Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures Print Close...10 Be a picture director Better Take control of your...

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1 Look your subject in the eye 2 Use a plain background Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures Print | Close Do you wish you were a better photographer? All it takes is a little know-how and experience. Keep reading for some important picture-taking tips. Then grab your camera and start shooting your way to great pictures. 1. Look your subject in the eye 2. Use a plain background 3. Use flash outdoors 4. Move in close 5. Move it from the middle 6. Lock the focus 7. Know your flash's range 8. Watch the light 9. Take some vertical pictures 10. Be a picture director Direct eye contact can be as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the person's eye level to unleash the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For children, that means stooping to their level. And your subject need not always stare at the camera. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls you into the picture. Learn more about adjusting your angle of view Too high Better A plain background shows off

Transcript of Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures Print Close...10 Be a picture director Better Take control of your...

1 Look your subject in the eye

2 Use a plain background

Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures Print | Close

Do you wish you were a better photographer? All ittakes is a little know-how and experience. Keepreading for some important picture-taking tips.Then grab your camera and start shooting yourway to great pictures.

1. Look your subject in the eye2. Use a plain background3. Use flash outdoors4. Move in close5. Move it from the middle6. Lock the focus7. Know your flash's range8. Watch the light9. Take some vertical pictures

10. Be a picture director

Direct eye contact can be asengaging in a picture as it is inreal life. When taking a pictureof someone, hold the camera atthe person's eye level tounleash the power of thosemagnetic gazes andmesmerizing smiles. Forchildren, that means stooping totheir level. And your subjectneed not always stare at thecamera. All by itself that eyelevel angle will create apersonal and inviting feelingthat pulls you into the picture.

Learn more aboutadjusting your angleof view

Too high Better

A plain background shows off

3 Use flash outdoors

4 Move in close

A plain background shows offthe subject you arephotographing. When you lookthrough the camera viewfinder,force yourself to study the areasurrounding your subject. Makesure no poles grow from thehead of your favorite niece andthat no cars seem to danglefrom her ears.

Try it yourselfImproving the background iseasier than you think. Try ityourself with our onlinecameras. (Flash, 838 K)

Learn more aboutavoiding distractingbackgrounds

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Bright sun can create unattractive deep facialshadows. Eliminate the shadows by using yourflash to lighten the face. When taking peoplepictures on sunny days, turn your flash on.You may have a choice of fill-flash mode orfull-flash mode. If the person is within five feet,use the fill-flash mode; beyond five feet, thefull-power mode may be required. With adigital camera, use the picture display panel toreview the results.On cloudy days, use the camera's fill-flashmode if it has one. The flash will brighten uppeople's faces and make them stand out. Alsotake a picture without the flash, because thesoft light of overcast days sometimes givesquite pleasing results by itself.

Learn more about composingpeople pictures

Subject is dark

After

5 Move it from the middle

6 Lock the focus

If your subject is smaller than a car, take astep or two closer before taking the pictureand zoom in on your subject. Your goal is tofill the picture area with the subject you arephotographing. Up close you can reveal tellingdetails, like a sprinkle of freckles or an archedeyebrow.But don't get too close or your pictures will beblurry. The closest focusing distance for mostcameras is about three feet, or about one stepaway from your camera. If you get closer thanthe closest focusing distance of your camera(see your manual to be sure), your pictureswill be blurry.

Learn more about composingpeople pictures

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Center-stage is a great place for a performerto be. However, the middle of your picture isnot the best place for your subject. Bring yourpicture to life by simply moving your subjectaway from the middle of your picture. Start byplaying tick-tack-toe with subject position.Imagine a tick-tack-toe grid in your viewfinder.Now place your important subject at one ofthe intersections of lines.You'll need to lock the focus if you have anauto-focus camera because most of themfocus on whatever is in the center of theviewfinder.

Try it yourselfPosition the subject off-center to make a goodpicture great! Try it yourself with our onlinecamera. (Flash, 838K)

Learn more about placing thesubject off-center

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7 Know your flash's range

8 Watch the light

If your subject is not in the center of thepicture, you need to lock the focus to create asharp picture. Most auto-focus cameras focuson whatever is in the center of the picture. Butto improve pictures, you will often want tomove the subject away from the center of thepicture. If you don't want a blurred picture,you'll need to first lock the focus with thesubject in the middle and then recompose thepicture so the subject is away from the middle.Usually you can lock the focus in three steps.First, center the subject and press and holdthe shutter button halfway down. Second,reposition your camera (while still holding theshutter button) so the subject is away from thecenter. And third, finish by pressing the shutterbutton all the way down to take the picture.

Try it yourselfGood focus lock technique takes somepractice. Try it yourself with our onlinecamera. (Flash, 838K)

Learn more about focus control

Subject not in focus

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The number one flash mistake is takingpictures beyond the flash's range. Why is thisa mistake? Because pictures taken beyondthe maximum flash range will be too dark. Formany cameras, the maximum flash range isless than fifteen feet—about five steps away.What is your camera's flash range? Look it upin your camera manual. Can't find it? Thendon't take a chance. Position yourself sosubjects are no farther than ten feet away.Film users can extend the flash range by usingKodak Max versatility or versatility plus film.

Learn more about using flasheffectively

Without flash

With flash

9 Take some vertical pictures

Next to the subject, the most important part ofevery picture is the light. It affects theappearance of everything you photograph. Ona great-grandmother, bright sunlight from theside can enhance wrinkles. But the soft lightof a cloudy day can subdue those samewrinkles.Don't like the light on your subject? Thenmove yourself or your subject. Forlandscapes, try to take pictures early or late inthe day when the light is orangish and rakesacross the land.

Try it yourselfYou'll be amazed at how different you canmake one subject look just by changing thelight. Try it yourself with our online camera.(Flash, 838K)

Learn more about using naturallight

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Is your camera vertically challenged? It is ifyou never turn it sideways to take a verticalpicture. All sorts of things look better in avertical picture. From a lighthouse near a cliffto the Eiffel Tower to your four-year-old niecejumping in a puddle. So next time out, make aconscious effort to turn your camera sidewaysand take some vertical pictures.

Learn more about shootingvertical pictures

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10 Be a picture director

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Take control of your picture-taking and watchyour pictures dramatically improve. Become apicture director, not just a passive picture-taker. A picture director takes charge. Apicture director picks the location: "Everybodygo outside to the backyard." A picture directoradds props: "Girls, put on your pinksunglasses." A picture director arrangespeople: "Now move in close, and lean towardthe camera."Most pictures won't be that involved, but youget the idea: Take charge of your pictures andwin your own best picture awards.

Learn more about group picturesand portraits

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Date/Time is: Wed Nov 02 14:19:47 EST 2005 URL: http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=38/39/317&pq-locale=en_US&pq-pf=1