Etydhv

In general, I do not like taking photos much. But I have some female friends, including my flatmate, who I hang out with and they love taking photos and they always ask me to do it. However, all of them commonly say that I cannot take nice photos (this is with a phone camera).

Today, I am going on a trip with my flatmate for some days and I know that one of my responsibilities is to take photos, either selfies of both of us or regular shots of her. Are there any general tips that I can implement for taking nicer photos so that I do not disappoint her?

The photo that I took in the Christmas evening is here:

they always ask me to do it. However, all of them commonly say that I cannot take nice photos

It's weird that they don't like your work but continue to ask you to do it. Maybe there's some teasing/flirting going on? It's great that you want to improve your photography, though. Keep it up.

There are a lot of conventions about what makes a good photo, and learning about that will certainly help, but your friends aren't evaluating your photos for technical merit. They probably care mostly about whether or not they look good: the better you make them look, the more they'll like your photos. With that in mind, here are a few tips:

• Get them looking at the camera. If they're looking, then they're less likely to have their eyes half closed, have some weird expression on their face, etc.




• Get close. Fill the frame with your subject(s). That'll help your composition, avoid the possibility of having something distracting in the background, and give them more of what they want to see. If you're traveling, then you'll probably want some shots with local attractions visible, but try to still make your friends the center of attention.




• Pay attention to light. Specifically, pay attention to how the light makes your subject(s) look. Is the direct sun causing dark shadows on their faces, or making them squint? Is there a bright background that's making the camera underexpose your subjects? Just looking at your photo with light in mind will help you take better shots. People tend to look better in soft light, i.e. light that comes from lots of different angles, so shooting with your subjects in the shade of a building with open sky above is a good strategy. Shooting on a cloudy day is good for the same reason. If you're indoors, try pointing a light at the ceiling to create soft light.

Have a great trip!

Update: The sample shot you added is a great example of where keeping light in mind could help. I'm sure that long set of lighted arches was lovely, but it's much brighter than anything else in the photo, so it tends to make everything look dark and dull. Composition-wise, you were back far enough that you got a lot more dark sky and hedge than you really need, and it seems a bit unfortunate that the subject's head is right at the vanishing point. If you could do it again, you might move your subject a bit closer to the lighted arches (or even under the arches), and get yourself a lot closer to the subject so that you could use that soft glow to light up her face and eyes. Even with the subject standing in the same place, just taking a few steps closer would fill the frame with more of her and less of the sky, and it'd get her head away from the vanishing point formed by the arches and hedge.

I have come across this previously and unfortunately, due to the world we now live in, I learnt that people in general have a somewhat distorted view of how they look and what their best look is on a photograph.

People, everyday, see themselves as a reflection in a mirror where they are able to create looks that they find pleasing.

These looks are often very limited and repetitive due to lighting conditions and can very quickly become the basis of how they perceive themselves at their most ideal.
This is why selfies are so powerful. They allow the person to twist and turn until they see exactly what they want to see on the screen.

Now, when you take an image which does not represent their ideal, then, of course, they don't like it!
Not because its not a good photo, but it does not represent their reflective ideal of what perfection is.
Its not your fault, but you can not have enough understanding of what their interpretation of a great photo is unless they have specified it.

Therefore, my trick is to, often, ask the subject to take a selfie of themselves in front of me with all the twists, turns and expressions.
Having observed them in action, I now have a much better idea of where to to take the image from.

I even quite often ask the subject to pretend that they have a phone in their hand and twist and turn as they were taking a selfie and then I position myself where the phone should be, ask them to pull their arm back and snap away.

These images may not be a true representation of the subject, but they will appreciate them a lot more as they will once again become percipients to their ideal.

Try it,

A few samples of your BEST photos may help us comment better.

If flash is not used, cellphones benefit from good lighting. Ensure your subject is well illuminated.

"Camera" motion must be minimised. Holding your breath and consciously steadying your arm helps image quality when light is not good.

ENSURE that your subject is in focus. Out of focus photos look terrible except when the effect is used for a specific purpose.

In portraits have the subject fill a significant part of the image. Sometimes the background is such that having the person involved 'small' is acceptable but, if the photo is of a person ensure that the photo is of the person.

Try to avoid having light sources behind the subject. If the background is brighter than the subject you will tend to obtain silhouettes.

Ensure the subject is looking at the lens. This does not matter as much if they are a reasonable distance away but, when taking closeups or selfies with two people, look at the lens and not elsewhere.

When taking portraits at medium to short distances ensure they are looking AT you (unless a looking-away stance is intended). If there are two or more photographers, if they are not looking at you but at another camera then it is often very obvious in the photo.

Identifying what it is that people say is wrong with your photos is a useful step in improving them.

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THIS is one of my "Random Strangers" albums. The photos are not designed as 'works of art' (if any happen to be, that's a a bonus :-) ) - they are largely photos which happen 'along the way' as part of my trip-record / life-record. People are generally happy with these photos of themselves when they see them. Have a look - decide if any look like photos that you would like to have taken. (Ignore the rest :-) ). If you like them, work out WHY - how do they compare with yours? What can you do to make yours look more like the ones that you like?

Screenshot from album - much more detail in album proper -

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It's not easy to properly simulate reducing exposure and then using flash - but this is a very (very) rough simulation:

Consider moving closer to the subject and rule of thirds.

I have 3 pieces of advice.

1) When ever you have your phone out pointing at people who want to be photographed, just keep snapping and snapping, move the camera left - right, up - down etc, don't let them know you have started and don't let them know when you stop. I bet you will have a few decent shots!

2) Keep and eye on the background for both selfies and portraits.

3) Just enjoy taking the photos even if they are not good.