How to Take Better Pictures

Take pictures at home, on holiday, of scenery, or of people. Whatever your picture is of, make the most of it by following some general tips on how to take better pictures.

Be thoughtful in composing your shot.  Try to use the Rule of Thirds with primary points of interest in your scene sitting along “third” lines while avoiding lines that cut the picture in half.  To do this, cut your frame into thirds horizontally and vertically and place your point of interest over the cross sections of the grid.  Change angles and remove clutter to make the shots less messy.  Yet, it is important to ignore these rules on occasion to produce a unique artistic effect based on the situation at hand. For example, sometimes placing your subject dead centre or off to the edge of the shot can create interesting results.

• Watch the background.  Make sure that there aren’t ugly images in the background that will take away from the pictures or distract from the subject. If the background isn’t appropriate, move to a different spot or change the angles to eliminate the problem.
• Get close. Don’t be afraid to zoom right into your subject and to fill the frame with them. This prevents wasted space in the picture and enhances facial expressions.  However, if your digital camera has plenty of megapixels, you can simply crop the picture later to get the desired zoomed-in shot.  
• Try out different angles.  Look up or down at an object rather than shooting it straight on to get a new perspective.  Choose angles that will allow for a maximum amount of colour and a minimum amount of shadows.  Start with a low angle to make objects appear longer or hover over the object to make it appear smaller.
• Focus on the focus.  Use the automatic focus on your camera if present by half-pressing the shutter button or using the “macro” mode of your camera for close-up shots.  Automatic focus usually does a better job focusing than you can manually so use it unless your auto-focus isn’t working correctly.
• Create a balance between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. 
  ISO: How sensitive your camera is to light
  Shutter Speed: How long it takes for your camera to take a picture (which alters the amount of light coming in)
  Aperature: How dilated the lens of the camera is
  Try to keep these as close to the middle as possible to avoid noise and blurriness.
• Adjust your ISO based on the light available and on movement in the picture.  During the middle of the day when there is a lot of light, use a lower ISO such as 100 or 200.  If it is dark, increase the lighting of the ISO to 800 or 1600.  Keep in mind that increasing the ISO will also increase the grain/pixel size of your picture.  If using a high shutter speed to capture fast movement, use a higher ISO to compensate.  Using a slower shutter speed to capture a blur will require a lower ISO.
• Experiment with the lighting.  The unlimited possibilities allow you freedom to create different moods or silhouettes.  See where the light is coming from and how you can use the light to interact with the scene and the subject. 
• Use a flash during the day.  The sun may create harsh shadows on your subject on extremely bright days.  Utilizing your flash on this occasion will bring extra light to your subject and fill in those shadows for a more even coverage.
• Read the camera’s manual.  You’ll learn about the different capabilities of your camera that you can experiment with.
• Play with your subject’s eye contact.  Having your subject look directly into the lens creates a connection between the subject and the picture’s viewer, but there are other options as well. Looking off camera can create intrigue while also drawing the viewer’s eye toward the edge of the shot and away from the subject.  Another possibility is having your subject look at something within the frame to create some sort of relationship or story within your image.
• Shoot your subjects candidly.  Catch people in their natural state to put them more at ease and get a more realistic picture.
• Use props along with your subject.  This can create additional interest and add to the story being told.  Be careful not to clutter the image or take too much focus away from the main subject of the picture. 
• Focus upon unusual aspects of the subject.  Zoom in on different parts of a person’s body such as their hands or eyes.  New depth can be created from this additional focus while leaving the viewer wondering what else they aren’t seeing.  This is the same with obscuring part of your subject to create more wonder and intrigue the onlooker’s imagination.
• Try taking a series of shots.  Use “burst” or “continuous shooting” to take multiple shots at a time.  These can be used individually or together to create a progression.
• When aiming for a smiling shot, try telling jokes or use different techniques to create a natural smile rather than one that’s faked. 
• Hold your camera properly to prevent it going out of focus.  Hold a DSLR camera by cupping one hand underneath the lens to keep it from shaking.  Holding the camera only on the sides will create blurry pictures.  Also, consider using a tripod to add more stability.

In the end, don’t forget to just get out and practice. Hone your skills by spending hours behind your camera.  Experiment, follow the rules, break the rules, and discover your own style. Best of luck!

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Kids Free Zones

Some hotels boast about their extensive children’s facilities and its certainly a lucrative market segment but spending your holidays listening to someone else’s little darlings run riot around a dining room when you’re trying to relax with the Irish Times is a real turn off, no matter how nice the hotel is. If you’re planning a city break, then you’re probably pretty safe, here are some really nice country retreats that are kids free.

Monart Destination Spa – Just outside Enniscorthy in County Wexford, you will feel like you are in a Danish forest rather than Wexford, the rooms all open onto magnificently designed gardens and woodland. The Spa is sublime but there is so much more to Monart than this so if you’re not a spa bunny, don’t worry, you will still love it. The rooms are spacious with wonderful beds and large marble bathrooms, the food and service is fabulous and there are lots of reception rooms in the old house to escape to with a book. Not a crying child in sight !

Rathsallagh House Hotel – Rathsallagh is a well know Blue Book hotel in Wicklow with wonderful hospitality and food, they say they don’t take reservations for people under 12 however they have a lot of weddings so you may be listening to Sweet Caroline at 3 am.

Atehnaeum House Hotel – This lovely boutique hotel in County Waterford is owned by Stan and Maolo Power whose hospitality is second to none, well worth a visit.

The Old Convent – At the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains at Clogheen, County Tipperary, this was previously a workhouse and then a convent before being transformed in 2006 into a really luxurious hideaway with a wonderful dinner tasting menu.

Further afield, there is a great site with places to stay in the UK categorised into adults only, pet friendly, gay friendly etc. – www.friendlyplaces.com.

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