Words and Images by Jerred Zegelis

1 - Keep your horizon level!

This is a common mistake, so make sure to watch out for your horizon line. When photographers leave the landscape “tilted” to one side or another, it introduces uncertainty to the photograph. Turn on your “grid lines” in the viewfinder or screen and make sure to keep your horizon level so you don’t have to crop out too much in post-processing.

2 - Use lower ISO settings.

This is a good tip to remember if you’re just learning how to photograph on manual mode. Often times when you are outside you’ll have quite a bit of light to work with. Because of this, you can lower your ISO setting to ensure you’re getting the highest quality photo possible!

3 - Remember to vary your perspective.

Try to look at your scene and ask yourself: is this the best position to photograph this? Look around and see if some other spots might work as well. You can move in and out of the scene, and rotate around to different places to see if other perspectives work.

4 - Ask yourself: what is this photograph about?

Make sure that you do your best to communicate that to the viewer who is looking at your photograph. You won’t always have the opportunity to tell them, so make sure your subject is clear and easy to determine.

For more information about local photographer, Jerred Zegelis and to see his work, visit his website - https://jerredz.com/about/

Take a class with us at Rockbrook Camera EDU, check out our class calendar!