facial features tend to disappear when you move away from them. While it can be appropriate to take shots that put a person in context with the environment that they are in, if they get lost in the picture you might as well just take a shot of the scene and leave them out of it.

The simple act of making your subject bigger in the frame involves the viewer at a much more intense level. A chin-to-forehead portrait of an interesting face, for example, immediately puts the viewer eye-to-eye with your subject. A very tight shot of a bear, even if you made it with a long lens at the zoo, creates breathless drama.

A common problem here is that we often think we’re filling the frame when in fact we’re not even close. What’s happening is that when you’re standing in front of a scene, you’re concentrating so intently on your subject that your brain is tricked into thinking your subject is closer than it actually is. The solution? As soon as you think you’re close enough to your subject, take a few steps forward and try again. Just before you snap the shutter, roll your eye around the frame and see if there’s anything you can eliminate. When in doubt, take a few more steps closer.

Vertical lines have the ability to give a variety of different moods in a photograph ranging from power and strength to growth. As horizontal lines can be accentuated by shooting in horizontal format vertical lines can be used very effectively by swapping the way you hold your camera into a vertical framing. This lengthens the vertical subject further which can emphasize it’s height. The other option is to break this rule and frame your vertical subject horizontally which will give it the sense that your image can’t contain it.

It is important to attempt to keep your vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible. This is not always possible if you’re shooting looking up an image as the subject will taper off towards the top – but attempt to keep it’s center as straight as possible. Keep in mind the Rule of Thirds when you have strong vertical lines in a photograph. Placing a line directly in the middle of a shot will effectively cut your image in half. This can be used with dramatic impact but also can leave your image looking segmented. Also keep an eye out for vertical lines that are repeated in patterns in your images as they can be used to great impact – particularly if they are contrasted with other shapes and lines going in different directions.

Diagonal lines generally work well to draw the eye of an image’s viewer through the photograph. They create points of interest as they intersect with other lines and often give images depth by suggesting perspective. They can also add a sense of action to an image and add a dynamic looks and feel.

Consider how you might use diagonal lines to lead the eye to your photograph’s main subject or point of interest. Studies have been done into how people view images and many of them say that a natural way into an image is by traveling left to right and so a diagonal line starting at the bottom left and moving to the top right of an image can be quite useful and natural. Of course you wouldn’t want to split your image into two with a harsh line from corner to corner. Look for for patterns and curves between shapes that might do this naturally. Rather than making a line go from the very corner to the opposite corner it’s often good to make them off center and go to either side of corners. Keep in mind that numerous diagonal lines leading in different directions and intersecting with one another can add a sense of action to your photo but adding too many diagonal lines might make it chaotic and confusing.

When considering the composition of an image one of the elements that photographers look for are ‘Lines’. The lines that can be found in images are very powerful elements that with a little practice can add dynamic impact to a photo in terms of mood as well as how they lead an image’s viewer into a photo.

Basically we will consider three types of lines, ‘horizontal’, ‘vertical’ and ‘diagonal’. Each one has a different impact upon a photo and should be looked for as you frame your shots. Learning how to use lines in photography takes time and practice to become good at it. A good way to practice is to go back through older images that you’ve taken and look for lines that worked well and those that didn’t. Then next time you go out with your camera, before you frame your shot ask yourself what lines are in front of you and how you might use them to add something to your next shot by working with them rather than against them.

Horizontal line in an image conveys a message of ’stability’ or even ‘rest’. Horizons, fallen trees, oceans, sleeping people – all of these subjects have something about them that speaks either of permanency and timelessness or rest. Horizons are the most common horizontal line to be found in photographs and they often act as a dividing point in a photograph – in effect an anchor that the rest of the image is formed around. If you want to accentuate the calming stable impact of a horizon one effective technique to use is to shoot your images with horizontal framing (with the longest part of your cameras frame from left to right. Alternatively if you want to reemphasize horizontal lines shoot with you camera in a vertical framing. Also keep in mind that unbroken horizons can lead to a photograph feeling static and a good strategy is to use other shapes in the landscape you’re photograph to break things up and give a point of interest (mountains, trees etc).

Horizons should generally not be placed in the middle of your frame. This leaves an image feeling unsettled compositionally. A much more effective technique is to place them in the upper or lower third of your frame (read the Rule Of Third lesson). Layers of horizontal lines can create rhythm or patterns in an image that can become the focus of an image in and of itself.