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If you pay attention to some simple rules of photographic
composition, rather than simply "pointing and shooting," you'll
begin to notice a significant difference in your snapshots, even
the ones you take of family events.
1) Remember, centered photos are boring. Pay attention the next
time you're in a movie theater; nothing is ever centered. Follos
the rule of thirds - mentally divide the frame into thirds both
vertically and horizontally, and place the center of interest
(usually your subject's eyes) on one of those 'third lines.'
2) Frame your pictures. If you're taking scenics of a distant
lake or mountain, look for an interesting frame. This is no
different from framing a photo on your wall. Your frame can be
tree branches, rocks, or some other interesting foreground
object.
3) When shooting portraits, use the longest zoom setting your
camera will allow (without using the "digital zoom"). Also use
the widest aperture (or the lowest f-stop number). This will
throw the background into a nice soft focus, drawing your
viewer's eyes right to your smiling subject.
4) Look for distractions in the frame. It's hard to learn to do
this, because your brain naturally filters out the telephone
pole growing out of Uncle Joe's head - but the photo printer
won't. Look for objects which will draw your viewer's attention
away from your desired center of interest.
Follow these four simple rules, and you'll begin to see a
dramatic improvement in your photos!
About the author:
Mark Rigney has been an entrepeneur and professional
photographer for over two decades, and has worked in the film
industry as well. Learn more about digital photography at
http://digitalcamerapage.com/
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