It seems like every other scrapbooker is also a professional photographer! And if you think an f-stop is a subway station on the way to Queens, you can get a wee bit intimidated.
Now, I'm not a professional photographer (nor do I play one on TV), but I am a professional scrapbooker.
And I've discovered some easy ways to make my photos look better, without investing thousands of dollars in equipment or getting a degree in photographic arts.
No matter what type of camera you have, here are some tips to make the most of the photos you take: 1.
Turn off the flash.
You've probably heard this time and again, but that's because it's true! Flash photos make the subjects look washed out and unnatural.
Turn off the flash and use indirect light for the best results in your photos.
This one step made my pictures look much warmer and inviting.
2.
Get closer.
I rarely hand my camera to my husband because he does the same thing over and over again -- he takes pictures from so far away that the subjects are tiny little specs, and we get a great view of the wall we're all standing in front of.
Use your lens or your feet (what a concept!) to move closer to your subjects.
(If you have a husband like mine, you can still rescue the photos -- most cameras take at such a high resolution that you can easily zoom in and crop out the background during the photo editing/developing process.
) 3.
See eye-to-eye.
Sometimes it's cute to get a photo of a small child from above, but typically, you want to see the subject's eyes.
Get down on your knees (or tummy if you have to!) to get at your subject's eye level.
The photo will seem much more intimate.
4.
Take more pictures.
The more pictures you take, the more choice you'll have for that one "good" shot, and the better you'll become at learning what angles and settings work in what situations.
Really, there is no shortcut for putting in the time.
5.
Remember the rule of thirds.
When you look through your camera's viewfinder, imagine a tic-tac-toe board overlying your scene.
Anywhere two lines intersect is a "hot spot" that naturally draws the eye.
If you want to focus on something, put it at the intersection of two lines on the grid, not in the center of the photo (I don't know why this is, but it's true.
Trust me.
)