Tanya Kiang, a curator at the Photo Museum Ireland, has shared her five top tips on how to take a great photo. Some may seem obvious, but they are the ones people forget the most!
She wants to encourage the next generation of photographers to create and capture their own amazing work. And, we hope that some of you will be inspired to enter Fótó na nÓg next year and see your work on display in the Museum.
You can see the amazing showreel of winners and finalists from the 2022 competition up top!
Here are Tanya's top tips...
1. Watch the light.
It may sound obvious, but photography is all about light, and good photographers are always aware of the direction and the quality of the light. When you're taking a portrait, look closely and actively check whether people's faces are in shadow.
If the light is coming from behind your subjects it may make an interesting halo or silhouette effect, but is that what you want? Light coming from the side can bring out the sculptural qualities of a face - and of course, harsh light from below is just what you need to turn your friends into Hallowe'en ghouls...
2. Zoom with your feet!
Don't use the zoom function - stop skulking in the distance and move yourself closer to the action. Getting in close means you can capture interesting reactions from your subjects - the freshness of a surprise, sparks of recognition, a sense of complicity are things that can make a photo magic.
3. Turn your gridlines on
Go to the settings in your digital camera or smartphone and turn on gridlines in your viewfinder/display. The grid really helps you to control the composition of the photo.
You can see if horizons are straight, or if your subject is neither firmly in the centre nor clearly off-centre in the frame - allowing you to decide more actively if you want a formal, centred photo or something off-centre with dynamic negative space.
4. Clean your lens
This might seem an obvious one, but we all forget. Use a soft cloth and gently wipe your camera lens. It's amazing the difference this can make!
5. Have fun
There are no fixed rules in photography - give yourself some time to discover all the amazing things your camera can do. Explore long exposures, selective focus, burst mode. Play with perspective, stage elaborate set ups, or make a three-picture story. The possibilities are endless!
Click here to see some of the Education Resources from the Museum.
And there is a really cool photo timeline of Ireland here - just click on the link and scroll.
