Even with today's cameras being so very clever, taking a
perfect outdoor photograph is still not as easy as it
seems. There are just so many things to consider, from
location, weather and would you believe it temperature.
The biggest thing to consider for me though, is take the
picture with a mind to what you like, and don't worry about
what others might think, after all it is your photograph,
and it will be in your album or on your wall, not anyone
else's.
But what steps can you take to ensure that you capture the
"magic" that you've seen through the viewfinder of your
camera? The list as it turns out is quite extensive, and
you would be doing very well to remember of use them all,
but including just a few, will over time improve your
results, and that after all is the aim of the game.
The best tips you will ever get are (1) to be able to
override the cameras automatic functions, and (2) to be
comfortable when doing so, as it is vital to be able to set
your own aperture and shutter speeds and to be able set the
focus manually. If you can set the ISO (the higher the ISO
the less light the camera needs) to higher values then this
too can be very handy. If you can override the flash to be
able to use in daylight that too can be very useful, "fill
in flash" making all the difference in filling in the
shadows on a bright day, this being especially useful when
taking portraits.
So far you need to have a camera that allows you to
override it, but you also have to be sure you can do so
easily, having to fiddle about through a multitude of menus
might be OK in the shop, but is no good in the field, after
all you only have so much time and one pair of hands. So
with the function and usability angles of the camera sorted
out, what other equipment do you need.
The first thing to consider is the lens on the camera, if
you have a camera with a fixed lens, then this must also be
of the right type. It must be said however, that serious
photographers always use an SLR as these allow different
lenses to be used. Whatever camera you have though, you
really need a lens (or lenses) that will cover the range of
28mm to 300mm (although you can get away with 210mm if you
are not into wildlife photos). You should also bear in mind
the "F" number of the lenses, as the lower the number the
more light they let in (and the more expensive they get).
Most people will have to be content with around an F2.8
lens in the 28 - 50mm range and a F4 to 5.6 for the higher
focal length lenses, purely because those with lower F
numbers are just far too expensive.
You might think that is all you need, and to be sure for
some that is enough, but for the truly serious photography
will also want a tripod. As with the camera, there are many
different choices, but the main consideration must however
be usability. It is no good whatsoever having a tripod that
is too heavy, as for most this will mean it just stays in
the cupboard at home. No, the best choice must be the one
that suits your needs, budget and perhaps more importantly,
your level of desire to take the very best photos. I say
this as if you really want to take really high quality
shots then a tripod is a must, especially in nature
photography, and if that is your desire you will lug that
tripod along, no matter how heavy it is.
The next step is to start to take the photographs, and here
the tips commence with Composition, that being the subject
of the next article in this series.
----------------------------------------------------
Taking the perfect photograph is not as easy at it seems,
so in order to help, Graham Baylis, a serious amatuer
photographer as well as an Internet Marketer is providing a
series of tips. Once you have the perfect photograph
however you might well want to enlarge it and that is just
where Learntodream come in, check out their site at
http://www.learntodream.co.uk
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