World Photography Day: Get going with these basic ready-to-use tips – Times of India

— Ashir Kumar
To start photography one first needs a camera and it can be a mobile camera, point-and-shoot camera, bridge camera, a DSLR or mirrorless camera. To begin with, one needs to understand one’s requirements from a camera. If starting out casually, then one can use a mobile camera or a point-and-shoot camera. To take it up semi-professionally or professionally, one should go for a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Basic go-to pointers not to miss
* Get the composition right: To compose a frame, the picture should not solely be focused on looking good but also on sharing a visual story.
* Leading lines which point towards the horizon look beautiful in a frame.
* Symmetries in nature or in man-made marvels are no-fail captures that mesmerise.
* Rule of Third (1/3) is a complex rule to follow but to put it in a simple way – try placing your subject in one of the four corners of the frame.
* Use of sunlight can make images look amazing. By putting the subject between the photographer and the sun, beautiful silhouettes can be created.
* Shadows in the mirror or glass can create beautiful frames.
Format Selection
As a professional photographer, I always shoot in RAW format. This allows the camera to gather more information in an image file which helps me to edit my images accordingly. Nowadays, several smartphone cameras allow users to capture Raw images but one can choose to go with the .jpg format as well.
Editing Tools
Photography and editing go hand in hand. One can either choose some of the free options available online like Snapseed and Lightroom (free features) or opt for paid apps like Lightroom (paid version), Photoshop and Luminar AI. There are some preset filters that one can use for creative edit. This involves working on technical aspects like — exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows etc.
Last but not the least …
To conclude it is important to be respectful to others while photographing in public. As a general rule, take the consent of the person you want to click. The same rule applies to nature photography. Of course, you cannot take permission from say animals or nature. What this means is that one must be respectful to one’s natural surroundings and not disturb the natural habitat.
(Ashir Kumar — 1Frameman — is a nature photographer. His work has been featured by Canon and several publications in the country. He also takes photography classes across the country.)