Articles : Tutorials - Photography

Beginning Photography Tips

Since photos are a vital part of any scrapbook layout, beginning photography tips can help you learn to create more appealing pages for your albums.

Essential Beginning Photography Tips

Photography doesn’t have to be intimating! Simply keep in mind the following tips as you’re taking shots for your next scrapbooking project:

• Read your camera’s instruction manual. One of the easiest beginning photography tips is to simply acquaint yourself with the features of your camera. If you don’t fully understand how your camera works, it will be extremely difficult to get great photos for your scrapbook layouts.
• Follow the “rule of thirds” when setting up your shot. Imagine the frame divided into three sections both horizontally and vertically before placing your subject at one of the intersections. This will result in a more visually appealing image than if the subject was simply centered in the middle of the frame.
• Use natural light whenever possible. Your camera’s flash can often overpower details in a shot, especially if you’re aiming your flash directly at the subject.
• Experiment with different angles. A change in perspective can alter the mood of your photo dramatically. Shooting from below will make your subject seem imposing, while shooting from above creates a “bird’s eye” effect that nicely accents faces in portrait shots.
• Use depth of field to emphasize the subject of your photo. Is the foreground, midground, or background the focus of the story you want to tell?
• Unless you’re shooting candid photos, try to choose backgrounds with colors and textures that work well with your subject. For example, a young girl with fair skin and blond hair will look best against a soft pastel background.

Working with Bad Photos

• While brushing up on beginning photography tips can help you learn to take better images in the future, how do you complete scrapbook layouts with old photos that are less than perfect? Here are some ideas to consider:
• If the problem is a strange background, such as a tree that appears to be growing out of someone’s head, consider creative cropping. Cutting your photo into a circle, for example, may be a simple way to solve the problem.
• Use embellishments creatively. If your photo has a bright glare on a mirror in the background, try using a charm or button embellishment to cover up the offending spot.
• Mat photos that are excessively dark on light colored paper to visually enhance their look.
• Use a red-eye correction pen on old prints to help take away the look of unflattering “devil eyes” in portrait shots.
• Apply a layer of journaling printed on vellum over a photo that’s too blurry. You’ll still be able to see the general details of the image, but your scrapbook journaling will be given greater emphasis.
• If you have access to a scanner, scan the print and use digital image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements to see if you can correct the image. If you’re not tech-savvy and you live in a larger community, you may be able to find a photography studio that can perform this service for you.
• Look for a substitute. If your photos are of famous landmarks from a family vacation, see if you can find free images online to use in your scrapbook layouts. If the photos are from an event that was attended by several of your friends and family, ask if they will consider letting you make copies of their photos.

Published on 02/08/2008.