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Originally published Thursday, December 25, 2008 at 12:00 AM

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10 tips for taking better photos

The pros offer 10 tips for taking better photographs.

Get ski and boarding conditions all winter long with webcams, snow alerts and more at seattletimes.com/snowsports

10 tips for better photos

Did Santa bring you a new camera? For novices aiming to improve their photo technique, Seattle Times photographers offer these tips:

1. Rule of Thirds: Divide your scene horizontally and vertically by thirds, visualizing where the planes intersect. That's where the viewer's eye will be drawn. Put your subject there.

2. In, not out: Place your subject coming into or looking into the photo rather than out, so the viewer's eye is drawn into the photo.

3. Frame your subject. Use elements such as trees, buildings or mountains as framing elements.

4. Experiment with perspective. Look up, kneel down, get up high.

5. Move in. If you don't have a long lens, get closer to your subject.

6. Watch the time and weather. Shoot outside in mornings or late afternoons, when sunlight is softer and the sky more colorful. Avoid high noon. Seattle's overcast days offer nice, even light.

7. Watch backgrounds. Clutter can ruin a photo.

8. Straighten up. Avoid slanting horizons.

9. Populate your shots. Mountains are beautiful, but a person or dog adds scale and interest.

10. The final rule: All these rules can be broken.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

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Comments
My personal tip; don't show people all your pictures. Only show the two or three best ones. They'll think all your pictures are that...  Posted on December 25, 2008 at 11:04 AM by Pablo Vilas. Jump to comment
Rule 1 should be: Shoot pictures that please you, don't worry what others think.  Posted on December 26, 2008 at 5:15 PM by The Lone Ranger. Jump to comment
My tip: A new digital camera can very quickly become a file management challenge. If you know a photo is not a keeper, delete it from your camera...  Posted on December 25, 2008 at 11:37 AM by Joe the AntiJoeist. Jump to comment

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