Change your view
Spend time looking around you and observing the surroundings where you are to be taking photos. Think about alternative views for your images, get down low, up high or choose different angles. Try to find the unusual shot.
Ready for their closeups…
If you’re taking photos of people, try sitting them next to a natural light source such as a window with a net curtain. Get in close, but don’t point the camera straight at the window as you’ll get a false reading from the light meter and end up with a silhouette. Alternatively, try zooming in and taking candid closeup shots of faces from a distance.
Don’t say cheese
Try to get candid shots of people. Don’t pose them, or ask them to smile. Instead, just sit them down and chat to them while you take the photos. Keep clicking and chatting, people will relax and you’ll get a better shot. Try not to be obtrusive if you want candid shots of children, let them do their thing and capture what unfolds. Zooming in from a distance works well for this.
The golden hours
Photographers often talk about the golden hour. It’s the time just as the sun is coming up or setting. The light is low and not so full on, a great time for outdoor photos of people.
Don’t be the one everyone hides from.
Your loved ones may well get sick of seeing you and your camera approaching if you make photo taking a chore… Make sure any time you are taking images, that you make it fun….
Add action
Action photos can be way more interesting and give you much more to scrapbook about than ‘normal’ shots. People engrossed in doing something will be more natural for your camera and will tell a story for you to document in your album.