Snapshooting 101 (day 1)

I’m not a professional photographer. Call me a veteran amateur snapshot photographer instead.

I’ve been using ordinary cameras since I was a kid. None of those high-tech large lensed cameras. But I make do with whatever camera I get my hands on. And I think the tips and tricks I’ve developed are worth sharing. If you’re an amateur photographer with an ordinary digital camera, and want to improve the composition of your photos, check these out and see if they’re helpful.

So here go some Snapshooting 101: Tips and Tricks in taking digital snapshots

Fill-in flash

The flash isn’t just for night time. Even in daylight, the flash can considerably improve your photos. Put in that flash if the background of your photo is bright, or when your subjects are in a shade (under a tree or a roof). See samples:

Without Fill-in Flash	With Flash Fill-in

Angle your shots

Although symmetry is often nice, putting on some angled photos can be pretty too. Take a look at these photos at an Indian Temple at Chinatown, Singapore. Tell me which is prettier:

Not angled – Indian Temple	Angled shot of the Indian Temple

Finding pretty backdrops

You don’t need to look far and wide for pretty backdrops. If you look up or down, you’ll sometimes find some awesome architectural backdrops that work well in snapshots. It will take a couple of trials to get the subject and the sky-high (or down below) backdrop in the snapshot frame. But digital cameras do well with trial-and-error photographers like me. If you don’t like the first shot, take another and another and another … then choose the best and junk the rest.

Here are some samples of interesting backdrops that we found up high and down below.

Pretty backdrop down below	Backdrop up high

Just one reminder: If your taking a backdrop of something up high, make sure you tuck your nose in lest the rest of the world will see your brains through your nostrils. Watch that double chin, too!

There’s more where that came from! This article is to be continued…

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