Can someone teach me how to improve my shooting skills?

High-rise buildings have sprung up, and learning any subject should start from the foundation. If you want to take a good photo, you must first master the basic knowledge of photography.

First, the correct way to hold the machine

In the basic knowledge of shooting, the most important thing is to hold the camera steady. No matter how well other photographic elements and techniques are mastered, as long as there is vibration at the moment of shooting, the quality of photos will be greatly reduced because of blurred images.

Although tripods can be used to reduce the possibility of vibration, most of them are shot with hand-held cameras, and photographers are often not allowed to spend time placing tripods and fixed cameras at "decisive moments".

Compared with traditional cameras, digital cameras require higher shooting stability. This is because electronic components need extra time to store information, which is often called "time lag".

1, the correct posture of the machine.

Whether standing, sitting or kneeling, the correct posture for holding the machine should be:

(1). Hold the handshake position on the camera side with your right hand, and touch the shutter button with your index finger to shoot at any time.

(2) Hold the bottom of the fuselage with the palm of your left hand, and hold the camera with your thumb and forefinger to stabilize the lens.

(3) Keep your hands and upper arms close to your body, and try to keep them drooping naturally and close to your body. Never shrug your shoulders. Because the shoulder is lifted for a long time, the shoulder will feel tired and it is more difficult to stabilize the camera.

(4) When holding the camera vertically, generally, the left hand is down and the right hand is up, and the left arm should be close to the body.

2. Matters needing attention when standing or sitting down for photography

(1), when standing for photography, you should stretch your feet slightly, or stand back and forth, so that you can put your whole body weight on your feet. If you can rely on some fixed objects, such as leaning against the trunk or wall, the effect is better.

(2) Sitting photography has high stability, but foreign objects can still be used to further stabilize the body. A chair back or a table is a good choice.

3. Precautions for kneeling photography

When kneeling, the left foot should be arched, the right foot should kneel on the ground, and the left hand at the bottom of the fuselage should be lifted and supported on the arched left foot. In general, it is difficult to keep your body steady on your knees. It is best to rely on fixed objects, such as trees and walls.

4. The important role of video tape

Put the camera strap on your wrist, hold it in the tiger's mouth for two turns and then tighten it. After putting your thumb through the strap, hold the camera tightly, so that the camera can be integrated with your right hand, which can not only reduce the tremor of your hand, but also hold the camera when you accidentally let go, so as not to fall to the ground and be damaged.

Second, the use of light.

Photos are artistic products of light and shadow, and it is not an exaggeration to call light the soul of photography. To take good photos, you have to master the key element of light.

1, the properties of light

(1) direct light

On sunny days, the sun shines directly on the subject without any obstruction, and the light-receiving surface will produce bright shadows, while the light-receiving surface will form obvious shadows. This light is called "direct light". Under the "direct light", there will be a very obvious contrast between the light-receiving surface and the non-light-receiving surface, which is easy to produce a three-dimensional sense.

When the sun is blocked by thin clouds, the sunlight will still diffuse through the white clouds, and the resulting illumination contrast will be reduced, which is very suitable for portrait photography.

(2) Scattered light

On cloudy days, sunlight is blocked by clouds, so it can't shine directly on the subject. It can only shine on the subject through the intermediate medium or through reflection, and the light will have a scattering effect, which is called "scattered light". Because the light receiving surface and shadow surface formed by scattered light are not obvious, the contrast between light and shade is weak, and the change of light and shadow is soft, so the effect is flat and soft.

"Direct light" will produce light with strong contrast, resulting in thicker shadows, less tonal changes, and harder lines and tones of the captured image. And "scattered light" will produce light with weak contrast, so the shadow is shallower, the color tone changes more abundantly, and more and more soft image lines and colors will be obtained. So photographers should choose the right light according to different situations.

2. Different directions of light projection

Shooting the same scene, using light projected in different directions will produce different effects.

(1) Guang Shun

The light coming out from the back of the camera and facing the subject is called "smooth light". The characteristics of "Guang Shun" lighting are: most objects are directly illuminated, the shadow area is not large, and the color of objects is relatively clear. The contrast between light and shade formed by this kind of light is weak, and the three-dimensional sense of an object can not be reflected mainly by illumination light, but by its own ups and downs. So the three-dimensional sense is weak.

(2) Front side lamp

The light from the left or right rear of the camera to the subject is called "front light". Most objects that receive light will receive light, resulting in a brighter surface, so the color tone is brighter, and the area of the object that is not exposed to light will not be too large, but it can already show the light and dark distribution and three-dimensional shape of the object. This kind of light can not only keep the bright hue, but also show the three-dimensional form of the main body.

(3) Side lights

The light from the left or right side of the camera is called "sidelight". It will make half of the subject receive light, while the other half is in the shadow, which is beneficial to show the ups and downs of the subject.

Because the "side light" illumination increases the shadow area of the object, the color of the picture is not bright or dark, and the light and dark are mixed, which is not as bright as the "front light" and "front side light", but it is not too gloomy. Three-dimensional form will be better.

(4) Side backlight

The light from the left or right front of the camera is called "side backlight". It makes the object produce a small part of the light receiving surface and most of the shadow surface, so the color tone will be darker. This kind of lighting will have a better stereoscopic effect on the object than "smoothing", but it is still weak.

(5) Backlight

"Backlight" is the light from the back of the subject and the front of the camera. Most objects are in the shadows. Because the light is weak, the three-dimensional sense is weak, and the tone is gloomy. However, "backlight" can be used to sketch the silhouette and outline of an object, and it can also highlight the texture and shape of the object and clearly show the lines of the object. Using "backlight" in clear weather will produce a strong contrast.

(6) dome light

The light from above an object is called "top light". The sunshine at noon is a good example. "Top light" often causes a strong shadow to the subject. If it is used in portrait photography, it will form a dark shadow under the nose, eyes and jaw of the face.

(7) Bottom lamp

The light source of "bottom light" is located below the subject. This kind of light is rare in daily life experience, so it has weird and dramatic effects and is rarely used in general photography.

3. Contrast of light

"Contrast" refers to the tonal relationship between "brightest" and "darkest" on the subject. The so-called "strong contrast" means that the brightest part and the darkest part of the light on the subject are very different, and the change from the brightest to the darkest is very strong, and the contrast is very strong. Relatively speaking, "weak contrast" means that the difference between the brightest part and the darkest part is not too big, and the change from the brightest part to the darkest part is very smooth, which makes the tone very rich.

Third, photographic composition

Composition is a process of dealing with the relationship between people, scenery and things in the limited space of photos, and arranging them in the best position in the picture to form a specific structure of the picture.

The main purpose of composition is how to emphasize and highlight the theme scenery, and at the same time, arrange the trivial things as a foil. Good composition makes photos look even, stable, comfortable and regular, and can guide the line of sight to the theme point. Improper composition will lead to disorder, imbalance between left and right, top-heavy, lack of visual focus and other problems because of too many themes.

1, notes for composition

To get a good photographic composition, we must pay attention to the following points:

(1) Don't be too monotonous, otherwise it will look dull. But it can't be too complicated, otherwise it will make people feel very confused.

(2) Choose a suitable background. A good background not only helps to set off the theme and highlight the protagonist, but also enriches the content of the photo and adds color to the picture.

(3) Understand the relationship between people, scenery and things in the photos and make appropriate arrangements, so as to effectively express the theme and avoid usurping the role of the host.

(4) Consider the color contrast of each scene. Sharp contrast helps to highlight the theme, but if the colors are confused, it will have the opposite effect.

(5) It is necessary to master the illumination angle of light and the shadow generated, which will affect the color and effect of photos.

(6) We should make more use of the changes of illumination, perspective, overlap and light and shade, which will help to increase the three-dimensional sense in plane photos.

2. Create different compositions from different shooting angles.

Most themes are three-dimensional, and they present many faces. There are front, side, back, top and bottom. Different shooting angles of the same object will also make the picture show a variety of composition effects. Therefore, before shooting, we should choose different directions and angles to observe the comparison object, find out the best, most expressive and vivid viewpoint, and find the most suitable composition.

(1) Frontal shooting.

Frontal photography is one of the most commonly used photography angles. Frontal shooting can produce a solemn and smooth composition effect. However, smooth lines and symmetrical structures will also be dull due to lack of perspective. Moreover, in many cases, because the light receiving conditions of objects are similar, the stereoscopic effect of objects cannot be highlighted.

(2) side shot.

With the inclined photography angle, the original parallel lines on the picture become diagonal lines, which gives people a sense of depth and can lead people's eyes to the depths and enhance the three-dimensional sense. And the line of sight extending along the diagonal will also make the picture vivid. With the change of oblique azimuth, the perspective effect will also change interestingly.

(3) look up and shoot.

Looking-up shooting refers to shooting at an oblique angle, which is mostly used to shoot tall scenes. This shooting angle can not only capture the panoramic view of the tall scene, but also form a sense of perspective in which the lines perpendicular to the ground converge upwards. It can also highlight the towering characteristics of objects and increase the sense of oppression.

(4) Shoot from above.

Looking down means shooting from top to bottom. Aerial photography can shoot a wide range of scenery, so it is often used for wide-angle landscape photography. Using overhead photography in portrait photography can bring slim effect to the protagonist.

3. Composition of "Three Points"

The "trichotomy" was put forward by Greek mathematicians. Photographers can often take many harmonious and pleasing photos by applying it to the composition of photos. The specific method is: divide the picture into 9 squares with the same size with two straight lines and two horizontal lines. When shooting, put the subject at the intersection of a straight line and a horizontal line.

"Trigonometry" can be applied to the photography of any person or scene.

4. Selection of background and prospect

The differences between the background or foreground and the theme in color, shape, line, texture, light and shade will cause contrast, thus highlighting the theme.

(1) Simple and soft background.

Simple background will not rob the position of the theme, which is conducive to highlighting the theme. But too simple and monotonous background will make the photo too dull.

(2) Avoid messy background.

The messy background will make the photos look very confusing, and what's worse, it will make people confused about the theme.

(3) Avoid too many people and things in the foreground.

If there are too many people and things in the foreground, it will be difficult to highlight the main body and seriously damage the overall effect of the photo.

5, the basic mode of photographic composition

(1) components are balanced and stable.

Balance is balance. It is different from symmetry. The picture formed in this way is not a one-to-one correspondence of the shapes, quantities, sizes and arrangements of the left and right scenery, but a different arrangement of the same or similar shapes, quantities and sizes, which gives people visual stability, is an echo balance between the alien and the different, and is an artistic balance of using the perspective laws and visual habits, such as near-heavy and far-light, near-big and far-small, and deep and light. Of course, equilibrium also includes symmetric equilibrium.

Balanced composition gives people a sense of tranquility and stability, but there is no absolute symmetry, so it is a common form used by photographers in composition, and balance has become one of the basic requirements of photographic composition.

To form a balanced composition, the key is to select the balance point (balance). What is the balance point? This should be found from the artistic effect. As long as the location is suitable, small objects can be balanced with big objects, distant objects can also be balanced with near objects, animals can also be balanced with still objects, and low scenes can also be balanced with high scenes. We should practice and study more and make good use of this artistic skill.

(2) Break the balance

With the development and progress of society, some trendy photographers think that balance is not exciting enough to reflect the rhythm and characteristics of life in the new era. They advocate breaking the balance, but they also practice their own views and shoot some unbalanced works. We call the composition form of these works unbalanced composition. Life is varied, and there are both balance and imbalance in real life. As long as it is the need of content and creative intention, the form can be chosen at will.

Unbalanced composition is characterized by instability, disharmony, tension and turbulence. It is ideal to express the dynamic situation from the scene image; From the psychological reflection, there are advantages in expressing restless emotions, uncoordinated movements or inconsistent attention, and different expressions. If the cruel war, revolutionary storm, messy scenes and other scenes are shown, good visual effects can be achieved.

(3) Frame composition

Frame composition is to frame the theme with some foreground. Commonly used are branches, arches, beautifully decorated railings, hall doors and so on. This composition is naturally around the theme, which helps to highlight the theme. On the other hand, although the boundary with clear focus is attractive, it may be opposite to the subject. Therefore, framing composition will cooperate with the adjustment of aperture and depth of field, which will make the scenery around the subject clear or fuzzy, and make people naturally focus on the theme.

(4) right triangle composition

The composition of a right-angled triangle generally takes a vertical side of the picture as one right-angled side of the triangle and the bottom side as the other right-angled side of the triangle. Most of this composition pays attention to the directionality of the subject. The moving direction or face of the scene should be opposite to the hypotenuse of the triangle, so that there is room for a way out in front of the moving object or face of the scene.

Right triangle composition can be used for banners or vertical pictures. Its characteristic is that the vertical line can show the towering scenery, and the horizontal line at the bottom has a sense of slow and steady, full of movement. It has the dual advantages of regular triangle composition and inverted triangle composition. At the same time, the left, right and left right angles are flexible and changeable, which is very popular with photographers, so they are used more.

The flexibility of right triangle composition is also manifested in the fact that the bottom is long and the vertical side is short or the bottom is short and the vertical side is long. As long as one of the three angles can form a right angle, this composition form can be used.

(5) circular composition

Circular composition is to arrange the scene in the center of the picture, and the center of the circle is the visual center. The circular composition looks like a United group character, which is represented by a schematic diagram, that is, a circle is formed in the center of the picture.

Cyclic composition, in addition to using circular objects to represent their circles in this schema, there are actually many scenes that can use cyclic composition to express their unity, whether it is form or will. For example, many people sign around a hero model, many children concentrate on listening to old people telling stories, and children play games around the circle. They can choose a circular composition.

Circular composition gives people a sense of unity without looseness, but this composition mode lacks vitality, impact and vitality.

(6)S-shaped combination

S-shape is actually a curve, but this kind of curve is a curve with regular shape. The advantage of S-shape is beautiful curve, full of vitality and charm. At the same time, the reader's line of sight moves in depth with the S-shape, which can effectively express the sense of space and depth of his scene.

S-shaped composition can be divided into vertical and horizontal rows. Vertical can show the depth of the scene, horizontal can show the breadth of the scene. S-shaped composition pays attention to the overall image of the close combination of lines and tones, rather than the internal connection or echo between scenes.

S-shaped composition is most suitable for expressing its own curvaceous scenery. In natural scenery photography, you can choose winding rivers, winding paths in courtyards and narrow paths in mines. In large-scale photography, you can choose scenes such as queuing for shopping and marching performances. When shooting at night, you can choose winding street lights, the track of car lights and so on.

(7) Cross composition

A cross is the vertical intersection of a vertical line and a horizontal line. It gives people a sense of stability, solemnity, seriousness, maturity and mystery, and is healthy and uplifting. Because the cross is most easily associated with the cross of the church, the Red Cross of the medical department and so on. , thus creating a sense of mystery.

Cross-shaped composition should not make the horizontal line and vertical line equal in length, and generally it is better to make the vertical line long and the horizontal line short; When two lines intersect, it is not appropriate to divide them equally, especially vertical lines. Generally, the upper part is shorter and the lower part is slightly longer. Because the two lines are equal in length and equally divided by the intersection, it gives people a sense of symmetry, and the lack of ellipsis and momentum will weaken the expressive force.

The cross-shaped composition of a scene is not always a simple intersection of two horizontal lines and vertical lines, but a cross-shaped composition can be used for a scene similar to a cross. Such as frontal portrait, the head and upper body can be regarded as vertical lines, and the left and right shoulders can be regarded as horizontal lines; Height and horizontal structure of the building, etc. In other words, whoever can form a cross-shaped image visually can choose a cross-shaped composition.

Four, aperture, shutter, focal length, depth of field

The control of exposure mainly depends on the size of aperture and the speed of shutter. To learn to shoot manually, you must learn to match the setting of aperture and shutter.

1, the relationship between exposure and aperture

Aperture is a hole in the camera lens that can be changed in size. It controls the amount of light entering the lens. Other things being equal, the larger the aperture, the more light will enter the lens. It's like a window in a room. The bigger it is, the more light comes in.

The numerical value of aperture is usually expressed by aperture value. It should be noted that the larger the aperture value, the smaller the aperture. For example, the aperture of f 16 is smaller than that of f8.

When the shutter speed is constant, the size of the aperture determines the brightness of the photo. If the aperture is too large, the photo will be white if it is overexposed. If the aperture is too small and the exposure is insufficient, the photos taken will be very dark.

2. The relationship between exposure and shutter

Shutter is the gate that controls the light entering. Other things being equal, the higher the shutter speed, the less light enters the lens. Conversely, the time from Dallas to the auditorium is equivalent to the time to open the window.

Both aperture and shutter can control exposure, and their combination is the main factor to control exposure, which affects each other. If the aperture is lowered by one step (for example, from f4 to f5.6) and the shutter speed is lowered by one step (for example, from 160 to 130), their exposures are the same.

3. The importance of concentration

Focusing refers to the process of adjusting the focal length of the lens to make the image clearest after the lens is aimed at the object. Only by focusing correctly can the image be clear, otherwise the image will be blurred.

4. The relationship between depth of field and aperture, distance and focal length

The "scene" of depth of field refers to the scene we want to shoot, and the "depth" is the depth range of clarity. When the lens is focused on the shooting target, it is equivalent to clear imaging on the CCD photosensitive element. Scenes in a certain range before and after it can also be recorded more clearly, and this range is the depth of field.

The greater the depth of field, the greater the clear range of the scene in depth. The smaller the depth of field, the smaller the clear range of the depth scene.

The three main factors that affect the depth of field are:

(1) Aperture: The smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field, and the same lens focal length and distance, and vice versa.

(2) Distance: The closer to the shooting target, the smaller the depth of field, and the farther away from the shooting target, the greater the depth of field under the condition that the focal length and aperture of the lens are unchanged.

(3) Focal length: The shorter the focal length of the lens, the greater the depth of field with the same distance and aperture. In other words, the depth of field of a short focal length lens is large, while that of a telephoto lens is small.