Pictures can improve the house decor and make our spaces more comfortable. They offer the best way of recalling our best and remarkable moments in life. Moreover, pictures can portray a message to a group or a person. However, you need to move a step further beyond using automatic cameras and use manual settings such as light settings to develop well-crafted photos. The manual settings will help you design pictures that clearly show the subject irrespective of the weather and the scenery’s environmental factors. If you are a photographer and would like to improve your skills, here are tips to make your pics look like a pro’s work.
1. Get a Quality Camera
Great photos start with a quality camera. The camera’s quality revolves around its resolution, quality of the lens, lens aperture, the camera software, and the lens zoom range. We have discussed each of these qualities to give you a glimpse of the type of camera you should own.
● The Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in a captured image. Pixels are the microscopic dots making an image. The more the dots (pixels), the more detailed your image will be. When buying, it is advisable to compare different cameras’ resolutions to pick the one with the highest. The lowest resolution starts from 1.3 megapixels in a digital camera, with an acceptable print size of up to 5×7’s.
● Lens and Aperture
The quality of the lens is subject to its magnification ability and image quality. A short focal length gives you access to a wider view, allowing for capturing large objects while a long focal length will enable you to take compact pictures of a distant object. The quality lens should let you adjust the two focal lengths from a single knob. They should also work with the inbuilt software to make up for the poor colors to create balance. Since it’s hard to determine the lens aperture and the inbuilt software’s quality, only stick to reputable companies such as Olympus, Nikon, and canon for quality cameras.
2. Have Good Lighting
Quality lighting can make your images more appealing and enhance their professional look as it gives an accurate rendition of the subject. Thus, you need to be conversant with camera settings, which you can use to improve the background lighting. Alternatively, you can use the lightroom presets to give your picture the desired look. In line with parkerphotographic.com, you can get guides on the use of various lightroom presets and photo editing tools from multiple online platforms to accomplish your photography goals. You can enhance your lighting by:
● Using Light Reflectors
Going for versatile light reflectors will allow you to manipulate light from different backgrounds. For instance, the silver reflective cover will reflect the bright light; the white covers will flashback soft lights, while black covers will help you reduce light from the scene. You can also use the camera flashes and diffusers to control the background light.
3. Choose a Strong Focal Point
The focal point refers to the point of interest or the subject of the photographing activity. It can be anything, including a person, a tree, a car, a building, or anything which could make a great image. To choose a strong focal point, you should focus on things that are likely to capture the viewers’ attention and then customize it to make it more appealing. Here are some composition rules to help you customize your focal point.
● Use the Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds will help you utilize the negative space in your scenery, and give your composition a more natural and appealing look. It involves dividing the focal point using two horizontal and vertical lines and then placing your objects along the lines or at the intersections. The idea is to get the subject off the center of the composition and fill the empty areas.
● Shoot From Different Perspectives
In cases where you need to take several images from the same focal point, you can give the pictures a different meaning by just changing the shooting angles. Move around the subject to identify different angles that make the image more appealing. For instance, you can give the subject a sense of power by taking the shot closely, while a bird’s view angle can provide the subject a smaller look.
4. Learn the Basics for Editing a Photo
Professional photos go choosing the focal points and capturing great images. You need to go a step further and show off your skills by editing your photos. Here are various software you can use for editing your pictures.
● Photoshop
Photoshop will allow you to perfect your pictures with additions such as brightness adjustments, cropping, and color corrections, among other tweaks. Other tools include adobe lightroom, Skylum Luminar, and so on. It is important to research the editing capabilities of different programs to select the best.
5. Get a Tripod
A tripod is a three-legged device that offers support to cameras and other photographing apparatus. They come in different shapes and sizes to fit different functionalities and favor different budgets. Adding one to your kit will help you to:
● Take Photos in Low Light
There are situations where you have to adjust the light reflectors or the objects in the focal point. At those moments, you cannot hold the cameras steadily while adjusting the items in the scenery. The tripod comes in handy to support the camera and let you change the objects to their perfection. It also enhances the stability of the camera, hence taking sharper images.
6. Upgrade Your Photography Tools
Your photographing tools, such as editing software, can become obsolete with time. The camera or its accessories can also become defective due to continued use. It is thus essential to inspect and replace your photographing tools to enhance your working efficiency. Depending on the state of your devices, you may have to:
- Update the editing software
- Replace the tripod if it has weakened
- Replace lenses, reflectors, and filters
- Replace the flashgun and flash diffuser
Now that you have professional tips, it’s now time to show off your photography skills. You can market your professional photos on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also create a well-customized website and upload your best pictures there. By so doing, people will see your excellent work and reach you through your contact details.
