Deloitte InFocus
Submit your work!
Tips for the Deloitte InFocus Photography Competition
Here are some tips for submitting the best images you can, which might end up being exhibited and gracing our new
public spaces in 2015!
How to keep your camera steady
While a tripod is great to have in order to keep your camera steady, you might not have one readily available. Try
these solutions:
1.
When taking a photograph keep your arms close to your body. Press the shutter button with half your breath
let out and holding the rest of your breath in, this will help stabilise your body.
2.
When shooting indoors or in a low light environment, support your camera against a column, door frame or
pillar so that it does not move.
3.
If you are at a table or have a steady object to place your camera on, use it as a base. Just be careful that
you don’t unintentionally include the table or object in your image.
Timing is everything
Light changes during the day and all throughout the year. When shooting a particular landscape or cityscape, the
image might look completely different in the morning than in the afternoon. Try out different times of the day to get
the best shot.
Changing your viewpoint
Being agile when shooting a photograph is a great way of getting the most out of your image. Move around your
subject, try different angles and camera positions. Consider photographing from down at ground level, high above,
from the side, from the back, from a long way away, very close up etc. Working on the best angle for your image will
do wonders to increase its effectiveness and communication.
Zoom with your legs
Having a zoom on your camera is great but it reduces the quality of your image. Whenever possible, a simple
solution is to move a couple of steps closer to your subject (person, place or object). You can achieve a close-up
image of your subject without compromising your image’s final quality.
Rule of Thirds
Having your subject of interest in the direct centre of an image might not always be the best way of composing an
image. Imagine your image divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. The Rule of Thirds is a
guide used in two-dimensional images as a way of making an image more appealing and balanced. By placing the
most important elements of your image along these lines or where they intersect you will generate a point of focus for
the viewer.
Instead of placing the horizon line in a landscape photograph in the middle of the image, shift the horizon to the top
third or bottom third line, depending on whether you want the viewer to focus on the sky or the ground/sea. If you
have an interesting subject in the foreground of the image you can place them along the right or left third lines and not
smack dab in the middle of the photograph.
Balancing Elements
Sometimes using the rule of thirds leaves an empty space in the rest of the image. A good way to balance an image
is including another subject or element of lesser importance in the image that will not only help fill the empty space but
also create an interesting counterpoint to the composition.
Leading Lines
Leading lines are an interesting technique that can be used to help the eye move through an image. The best leading
lines connect the foreground (the part of the image closest to you) with the background of your image. Leading lines
can be diagonal, straight, curvy, or simply zigzag across the photograph. Any line created by a river, a coastline, a
bridge, a pathway, a road or railway tracks can be used as a leading line.