A certain influential professional photographer once said that the secret to taking excellent photographs is simply knowing where to stand. Although the truth is it’s far more complicated than that, you don’t actually need to be an expert photographer in order to take amazing photographs.
Capturing meaningful moments with you DSLR is now easier than ever, thanks to numerous tutorials, e-books, apps and photography-oriented websites being available for free on the internet. As a real estate agent you are bound to work with photographs and you definitely want them to have the power to attract your clients, so here are some tricks you can use to start making exceptional photography.
1. Try using the Aperture Priority mode
The “A” dial on your camera actually stands for aperture priority. This mode dial allows you to control the depth of field and is represented by the F-stops. The depth of field represents the distance between the closest and the furthest object in a photograph. The aperture is measured in F-numbers, where a lower number corresponds to a wider aperture, whereas a narrow aperture has a high number. Using a wider aperture lowers the depth of field and makes the subject pop out by putting it in focus while blurring the background.
2. Mix natural and artificial light
Natural and artificial light combined are ideal for night shots of the city. Timing is very important because you want to have just the right amount light coming from both sources to get that evenly exposed and perfectly lit shot. Do a reading using spot metering of both the area you want to shoot and of the sky above it. Once the sky gets slightly brighter, use the spot metered setting to start shooting, it’s excellent for those parts which are artificially lit. Continue shooting using different exposures until you get that perfectly lit moment.
3. Forget the viewfinder when taking street shots
Viewfinders provide a stable platform to shoot from, especially when they’re used in bright sunlight or with longer lenses. That said, you don’t really need it to make good pictures while strolling in the streets. Instead, go into the program mode on your camera, find the drive mode and set it to silent. Manually pre-focus the lens around five or six feet. Finally, loosen the strap a little to lower the camera a bit and shoot in short bursts as you walk around looking for interesting people.
4. Use the Bulb mode to photograph the night sky
The standard exposure modes only allow for up to 30 seconds of exposure. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to make a good, well-exposed picture of the night sky and the moon. In order to set the exposure to any length you want, you need to use the Bulb mode. Once this setting is enabled, press and hold or use a remote lock to leave the shutter open long enough to get just the right amount of light into the lens. The Bulb mode can prove itself extremely useful for all those who are into night sky photography.
5. Play around with different filters
Filters are used to block a certain amount of light from entering the camera, allowing you to make beautiful landscape shots. You can use neutral density, or nd filters to make moving water appear more smooth and calm or to make the clouds look like streaks over the blue sky. The filter lets you control the amount of light so all you have to do is to reduce the shutter speed in order to get the same exposure as you would without the filter.
Whether you’ve just got your first DSLR and want to make the most of it, or you’ve replaced your current camera for a newer model, these simple tricks can elevate your photography game. It’s important that you understand what each setting on your camera does and if you’re unsure which should you use in a particular situation, then make sure to read the manual. Don’t be afraid to fiddle with different settings and make sure you take a lot of pictures. There’s no better way to learn how to shoot amazing photos than through first-hand experience.
About the author: Aside from primary area of interest and expertise in business consulting, Ian Pearson could be tagged also as a passionate sport fan, nature and photography enthusiast, always trying to keep up to date with tech innovations and development. He is currently working with Camera Warehouse.