Tips + Tricks

Photography tips and tricks for beginners that are simple but effective photo-enhancing techniques. Happy shooting!

1 One of the easiest ways to get really comfortable with controlling Depth of Field is to set your camera to "aperture priority" mode or "Av" in your mode selection. Pick one subject, one lighting setup, and one background (this could be as easy as a cat on a couch near a window). Adjust your aperture up and down and take ten different images ranging from your most shallow depth of field (smallest f-stop number) to your narrowest depth of field (largest f-stop number). Study the progression of depth of field as you step through each image afterwards, noticing the difference in focus, lighting, and artistic effect.Tamara Lackey
2 The art of makeup is for it to not look like you are wearing makeup. Smoothing out skin tones, accentuating features, making eyes pop! These are all very important elements to consider when you are being photographed with any type of camera. However, no makeup will perform its best on poorly cared-for skin. Here are a few tips for getting camera-ready clear and vibrant skin: Wash your face at least twice a day, followed by a gentle toner to tighten the pores and soothe the skin. End with a good eye cream and a fantastic moisturizer that is well suited for your skin type. Exfoliate your skin at least once a week, and a clay mask is great for minimizing pores in the T-zone area. NEVER go to bed at night without removing your makeup, no matter how tired you are! Your skin rejuvenates and repairs itself at night while you are asleep, so give it a little help by keeping up with proper cleansing, toning and moisturizing, and if needed, your favorite eye or overnight cream.Susan Ballard, Celebrity Makeup Artist & Stylist
3 If you are deciding to move beyond a point-and-shoot camera, I highly recommend a 35mm format DSLR. Medium and large format cameras are also an option, but not a practical one for most due to their cost, size and learning curve. Digital 35mm cameras offer a wider range of lenses, are usually less expensive, easier to carry, easier and faster to operate, and provide the most flexibility to photograph a wide range of subjects.Scott Bourne, host of Photofocus
4 Try to avoid using flash for extremely dark scenes such as outdoors at night. Most in-camera flash used in these situations will wash out foreground fi gures and obscure anything beyond, not to mention create startled deer-in-headlights look on faces! If you can, turn off your built-in fl ash and opt for a higher ISO instead, or use a night preset that will do so for you.Tamara Lackey
5 Too much shine on the skin will be distracting in photos. A good oil-free loose powder is a great way to set the makeup application, and alleviate any unnecessary shine.Susan Ballard, Celebrity Makeup Artist & Stylist
6 If you're interested in photographing some of the autumn foliage, fall color looks better when it’s wet. Wait for a rain or bring some spray bottles full of water (and gelatin) and you can make the leaves look great.Scott Bourne, host of Photofocus
7 When choosing your foundation color, remember that many foundations darken a bit on the skin after they are applied. That is why so many women wonder why they have a line at the jaw line, and they swear there wasn't one when they tried it on at the store! My advice is to pick a color that is the closest to the color of your skin, and if the choice is between 2 colors, one being darker and one being a bit lighter, you may want to choose the lighter one. This can prevent the chances of having that unattractive line that can sometimes look a bit orange.Susan Ballard, Celebrity Makeup Artist & Stylist
8 Autofocus works best in great light. If you’re having trouble with your autofocus and you aren’t getting sharp pictures, chances are it’s in low light situations. Switch to manual focus in low light.Scott Bourne, host of Photofocus
9 Practice creating an “S-curve” pose. Have your subject sit with legs crossed and, pointing towards the camera at a 45-degree angle, ask them to put most of their weight on the hip closest to the you, the photographer. From there, instruct your subject to turn their head towards the camera-facing shoulder, chin slightly lowered. This creates a shape within the body that is visual pleasing, flattering to most figures, while remaining fluid, dynamic, and natural.Tamara Lackey

Tamara’s Links + Blog Love

See the whole list...