The Big Picture - West Midlands

Take Better Photos of People

If you’ve ever squirmed with discomfort as someone asked you to say “Cheese” for the camera, you know exactly why it is so hard to take good photos of people. But our children, partners, friends and family are our most important subjects, and we can’t just ignore them. If we did, our treasured photo albums would be no more personal than a postcard rack. That’s why we’ve prepared some simple tips to help you get better shots every time, whether you’re using the cheapest disposable or a top-of-the-range pro camera, these ideas can improve your photos.

1. Relax

   
   Someone telling you to stand still while they fiddle with their camera’s controls is never fun, so make sure you don’t do the same thing to other people. Far better to take pictures quickly, showing people enjoying themselves. One (only slightly) sneaky way to get people to look more natural in photos is to ask them to pose, then take a second picture immediately after the first but without warning people. In the second they will have relaxed and look more natural. If you have a digital camera, you can compare the two on screen and keep your favourite.

2. Get Off-centre
   

   When you point your camera it’s only natural to put your subject in the middle – the viewfinder or screen might even have a little crosshairs in the middle. These markers are really there to show you the exact point that the auto focus is looking at, but that is no reason to let your camera control your picture. For a more interesting composition, you still begin by aiming the focus marker at your subject, but only half-press the shutter to lock the focus. With your finger still on the button, adjust your composition so your subject appears off centre before fully-pressing the shutter. Try following the ‘rule of thirds’ (see tip).

3. Get in Close

   
   One thing you have to remember is that there are no hard and fast rules (except to take the lens cap off). You can take good photos of people from a good range of distances, although if you get too far away it does get harder to make out detail. A classic mistake is to place a lonely relative in front of a massive attraction so you can barely make out who it is (imagine the size of your Gran compared to Selfridges in the Bullring!). Instead why not try getting in really close? If you don’t have a zoom, use your feet. There is no need to show the whole of your subject. The face, or even just the eyes, are enough for someone to recognise your subject. Not only that, but it’s a great way to cover up a bad hair day!
   

4. Keep Faces Together

   
   Research has shown that, when we look at people, we always look to the face first (even men). When people look at photographs exactly the same thing happens so, if you are photographing more than one person in the same picture, it makes sense to keep their faces close together. One trick for achieving that is to line your subjects up behind each other. The only time this won’t work so well is if you’re using flash light, because you risk shadows appearing on the people behind and because those nearest the flash will appear brighter.
   

5. Fill-in Flash

   
   Sometimes, especially when the light is behind your subject, you’ll find that their faces come out too dark. If you were looking at this happy couple in real life your eyes would quickly flick from face to face to the sky and surroundings as you took in the whole scene. As your eyes move, they instantly adapt to brighter or darker areas. Your camera, however, can only see the whole scene at once, so must choose a compromise setting. If the background is brighter and bigger, like this sky, the subjects will look dark, but you can solve that by simply turning the flash on. This is known as ‘fill-in flash’.

TIP: Rule of Thirds

Perhaps the most useful guideline is the ‘rule of thirds’. Despite the serious-sounding name, it is really more of a guideline. The idea is that you can divide the frame into thirds both ways (into nine rectangles), then try and position your subject on the lines or (better still) on the four points where the lines meet. It’s more art than science – these positions are generally more pleasing to the eye. If you disagree, by all means keep experimenting. That’s the fun of photography after all.