Day 1: Ten Tips to taking better pictures!

Do you scrapbook your photographs? Or do you feel your photos aren't scrapbook worthy because they never come out as well as you would like? Are you somewhat intimidated by taking photos, because you really don't know how to take good pictures?

Over the next week and a half, I am going to share Ten Tips that I learned from our friends at KODAK-the picture experts!  Once you've learned these tips and apply this knowledge to your photo shoots, you will see the quality of your pictures improve, and you'll feel much more confident about picture-taking! Be sure to check back here for a photo-taking tip each day, that will help you take better photographs with your digital camera!

The next step after taking good pictures, is knowing how to make great scrapbook pages with them! I teach rubber stamping and Scrapbooking 101 classes every month at my in-home studio in Hardyston NJ using Stampin' Up! stamps, Simply Scrappin'™ products and accessories, Designer Series Papers and much more, so make sure you check out my CLASS CALENDAR too! If you attend these classes in person each month, you will receive hands-on experience creating eye-appealing layouts, with attractive colors, titles and journaling-all necessary components to putting together a great scrapbook page! When you combine your newly found knowledge of good picture-taking, with the steps to creating fantastic scrapbook pages, you will be so excited to make some beautiful pages you and your family will cherish for years to come! Are you ready to learn your first tip?

TIP #1: MEET YOUR SUBJECT ON THEIR LEVEL!

Instead of taking a photo of your pet, your child or another subject while standing up, try getting down on the level of your subject with your camera, and meeting them eye-to-eye!  Direct eye contact will capture the true essence of the shot and will give the effect of actually being there with that subject at that precise moment! Simply kneel down so your camera is at eye-level, focus on your subject up-close, then wait for that captivating smile, laugh or other facial pose you want to capture and take the picture.

Other tips for photographing children come from Michael Crouser, who has produced two books about black and white photography. Young children will be much more cooperative when you allow them to be photographed in a natural setting for them, or in their favorite hero outfit! Always take photos of the older child first, and the younger one will want the attention as well, which means a better photo-with cooperation! Keep things as natural as possible-and that includes NOT having the subject say "cheese" which only produces a phony or exaggerated smile. Also try to take outdoor photos in the shade rather the sun, so the subject doesn't have to squint. For indoor photos, try to find alternatives for the direct flash. Wedding photographers avoid using it!

Pets can do funny things that we want to capture in a photo forever...I wish I could find the photo of my cat when she winks at me, but I'm not sure where that one is so here is one of Snickers, our four-year old Silky Terrier that I captured of bath time:

 

Had I taken this photo taken higher up it just would not have captured the look on his adorable little face! Don't you feel as if you can just reach out and touch Snickers? His expression is-priceless-and that's what I wanted to capture! This is a great photo to scrapbook...

Let's see what you can do with this tip-give it a try! I'd love to see some of your pictures so email them to me if you like...and I may feature some of them! Keep practicing taking eye-level pictures, focusing in on your subject-and keep the background simple (but more on that topic-tomorrow!).

Passionately scrapping,