How to Take Better Photos

Take Pro Photos With Your Cellphone

Have you ever taken a photo and it turned out not so good?

I’ve invited my friend Ephriam Fields to talk about photography and how we can take better photos.

Every camera that we know of today is designed like a human eye. The cornea in our eyes is like the front element of a lens – it gathers all external light, then bends it and passes it to the iris. Depending on the amount of light, the iris can either expand or shrink, controlling the size of the pupil, which is a hole that lets the light pass further into the eye.

You’ll Learn

  • How to take photos without the camera shaking
  • What time to take the best outside photos
  • And how to use natural lighting to take better photos

How the 3 Fundamentals of Light Affect Your Photo

ISO

Measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds.

Aperture

Without a doubt, it is the most talked about subject, because aperture either adds a dimension to a photograph by blurring the background or magically brings everything in focus. The diameter of the aperture changes, allowing more or less light onto the sensor depending on the situation.

Shutter Speed

Which is also known as exposure time is the length of time when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light, also when a camera’s shutter is open when taking a photograph. The faster your shutter speed the more it’s able to “stop” images which are moving.

White Balance

The color of an object is affected by the lighting conditions under which it is viewed. Our eyes and our brain compensate for different types of light—that’s why a white object appears white to us whether it’s viewed in sunlight, under overcast skies or indoors under incandescent or fluorescent light. But digital cameras need help to emulate this process, to compensate for different types of lighting and render a white object white.

How Natural Light affects How You Shoot

The first time I shot a camera in manual mode every single photo was completely blown out by sunlight. Meaning, it looked like this.

overexposed photo

Versus this

HDR Photo

Notice how some of the first photo is completely white when in real life it shouldn’t look like that. The reason why this happens is that too much light is getting into the photo and distorting the image.

What to do About Harsh Light or Overexposure

The time of day & the suns position in the sky can affect the angles you’re allowed to shoot from. If the sun is behind the subject you’ll see a shadow cast over your subject. Ephriam recommends field reflectors to help balance out shadows.

Selens 5-in-1 43 Inch (110cm) Portable Handle Round Reflector Collapsible Multi Disc with Carrying Case for Photography Photo Studio Lighting & Outdoor Lighting

To get your subject in full sunlight stand with the sun to your back.

The sun can also affect how you’re shooting indoors. To take advantage of natural lighting never take a photo where the camera points toward a window.

You can also use indoor artificial lighting to properly illuminate your subject.

2Pack ChromLives Flash Diffuser Light Softbox Collapsible with Storage Pouch 6″x 6.8″ for DSLR Camera Canon Nikon Yongnuo Flash Speedlight and Other DSLR Camera Flashes

Camera Photo Video Lighting Kit

Why the Rule of 3rds or Composition are Important

They say a photo is worth a thousand words, according to Ephriam, the composition of the photo is how you tell the story. Use the intersecting grid lines on your photos to focus on your subject while the rest of the space tells the story.

How to Clean Your Camera

Send it into your cameras’ maker to get cleaned.

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Here is a list of resources mentioned in this episode:

FieldsStudios.com

Fields Studios on Facebook 

Fields Studios on Instagram

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