Photography 101

Lets face it, the photos we use for scrapbooking can make or break the project. We thought during tutorial week it would be fun to talk about some great digital photography tips to help you capture those special moments with the loved ones in your life.

First lets talk about the rule of thirds.

The basic concept behind the rule of thirds is to divide your image into 9 parts.

The diagram above illustrates where you want your main focus in your image. As you view your image in the view finder or LCD screen imagine try to imagine this grid and align your main focus up with one of the red circles.


Placing your subject slightly off centered creates more visual interest, and is a more natural way for the eye to interact with the subjects. It also helps create a sense of balance.

Next lets talk about angles.

Angles can create such a different look and feel for your photos. When shooting kids, or animals I often will take many images to try and get the best shot. When doing this try different angles so you don't always have the same image over and over again. See the examples below.



The images above are great examples of what is called "birds eye view". The birds eye view is one of the best ways to shoot children, and also helps your subject to open their eyes wider, and can also eliminate double chins and such (we all love that!).


Next, we'll discuss focus. To help create visual interest, notice what your camera is focusing on.



See how great the focus is on this dog. It really helps the viewers eye look where you intended.

One last tip. Image editing is a huge part of getting the perfect shot! It's a great investment to purchase image editing software such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or iPhoto, or take advantage of using the digital printing machines at your local photo processing store. These can be an inexpensive way to help you edit your images also. And last but not least, don't be afraid to crop your image.

So now that we've gotten that out of the way, lets do a GIVE-AWAY!!!

Leave a comment and you could be the lucky winner of the BLOCK PARTY COLLECTION.

Have a great Wednesday.