26 photography skills to make your photos better.

26 photography skills to make your photos better.

If you want to shoot excellent photography, you need to use small skills. Now I will tell you 26 English letters, each letter represents a photography skill, and A-Z26 will make your photos better.

A is action: dynamic potential

Want to make your photos more dynamic and dynamic? Fuzziness is the key. To make the simplest blur effect, you can set the shutter speed one or two steps lower than the shutter that can just be fixed, pat the feet of runners, the pedals of cyclists and so on. Another method is to add phantom, which has slow shutter speed and Hou Lian synchronous flash function. There is also a follow-up shooting method. You need to move the camera to keep the lens and the moving object relatively still, so as to achieve the effect of blurred background.

B boat: shoot on the boat.

How to keep the shooting on board stable? Photographers Jason Hahn and JonCornforth gave us some advice on maintaining stability. If your lens has anti-shake function, turn it on; Secondly, set the sensitivity higher to make the shutter speed faster-some noise is better than blur. If possible, it is futile to adapt the body to the ship's swing and offset the ship's motion through the body. You'd better sit down if you have a seat, and a monopod is also a good choice.

C is camera preset: camera preset.

Set the camera preset according to your own shooting type, and set a default preset for yourself for emergency shooting. At the same time, I also set my own personalized shooting preset, such as different white balance, contrast, sharpness and so on.

D is diopter: diopter adjustment

If what you see from the viewfinder is always blurred, adjust the diopter. Turn on the camera and adjust the diopter to make the picture clearer.

E is exposure: exposure

A black cat is lying on a black sofa, or a child is lying on a white blanket. Scenes like this will be dimmed by TTL photometry. Adjustment method 1: Open the color scale interface and remember that it is a good habit to look at the color scale no matter what metering and shooting mode you use. Then adjust the exposure compensation. Adjustment method 2: Use a professional incident exposure meter to measure the light source instead of the camera's own exposure meter. To be on the safe side, shooting in RAW format will bring a lot of space to the later stage.

F is fog: fog

Next time you encounter foggy weather, pick up the camera and shoot quickly. Fog can create a sense of hierarchy, and high-profile works can be shot in particularly thick fog. Shooting in foggy days needs foreground, so that the foreground is clear enough and the background is blurred. You can also think of fog as a layer of yarn. The above photo shows the photographer scattering light behind the model through the scattering properties of fog.

G is gel: color film.

Even shooting in RAW format will encounter the problem of white balance. One solution is to add a color film in front of the flash. If green film is used, adjust the white balance to "fluorescent light" mode; If amber film is used, set the white balance to tungsten lamp mode. Besides, you can combine different color films in different white balance modes to see what unexpected effects you can create.

H stands for steady: keep the camera steady.

When holding a digital SLR camera, the left hand provides support and the right hand controls it. If the lens is long, hold the lens with your left hand; if the lens is short, hold the camera with your left hand. It's better to lean your elbow against your body, which will be more stable.

I is anti-shake: it is anti-shake function.

Remember to press the shutter half-way. It takes a stable time to lock the focus. Focus on the theme. If your lens has anti-shake (VR) function, please turn it on.

J is JPEG:JPEG format

Usually we recommend using RAW format, but some cameras can only achieve the highest shooting speed in JPEG format, and JPEG format can also store more photos. For the same photo, the photo in RAW format is 3-5 times larger than that in JPEG format, which leads to the time-consuming transmission process. JPEG format will also reduce the pressure on your computer and reduce a lot of later workload.

K is Kit lens: condom.

Condom is very cost-effective and is called "dog head" because of its obvious shortcomings. However, if you master its characteristics, "Dog Head" can also make a good film. The test shows that the aperture of wide-angle end f/5.6 is the best, and that of medium-focus end f/8 and long-focus end f/8-1. In addition, don't ignore the medium focal length. On the camera with APS-C format, the 50mm lens has a very good performance in portrait photography. To get a greater depth of field, you need to be as close to the subject as possible, use the telephoto end as much as possible, and it is best to keep the subject at a certain distance from the background.

L is live music: live concert

As we all know, the concert scene is generally dim, so it is necessary to use a large aperture lens or flash. Increase the ISO value, reduce the shutter speed (generally1/60s is the limit), some noise is better than blur, and open the aperture. If you shoot close-ups of people in the band, set it to aperture priority mode, and measure people's faces with spotlights; If shooting a large scene, use evaluation photometry to get the correct exposure. The edge of the stage is an excellent shooting point, and you will find some unique angles when you walk more.

M is monochrome HDR: monochrome HDR.

Learning how to take HDR photos is not as good as starting with monochrome HDR. Photographer Jim Shoemaker gave us several suggestions: use PhotomatixPro to improve the dynamic range of photos and avoid overshoot; Download a Nik Color EfexPro in Photoshop to adjust the middle tone and contrast, shadow, highlight, brightness and tone of the picture.

N is a newborn: a baby

Babies don't smile at the camera. They can't even lift their heads. It seems difficult to shoot. Here are some suggestions. First of all, let the babies feel comfortable and ensure that they have enough to eat and drink. Most newborns (about 14 days) will fall asleep at any time, so you can pose for them conveniently. Put them on a soft blanket to keep them warm and comfortable. Babies look like they are smiling when they burp. If you shoot in continuous shooting mode, you won't miss it.

O is organization: clear organization.

Manage your own memory cards, which are full, which are unsatisfactory and which are empty. Marking well will greatly improve your work efficiency.

P is pop-up flash: overhead flash.

The light of overhead flash is generally hard, so it is better to use it softly. Add one or more paper towels to the lamp holder of the flash, or use some accessories of the flash to let the light return to the wall or ceiling. The light that shines on the object after diffuse reflection will be much softer.

Q is quiet: quiet

Sometimes it may be necessary to mute the shooting scene, so it is recommended to use a muffler with good quality. Some cameras (such as Canon EOS 5D MarkIII) have mute mode. Focusing can also produce noise. At this time, you can focus manually. If necessary, you can wrap a cloth around the camera to reduce noise.

R is a ring light: a ring flash.

Ring flash will produce a cool effect-ring eyes, forming a circle of uniform shadows around the subject. This kind of flash is loved by many fashion photographers. Use this flash to shoot portraits, preferably close-up models. The closer you get, the more obvious your eyes will be. When in use, keep the flash parallel to the subject. With Jiao Wai blur, the shadows around the subject will become more obvious, so the effect of small depth of field will be better.

S is the star track: the orbit of the star.

Find a remote place. Near towns, light pollution will flood the orbit of stars. Prepare a fully charged battery. Long-term exposure will make the battery consume quickly. It is best to prepare an extra power supply. Make sure there is a prospect when shooting with a wide-angle lens. Set ISO to 400-800, so that the camera can record the orbit of the star and avoid noise to the greatest extent. The aperture is set to f/5.6, so there will be enough depth of field. If the aperture is too small, the star orbit is not obvious enough. If you aim the camera at Polaris, you will see the vortex effect. The noise in cold weather is lower than that in hot weather. It is best to use post-noise reduction, because the automatic noise reduction of the camera will double the working time.

T is hue: hue.

The tone separation function in Adobe CameraRaw and Lightroom is very useful for black-and-white photos, but it can also produce good results when used in color photos. You can add warm colors in the dark and cool colors in the bright (and vice versa), or add warm colors in the dark and bright parts to form a transitional bleaching effect and create a nostalgic retro style. In LIghtroom software, you can save the operation as a preset, which is convenient for direct use next time.

U is uploading: uploading pictures.

Photo sharing websites often make photos unrecognizable. You'd better get ready before uploading. For example, first adjust their sizes in Photoshop to fit the size of the website, otherwise the automatic adjustment of the website will reduce the image quality; Secondly, sharpen the image, and you will find that the result is commendable; Then, the photos are selected in sRGB mode, and the pictures uploaded on the network are more suitable for SRGB than AdobeRGB. Finally, when saving, save it in the format used by the webpage, which will reduce the data amount of the picture and facilitate uploading.

V is a V-shaped reflector: V-shaped reflector.

You can't buy this kind of reflector in the shop. You can buy two plastic foam boards and stick them together with tape. It should be noted that they need to be bonded to the longer side. After gluing, the two foam boards can rotate flexibly. The distance between the subject and the reflector will affect the final imaging effect. The closer the light, the harder and softer it is. In addition, if the reflector is large enough, it can also be used as the background to shoot portraits.

W is to lose weight: lose weight.

When taking portraits, the shape of the body will become very important. Here are some ways to make your figure look slim. First of all, you can make a large light ratio, so that the main light is a little farther away from the subject, and only 1/4- 1/3 illuminates his face, and the rest is placed in the shadow. Make the front of the subject form a certain angle with the camera lens instead of directly facing the lens. Adjust the focal length to 75- 100 mm, and put the camera a little higher than the subject's eyes, which will block the "double chin" and make the face look thinner. In addition, it is best for the subject to wear dark clothes, and bright clothes have the effect of visual expansion. When shooting women, be careful not to let your arms get caught. It's best to raise them a little, which will make you look thin.

X is X-Sync: synchronous flash.

Synchronous flashing includes front curtain synchronization and Hou Lian synchronization. The synchronous flash of SLR cameras can adapt to a wide range of shutter speeds. When shooting portraits indoors, reducing the shutter speed can make the indoor ambient light display normally. When shooting outdoor portraits, you can reduce the ratio of background light to characters. For example, when shooting a sunset portrait, you can increase the shutter speed and reduce the exposure of the sky, so that the saturation of the sky color will be improved and a gorgeous effect will be produced.

Y is yourself: selfie

If you want to take a good selfie, you need a tripod and a remote shutter (or wired release). Composition, exposure and focus should be adjusted in advance, and exposure and focus should be locked after composition. Turn down the aperture to make sure the image is clear. If your camera has an inverted LED screen, you can see your performance from it, or you can put a mirror in the camera to observe.

Z is the zoo: the zoo

You can make a zoo shooting plan and shoot some animal works. Visit the zoo website in advance to check the feeding time, visiting time of newborn animals and all other matters that photographers need to pay attention to. It's best to go to the zoo early to avoid the crowd. Set the camera to continuous shooting mode, improve the sensitivity, open the aperture, and be ready to take a wonderful moment at any time.

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