Home >> Sitemap >> Pastimes and Hobbies >> Take Better Snapshots

A snapshot is defined as an image of a unique moment. A good snapshot has the right exposure, focus, and white balance. It then has adequate light and shade, colour, composition, and content.

All this might seem a little vague, but you'll be surprised how good a snapshot can be if most of these elements are present. And all that it needs is a bit of practice to improve your snapshot photography.

You don't need an expensive DSLR camera to shoot snapshots. A basic compact will do. Follow these seven tips and soon you'll be capturing great snapshots.

1. Be Camera Ready: Always carry your camera with you wherever you go. You need to be ready to act at a moment's notice when something happens or when you encounter a scene. Just think of the times when you saw something and that you wished you had a camera with you to capture the image. If you always carry your camera with you (even one on a mobile phone will do!) then you'll always be prepared for that special snapshot occasion.

2. Capture People Acting Naturally: There's nothing worse than getting people to pose for a snapshot. They look unnatural when they do. So shoot them when they're not aware of your camera being present. That way their personalities will be captured.

3. Keep an Eye on the Subject: Only shoot the subjects when they are actually doing something, like gesturing or smiling. If you miss it, you'll have missed a great shot.

4. Shoot from a Good Angle: When taking a snapshot of pets and children, get down low to their levels. By shooting from various angles you're bound to capture a great shoot sooner or later. Indeed, the great Ansel Adams always said that in order to capture a great photo, you need to know where to stand.

5. Avoid Strong Sunlight: Try not to shoot subjects in harsh sunlight simply because the sunlit parts of the photo will likely to be overexposed when you expose for shade.

6. Focus on a Point of Attention: Every scene will have something of interest in it, especially when there people or animals about. Try to focus on something that will bring the picture to life.

7. Capture the Moment: Try to anticipate the right moment in a scene and capture it. You need to learn to be watchful and to frame the scene for composition as quickly as you can. This takes practice.