Taking lots of shots can be one way to increase your chances of getting good results from your
digital photography. However you don’t want to just end up with multiple shots of the same thing so here’s 10 techniques for adding variations to your digital photography:
- Tell a story
Make a sequence of shots in mind as I’m doing a shoot - look for a beginning shot, a middle shot and an end one. It’s almost like a movie but with still shots.
- Shoot at different focal lengths
Using the zoom on your photos will not only change how close your subject appears but it will also change the depth of field (ie the blurring of the background). It also allows you to shoot from different distances which can really impact how relaxed your subject is (there’s nothing better than a photographer in your face to make you tense up!)
- Shoot your subject from different angles
It’s amazing how much you can change a shot by getting on your knees or taking a few steps to the side! (more on this here)
- Shoot using different formats
There are different ways to grip a digital camera. The two main ones are horizontally or vertically but you can also get into all kinds of diagonal ways to do it. Mix it up.
- Avoid the Group Shot Blink
When photographing people try to take multiple shots, especially group photos when someone is always bound to be blinking
- Use continuous exposure modes
Most digital cameras these days will have a mode that allows you to shoot multiple frames quickly. So instead of taking one shot at a time you can take multiple ones by simply holding the shutter longer. This can be very effective at capturing people in that second after they post (quite often when they are looking a little more themselves).
- Move your Subject around
If it’s appropriate move your subject around. The pictures at the top of this post are from a session of photo I took of my brother. I love the series because it puts him in a variety of poses in quick succession (we shot 50 or so shots all in 10 minutes). They make a great series.
- Experiment with different ‘modes’
Even the most basic point and shoot cameras have different ’shooting modes’. These are usually things like ‘portrait’, ‘landscape’, ’sports’, ‘night’ etc. Sometimes it’s worth flicking through these to take shots at different settings. What these modes do is simply change the basic settings (like aperture, shutter speed, ISO) - all things that can change the look and feel of your shot considerably
- Play with your Flash
Try turning your flash off or forcing it to fire in shots. Sometimes adding flash to a scene where there’s lots of light behind your subject is essential (even though your camera might not think it needs it). This stops those silhouette shots where it looks like you’re trying to hide the identity oyour subject.
