The Color, Click, Capture Photography Tips and Challenge

This week’s tips come from Jen Villa, photographer, collage artist and owner of The Little Beach Gallery in Hyannis, Massachusetts. She is a trained photographer and alumni of world-renowed photography school, Brooks Institute of Photography. She has been studying art for over fifteen years and worked as a food and editorial photographer for award winning publication, The Santa Barbara Independent. Her photography and artwork have a very unique style and combine her love for the ocean and passion for travel.

Tip #1
Light is EVERYTHING!
Lighting really makes or breaks a photograph. A lack of light will leave the subject looking flat and produce a usually boring image. I love using natural light whenever possible. It’s best if you can set your scene or subject (not always easy!) near a window and use warm light coming in from outside if you’re shooting inside. The highlights and details reflected are usually wonderful!

The best time of day to shoot is early morning and late afternoon. High noon sun is very harsh and creates shadows that usually create difficulties, especially when human subjects are involved. This isn’t always an option so if your shooting your subject outside at the peak of sunlight try and get them in “open shade” and you will have a more neutrally lit image. 

Tip #2
Learn to operate your camera.
If you’re new to manual options on a digital camera, memorize your manual and EXPERIMENT! Try out all the menu options. Always remember to concentrate on getting the main subject matter in FOCUS. Without a sharp focus, you don’t have a good image.