1. Eye-Level
When taking photos, especially of pets and children, it's a good idea to KNEEL or BEND down to THEIR eye-level. Instead of just simply looking down at the subject, look at the subject eye to eye. Or eye to lens. This creates a sense of intimacy.
Usually, people don't take the time to notice what is behind their subject. It's not always pretty. Many times, the background may look cluttered and that creates a distraction and takes away the focus from the subject. If you are in a situation where you can't make your subject move, move yourself! Try to position yourself so that when you are taking your picture, the background emphasizes rather than distracts. If you can't change the background you may also try blurring it instead. Also, watch out for trees and poles that appear to "sprout" out of people's head or shoulders. The human eye views things in 3-D. The camera not so much. When looking at a photo, everything is flat. So be sure to not shoot a photo of someone standing in front of a pole or a tree.
3. Fill Flash
Using flash outdoors may not be so obvious, but it really does help. Honestly, using flash outdoors is more of a situational technique. It's usually most helpful if your subject is in a shadow or is wearing hat that shadows the face. It also depends on what your subect is wearing, where the sun is, the time of day, etc,. Turning your flash on is a great thing to do on a cloudy day. It brightens faces and makes the subject stand out from the background. Three things to consider about using flash outside are:
- Is your subect in shadow?
- Is your subject backlit (more light behind the subject rather than to the side or in front)?
- Does your flash reach far enough? On regular cameras with the internal flash, you are safer standing 10-15 feet from your subject otherwise, the flash won't make a difference at all.
Using flash outdoors may not be so obvious, but it really does help. Honestly, using flash outdoors is more of a situational technique. It's usually most helpful if your subject is in a shadow or is wearing hat that shadows the face. It also depends on what your subect is wearing, where the sun is, the time of day, etc,. Turning your flash on is a great thing to do on a cloudy day. It brightens faces and makes the subject stand out from the background. Three things to consider about using flash outside are:
- Is your subect in shadow?
- Is your subject backlit (more light behind the subject rather than to the side or in front)?
- Does your flash reach far enough? On regular cameras with the internal flash, you are safer standing 10-15 feet from your subject otherwise, the flash won't make a difference at all.
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