Tips for taking great graduation photos | 5 simple and easy ideas to improve digital camera photos
Digital cameras are great, one, because they are small enough to carry around everywhere and two, because there are so many things you can do with the photos. One problems is that it’s not necessarily as easy as “point and shoot” to get a great photo. If you are trying to get a great photo for a graduation announcement, graduation invitation or even a thank you card, here are 5 quick and easy tips to taking beautiful photos:
1: turn off the flash, set the camera on something and use the 3 second timer
The flash on most digital cameras is pretty poor. It’s usually too bright for close objects and won’t carry very far for subjects that are far away. By turning off the flash, you’ll get less shadows in your picture, more natural light and colors, and you won’t have shinny spots on your face.
When you turn off the flash, the lens will be open a little longer to take in enough light for your photo. This can cause small movements by the picture taker to blur the shot. If you use a tripod, that would be best. However, if you don’t have a tripod, any flat stable surface will work. Just set your camera up and using the timer, you’ll have a stable hands of photo that’s clear and beautiful.
By using the timer, you will eliminate any camera shaking that’s caused by pushing the button. While it may be just a slight movement, it can make a big difference in the clarity and crispness of the final shot. A remote would work great but since those are generally sold separately, most people don’t have them.
2. Use the flower – macro – option for close-ups and to blur the background
If you are taking close-up head shots, try the flower option on the camera. That will give you a nice crisp focus shot of the face, but will also blur the background of your photo. The photo will seem more professional and with the background blurred, it’s not so important to take the photo in a nice spot. You should still turn off the flash and follow the tips in number 1.
3. Take the photo outside
Of course photos in a garden or nice picturesque location are always nice, but the main reason you want to get outdoors is because you’ll have more light for your photo. Digital cameras work best with the most light possible. Try to avoid spots with direct sunlight, only because they’ll cause dark shadows on you face.
For backgrounds, look for a spot that will have a consistent pattern, something like a brick wall, blue sky, grass, forest backdrop, or trees of some sort. Position the person and camera so that the background fills the photo frame.
4. Don’t face the camera directly
Take a look at most professional photos and you’ll see that bodies and heads are turned slightly. Try a few different poses with you head and body turned at slight angles. Try some shots with your eyes directly looking at the camera and a few shots of you looking at something else, like a flower or another person (if you have 2 people in your photo.) And again, my suggestion is to always use tip #1 in combination with other options.
5. Keep your subject just off center
One way to get a better looking picture is to point your camera just to the left or right of the person. That will move them just out of the center. This is a better effect if you have a nice backdrop, but no matter what your background, give it a try and see what you think. For close-ups, you may even want to have the person on the far right or left of the photo. If you do this, first focus on the person, by pointing the camera at the person and press the picture button slightly (about half-way down.) That will set the focus and then you can turn the camera slightly away.
It’s easy to take great pictures with a digital camera. And once you have a great picture, Print With My Pic has hundreds of great templates you can use to print your photos on graduation bookmarks, calendars, cards, announcements, invitations, tickets, posters and more. Hopefully, some of these ideas will be helpful and you’re able to take a fantastic graduation photo!