Get More Out of the Camera You Already Own

I love to help people get by with what they already have. I guess I’m thrifty that way.

I remember times when I would see a beautiful photo only to find out the person had an awesome, off-the-charts camera that I could never afford. You may be asking, “Oh, so am I doomed to horrible photography?” Well, yes and no.

Yes, there are probably nicer cameras you could buy with nicer lenses that would take your photography to the instant “next level.” But there are also probably things you could be doing with the camera you have right now to help tremendously.

This is me pre-digital SLR days. And here are some of my tips:

Avoid using the flash whenever possible. If you have the option on your camera to turn off the flash, learn how to do it. This gets difficult indoors and/or at night. But try to stick to this rule as much as possible. The flash just gives an unnatural and forced look to your photos.

The complaints of no-flash pictures taken in poor lighting are: blurry photos, grainy photos. To alleviate these issues as much as possible, I try to turn on lots of lights in the house. This will make your photos look more warm or yellow, but I prefer that to the harsh flash. Plus if you know Photoshop, you can clean them up a bit.

I also try and steady my camera on a table, my knee or a tiny tripod. This helps reduce the camera shake, unless there is lots of movement from your subject (as in flapping baby arms above). And the graininess? Well, I guess I’ve grown to live with it, even love it at times. Life is a little messy anyway, isn’t it. There are some fabulous photographers out there doing some amazing shots that are grainy. It really can be okay.

Get as much natural light as possible. If you can, take your photos outdoors.

At the very least, try and get by a window where indirect light is coming through. Experiment with taking photos throughout your home. Find which rooms have the best light at which times. I’ve been known to move my “subject” into a well-lit area of my home to get a better photo. Even open doors or blinds to let more light in. Lighting is so key to good photos.

Once you’ve got the lighting issue taken care of, the rest is just framing up a good picture. Rule of thumb is to keep your subject in the right third or left third of your photo, as opposed to the middle third.

Get close to your subject.

Get even closer, even if it means cutting off a bit of their head.

Look for unique shots.

Try out unique angles.

These are all free ways to get more out of the camera you already have.