Simple rules that will have you shooting like a pro

If you read this column, then it goes to say that you want to improve your photography and get better pictures. While there are plenty of photography books for sale in the bookstores, most of those are of the genre, How To Photograph Crocodiles or similar. (The answer is with a very long lens, don’t bother buying the book.)
I have been asked, more than once, for a few easy ways to get better shots, so here are a dozen simple rules, which if you follow them, I will guarantee you will get better photographs. And get more photographic fun.
The first is simply to take photographs every day. Photography, like any sport, recreation or pursuit is something where the more you do it and practice it, the better you get. With memory cards and the like, it is no more expensive to shoot four as it does to shoot one!
The one major fault in most amateur photographs is taking the shot from too far away. From now on, make the subject the “hero” and walk in several meters closer to make the subject fill the frame.
Focusing! With modern auto-focus cameras the most obvious focusing problem is where the subject is off-center. The camera’s eye doesn’t know this and focuses on the central background, leaving your close-up subject soft and blurry. Focus on the subject and use the focus lock facility of your camera.
Tripods I have mentioned frequently, but one of these will expand your picture taking no end. Camera shake becomes a thing of the past, and you will take more time to compose your shots. Even a ‘mini-tripod’ is better than nothing. Get one.
Always carry a spare memory card. There is nothing worse than deleting on the run trying to get the shot of a lifetime.
Keep your interest and pride in your work by making enlargements of your better photos. This is very cheap and enlargements do make good presents at Xmas time too.
We all get lazy and it is too easy to end up just taking every picture in the horizontal (landscape) format. Make it a habit to always take at least two shots of each subject - one in the horizontal format and the other in the vertical. You can get some surprising results that way. Don’t be lazy - do it!
With color photography, which covers about 99.99 percent of most people’s pictures these days, the one major factor to give your skies and seas and scenery some color oomph is the use of a polarizing filter. Get one and use it every time the sun shines.
You will always miss some “classic” shots and regret it later, but you certainly will never get them if you don’t have a camera with you. With so many incredible photo opportunities in Thailand, you should be ready at all times!
To give your daytime shots some extra sparkle, use “fill-in” flash. Most new cameras have a little setting that will do this automatically for you - even with point and shooters. If you haven’t, then spend some time learning how to do it. It’s worth it when you see the results you get.
To give yourself the impetus to go out and take photos, develop a project and spend your leisure time building up the images. It can be flowers or fashion, cars or canaries, but fix on something and follow it through. Don’t do buses, because that’s my long time project.
Finally, at the end of every year, give the camera a birthday by buying it some new batteries. You won’t have a problem damaging the sensitive innards with neglected battery acid and the camera’s light metering system will work correctly every time. It’s cheap insurance.
Here is the list.
1. Take more shots
2. Walk several meters closer
3. Use the focus lock
4. Buy a tripod
5. Carry a spare memory card
6. Make enlargements of your better prints
7. Use different formats
8. Use a polarizing filter
9. Carry your camera with you
10. Use the flash during the day
11. Develop a project
12. Change the batteries
Get out there this weekend!