For a lot of outdoors lovers, a camera is just as important to them as wearing the right kind of clothing. While for others, a camera isn’t considered imperative, and they only want to take the occasional snapshot. Whichever approach you take to your photography, you’ll want your pictures to look their best. With that in mind, the following tips aim to sharpen your photography skills, and get your pictures looking better than ever.
Seek Some Expert Tuition
Getting some expert advice will undoubtedly improve your photographic skills, and it doesn’t need to cost you anything. Although there are many photography courses that you could pay for, there are plenty of free resources online. For example, professional photographers often post professional tutorials on their blogs for beginners to learn from. Alternatively, you could try YouTube. A lot of people find it easier to learn when they see a practical demonstration, which is why sites like YouTube can be such a valuable resource.
Go Hands Free
Blurry photographs are always a disappointment. It’s easy to think you’ve taken the perfect shot only to view it at home and realize it's blurred or out of focus, but a tripod can help with this. A tripod can assist in keeping your camera steady and reduce ‘shake’. A tripod can solve some of the issues caused by shutter speed, which can contribute to blurred photographs, too.
In addition, a tripod can be invaluable for taking action shots, and for macro photography. And with macro photography, homing in on the finer details can make all the difference to an image. A tripod is also useful for night-time photography, and for shots that require a lot of waiting time.
Choose The Magic Hour
Professional photographers all agree on one thing: there is a magic hour for taking photos outdoors. This ‘magic’ hour or ‘golden’ hour occurs around 45-60 minutes before sunset and sunrise. However, the time can vary depending on where you are based. During this ‘magic hour’ the shadow balance is much better, and you’ll be away from the harsh sunlight, which can make all the difference to your pictures.
Get A Little Help From Software
Using software isn’t cheating! All the top photographers use it for enhancing their images. From adding special effects and changing saturation, to reducing glare and other imperfections, software can contribute enormously to professional grade outdoor photographs. If Photoshop or Corel Draw isn’t an option, try a free program like Google Photos to improve your pictures.
Make Use Of Filters
Filters can do some of the work of software programs by making a dramatic difference to your outdoor photographs. For example, a neutral density filter can be invaluable for filming sunsets and landscapes. Then there’s macro/micro filters for close up photography. A polarizing filter can be a sound investment as it performs several functions, including improving contrast. And haze filters, can be indispensable to the outdoor photographer as they help protect the lens from damage and dirt.
Take A Test Shot
Not so long ago, professional photographers turned to polaroid cameras to check that everything looked right. A polaroid gave a photographer a means of checking that they had lined up the perfect image and that there will no obvious flaws. And today’s photographers are lucky because technology as advanced considerably since the days of polaroid cameras. More of us than ever now have a smart phone, so use it to take a test shot and check for imperfections before taking that winning shot.
Conclusion:
Even if you’re not an expert photographer, there are numerous ways to enhance your skills and improve your outdoor photos. Today’s photographers can benefit from a range of filters and lenses and editing software to enhance their pictures. The Internet allows every photographer to sharpen their skills with step-by-step tutorials. And smartphones give us instant feedback to check the shot is just right.
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