We get asked a lot of questions about image enhancement and photography. Luckily we have the benefit of spending a lot of time analysing photos at the pixel level. So we thought we’d answer a few of the more common questions here for our Clients and put out a few tips to help you get some great pictures.
- Try to take Candid pictures. Quite often the best pictures are taken at impromptu moments when the subject isn’t looking directly at the photographer and you capture the moment. Give it a go and you just might like the result.
- Don’t shoot your subject into the sun. Try and get the sun behind you so that it illuminates your subject and doesn’t wash out the colour. Typically for landscape shots dawn and dusk are your friends and use a tripod where possible. (Even cheapies are better than "none-ies").
- Never shoot on any setting except for the highest resolution setting of the camera. Memory cards are cheap and there is nothing worse than getting a great shot that pixelates or blurs at any attempt to enlarge it. Most people have spent as much as possible to get the highest resolution camera and then shoot in low-res mode. 2 Gigabyte memory cards are now pretty inexpensive. Spend 5 minutes, go through your cameras setting and set the image size to maximum resolution. You’ll be very happy you did!
- Make a point of seeking out pictures of other photographers. Note what you like and don’t like and practice taking a lot of pictures. Critique your own work – you are the only one you have to please. If your working in the digital realm its all free once you’ve bought the camera - exploit it!
- No Camera – No Picture. Try and get in the habit of taking the camera with you when you go out. You’ll find that you get a lot more great shots than you think.
- Try not to use digital zoom – it is deceptive and evil! Use optical zoom instead or get closer to your subject (except when shooting large carnivorous wildlife!). I learned this one while shooting monkeys in Penang! (OK they only acted carnivorous).
- Never work on the original file with editing software. Work only on a backup or you will be sorry. Back up work frequently – especially if you use PC.
- If you’re unsure about the composition of the shot, shoot wide and crop later just before you print your photo. Few things are more frustrating than wishing you had another half inch of picture in the frame. If you follow #3 then you’ll have enough pixels to play with.
- Deceptively simple one here: Keep your lens clean. Most people don’t check their lens from one year to the next!
- Don’t let your photos languish on a hard drive. They were taken to be looked at, admired and remind you of the best times of your life. Personalise your space and enjoy them.
I can almost guarantee you that if you follow these steps and choose the right enhancement and printing process of your images you will get prints you never thought you were capable of taking!
A great site for photo enthusiasts is www.luminous-landscape.com. As far as we can tell they are pretty unbiased and have pretty good camera reviews. They are mainly pro landscape photographers but cameras are cameras and it’s a good source of information.
“Google-ing” sites for camera reviews are probably the best way to find out about new camera features and suggestions. Try to find sites that Do provide reviews and Don’t sell the products they review.
Well, we have compiled a few pointers to help you get the photographs you want. They are subjective and meant only as a guide. Don’t be too upset if your pictures don’t look like the ones in magazines. Much of that is digital post processing and enhancement.
We do this for our customers as a part of the printing process.
We hope this helps (Arthouse Central)