Basic Photography Tip #4: How you hold your camera DOES make a difference.

I’ll wager that if you bought your camera at a camera store, nobody took the time to explain how to properly hold it. This is one of those things that professionals do unconsciously, and beginners may never do until somebody points it out to them (or they learn the hard way).

If you observe others taking photographs, this photography tip would not be necessary. Why? Because you would have already noticed that people often hold cameras with their fingers partially blocking the lens.

The second thing you would notice is fingers getting in the way of the flash or red-eye reduction light. Bottom line, you want to hold your camera so that it is comfortable, secure, and able to take unobstructed photographs.

The other photography tip concerning how your camera is held involves movement. The objective is to hold the camera as still as possible.

Although not obvious, holding your camera absolutely still does not come naturally. And, the longer the exposure time, the more likely the photograph will lose sharpness… that is, unless you use a tripod.

Tests have shown that almost all pictures taken at normal shutter speeds are not quite as sharp as the picture would be had the camera been on a tripod. For example, the butterfly above is not sharp due to the shot being taken with a hand-held camera not mounted on a tripod.

If the camera is large enough, grasp the camera firmly in both hands, the right one on the camera body with your first finger poised on the shutter button; and your left hand either under and around the lens, or on the bottom of the camera body.

With small cameras, the fingers of your left hand will probably go over those of your right. (Not too many cameras are built for lefties.)

Just as in shooting a rifle, remember to relax your breathing and to squeeze the shutter button (not jerk it) just before firing. I recommend NOT using the LCD screen, because you cannot steady the camera against your head.

Basic Photography Tip #5: Shoot in both Portrait and Landscape Format
Although most people take photographs in what's known as the "landscape" format (where the subject comprises a rectangle whose width is wider than its height), there are other approaches.
One of the most overlooked aspects of photography is for the beginner to NOT experiment with non-landscape formats.

The portrait format is an excellent (although neglected) basic photography format. It can be most effective for photographing people, as the example to the right illustrates.

Since most cameras are manufactured with a landscape format as the "normal view," the photographer needs to remind themselves to take pictures from other perspectives.

Get used to rotating your camera 90 degrees and looking at the world that way too. For some very creative shots, experiment with rotating your camera anywhere between 15 and 75 degrees.

If you develop the basic photography habit of looking at the world from multiple perspectives, you will soon discover the artistic side of photography and will be thankful you did.

In the beginning, when just learning photography, it's a good idea to always photograph every subject from landscape and portrait formats. Of course some subjects fit more naturally into one orientation, but having to work at using the other can often produce more interesting results.

Basic Photography Tip #6: Move in Close

The most basic of basic photography accessories are your feet. One of the most common faults in photography is capturing pictures while too far away from your subject, especially when your subject is people.

Unless you are taking pictures of dangerous situations such as a burning building or wild animal, move in close.

Yes, I can tell what you're thinking... if I have a good telephoto lens, I don't have to move in close. Not exactly true. Telephoto lenses are great. I use them all the time. However, there is a difference between taking a photograph from afar with a telephoto verses moving in close and not using one.
No, this isn't technically a "basic photography" tip, but the best way to see the difference is to test it out yourself.

Take pictures of the same subject from close and from a distance with a telephoto lens and note the difference.

As a rule, if you're not using a flash, always move in close.

If you are using a flash, you need to observe all the basic photography rules for flash photography. Bottom line, if you feel your photographs aren't good enough, you're probably not close enough.

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