Professional photographers are never stingy with their film. They shoot, shoot and shoot some more. And they're seldom stingy with their advice. One bit of advice is for amateurs to stop counting the frames and start having fun with their cameras. It literally will help change their focus.
Before you start clicking, Richard D. Zakia suggests experimenting. "Play around when looking through your camera's viewfinder and imagine your camera as a spaceship," says Zakia, a professional photographer and author of "Perception and Imaging.""Move your camera around in three directions in relation to the subject: up-down, left-right, forward-backward and take a peek at what the subject looks like," he continues. "Try three rotational directions; pitch, which is to tilt up or down; yaw, to tilt left or right; and roll (back and forth). Try variations of the directional and rotational. Shoot off a roll of film imagining you're the pilot of your camera, the starship Enterprise, and later compare the photographs. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results."
He was among several professionals asked to share their one best piece of advice for taking good pictures. Here's what the others had to say:
Grace Schaub, author of "Marshall's Handcoloring Guide and Gallery": "Use a flash outdoors in daylight. This helps to lighten faces in backlit situations and when a person is wearing a hat. A flash also helps to bring out vivid colors on overcast days."
George Schaub, author of "How to Photograph Outdoors in Black and White": "Wait for the right light. No matter how good your exposure technique and how sophisticated the equipment, nothing can match the beautiful quality of light in a scene. This usually requires patience. Usually, early in the morning or late afternoon light is best. But so are stormy days, when the mood of the sky and light is ever-changing."
Chris Robinson, managing editor, PCPhoto magazine: "Get closer. Most people tend to stand away from their subject. I always encourage people to get as close as possible, then get closer. Look carefully through the viewfinder, then back up as necessary. Usually it's not necessary. W. Eugene Smith said you have to be close to see the truth. That sentiment isn't unique to photojournalism. You can't see the truth of nature, people, or anything unless you're close. In other words, 'the name of the game is to fill the frame.' "
Jenni Bidner, editor of PhotoAlley.com: "Whether you're photographing an adult, child or pet, the most successful portraits are usually shot at the subject's eye level. Unpleasant optical distortions can occur when you start to look up or down at your subject, even by a few inches. For a toddler or cat, this may mean lying on your belly to get the shot."
Bob Schell, editor, Shutterbug magazine: "Don't carry your equipment in anything that looks like a camera case or camera bag. Particularly, don't use bags or cases with camera logos proudly emblazoned on them. That camera logo says 'steal me' to any potential thief."
Lou Jones, photographer, Popular Photography Photo Mentor Series: "Use your ears as well as your eyes. I demonstrate this by having my students close their eyes while I drop a dime and then a quarter on the floor. Just about everyone can tell the difference between the two. Then I hold a camera and ask when is the shutter on a 1/30th of a second and when is it on a 1/100th of a second. Most students can tell the difference by the sound of the shutter. Then I point out there is never an excuse to shoot at an incorrect shutter speed -- to either stop or blur action -- when you are paying attention . . . listening.