Not everyone has a DSLR, that doesn’t mean they are amateurs. Note down these Photography Skills to take beautiful pictures with the camera you own.

Composition tips

Composing is the basic aesthetic of photography. One has to follow certain rules to make the pic interesting and pleasing.

Rule of thirds

One of the basic composition rules is the Rule of Thirds. When you look through the lens at your subjects, imagine a grid and notice where these lines intersect. The rule of thirds suggests that these intersection points are the ideal places to position your subject.

Maintain Headroom

Headroom is the amount of space above your subject’s head in a frame. Too much space isn’t good, so make sure that you are only leaving a small amount of airy space above your subject’s head.

Beware of cropping

When you compose your subject, especially humans in the camera; make sure that you never frame them at their major joints. I mean at the points where we can fold, bend and move e.g., Neck, elbows, ankles, wrists, hips etc. The reason is that if we compose at these points, they look crippled.

Discover the beauty of light

Light is the most essential factor of photography. Learn how to use the light; if possible steal it, exploit it, create it to click better pictures. One definition of photography says that it is a science of shadows. Discover the beauty of light and practice to use it.

Purchasing tips

Many of us would be having several doubts while purchasing a camera. So remember all these points while purchasing to avoid the trap of persuasive marketing.

Don’t fall for Digital zoom 800x

It is a feature of a camera that is actually not required. Digital zoom is the least thing you have to worry about while purchasing a camera. If a salesman claims that the camera has a great digital zoom, just forget it. The higher the digital zoom, the more noisy the picture would be.

Check out the optical zoom

The optical zoom is a feature of the lens of a camera which has to be checked while purchasing the camera. The higher the optical zoom, the closer you can get towards the subject without actually moving from your place of position.

Check your F-STOP

F-STOP is nothing but the feature of the lens in your camera that determines the quantity of light entering into the camera. The lower the F-STOP, the higher is the light sensitivity. A camera with a high light sensitivity is of great use in lowlight situations. Just ask the salesman about the F-STOP of a camera, or else you can check it on the lens itself. If you are purchasing online, it is given in the specifications.

Don’t fall for the megapixel euphoria

The digital image is constituted by pixels. The higher the pixels are; the higher is the quality of a pic. So 1 megapixel means one million pixels. Nevertheless, any picture, which is beyond 4 megapixel, is enough to get it printed, posted or published unless you are having a print of 10 ft. height and 10 ft. width.

Clicking tips:

Rather than just pointing and shooting, one has to follow all these minimal requirements while clicking a picture.

Use stabilisation

if you can’t afford a tripod; just find handheld your camera and use the stabilization feature of your camera. It will help to level out and cover up some of the slight camera movements and it adds that little bit of extra stability for you to get smooth-looking handheld footage.

Increase your points of contact

If you have a tree, a building, a friend or anything nearby that gives you steady support to lean on while shooting – avail that assistance. That makes a big difference and gives stability to the shot. Or else simply bringing in your elbows close to your body, resting at the top of your hips or on your waistline where it’s comfortable can make all the difference.

Breathe steadily

If you need to be as steady as possible, you can hold your breath for a short period of time to minimize any extra movement. If it is for longer times, do not hold your breath; try to breathe steadily and smoothly through out the shoot to avoid movements caused by breathing.

Use the strap

Put the strap over your head and keep it taut around the back of your neck. Extend the camera out as far as the strap will allow with proper handheld technique and you’ll be able to achieve a smooth result for panning or shooting moving subjects.

Practice good posture

The most important thing to remember is to adopt a wide stance by keeping your legs shoulder width apart, and bend your knees a little while filming as this provides great stability. You can practice other postures too as per your convenience.

So folks, happy clicking!

Sleeping next to your partner can be a satisfying experience and is typically seen as the mark of a stable, healthy home life. However, many more people struggle to share a bed with their partner than typically let on. Sleeping beside someone can decrease your sleep quality which negatively affects your life. Maybe you are light sleepers and you wake each other up throughout the night. Maybe one has a loud snoring habit that’s keeping the other awake. Maybe one is always crawling into bed in the early hours of the morning while the other likes to go to bed at 10 p.m.

You don’t have to feel ashamed of finding it difficult to sleep with your partner and you also don’t have to give up entirely on it. Common problems can be addressed with simple solutions such as an additional pillow. Here are five fixes for common sleep issues that couples deal with.

1. Use a bigger mattress to sleep through movement

It can be difficult to sleep through your partner’s tossing and turning all night, particularly if they have to get in and out of bed. Waking up multiple times in one night can leave you frustrated and exhausted. The solution may be a switch to a bigger mattress or a mattress that minimizes movement.

Look for a mattress that allows enough space so that your partner can move around without impacting you or consider a mattress made for two sleepers like the Sleep Number bed.^[1] This bed allows each person to choose their own firmness level. It also minimizes any disturbances their partner might feel. A foam mattress like the kind featured in advertisements where someone jumps on a bed with an unspilled glass of wine will help minimize the impact of your partner’s movements.^[2]

2. Communicate about scheduling conflicts

If one of you is a night owl and the other an early riser, bedtime can become a source of conflict. It’s hard for a light sleeper to be jostled by their partner coming to bed four hours after them. Talk to your partner about negotiating some compromises. If you’re finding it difficult to agree on a bedtime, negotiate with your partner. Don’t come to bed before or after a certain time, giving the early bird a chance to fully fall asleep before the other comes in. Consider giving the night owl an eye mask to allow them to stay in bed while their partner gets up to start the day.

3. Don’t bring your technology to bed

If one partner likes bringing devices to bed and the other partner doesn’t, there’s very little compromise to be found. Science is pretty unanimous on the fact that screens can cause harm to a healthy sleeper. Both partners should agree on a time to keep technology out of the bedroom or turn screens off. This will prevent both partners from having their sleep interrupted and can help you power down after a long day.

4. White noise and changing positions can silence snoring

A snoring partner can be one of the most difficult things to sleep through. Snoring tends to be position-specific so many doctors recommend switching positions to stop the snoring. Rather than sleeping on your back doctors recommend turning onto your side. Changing positions can cut down on noise and breathing difficulties for any snorer. Using a white noise fan, or sound machine can also help soften the impact of loud snoring and keep both partners undisturbed.

5. Use two blankets if one’s a blanket hog

If you’ve got a blanket hog in your bed don’t fight it, get another blanket. This solution fixes any issues between two partners and their comforter. There’s no rule that you have to sleep under the same blanket. Separate covers can also cut down on tossing and turning making it a multi-useful adaptation.

Rather than giving up entirely on sharing a bed with your partner, try one of these techniques to improve your sleeping habits. Sleeping in separate beds can be a normal part of a healthy home life, but compromise can go a long way toward creating harmony in a shared bed.

Featured photo credit: Becca Tapert via unsplash.com