When it comes to photography, there are a few ways to make sure your pictures are suitable for scrapbooks! The right backdrop and ideal lighting may be necessary for a staged shot at certain times, while other times it may seem that spontaneous, unplanned shots are the best. In either case, you can still take excellent pictures by following these simple guidelines.
Choosing the right backdrop:
To make sure that your main subject is the focal point, try to keep the area free of clutter. Pick locations, whether inside or outside, that have a few straightforward objects in them. For instance, if you’re photographing your child at the playground, be sure to get close and make an effort to include any colorful elements. This would be preferable to having a lot of playground objects and other kids in the picture.
Synthetic vs. Outdoor lighting:
The easiest way to give your photos a natural look is with outdoor lighting. However, there are a lot of indoor photography opportunities, so it’s important to learn how to use your flash. For instance, the flash on many cameras has a 10 foot maximum range, so if you are more than 10 feet away from your subject, your photo may be dark and blurry; conversely, if you are closer than 10 feet, your subject may become a white-out. To determine your range, it’s best to play around with your flash’s settings. Additionally, for indoor shots while the sun is still shining, try to position your subject so that they are facing a window and receiving natural light.
Color Choices:
Try to match the color scheme of your subject and the background as you take your pictures. Try dressing your child in a complementary color, like blue or yellow, if you know you’ll be attending a girl’s birthday party, for instance, as you can probably expect a lot of pink or purple. Or pack lots of white clothes if you and your spouse are going on a beach vacation!
Photo Composition:
Photography defies any design principles that require your subject to be perfectly symmetrical and centered. In fact, to add visual interest and improve balance, it’s best to have your main focal point off-center.
Black & White vs. Color:
the overly prevalent conundrum…does this look better in black and white, or in color? The best strategy for a beginner would be to take all of your photos in color and then, using a simple computer photo program, change the photo setting to black and white to test and see whether it converts nicely. When shooting in color with the intention of converting to black and white, yellows and oranges produce the whitest whites when viewed in sepia tone or black and white formats.