(Originally Posted: by Jennifer Barlow (7/11/2009)
Scenario: You ask your friend to snap a photo of you, and Uggh… When you take a look at the digital photo, your pupils are bright red and you look like a scary, smiling demon! Not only that, but the photo is slightly blurred, the room looks dark, and the colors are dull!
You’re frustrated as you skim through the other pics you snapped: they’re not much better… You wonder how you can become a better Digital Photographer and make fewer “digital bloopers?’
Solution: Take better shots, strengthen your photography skills, and make yourself and your photos more photogenic by following these 5 super-easy steps:
1. Overcast Days Aren’t So Gloomy After All. I chose to get married in San Diego, not only because that’s where I grew up, but for its reliable weather and sunshine for our outdoor wedding. I was a little disappointed when “the big day” came and turned out to be a cloudy one. I was shocked, though, when my photographer was ranting and raving about how great the overcast-weather was! Little did I know that overcast days are often times the very best days to take photos, because they produce softer shadows in pictures! Use overcast days to your advantage by snapping daytime photos that produce less of those harsh, dark shadows that bright, sunny days create!
2. Try a Tripod. Those long-legged camera stands may seem a little overwhelming to the Beginner Digital Photographer, but tripods are a great photography tool for anyone who wants to be included in more family/group pictures! My mother got one last December and it was a great buy! We were able to take our yearly family photos all together as a family- without asking anyone to leave the photo to take the pics (and without having to “Photoshop” them back into the group-photo later).
Start with a mini-tripod to hold your digital camera! We now sell our favorite mini-tripod through Amazon! Investing in a mini-tripod is not expensive and can fit in your purse! Mini-tripods are totally worth the low investment because they ensure that you’re always in friend and family photos!
Tripod Bonus: If you’re a caffeine-junkie like me, Tripods also prevent hand-held camera-shaking, which means less of those unfortunate blurred shots!
3. Super-Shutter Saves The Day! Investing in a Digital Camera with a super-fast shutter is absolutely worth the big price. Ever wonder why so many photos end up blurry? It’s typically because we click on the button to take a picture, expect the photo be shot, and our subjects move (even if it’s ever-so-slightly) or we move our camera (thinking the picture is finished). The picture actually then takes (obviously delayed, and taking it’s sweet time), and the result is blurred photos. Save your beautiful portrait shots and create “more-photogenic” photos by either using a faster-shutter digital camera, or taking your time with a slower-shutter camera. The person(s) being photographed need to stay completely still for three seconds after clicking the camera button- and same goes for the photographer. Three seconds may seem like a lifetime, but you can do it, and it’s more than worth it!
4. Be Aware of Your Surroundings. You may be a Digital Photography-Pro when it comes to getting your subjects to laugh, smile, and keep their eyes open in the photos you take, but are you as observant when it comes to choosing a good background? Take better pictures by taking the time to figure out the best surroundings for the item or person you want to capture on film. Our advice? For portrait pictures, use zoom options to focus on the person you want to photograph, and try to choose a less-complicated background (think simple surroundings like: plain walls!). Definitely steer clear of any unattractive, or just photo-distracting, objects lurking in the background in order to achieve a better shot.
5. Photo Editing Software: The Behind-the-Scenes Hero. No matter how you much you use the tools on your camera, adjust the lighting, and try to perfectly frame a shot, it’s not uncommon to take digital photos and still feel disappointed by the results… no matter who you are! Digital photos often times have flaws. But what’s great is that you can digitally fix them easily with Photo Editing software! Simple edits in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements can enhance your photos and restore them to the way you intended them to look! Take our Digi MakeOver Madness Tutorials to learn photo editing secrets within Photoshop Elements and make photos look great! Get rid of digital flaws and make good photos even better! Brilliant photos really are just one click and tutorial away!
-Jennifer
Check out other Photo Editing Training in our Scrap Shop!
————
After the photo is taken you can edit and fix it or take it an edit it for more dramatic and lovely affects! Learn more about photo editing using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements
Check out these Photo Editing Tutorials:
Airbrushing Portrait Photos in Photoshop Elements 7
Removing Shadows and Lightening Photos in Photoshop Elements
Convert Photos to Black and White in Photoshop Elements
Removing Demon-Looking Red-Eye in Photoshop
Removing Demon-Looking Red-Eye in Photoshop Elements
Getting Rid of Wrinkles, Zits, or Moles in Photoshop Elements
Whitening Teeth within Photoshop Elements
Adjusting Skin Tones and Digi Tanning in Photoshop Elements
Removing Wrinkles, Lines, and Bags in Photoshop Elements
Also see these baby editing tutorials:
Happy Scrapping and Photo Editing!
—–
