How Can I Take Better Pictures?

This is one of the most requested subjects for an article I have received, both here at the blog & in classes I teach. It is a tough subject because there is no concrete answer. But, since so many have asked, I’ll give it a try.

First question? Do you really mean it? It is very easy to get so carried away with all the rules, techniques, equipment, etc that taking pictures ceases to be fun. If your reason for taking pictures is to record your kids growing up, help remember trips, keep relatives informed about where you are & what you are doing, don’t get carried away with improving things. It is easy to become obsessive about the process of obtaining better technical images, and killing the joy of the get together or trip. When you notice your significant other groaning when you take out the camera, it is a sign you are overdoing it!

That said, read on for some suggestions:

First, don’t use wanting to take better pictures as an excuse for a “better” camera. Although there are some limitations presented by any camera, even the least expensive of today’s point & shoot digital cameras is capable of taking good photographs. You will improve your techniques & images by learning how to use a camera you are familiar with far faster than by purchasing a more complex system you don’t understand. The basic techniques for good photography can be learned with any camera and unless you are planning to print 20″ X 30″ poster prints, any modern digital point & shoot camera will provide acceptable quality. For those (and I certainly count myself as one of them) that always want the next “toy,” my suggestion is to be sure you spend enough time working with what you have so that you can determine what it is that will actually improve your work rather than spending your hard earned money on stuff that doesn’t really matter.

Although the controls & settings are similar between different models & manufacturers of cameras, unless you understand how to adjust the settings on your specific camera you will be stuck with operating it in the automatic mode. Although that may work well most of the time, much of what makes better pictures is forcing the camera to do what you want it to do rather than just pushing the shutter release. Start with the manual that came with your camera. Sure, many of them are poorly written, but it is still a good starting point. If you are lucky, someone has written a better after-market manual. They are more likely to be available for DSLRs, but it is worth a Google Search using the model of your camera and the word “manual” to see what’s out there. I have used Thom Hogan’s manuals for both the Nikon D100 & D200 and find them well worth the cost. Again, it is critical that you learn what your camera is capable of doing if you want to have more control when making images.

Once you are comfortable with the the technical settings & controls of your camera, it is time to think about the process of taking pictures. There are some general books that are useful, for example Jim Miotke’s “The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography” is an excellent book covering general information about cameras & photography. I also like John Shaw’s “Nature Photography” which includes many examples of his work where he explains why he shot the image the way he did, and includes lots of suggestions, both technical & aesthetic, that you can use to improve your images.

There are also thousands of sites on the internet that offer tutorials on almost every subject. I keep a list of links I use for my photography workshops at JV’s Photolinks. If you prefer an interactive application that will run on on your computer, check out 123di by Vincent Bockaert.

In addition to books on photographic techniques, spend some time looking at photographs. There are hundreds of “Coffee Table” books of excellent photographs available, however on-line photo critiques are an inexpensive way to get a feel for what makes a good photograph compared to a “snapshot.” Another advantage of the on-line sites is they usually include critiques that will help you understand what makes the difference. Check PhotoSig, PBase, and Photo.net for some examples. Better yet, as I have suggested in a previous article, join any of these sites, start critiquing the posted images, and add some of your own. Most of the sites are free for beginning or low volume users, and inexpensive to become full members. It takes a bit of nerve to post your images for the world to critique, but you will get far more honest results than what you will hear from friends & relatives. By the way, most of these sites expect you to spend as much or more energy critiquing as posting. It is bad etiquette to post your images without offering critiques of others.

Composition is probably one of the most important things to work with after you are familiar with your camera’s settings & controls. There are some basic rules that I’ll list here – for some excellent specifics, check Alain Briot’s “Introduction to Composition” or the 2nd essay of his series on Aesthetics & Photography, both at The Luminous Landscape Website, or Antti Lehtinen’s tutorial on Composition at his website. It is important to remember that these rules are really suggestions – they can often be broken with good results, but unless there is a good reason for disregarding them, following them will improve your images.

• Rule of Thirds – This is a basic rule of composition. Superimpose a tic tack toe grid over the image. The important elements of the image should appear along one or more of the lines, and any specific focus of attention at any of the cross points. This is not an easy rule to follow since the first instinct is to put the subject in the center of the viewfinder. Even camera manufacturers make this hard to avoid since they often use center weighted or spot metering systems that measure the center area of the viewfinder. Still, if you follow this simple rule you will improve the visual interest of your photographs.

• Horizons are level. Again this is basic. A crooked horizon will disorient the viewer since the mind expects it to be level. Although there may be times you want to confuse the viewer, it is usually a mistake. Some cameras have an internal grid that can be turned on that will help; some tripods have a built in level. If your image has both horizontal & vertical elements (most do) it is important to shoot perpendicular to both directions. If you don’t, one or the other will be distorted. Careful positioning of the camera is necessary to keep everything in its natural position. By the way, this is one of the places where a view camera has an advantage. Because the film plane & lens can be individually tilted, the photographer can correct perspective, improve focus, and a number of other variables by throwing the lens & film plane out of parallel. DSLR users can use perspective correcting lenses to accomplish some of these adjustments. Some photo editing software, for example Photoshop CS2 & later can also correct perspective, however nothing will match a view camera for complete flexibility.
• Don’t split the image evenly with the horizon. Although the rule of thirds suggests this is a bad idea, it is worth repeating. If the sky is important, move the horizon down to the lower third; if not, move it to the upper third.

This is enough to get you started – I’ll try to add some other suggestions in future posts.