Photographing for Fun!

People love pictures. Whether they are of themselves, family, friends, or just random things, good photographs have a habit of capturing our hearts. Photojournalists use this to their advantage in order to persuade, soothe, and excite viewers.

The best pictures are self-explanatory. They don't need a caption or a cut line for the viewer to understand what is going on. They also convey a certain mood that allows the viewer to not only see a photograph and its contents, but to feel the emotion of the time the picture was taken.

Many professional photographers confess that they almost always take more than one shot of each picture. But if you are cringing at the thought of spending extra money and wasting a lot of film, think about going digital. Digital cameras are becoming more and more affordable, compact, and have much better quality than when they first appeared on the market. Digital cameras are also relatively simple to operate, but their best feature of all is instant gratification! In our fast-paced world, we no longer have to wait until we get home to discover that the great shots we took while on vacation didn't turn out quite as good as we hoped.

When composing a photograph, keep these key points in mind:

• Try to frame your picture – Don't try to frame EVERY picture you take, but be aware of your surroundings and if you find a nice frame, shoot it. You'll be surprised at how much stronger a good frame can make your focal point.
• Use the Rule of Thirds – A classic guideline, this rule involves dividing an image into thirds both horizontally and vertically with imaginary lines. Then, you place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect.
• Shoot from a different perspective – It’s not a surprise that pictures of ordinary things can get a bit dull after a while. So if you have to photograph a tired object or event, remember to give it a new twist by capturing a different angle than what is normally portrayed.

Frame Your Picture
This window provides a simple, natural frame that draws your attention inward to the real focus of the picture, the beautiful background landscape.

www.digital-photography-school.com

The Rule of Thirds

If the insect in this picture were placed in the center of the frame, this would look like an average photograph. Because the subject has been offset to one of the intersections of the photo, the picture has become more interesting, but still seems balanced.

ericasworld.logic.net

Get a Different Perspective
In this shot, the photographer focused on the light, darkness and shadows of the tunnel rather than a child's happy smiling face. Because this perspective is a bit unconventional, it catches viewers' attention.

laurelpankratz.moonfruit.com.