Here are 10 tips to turn you into a professional photographer and improve your photo shots dramatically. On my opinion, these are the most important things that a photographer, beginner or pro, must know about! So enough with the bla bla, let’s get started!

Tip no. 1 – Get a dSLR

If you’re serious about photography, it is essential that you drop your 5-year-old digital toy and opt for a dSLR (What is a dSLR?). It doesn’t matter whether your digital camera has 5 or 66 MegaPixels (What is this?). It all comes down to the image censor, baby! That is the reason why most professional photographers own a full-frame dSLR. A full-frame dSLR has an image sensor of size 24×36mm which is much bigger than the ordinary dSLR’s sensors, which are of size 15×22.5mm (More on full frame dSLR).

In addition to that there are also the lenses! The image quality depends on the lens that you use. You also have a variety to choose from, so if you are a landscape photographer it’s better to use wide-angle lens, if you are a sports fan it’s mandatory to use telephoto lens and so on! So, drop-off your toy-camera and grab a dSLR today!

Some useful links:

Find the Best Digital SLR Camera in 4 Steps

Buying a digital SLR

Tip no. 2 – Use a tripod

You should always use a tripod whether you’re shooting landscapes or macro! This results in full stability, minimal camera shake making your images as sharp as they get! Do I have to say that your tripod is your best friend if you’re shooting sports of night photos? Of course not! According to various sources, Manfrotto tripods are the best ones (update: Gitzo are the best!) (thanks to: Zach and GITZO for their correction)
But an ordinary tripod could also do the job! There is also the possibility to use a monopod as well!

In situations where you can’t use a tripod or you don’t have it with you, make sure that you support your hands on something (wall, table, fence or even on your companion’s shoulder) and pause breathing when taking the shot, to minimize camera shake.

Sub tip: To increase stability even more, attach a backpack on the center of gravity of your tripod

Sub tip: When shooting night shots with long exposures, use a remote release cable or add timer, in order to remove the camera shake produced by the hand pressing the camera button.

Tip no. 3 – Correct camera holding

Related to the previous tip, using a tripod to minimize shake, comes this tip which is how to correctly hold the camera. It is very important that you hold the camera correct in order to have the maximum stability possible. You don’t have your arms spread like a bird learning to fly and the palm of your hand shouldn’t be on top of the camera. The correct position is having your arms near your body and the palm of your hand should be under the camera lens offering support (see image).
“Also make sure to remove your lens cap before composing the shot”. (thanks to Tim for the comment)

Tip no. 4 – Lowest ISO

Although technology has advanced, I still suggest you that you take photos at the lowest native ISO your camera is providing. “E.g. the iso range of my Sony A700 is 100-6400, but it’s native iso is 200, not 100. Shooting at 100 you lose contrast and dynamic range, and there is no improvement in noise.” (comment by Zach)
This is a feature that depends solemnly on the camera. So if you are like me, and have a crappy old dSLR, ISO 200 is the maximum value I can go! If you have a newer camera you can push the boundaries further! Did you know that the new Canon 5D has an ISO range of 50 – 25 600! Amazing!

Bottom line is that I prefer having a more darkened image, which I can edit in Photoshop later, with less noise than a correctly exposed image but with lots of noise in it!

Tip no. 5 – Manual White Balance

One of my favourite ones! Always shoot with manual white balance! It allows you to change the mood of a photo drastically! In the example above, I wanted a cold-white look and avoid that yellowish bulb light so I set the white balance to 2000K. If you are like me and you want to have full control over your shots, you never leave the camera decide the correct white balance based on some algorithm!

So, to bring mood in your photos, shoot with manual white balance. It will take some time to learn working with it, but it is worth it!

Here are some useful links about white balance:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/whitebalance.htm

http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_white-balance.html

Tip no. 6 – Don’t use Built-in Flash

I love this one, although it applies mostly to portrait shots. Ladies and gents, never use the build-in flash!

Yes, you heard me correctly; the built-in flash results in harsh photos with strong lights and dark shadows which is absolutely dreadful, in my opinion. Use a soft box instead!

“What?! Do you know how much a soft box is worth?!”

Hehe, yes I do but if you’re serious about what you do it’s a must! Ok, if you don’t have the budget or a studio, buy an external flash unit with a diffuser (see image).

If you don’t have the budget to buy an external flash unit with a diffuser either, then you should consider making a diffuser by yourself, but don’t use the built-in flash without a diffuser!

Here are some links to help you with that:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Digital-SLR-built-in-flash-diffuser/

http://www.listsanddiagrams.com/archives/2005/10/diffuser.htm

Tip no. 7 – Learn composition

Learn all there is about composition. Rule of thirds, Golden Section rule, diagonal rule! If any of the following sound gibberish to you, then you have a lot to learn! Visit the links provided below to learn about composition today! This doesn’t mean that you should always follow these rules, but it’s a good practice to know them and use them often.

Learn photo composition links:

http://www.colorpilot.com/comp_rules.html

http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/LearnComposition/

http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_introduction.html

http://photoinf.com/General/Guy_Tal/Learning_to_Photograph_the_Landscape_Part_I.html

http://photoinf.com/General/Bill_Silliker/The_Master_Guide_for_Wildlife_Photographers.html

Tip no.8 – Mind the background

The background is just as important as the foreground, if not even more! With the background you support your main object, so if the background is not good, the whole shot is ruined. In the example above the only thing I did was to clean the background giving weight on the object. This a general rule when you take photos of objects, flowers etc, macro shots in general. It is also a very important rule when you take photographs animals. You can’t have a good photo without a good and supportive background.

So, mind the background!

Tip no. 9 – Be unique-creative

Photography is a visual thing so there’s no point of taking photos of ordinary things which are unattractive to the eye. Make your shot interesting, be creative with colours, and don’t just copy other photographers’ ideas! It is a good practice, and I encourage you to do it, for beginners only! Observe how the photographer placed the objects, what colours he used, what techniques, how he presented the idea and after you have learned all these skills, apply them to YOUR idea!

Image: “Bridge in Fog”- Vladimir Zivkovic

Tip no. 10 – Experiment with new techniques

Coming to complete the previous tip, to make your shot interesting, you have to experiment with new techniques, colours, positions, lighting etc! A good way of forcing you to experiment with something new is to visit famous places from which dozens of photographs exist (Eiffel Tower – Paris France, London Eye – London United Kingdom etc) and try to take a photo of the place from an angle which hasn’t been taken before or use colours which haven’t been used before etc. Below there is a photo from my trip to London last year when I was trying to complete exactly this task! More photos from that place are available in my portfolio.

Also try out long exposure, b&w, monochrome, tight cropping, outdoor flash, underwater shots, macro shots, same place at different time of day, different white balances, horizontal or vertical shots, low ground shots, aero-photography and the list can continue.

Images: “Mini Water Tower”- Brett (TOP)

“Dressed in Pink” – Gilad Bernari (BOTTOM)

To quote my one of my favourite photographer:
“In a nutshell being a Professional Photographer is all about making images with visual impact out of a situation that in reality is a pig’s ear. And that demands a range of skills and experience that aren’t easily come by” (David Noton).

Do you have any other tips to share? Add them below!

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