The award-winning Guardian photographer David Levene gives ideas on how to get a very good image.
Get nearer
Be bold and get near to your issue fairly than capturing from afar – that may possibly possibly make your matter way too insignificant in the body or mean that unwanted factors creep in to your composition.
If you are super-near, then try out applying wide-angle lenses, which may possibly make your images truly feel more dynamic. Get imaginative with capturing angles: see how your subject appears to be like from down low, or find a superior vantage position from which to shoot down. Check out alternative factors of view somewhat than just accepting what you see right before you.
See the light
As clear as it sounds, it is truly worth remembering that images is dependent on light and, in general, good-high-quality light-weight will enable you to deliver a lot more impactful imagery. Positive, golden hour (the period of time just after dawn or just right before sunset) can be wonderful but you may possibly locate extra appealing situations just in advance of sunrise or following sunset, as the blue night shade mixes with the orange and yellow glows of urban night-lights.
Shoot on manual
If you are employing a standalone digital camera, see if you can operate it on completely guide, or semi-computerized, modes and experiment with different apertures and shutter speeds. Soften the background (if you are comparatively shut to your subject) by shooting with a vast aperture, this sort of as f2.8. Experiment with very long shutter speeds, possibly even moving the digicam though exposing your photograph, to see what type of final results you can get. If you are using a cell phone camera, you must be able to change off the automatic flash, and might be capable to override other settings, too.
Get excellent glass
Spend in much better lenses to see an speedy improvement in your photographs. Beyond the “kit” lenses that may appear as standard with your digicam, you will come across greater distinction and sharpness with fastened focal length or greater-high-quality zoom lenses. “Fast” lenses (those that obtain a wider aperture) will also permit you to shoot extra efficiently in reduce light problems.
Shoot in uncooked
All fashionable DSLR and mirrorless cameras (and even some smartphones) will enable you to shoot uncooked information (these as CR2, NEF or DNG). These retain significantly additional information than Jpegs, which compress files by discarding data and element. You will need much more memory card place and hard push storage but your pictures will have significantly far more scope when it will come to processing them.
Give your pictures a pep
Experiment with some of the standard adjustment equipment in programmes these types of as Photoshop, Lightroom or Capture Just one to uncover approaches to greatly enhance your images. Instruments these as publicity, shadow depth (HDR), clarity and vignetting can do miracles for your photographs (notably if you are taking pictures in uncooked). Never overdo it, even though.