One of the great things about photography is that anyone can do it. While not just anyone will be able to pick up a camera and take professional quality pictures, the amateur can follow a few tips to produce photos worthy of being proud of.  Follow these tips to improve your photography today…

1. Pay attention to natural lighting. You might need to use your flash feature or install additional sources of light, but you can use natural lighting to create interesting effects with light and shadow. Position your subject accordingly. Make sure the photograph is not too dark or too bright.

2. Focus on learning a single aspect of your camera’s settings before moving on to the others. Doing so enables you to concentrate on the photos themselves, instead of wasting time messing around with camera settings while your shot passes by.

3. Make sure you have the right lighting before taking a photograph. Lighting is perhaps the most important factor in producing a good black and white photograph, because it affects the texture, contrast and shape of the image. Side lighting can produce some dramatic photographs as it creates shadows and highlights the edges of shapes.

4. Focus on quality and not quantity. It is always better for you to get ten great shots than one hundred average shots in a day. Quality is always the better choice.

5. Learn the uses of the different shutter speeds. These are labeled S, A, M and P on your camera. The letter “P” indicates program mode. This mode will completely automate the shutter and aperture selection process. If you have no clue about what subject you’re photographing, the “P” setting is helpful.

6. Use a polarizing lens filter on your camera. This is essential when shooting in direct sunlight, but also can be beneficial in any lighting situation, as they minimize glare and create an even distribution of light. Think of polarizing lens filters as sunglasses for your camera. They are inexpensive, easy to attach and have the added benefit of protecting your expensive lenses from scratches.

7. Learn when to break the rules and defy conventions. The more you look at other people’s pictures, the more you will notice common treatment of popular objects. Do your best to adopt a different style. Approach conventions and trends as something you can learn from, but do not reproduce them in your art.

So much goes into taking a picture that learning about it by reading may seem like a challenge. Getting out there and practicing some of these tips will clarify the meaning of them so much better. If you’d like to develop your photography, sign up for DLPHOTO’s Beginner To Pro or one of our Pro Photography Workshops today.