Making Good Photographs
Minimum Equipment
A desire for creative expression
Any Digital Camera
A software application such as Picasa or Photoshop Elements
Taking Pictures
Use a camera that feels comfortable to handle.
Use Automatic Mode until you gain some experience.
If you are constantly changing camera settings manually then you can't really relax and concentrate on making great images.
Once you can take photographs of the type you want put the manual away and use it for reference
Composition and Framing
Use some basic rules of photographic composition like the "rule of thirds".
This will get you off to a flyer and will greatly improve your photography from the start.
These simple rules have been tried and tested by artists and photographers for many years and they are successful because compositions
using thirds are more balanced and pleasing to the eye
The rule of thirds is a compositional technique which can improve your photography no end, especially in landscape photography. Using these imaginary lines to help you compose your shots can greatly improve your images. In this image of Lough Gill in County Sligo I have made heavy use of the rule of thirds to give a pleasing composition. The fir trees and the boat in the foreground both lie on a third line and when you look at the image you will find that it is either of these two elements which the eye will focus on first
There is also a diagonal line at work in this image which runs from the first boat to the second boat before finally leading our eye to the trees
If you intend framing your photos and displaying them publicly then they have to be framed in such a way that the frame compliments the image and is barely noticeable to the viewer. Using plain mounts and simple frames is always the safest bet and can make a photograph really stand out and command pride of place on your wall. The image below shows how a photograph can come into it's own when tastefully framed:
Concentration
Settle into your subject and relax while looking for interesting compositions.
Make the light work for you and make sure your shots correctly exposed.
Getting Adventurous
Do not keep taking the same shot over and over again.
Try out different angles and viewpoints.
If the photograph is well exposed and in focus then move on to the next idea.
Learn about how extreme exposure compensation can be used creatively:
Slow shutter speeds can make flowing water look like smoke.
Panning with fast shutter speeds can freeze a racing car while blurring the background.
Small apertures eg f/22 can make a whole landscape pin sharp from front to back.
Large apertures can blur out the background when photographing flowers and people.
Edit Ruthlessly
Learn to weed out duff shots in camera so you don't end up with lots of junk on your PC.
This will also prevent you from filling your memory card up too quickly when shooting.
With experience you will get more confident at this
Try to achieve your own style of photography
This is a hackneyed line that you have probably read countless times in the past but let me explain. You will develop your own style if you photograph what is accessible to you. I photograph seascapes, landscapes, and the odd sheep, road shadow or strange looking tree because these are all I have to work with and I make the most of them whereas when I lived in Glasgow I used to photograph street life. If you love photography you will find something to photograph - even the plants in your back garden could make an interesting project if you can think of some way to put your own spin on it
I have always had a passion for racing cars but there is no chance of seeing one in the West of Ireland. I still take photographs and as a result I have developed a close association with the land and nature. That is a bonus and something to be thankful for.
Photography is more flexible than any other medium that I am aware of and there is now a better chance for us as individuals to develop our own unique style using our imagination and all the techniques now available to us.
Anyone can learn how to take good photographs with a minimum amount of technical skill. Self expression is part of our nature and thankfully with digital photography being so accessible almost anyone can do something creative with a camera to enrich their own lives as well as that of others.
