Taking great pictures is an art form but it’s not that hard to learn the fundamentals and different techniques of capturing that perfect image. There are ways to understand regarding the proper handling of your camera and choosing the right subject and moment that is needed for taking great pictures. Here are some ways where one can improve their skills at capturing and composing that wonderful snapshot.

When taking a picture of a person it is important to have eye contact with your subject. It is recommended that you hold the camera directly straight at your subject’s eye level in order to express those tantalizing eyes and charming smiles. The eye level effect will produce a more inviting and an intimate feeling that will pull everyone into the image.

Try taking vertical pictures. There are some scenes or subjects that look good if taken vertically like tall buildings and lighthouses standing on a cliff. By taking vertical portraits of such subjects it will be able to show its whole detail and make up for a great picture.

Next thing to remember when taking a picture is to always be aware of the light around the subject. It affects the over all and quality of the appearance of your subject. There are other ways to use sunlight to your advantage like a bright yellowish sun rays can improve the facial expressions like wrinkles but on the times of a cloudy sky those wrinkles will not show up. For taking landscape photographs, taking pictures during the day when the sun is strong will provide a more reddish and orange colored appeal to your photographs therefore making it look colorful and much better.

Putting your subject on the side is another technique at creating a great picture. It is called as the one/third rule where you would put your subject, probably a landmark or any towering subject on the left or right side of your viewfinder. Imagine a three part grid is dividing your viewfinder and place the subject on the first part or the third part thus leaving it safely and focused on the side.

When taking pictures outdoors against the light of the sun it is recommended to use your camera’s flash in order to create a clear picture of your subject and eliminate shadows. Fill flash mode is used for any subject within the 5 feet distances and anything beyond that requires you to set your camera to full flash mode.

To produce a sharp image of a subject that you don’t want to position on the middle part of your picture, one should keep in mind of another technique which is to lock the focus on your subject with relation to its background. To those using cameras with auto focus feature you need to first lock up your focus on your subject positioned in the middle then slowly move it from the middle and then recompose your shot, that way it will improve the quality of your picture

These are some of the basic ways of improving your photography skills; it’s very easy to understand. Following these will make photography more fun and makes up for an addicting hobby.