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Remember that the viewfinder of most cameras doesn't actually look
through the lens, but right above it. What you see through the
viewfinder may not be exactly what the lens sees. Unfortunately the
clothes people are wearing will be the same no matter what. |
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Be sure fingers, hair, hats, and most importantly lens caps, are not
in the way of the lens. |
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Check your camera's manual to see how close it recommends you be to
your subject--most point and shoot cameras don't focus on anything closer
than six feet. Unless you're having a bad hair day. Then, somehow it
manages a close up. |
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Keep in mind to use your flash in dim areas, not to shoot into the
light, and that cameras and water should remain separate. Unless of
course you're using an underwater camera which is much more fun when
it's actually under water. |
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Choose a distance from your subject that fills the frame with the
center of interest. Too close, and your subject may be out of focus or
you might lose part of your subject. Too far and you can't distinguish
what's in the picture. If your subject can't hear you yell, "Say
cheese!" you are probably too far. Use wide shots for large groups,
pictures of scenery, and dangerous animals. |
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Think about headroom: too much is uninteresting, too little feels
awkward. You want to see people's faces--try and put the faces in the
picture about a third of the way down from the top of the picture. This
avoids the embarrassing photo of just someone's nose or the person
without a mouth. |
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To incorporate more of the setting into your photo, move your
subjects away from the setting objects. In other words, make sure your
friends aren't covering up the good stuff. This allows more room to fit
the objects in the photo.
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Position your subjects in the frame using "The Rule of Thirds."
Imagine a grid that divides the frame into thirds, both horizontally and
vertically. The rule of thirds instructs that pictures look better when
your subject is in one of the four areas where the thirds intersect.
Another good rule to remember is the "Supermodel Rule" which says that
your pictures look better when your subject works for Calvin Klein. |
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Remember if you change backgrounds or subjects, you'll need to adjust
your position accordingly. Keep these tips in mind and you are sure to
take wonderful pictures. Unfortunately we can't do anything about the
bad hair days. |
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