Continuing How To Get a Great Photo (part one) there are more excellent tips on capturing that perfect photo.
Just follow these and practice and you’ll get a great shot everytime!
Different Angles
Not every photo has to show the subject looking directly at the photo. And with kids, sometimes you have to take what you can get. It’s often difficult to pose very young children! But that’s okay. I have great photos of my toddler looking everywhere but at the camera: looking down at the ground, or even walking away. I also love photos of the subject looking off in the distance. It’s like I’ve captured a special moment. Some of my favorite tips are standing on a chair or fence rail, and aiming downward or down and outward, or laying on the ground and shooting upward. Just experiment for the best dimensional features. I love photos with a perspective twist. My best friends husband is a photographer, and a couple of my favorites he’s done include partial face shots, a shot of his daughter right up close looking off into the distance – we’re actually looking at what she’s looking at, yet she’s filling the frame. They are really cool!
Make Use of Props
Don’t be afraid to use props. If there’s a tree in the backyard, have your subject stand next to it or lean against it. A child can hold a ball, a doll, flower or toy. An item of interest helps to focus the viewer’s eye on the subject.
Taking Vertical Photos
I tend to take more vertical photos than horizontal. I’m not sure why that is, but it seems a comfortable “zooming in” angle and just works for me. But you might be different and like….
Taking Horizontal Photos
Horizontal photos are best for scenic shots and landscapes (think of the ocean, a mountain range, a garden in bloom, your child playing in the very large mud puddle). Of course, groups of people sometimes can only fit into a horizontal picture—although it’s fun to arrange the subjects with a front row, middle row and back row to create a pyramid effect.
Shooting People and Backgrounds Together
Here’s the situation: you want to take a photo of a person standing in front of a building or specific setting. For example, say you want to take a photo of your child on the first day of school. Here are your options:
Place the child standing in front of the school and take the photo from across the street. Take a close-up of the child standing in front of the school and forget about trying to photograph the whole building too.
Or take the child across the street with you—take a close up, focused shot of the child with the school in the background. (this would be my favorite way)
In the first example, Mom ends up with a photo of her very small child barely visible in front of a giant building—probably not what she wanted! In the second example, you’ll get a great close-up of your child, which is probably more significant than getting the building in the shot. And with the third option, you get both the child and the school.
This also works well for vacation photos. It’s a bit difficult to take a photo of someone standing at the bottom of the Washington Monument or St. Louis Arch and get both images clearly. Instead, put the building in the background and zoom in on the person. I’m telling you, the effect is amazing!
Good luck!
Do you have any photography tips for scrapbookers? Please share!