How to Create Incredible Photos with Whatever Camera is in your Pocket

How many times have you missed the perfect photo opp because you didn’t have your DSLR from Beachcamera.com with you and you were afraid your point and shoot or phone camera couldn’t do the subject justice?  Have no fear, we have tips to help you successfully capture those moments with whatever camera you have in your pocket.

Location

Location choice is one of the main factors of taking a good photo. Check backgrounds carefully. While choosing a setting you want to choose a background that isn’t cluttered, but one that is simple yet still breathtaking.

Lighting

The sun should be behind you, if not it will be too bright. The best time to take a photo is an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset.

Framing and Composition

Framing and composition has to do with where you put the subject in your photo frame. The basic rule when shooting portraits is to try to fill the frame with your subject, leaving just enough extra space to include a bit of their environment around the subject. The closer and tighter you are to the frame the better the photograph will look.

Settings

Turn off the flash. The flash is usually too harsh and washes out the subject – natural lighting is always your best bet. Switch to macro mode for small, close subjects. This setting probably looks like a tulip on your dial.

Find your camera’s “custom white balance” setting, and measure it against a white poster board background. Do this every time you start shooting, as the sunlight and shade of white will vary depending on the time of day. If you can’t find this on your camera, it’s worth taking the time and searching for it in your manual.

Equipment

A flexible tripod from Beachcamera.com is extremely helpful for eliminating the shakiness that comes from holding your camera by hand.  Edit, but don’t over edit.  You want to keep it natural.  Try playing around with different editing features like fill light, auto contrast, crop and color temperature.  All of which can be found on several free editing programs. Just remember, you don’t have to have your fanciest camera with you to take amazing pictures. When you come across a photo opp just pull out your point and shoot or smartphone, follow these tips and you’re ready to go!