Basic Photography Techniques

A little girl was once asked: “If you were stranded in the middle of the forest, what would be the one thing you wish you had?” Without batting an eyelid, she replies- “A Camera!” The interrogator was startled with this response and asked “Why not your cell phone or your laptop?” Her answer was very prompt- “Because I would want to capture every experience, every adventure and cherish the memories.” She did indeed have a very valid point. A camera is a precious asset. One that provides evidence that no other gadget can. Moreover, cameras stand out due to their aesthetic output. Taking photographs is growing a fun-filled hobby. Whether landscape, sports or night photography, the hobby is fabulous fun! Rest assured, you ought to be well endowed with the tricks of the trade. No doubt, many have a natural flair for photography, but nobody gets on the football arena without learning the basics. Here are a few basic photography techniques that you should have a good grasp of before you go ahead and click.

Basic Photography Tricks

Rule Of The Thirds
This method is widely used and guarantees a good photograph in the making. It discourages the typical symmetric composition used in photos which doesn't grab one's immediate attention anymore. Mentally divide the rectangular image in your viewfinder into nine quadrants as you draw three lines horizontally and three vertically. The top horizontal line is identified as the “eye line”, while the lower one, the "horizon line." The centre square of the grid highlights the subject of the picture. You have to ensure that the subject content of the picture is compact between the power intersection points. The eye flow suggests that the eye is predisposed to travel from the lightest centerpoint to the darker edges of the frame. A well composed image has complete control of your eye movement and this can only be well achieved by using the rule of the thirds. Never forget to question yourself- "What am I taking a picture of?" before you even look into the viewfinder.

Contrasting Objects
So you want to take a picture of a large beautiful landscape. However, when you peek into your viewfinder, you realize that the outcome might be a tad bit too dull. You need something else to emphasize the charm of the empty landscape. Perhaps, points of comparison or just a contrasting object so that the charming landscape stands out. A contrasting object is bound to invite further observation and scrutiny of the photo from the viewer. A bird flying across a waterfall would be more visually enticing than the waterfall alone, even if the waterfall is the subject of the picture.

Framing
So you've found the most gorgeous object to click. Sadly, the surroundings render the frame imperfect. Eliminate the clutter and replace the background with more appealing subjects. If you are focusing on a particular mountain, use two trees on either end as a portal to frame the mountain in the middle.

Get Flashy
You ought to have good control of the flash if you intend to use your film judiciously. As you keep experimenting with this indispensable camera future, you will soon learn when to leave it on and when not to. It would be smarter to turn the flash off when under natural light, like on a bright sunny day! If your subject is in pitch darkness, turning on the flash is the only way to capture it.

 ISO Settings
As we all should know, the ISO setting in our cameras controls the image's sensitivity to light. According to the subject, we alter the ISO settings. We need to keep experimenting with this function to understand it better. Remember to always use a low ISO setting when taking a still shot and obviously a higher ISO would be imperative for clicking a moving image.