Seems like everyone these days has invested in a “nice” camera. Social Media is plastered with the work of photographers in the making. It’s cool to see! But also makes me grateful for the photo classes I took in high school and the experience I’ve had over the years, to teach me some technical skills. I wouldn’t say I’m professional per se, but I have had a lot of opportunities to photograph people for different occasions, and it’s been a hobby ever since I got my hands on a camera! I believe my first camera was a blue front slide Nikon Coolpix. I tried to find a picture but apparently they’re extinct. Anyway, the point is, photography has always been fun for me! And since more and more people are dabbling in it, I thought of a few tips that I thought would be helpful.
Here’re 3 tips to appear like you know what you’re doing:
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Keep your elbows against your chest, and most importantly, your left hand under the lens. Most people new to photography will use their left hand to zoom, focus, and steady the camera on the side of the lens. This gives you little support and results in shaky hands and blurry images.
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Bring your subject further away from your background as to separate them from it. Doing this will make the subject clearer and the background blurrier. This way all of the focus is on your subject, and the image is more aesthetically pleasing overall.
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Change your perspective instead of telling the subject to move. Not only is this better for the subject, but you as the photographer will see photo opportunities you didn’t see before. This is another important thing in avoiding mergers. Mergers are like trees, telephone poles, arms, etc. coming out of someone’s head (not literally, but it looks like that in the photo).
This list obviously isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a good start to looking like a professional! No one really knows what they’re doing, so if you act like you know, then you know! And sometimes you learn things the hard way, but sometimes you don’t have to. I hope these tips help!
Additional Help
If you want more info, this book is pretty helpful in covering all the basics in a clear and digestible way.
