Ryan's Top 10 Photo Tips

1) Know what your camera can do and know how to do it quickly. Most cameras have features that the users don't know how to use well.

2) Try new things. Pick a setting you don't know so well and shoot 100 photos using it. After you will know how it use it well and can remember easily when there is a good opportunity.

3) Look at many photos, in books and shows, and try to imagine how the photographer took the ones you really like. Then try to mimic the technique with your original subject.

4) Your camera wants to average everything. It often choose a brighter exposure to bring out a little more detail in the dark areas, which may be good but not at the expense of the details and colors that are most important to the photo. so try underexposing or spot metering sometimes to get richer colors and better hi-light details.

5) Shoot a lot! It's free if you have a digital camera. Aspiring pro's used to have to spend 100's of dollars a month just on film.

6) I used just one zoom lens for 7 years. I now use a nice zoom and another lens 10-20mm (very wide angle). It really opens a lot of creative doors using more than one lens. I recommend buying a specialized lens that fits your interests if you haven't already.

7) Pick a theme or place or person to take photos of often. You get a better understanding of what makes a great photo. Now i'm starting to focus on two themes, Benzo and Daisetsuzan.

8) Get out of your house! If want to take interesting pictures, it helps to do interesting things.

9) Try looking at things at their own level. Weather it is a child, a mushroom or insect. This sometimes means getting dirty but it can improve you photos.

10) If you want to take good photos (on a regular basis) it takes a high level of technical skill, but it is imagination that is the real heart of a good photo.

Bouns tip) Don't let your camera chose your shutter speed or aperture (usually). Would a painter let a computer chose their colors for them?

want more tips? visit my photo/tip of the week often.

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