You all know that I took an online lesson with Leanne Cole. You can too, by the way. She gave me some composition tips as well as some Photoshop tips that I’ve been practicing and will share with you today – even though NOBODY asked!!! hahaha
Composition tip#1 If you take a wide angle shot, to get a record of a building, person, thing, make sure that you don’t cut it off. It looks like you are being lazy. Ouch Leanne! Me – LAZY – I’ve been caught! I have to work at that because I just automatically go in standing, and shoot from eye level – bad photographer – SOMEBODY SLAP ME!
Composition tip #2 Watch for stuff around the edges of the photograph, such as legs, poles, cars, anything that detracts from your focal point. I corrected these in Bridge using Camera Raw. Given that we had to be quick so that we didn’t hold anybody up in line, and given the fact that I had let my camera battery go dead, sometimes you just have to get what you get, and fix it as best you can . Vince saved the day, and for an iPhone pix, I think this turned out great! 🙂
Composition tip #3 Keep the horizon on about the upper third line of the photograph. Here again, if you mess up, and it looks ok, great. If you mess up and it doesn’t look ok, you can crop.
Photoshop tip #1 Work in Bridge in Camera Raw. Right click on the picture and choose, “open in camera raw.” You have lots of choices, and it is faster than in Photoshop. You can edit several pictures at once. Here are my before and after pictures. I accidentally shot the pictures on AV and not P. It was 108 degrees. Vince wanted to get the table fixed and get back inside. This edit took just a few seconds. I pressed auto. Bridge made its correction. Then I clicked the scroll bar that said clarity and vibrance and made the pictures a little clearer. They were all done at once! Awesome – Problem solved!
Now here’s the story behind the picture in case you asked me – which you didn’t! We were inside where it was cool, and walked out for a second to see how hot it was getting. We both got house bound yesterday. The umbrella had blown on its side upending and moving the heavy metal table about 4 feet south taking the one chair with it. Notice in the background, the other umbrella still upright in the holder in the pool Go figure. We get funnel clouds here, but we don’t call them tornadoes. They are dust devils. This must have been some devil of a whirlwind. 🙂
I may be trying too hard to be the “Dear Abby, or “Hints from Heloise, ” of the internet. Maybe it will take longer than a week to catch on. (hahaha) Picture me sitting by my email box, hoping, checking it every day. Today might be the day for someone to ask me a question about anything. (Oops! I’ve broadened the scope of my expertise to God level! Such confidence conceit!) Remember, I’m a teacher with no students. What’s puzzling you? Do you have problems? (Ok, that’s asking for it!) I’ll listen, at least – like Dr. Frasier Crane.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
20 responses to “Ask Marsha: Easy Tips to Improve Photos”
“anything that detracts from your focal point” HA now there is something that drives me mad- I’m constantly looking for detractors, so much so it can drive me mad sometimes, considering, I find a lot of things potentially distracting and oh so detracting.
Excellent tips, thoroughly enjoyed this entry and story behind the photo. I’d love to catch a wee glisk of a dust devil sometime. We get beautiful water spouts in the summer here which I would love to just kiss.
Har har Dear Abby eh? Sir calls me Dear Babby sometimes. 😉 Too fun, many smiling croaks,
Autty Jade
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I’m LOL again! Sir is just too funny! I can see you as Dear Babby. We could do a combo blog. Dear Abby and Dear Babby! 🙂
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Thank you Marsha, I love the plug.
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I told ET that I just plug along. I hadn’t meant it that way, but I do that, too! 🙂 Lots of love, M
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Marsha …. You are doing great progress with you photos – but you have a good mentor.
And I love Frazer – really miss the that series.
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It’s one of my favorites!!! 😀
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Thanks for these! My amateur photos should look much better in the future.
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I’m going to be checking them out as soon as I’m back on my computer. 😃 Marsha. 😄
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Excellent tips, Marsha! 😀
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Thanks, Dianne! 🙂
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Great works!!! Teddy shot is awesome!!!!
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Thanks. I’ll pass that on to Vince. He captured it on his iPhone 5. I just did the cosmetics! 🙂
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You have a very good tutor, Marsha. Good to see the progress! Well done.
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Thanks Andrew! That’s a high compliment coming from such an accomplished photographer as yourself! 🙂 I have light years to go before I reach that level! 🙂 Marsha 🙂
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I like the tip about the horizon. I must remember that!
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That’s a Leanne tip! 🙂
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I know. She is so clever.
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She is! As are YOU, my clever, photographer-travel blogger! 🙂
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Why thank you! xx
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You are welcome. 🙂
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