It’s the start of the summer holiday season and most of us will be heading off some place new over the next few weeks, even if it’s just for a day trip. You’ll probably want to take some pictures while you’re there to remind of where you’ve been and what you did. To help you take photographs to be proud of, here are my top 5 holiday photo tips that you can use regardless of whether you’ve got a top of the range camera or a cheap camera phone. (If you read Stratford-upon-Avon’s “The Image” magazine, you’ll have seen these already as they featured in my monthly column for July.)
Tip 1. Try a different viewpoint
Don’t just take the first picture you see. Look at your subject from different angles to get a more interesting view. For example, if you’re taking a picture of something tall, like a tower, crouching down and shooting up at it will emphasise its height and help you get the whole thing in your picture sometimes too. A different viewpoint may also give you a better background that shows off your subject.
Tip 2. Include people
To make your pictures more personal and tell the story of your holiday rather than just record where you went, include your friends, family or the people you meet in some of your images. Try getting them to interact with one another or do something to interact with the subject, even if it’s just gazing out at the view – they’ll be more relaxed and it makes a more interesting picture than the classic “this is grandma standing in front of…” pictures that you see in lots of family albums. Including people also helps to give viewers a sense of scale – you may know that the Angel of the North is big, but the figures give you a good idea of exactly how big and impressive it is.
Tip 3. Get in close
It’s important to get the big scene-setting landscape shots, but photographing details will give the viewer more information about where you went too, whether it’s the pebbles on the beach, market stall produce, or architectural details.
Tip 4. Use the rule of thirds
Imagine your picture divided into three equal parts horizontally and three equal parts vertically. If you place your subject at any of the four points where the lines between the parts intersect, you’re likely to create an interesting picture. Similarly, placing the horizon along one of the horizontal lines will create a pleasing composition. You’ll find some cameras display these lines on the LCD screen to help you. In this example, I’ve placed Chesterton Windmill at one of the intersections and roughly aligned the horizon with the lower horizontal line. (Sometimes you’ll get an even better picture by breaking this rule but it’s worth experimenting.)
Tip 5. Use lines and framing
Think about how your eyes move round an image when you’re looking at it. You want the viewer to explore the picture rather than move outside it and on to other things, so use lines in the landscape, like a path, fence or river, for instance, to lead their eye into the picture. You can also use implied lines – e.g. the direction of someone’s gaze – to achieve the same effect. Framing the main subject with trees, overhanging branches, doorways, and so on, will also help keep the viewer’s attention where you want it to be.
If the above tips have fired up your enthusiasm for getting better pictures, then you might be interested to know that, in conjunction with Community Education, I’m giving a “Getting the most out of your camera” course in Southam in September. It’s a 6 week course starting on Monday 12th September 10am to 12noon at the Graham Adams Centre and we’ll be covering more tips on composition, using colours and understanding shutter speed, aperture, etc. You’ll find details of how to book on the Southam College website.
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