A World Full of Subjects for You
Now you know everything you need to take amazing pictures. But what should you photograph? In the next few sections we’ll give you some suggestions so you can discover the world through your camera. You can, of course, take pictures of anything you find interesting or beautiful, but there are a few common subjects that photographers love to capture. Many photographers find people to be the most interesting subject. One reason for this might be that people are always changing and doing new things, and cameras allow us to capture these changes.
Many of us also like to take pictures of beautiful landscapes, like mountains or the ocean. Others like to photograph small and large animals. In any case, your pictures won’t always fall into one category. If you take a picture of someone in a green meadow in front of a breathtaking mountain range, the picture is just as much a portrait as it is a landscape photo. And a picture of your little sister holding a cute kitten in her arms is a picture of both an animal and a person. Don’t get caught up in the details; just take pictures of everything that is interesting to you.
Here are a few extra tips for taking great pictures, which are useful for all kinds of photos:
- When you’re outside, the best light for photography is in the morning and evening. During the middle of the day when the sun is high, the light isn’t all that interesting. You can see the details of your pictures best during morning and evening when the sun is low in the sky.
- Get up close when you’re taking a picture of a person. You shouldn’t have to look at a picture twice to recognize who’s in it.
- Don’t try to cram too much into your pictures. Concentrate on the main subject.
- Pay attention to the details in the background of your picture. Plants and other objects can be distracting if they’re directly behind a person. It might look like a flower is growing out of someone’s head!
Bring your camera with you whenever you can, not just in situations when it seems normal to have one. The more you have your camera handy, the more opportunities you’ll have to capture unusual events. If you happen to have a cell phone with a camera, it will also do in a pinch.
