Taking good photos can be hard or easy. It really depends on what kind of photos people like at the time. If urban photos are popular, it can be easier than usual. But if people like pictures with natural scenery, than you may have to do some traveling. For me I can just walk out in my yard and take a photo of nature that is pretty good. However most people don't live in the middle of the woods so you'll probably have to travel to get photos of nature.
Buying a camera can be hard and expensive. If you're new to photography and aren't sure what to get or what to look for, then I can give you a few tips. First off, you'll need to know what companies have good products. I personally recommend Canon, Nikon, or Olympus as they have good quality cameras and they take good photos. For beginners I suggest the Nikon D3500, Canon EOS Rebel T7i / EOS 800D, Nikon D5600, Canon EOS Rebel T7/ 2000D / EOS 1500D. Those are all good cameras for beginners and are no more than $550 which, believe it or not, is cheap for a camera like that. If you're intermediate than you're going to want The Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Nikon - D750 DSLR, Canon - EOS Rebel T6 DSLR. These are all between $650 and $1100. Something to note, though, it's better to have a better lens and a worse camera, than a better camera and a worse lens.
Good location plays a big roll in photography and makes most of the photo. There are some good places I will list for you if your looking for one but like I said you can take a good photo of almost anything. Still to get really good photos you'll need good scenery and that's what I going to help you find. One popular spot is Yellowstone National Park in the USA. It is mostly known for it's geysers which are awesome to see in person. They have really good scenery and wildlife there, plus it's fun to go see. Another place is Banff National Park which is in Alberta, Canada. If you're looking for beautiful snowy mountains and lots of wildlife than Banff is your spot. They also have amazing hiking trails there which are awesome to trek. Another place is the St. Lawrence Lowlands and they're located in Canada near Ontario and Quebec. There is lots of incredible landscapes to take photos of so you might want to head down there. Yet another good spot is The Cordillera, and it's in Canada B.C. They have amazing mountains and lakes there so if you can't make it to Banff you should head there.
Shooting like a professional isn't easy and takes lots of time and practice but I'll give you a few pointers. Angles are another big part of photos. Just the right angle can make the picture amazing or a wrong angle can make a good subject look bad. I will show you this with two pictures that I took at two different angles.
Buying a camera can be hard and expensive. If you're new to photography and aren't sure what to get or what to look for, then I can give you a few tips. First off, you'll need to know what companies have good products. I personally recommend Canon, Nikon, or Olympus as they have good quality cameras and they take good photos. For beginners I suggest the Nikon D3500, Canon EOS Rebel T7i / EOS 800D, Nikon D5600, Canon EOS Rebel T7/ 2000D / EOS 1500D. Those are all good cameras for beginners and are no more than $550 which, believe it or not, is cheap for a camera like that. If you're intermediate than you're going to want The Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Nikon - D750 DSLR, Canon - EOS Rebel T6 DSLR. These are all between $650 and $1100. Something to note, though, it's better to have a better lens and a worse camera, than a better camera and a worse lens.
Good location plays a big roll in photography and makes most of the photo. There are some good places I will list for you if your looking for one but like I said you can take a good photo of almost anything. Still to get really good photos you'll need good scenery and that's what I going to help you find. One popular spot is Yellowstone National Park in the USA. It is mostly known for it's geysers which are awesome to see in person. They have really good scenery and wildlife there, plus it's fun to go see. Another place is Banff National Park which is in Alberta, Canada. If you're looking for beautiful snowy mountains and lots of wildlife than Banff is your spot. They also have amazing hiking trails there which are awesome to trek. Another place is the St. Lawrence Lowlands and they're located in Canada near Ontario and Quebec. There is lots of incredible landscapes to take photos of so you might want to head down there. Yet another good spot is The Cordillera, and it's in Canada B.C. They have amazing mountains and lakes there so if you can't make it to Banff you should head there.
Shooting like a professional isn't easy and takes lots of time and practice but I'll give you a few pointers. Angles are another big part of photos. Just the right angle can make the picture amazing or a wrong angle can make a good subject look bad. I will show you this with two pictures that I took at two different angles.
Good Angle Bad Angle
These pictures are both focused on the subject but the left one has a better angle and gets in more of the subjects face. Whereas the one on the right is more focused on the baby's hand grabbing the flower instead of focusing on the baby. However even the one on the left has it's flaws. The left photo is more focused on the fence in the background than the baby and it draws away from the subject. The best photo of the baby is the one below.
Best Angle
This photo is focused on the baby and she has on a big smile. Even though this is a totally different picture, a front angle like this makes for a good photo. The bubbles add a playful effect to the photo and the baby smiling makes it all the better. Most people who see a photo similar to this smile or change into a good mood. Knowing simple things like the mood of your scenery can help you take an even better photo.
Shooting fast moving objects is one of the hardest thing to do. In order to get good photos of pets, children, wildlife, and even cars, you'll have to have a high shutter speed. Unfortunately, the higher the shutter speed the darker the picture. When you have a high shutter speed you will need a high ISO. The average shutter speed you'll want for fast moving objects is about 200-300 which is plenty of speed. For ISO it really depends on the lighting around you. On a bright sunny day you will want about 100 ISO or more, but on a cloudy day or indoors you will want about 400 ISO or more.
Taking photos at night is not for beginners. To get a good photo of the moon or a star you need a tripod and it's handy to have a remote for your camera. For photographing the moon it's better if you wait until there's a full moon. First you should set up your camera on the tripod in an open area. Then you should play with the settings on your camera a bit to adjust it to the lighting. Usually you want the lowest shutter speed which is usually called BULB. Then put your ISO to the lowest setting or next to lowest depending on how bright the moon is. Then, set a 5 second or longer self timer and click the shutter button. (Take the photo.) You should hear a click after the timer, then wait for it to click again after this it should automatically display the photo. For stars you usually do the same thing. After that the photo should look something like the one below.
Shooting fast moving objects is one of the hardest thing to do. In order to get good photos of pets, children, wildlife, and even cars, you'll have to have a high shutter speed. Unfortunately, the higher the shutter speed the darker the picture. When you have a high shutter speed you will need a high ISO. The average shutter speed you'll want for fast moving objects is about 200-300 which is plenty of speed. For ISO it really depends on the lighting around you. On a bright sunny day you will want about 100 ISO or more, but on a cloudy day or indoors you will want about 400 ISO or more.
Taking photos at night is not for beginners. To get a good photo of the moon or a star you need a tripod and it's handy to have a remote for your camera. For photographing the moon it's better if you wait until there's a full moon. First you should set up your camera on the tripod in an open area. Then you should play with the settings on your camera a bit to adjust it to the lighting. Usually you want the lowest shutter speed which is usually called BULB. Then put your ISO to the lowest setting or next to lowest depending on how bright the moon is. Then, set a 5 second or longer self timer and click the shutter button. (Take the photo.) You should hear a click after the timer, then wait for it to click again after this it should automatically display the photo. For stars you usually do the same thing. After that the photo should look something like the one below.
This is a photo I took of the moon and the lighting is nearly perfect. That is generally how a photo of the moon should look. If your photo of the moon or of a star is much darker or lighter, you may want to readjust some of your settings and try again. You can also catch the stars movement but for this you need a remote for your camera. If you're taking pictures of a starry night sky then I recommend going to your lowest shutter speed (bulb if you have it) and hooking up your remote. Now if you have the option bulb then you can keep the shutter open as long as you hold down the shutter button. If you don't have that low of a shutter speed then you may not be able to catch the stars movement. If you hold down the shutter button with your hand then the photo will be too shaky and I know from experience that you MUST have a way to remotely take the picture. When you have your remote hooked up then Depending on how much movement you want to catch of the stars adjust your ISO and Aperture. (For example Lower ISO and higher Aperture for more movement and high ISO and low Aperture for less movement.) Then take the picture and if you have a low ISO and high Aperture then hold the shutter button down for at least fifteen minutes on a dark night. If you have a higher ISO and low Aperture then only hold the shutter down for about seven to twelve minutes.
Having an eye for it can be very helpful as a photographer. What that means is having a natural skill for taking pictures at their best. It's like knowing the best angle and way to take a photo before it's even been taken. Some people are born with it and just always know the best angle. Others have to practice to know a good angle and subject before they take the picture. Although this skill is very helpful, chances are you don't have it and never will. But with perseverance and patience you could gain the eye for it. People always said I had an eye for taking good photos. I can just walk by something and see a photo that could look really good from the right angle, while others often miss the opportunity for a great photo.
Good lighting can be hard to find. You probably won't have perfect lighting for your pictures, it's pretty rare. However, it's certainly not impossible, as you just need to be at the right place at the right time. To use the lighting you have, you need to have a good lens that can do bright and dark scenery as well as a good camera with a good variety of settings. If you're taking a photo in darker evening light then adjust your ISO to about 1300 or more unless you are taking a photo of the sunset. For brighter morning light you'll generally want to turn your ISO to about 800 or less. For mid day you want about 100 ISO to about 800 ISO depending on the brightness of the sun.
I hope some of these tips were helpful and that you can use them. If you have any more questions email them to me at h.b.photography@outlook.com. DON'T forget the h DOT b DOT photography otherwise the email will go to someone else.
-Hudson
Having an eye for it can be very helpful as a photographer. What that means is having a natural skill for taking pictures at their best. It's like knowing the best angle and way to take a photo before it's even been taken. Some people are born with it and just always know the best angle. Others have to practice to know a good angle and subject before they take the picture. Although this skill is very helpful, chances are you don't have it and never will. But with perseverance and patience you could gain the eye for it. People always said I had an eye for taking good photos. I can just walk by something and see a photo that could look really good from the right angle, while others often miss the opportunity for a great photo.
Good lighting can be hard to find. You probably won't have perfect lighting for your pictures, it's pretty rare. However, it's certainly not impossible, as you just need to be at the right place at the right time. To use the lighting you have, you need to have a good lens that can do bright and dark scenery as well as a good camera with a good variety of settings. If you're taking a photo in darker evening light then adjust your ISO to about 1300 or more unless you are taking a photo of the sunset. For brighter morning light you'll generally want to turn your ISO to about 800 or less. For mid day you want about 100 ISO to about 800 ISO depending on the brightness of the sun.
I hope some of these tips were helpful and that you can use them. If you have any more questions email them to me at h.b.photography@outlook.com. DON'T forget the h DOT b DOT photography otherwise the email will go to someone else.
-Hudson