What I Know About Photography

Here's what I know about digital photography for beginners.  In order to get that perfect shot you need to take an abundance of photos.  From the people I've spoken to and the stories I've read, everyone says that you don't get your favourite shot by taking only one photo.

This is an example of shallow depth of field.

Taken using the macro setting on a Nikon D3100.

Another trick is understanding depth of field.  Depth of field is the range of distance that appears sharp around a focal point in a photo.  A shallow depth of field is when you focus on something up close in a photo making the other part of the photo blurry so the sharp part stands out.  I like using the macro setting on my camera to create a shallow depth of field.  This is particularly useful for shooting flowers up close (such as the one on the left).  Then there is a large depth of field.  This is when all parts of the photo are sharp; usually good for landscape photos, where there is no need to isolate certain segments.

This is an example of large depth of field.  Taken using a Nikon D3100.

In terms of taking candid shots, a trick is trying to be as invisible as possible.  This is sometimes difficult, because you may be photographing people who have a sick sense (cough, someone like my sister, cough) of where the camera is at all times.  If this is the case and you want a candid shot try to be as subtle as possible and pretend you got the shot already.  You can always come back to your subject later to get a better picture.

I've only skimmed the surface here, but if you are interested I recommend checking out the following website for tips: http://digital-photography-school.com/ If you have any tips you would like to share please email me at me@linatirilis.ca or post a comment. Thanks!

Found on Pinterest