Photography Tips for the Beginner

~Notice how the yellow rose is placed in the upper right corner where the grid intersects. This makes for a very pleasing composition and has followed the "Rule of Thirds" guideline!
~The Rule of Thirds is an imaginary grid over your image that looks like a tic, tac, toe grid as seen in the sample rose image to the right. Where the lines intersect on the grid is where you want to place your subject. You are basically breaking your image down into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Often times individuals will place the subject smack in the center of the photo, which is sometimes okay to do, but is not usually recommended. Subjects placed off center in the image will give you the most pleasing result.
~So how we do this is by looking through your camera's view finder, imagine there is a grid over the subject you are shooting and place your subject at an intersecting point on the imaginary Rule of Thirds grid. Once you have your subject placed at one of those intersecting points, you can snap your photo. Take the photo from different angles and you will start to see the difference in your photography. If you place your subject at one of the intersecting points on the Rule of Thirds Grid, you will have a much stronger composition within your photograph.
~Click images below to see a larger version of how they follow The Rule of Thirds.

~A SNAPSHOT is a quick photo taken without any thought. The Marigold image to the right is a "Snapshot". It is not a good photo because the subject of the Marigold is centered within the photo and there are distracting elements in the background of the image.
~To make it a stronger photo the Marigold should have been "offset" using the Rule of Thirds guide! The secondary flower petals in the lower right of the image, and twigs surrounding flower, should not be appearing in the image. These elements are known as background clutter. The lower right flower petals, and upper left stick, cause a distraction to the subject and draw your eye away from the flower.
~A PHOTOGRAPH is taken by a photographer who has given their subject much thought as they keep in mind - composition, balance, lighting, shutter speed and if there is any background clutter to distract from the subject that will end up in the image.
~The image shown below was photographed using The Rules of Thirds in Photography. It is considered a "Photograph", because it is a much stronger photo than the Marigold image. It has good lighting and balance. Much thought was given to the angle in which the image would be captured to give the strongest impact in the final photo.
~Click image below to see larger version of good composition, lighting and no background clutter.

~As you can see from the image to the right, there is a distracting element (a twig) running up and over the subject of the flowers. This is not a good photo and would not be marketable!
~A good habit to get into "Before" taking your photographs, is to check the background behind your subject to make sure there is nothing "distracting" to your subject.
~If you are taking pictures of the flowers in the garden, remove the distracting sticks or dead flowers around the main flower to achieve a stronger image.
~If you are taking pictures of people, look behind them before taking the photo to see if there are elements that are directly behind them that would be distracting. Sometimes there might be a tree trunk behind a person. The tree trunk will look as if the tree is growing out of the persons head. So it is suggested to reposition the subject so the tree trunk is not directly behind the subjects.
~Click image below to see larger version of an image with no distracting elements.

~The image to the right is a bad Snapshot which was taken in bright sunlight. There are distracting shadows crossing the tulip and there are harsh shadows behind the tulip to the right on the ground. The harsh shadows and the fact that the subject flower is centered all make this a bad image. Bright sunny days are not recommended for taking photographs outside as they cause unwanted harsh shadows.
~FIRST RECOMMENDED LIGHTING: ....Is "The Golden Hour", as known in photography, is the first and last hour of sunlight of a day. This is one of the best times to get great lighting for your outdoor shots! The light is usually softer and more diffused. It is warmer in hue giving perfect light to your subjects. This is the first recommended time for taking your pictures outdoors.
~SECOND RECOMMENDED LIGHTING: ...Is a day that is slightly overcast and is a good time for outdoor photography. (I don't mean a dark, dreary cloudy day.) The slight overcast of clouds will create a soft diffusion of sunlight as it illuminates the garden and eliminate the unwanted harsh shadows of a bright sunny day.
~So the bottom line is that soft or natural lighting is the best. You want the viewer's eye to see the beauty of the subject in the photo and not have their eye wander to the distracting shadows. The image shown below, was taken with soft lighting which was diffused.
~Direct on-camera flash would not be recommended as it would cause harsh shadows behind each subject.
~Click image below to see larger version of an image with good lighting.

~There are diffusers that can be purchased that can be either attached to your cameras flash, or a diffuser that can be held between the sun and the subject which will diffuse the harsh sunlight. They are very helpful to have in your camera bag if you enjoy photographing flowers in the garden. The hand held diffusers are round in shape and have a white nylon fabric in the center which can be held over the flowers on a bright sunny day to diffuse the sunlight.

~The image to the right is a bad snapshot and is over-exposed.
~Over-exposed, means the image will appear very washed out. Whites can be so over-exposed that they will have what is called blown highlights. Over or under-exposed images detract from the subject and will not make a good photo. Poorly exposed images will not be marketable if you are trying to sell your photos to publishing companies.
~Click images below to see larger samples of properly exposed photos.

~A Leading Line in Photography is used to draw your eye into an image, or to a focal point. It can be a natural line such as a log or branch which is angled in a way that, when photographed, leads your eye into the photograph from a corner into the center of the image.
~In the image to the right, there are actually two leading lines. The first is the Angel's arm which leads the eye into the center of the photo. The second leading line is created by the angle of the Angel's body. The angle of the Angel's body draws your eye from the lower right into the center of the image.
~In the image below, there is a subtle leading line created with the folds of the fabric. It starts in the lower right corner and works its way through the subject, thus "leading" your eye into the photo's subject.
~Click image below to see larger sample of the leading line in this image.

~Photography is meant to be fun and once you learn a few rules to help you along the way, you will start to produce some amazing photographs! Take lots of pictures with your digital camera! You have the option to delete out the bad images before you have them printed, so why not snap away and practice....practice....practice.... Learn from your mistakes.
~I hope you will consider some of these photography tips the next time you are out taking photographs and that they will be beneficial down the road to you. Have fun and thank you for stopping by to learn about photography.
~The books shown below will expand on other areas of photography that you may find helpful.