Tips for the Best People Photos

The photos that you take are historical documents far greater than Edmond Hillary’s first step on top of Mount Everest or even Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon because they are special moments in your life and the lives of people who are important you. This is why it is important to learn a few basics about photography so you may capture the important moments of your lives in the best way you could. Here are some tips on how to improve your photos.

Shoot Straight into her Eyes

If you taking a photo of a person and you want to put life into her image, look at her eyes through the camera lens. Forget about getting the right proportions and shooting from waist level. Lock on her eyes so she can look straight to the camera and project her natural expressions.

Keep the Background Plain

Make your subject stand out by keeping your background plain. The only things that should be intricate about your photo are the features of your subject; her eyes, nose, mouth and everything else. Having a plain background will keep everyone’s eyes focused on the person and not on the things surrounding her.

Shot as Close as Possible

To get the full expression on a person’s face, you have to make him larger than life. Forget about keeping him inside the frame. Close in and let your subject fill 70% of the frame leaving only a small portion of one corner and side for the background especially when you plan to print small-sized photos such as 3Rs, 4Rs and wallet sizes.

Use your Flash Outdoors

The sun doesn’t necessarily make everything bright and visible. For facial features, sunlight will cause shadows on your subject’s face which will cover his most expressive features; his eyes. To counteract the shadow, use a camera flash.

Keep you Subject within the range of your Flash

Everything beyond the camera flash’s range will be darker than they actually are. Most camera flashes have a 15-foot range. Keep your subject within fifteen feet.

Set your Subject on One Side

To make your photos more artistic and realistic, sort of as imperfect as real life, don’t place your subject at dead center. Move him to one side and let in a part of the background on the other.

Lock the Focus

Now, most cameras auto-focus at the center of the frame, so when you move your subject to one side. Lock the focus on your subject so his image will be sharper than what appears at the center.

Conform to the Sunlight

When shooting outdoors at day time, you should be shooting at an angle where your subject is facing the sun and shining form behind your shoulders. Catching a cute squint is much better than a blurred silhouette.

When you are planning to create special effects for your photograph, you can always deviate from these basic tips. But, if you are just after getting the clearest photo of a brief moment in a person’s life, these tips will produce that.

These are all wonderful tips that can help you create the best photo for when taking pictures of people.  Stop by your local Kinko’s Photo for competitive printing prices!