How to Take a Good Photograph

How to take a good photograph

By Sameed Ahmed, Suraksha Thourani, Safa Afzal, Mahham Farooq, and Ali Haider Rizvi

Section E

The main question that makes an appearance frequently in the minds of budding photographers is “how can I take good pictures with what I have, without spending too much money on new cameras and lenses?”. Professional photographers, primarily, influenced amateur minds to ponder upon this question by presenting the equipment they used to make great-looking images. This created an impression that only expensive gear can produce great photographs. Therefore, it has become increasingly common for people to think that they will improve their photography by buying a spiffy new camera. This, however, is specious. What many fail to realize is that, in photography, technique is more important than equipment. Carefully following a few simple steps can produce better images than spending a fortune on a new camera.

The most important step that any photographer must take before he starts taking pictures is to understand his camera. That is, to read the camera’s manual thoroughly. In order to take good pictures, it is vital that a photographer must know the basic actions such as using the flash (on, off, and auto), zooming in and out, and using the shutter button. He must learn what each control, switch, button, and menu item does. It is important for the photographer to go through this because understanding his camera will give him better control over it and, thus, take him one step closer to taking better pictures.

Now that the photographer has understood the basics of his camera, it is now time for him to get started by adjusting the settings on the camera. First and foremost, it is important to set the camera's resolution to take high quality photos at the highest resolution possible. If the camera’s resolution remains low, it would be difficult to alter pictures later, such as cropping. Along with adjusting the resolution, the photographer...