Simplify continued, 5 easy tips

Photography is rapidly becoming one of the number one hobbies for most people, big or small, boy or girl. Previously I mentioned how photography can be quite intimidating, yet when kept simple you find out how easy and fun it can be. It is very easy to find reasons why you can not take a good photo. For instance, your camera is not good enough or not understanding the technical terminology. I have been taking photos for a number of years now and am still learning new ways in taking photos and new ways in understanding my camera, hence the reason I am inviting you on my little blog journey, it is way more fun when you realise that even those “good” photographers are still learning everyday, so why not learn with them.
I have 5 easy tips for you, as a beginner, grasping these tips will shoot your standard of photography to a whole new level. It will take some time to fully grasp it, but take your time and enjoy the results.

1. find the right moment and always be ready for that photo moment; being a new photographer you most probably already have your camera with you at all times, but being ready means always having you batteries charged and enough space on your memory card. Remember your settings, I missed so many photos by being ready, but forgetting to change or preset my camera to the most effective settings, and afterwards kicking up dust because I lost the image to over exposure or blur because I never reset my previous shoot settings. In time this gets easier, but don't forget you are human and that mistakes happen, there will always be another opportunity for an even better photograph.

2. Exposure; understanding how light works and affects your photograph is in my opinion one of the most important factors when taking photographs. Personally, I dislike using flash (although there is a definite place for it), as it disrupts the originality and colour of the image. I prefer natural light, that fresh early morning sunlight, the golden hour in the afternoon or even the natural soft-box effect of a cloudy day, and don't forget the soft light shining through your window making for the most perfect shading. Most SLR cameras today have lightmeters, use it.

3. Depth of Field refers to the range of distance / the sharpness of the background. This unfortunately can only be manipulated if your camera allows for it by having a setting where you can change your Aperture (“A” or “F-stop”). I am always asked “how do you get that blurry effect in the image where only the subject stays in focus”...like this...

the lower the Aperture (F stop) numbers (such as F1.8/F2.8) the more shallow depth of field you will have, “blurry background”. Whereas the higher the Aperture (F stop) numbers (such as F16/F22) will have a longer focal length, meaning more focus in the background. Confused? Don't be, play with your different Aperture settings by taking one photo per Aperture setting and find out how simple it really is.

4. Composition was briefly discussed in “Black and White”, yet deserving of a repeat mention. Even though it seems to be the simplest tip, it can be the make or break of your image. How you choose to frame your image, be it clean and without clutter or busy yet balanced, is everything. This comes with practice and experimenting, changing angles and perspective or tightening in on the subject. Over time this becomes easier and less frustrating, just remember not to over complicate your image, keep it simple.

5. Edit your photograph, yes I said edit. This does not mean you don't need to pay attention when taking photographs because you can just fix the mistakes afterwards, It only means you can fix mistakes afterwards. Maybe you need to tweak the exposure a little, add some warmth or a little more vibrance is needed, this image Processing is called Editing.

Many people will try and convince you to use expensive photo editing programs; there is no need for this, trust me, there are many Free Software photo editing programs out and about ready to use.

http://www.gimp.org/

http://rawtherapee.com/

http://www.darktable.org/ (stable version only for Linux/Ubuntu)

Remember, don't complicate it, photography is not a task...enjoy!