Anyone can take awesome photos no matter what kind of camera they have. From a smart phone to an expensive DSLR, a few easy tips and tricks will ensure your images are \”calendar ready!\”
If you\’re using your phone to take photos for our contest, you can get a free app called Exif Viewer Lite to check the size of your iPhone images. If you have an android phone, check the Google Play store for Exif Apps. If you need to crop or remove pokies from your image, get Snapseed, (for iPhones) (Android) – it\’s free and is one of the best editors for making pro edits on your phone.
Photography & Calendar Contest Guide to Making WOW Shots
IMPACT
Use diagonals, try tilting your camera
Different points of view
- Bird\’s eye view (point your camera downwards to your subject, be higher than your subject, view your subject from a higher position than what people normally see)
- Worm\’s eye view (point your camera upwards to your subject, be lower than your subject, shoot when laying on the ground – what kinds of unique things can you see?)
- Unexpected presentations try something different
DRAMA
Lighting
- Backlight (Put the sun behind your subject, and use your subject to block the bright part of the sun.)
- Shadows. Use shadows as part of your composition
- Shoot at sunrise and sunset – the golden hour and the blue hour
Look for strong contrasts in light and dark spaces and objects,
Look for contrasting colours
Look for repetition of shapes or colours
COMPOSITION
ISOLATE YOUR SUBJECT – to get rid of any distractions
Crop out distractions when editing, like \”pokies\” – anything on the edge of your image that pokes into the view
- Get much closer – things always look farther away in your photo
- Use selective focus – shallow depth of field – commonly but incorrectly, called bokeh (portrait mode on your iPhone, or a small aperture number on your camera – f1.8, f2.4 etc.)
- Use your surroundings to \”frame\” your subject
- Find leading lines that draw the viewer\’s eye to your subject
- Don\’t put your subject in the perfect centre of your viewfinder
IMPORTANT FOR ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Remember, when you’re outdoors taking photos, leave no trace – take any garbage back with you; don’t break, move, or remove anything to take a photo; be safe – we aren’t looking for “adventurer on Instagram” type photos. Photos that show risky or daredevil behaviour will be disqualified. Dress in layers, and bring lots of water. Make sure your phone is fully charged, and let someone know where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Bring your bear spray. Keep your dogs on a leash.