Here's a nicley distilled list of tips to help take better photos. I've just used the headings, the whole article is over on MSN. Aimed manily at people who like to wander the world at large camera in hand.
- Lens hoods, Use them Always!
- Steady your camera, if you want sharp images do everything in your power to make them so.
- Get outside more often, seeing what is going on around you is a good thing, learning to read light is a lifelong craft.
- Get outside when others don't. Capitalise on dramatic lighting situations.
- Find an unusual viewpoint.
- Keep the composition and the background simple.
- Use selective focus carefully.
- Hurry up and wait."Fortune favours the prepared"
- Don't get caught with your camera down.
- Think about different ways of framing your subject, try them out.
- Texture, kind of self explanatory really.
- Mood, use it to your advantage.
- Meaningful juxtaposition, even though I hate that word juxtaposition, it is so true, and in the urban environment everywhere.
- Always bracket [in the beginning, once you understand the intricacies of exposure, this is a last resort, see hurry up and wait.]
- Padded camera bag, handy but not essential.
- Supplementary lenses, handy but learning to see with one lens first only improves your ability to see all the time.
I offer these tips to stem the "oh I'll fix it in photoshop" attitude that is becoming more and more prevalent these days.
