Digital Photography has become accessible to everyone nowadays. From teenagers to full blown professionals, digital technology has found its way to everyone’s pockets one way or another. Yet, in this rush of personal cameras and accessories, the basics of camera usage, and tips and techniques on digital photograph composition has been lost in the fray. Many a times, the photographer needs to retake a picture to get the best view, frequently losing the objects or testing the subject’s patience. For a good photograph and the best photographic technique, the simplest techniques to remember are those used for simple, basic photography, including physical handling, knowledge of lighting and composure and a sense of imminence.
The common techniques for a great photograph are:-
- Handling: The camera should be handled with great care. A minor drop can damage the CCD or CMOS sensor inside it and permanently debilitate its aptitude for taking good pictures. For a good and sharp photograph to come out, the hand holding the camera should be rock steady. Unsteady hands result in a shaken, blurred picture that looks horrible on print, not to mention on the camera itself. The shutter button must be touched with care and with not too much pressure, else the camera itself would shake.
- Lighting: The object’s lighting levels must be taken care of. If the subject is highly lit, then a flash is unnecessary and low ISO modes must be used, while a poorly lit subject must be artificially lit by a flash, and/or the ISO setting must be very high. Alternatively, the exposure can also be set to a high number, but the hand should be very steady as the aperture is open for a long time. The smallest of shakes can result in a large movement in the photograph.
- Focus: The subject must be sharply focused. If not, then the background gets focused and the photograph comes out to be really unflattering. The aperture must be taken into account for depth of field and focus as it is really the game changer when used in this context.
- Preview: The preview button is perhaps the most overused of all digital camera buttons and for a right reason – it is very effective to get the best shot as it tells the user at a glance what was wrong (or right!) in the previously taken picture or pictures. This results in a better picture every time, but only if the user is mindful of his or her faults. So much attention must be paid to the preview screens.
