A few decades ago, a photographer had to know his camera perfectly, be able adjust and fine-tune it in many ways to get an ideal photo. With the appearance of digital cameras, the photo-taking process has become much easier. Now, every modern camera has an automatic mode, which sets the focus, exposure and many other options with a single click. But let's be honest, a lot of photos taken in such a way are quite bad. What can you do to improve the quality of the photos? In this lesson, you will learn 5 simple tips to make your photos more professional and beautiful.

1. Use portrait mode more often

Hand-held digital cameras are designed to make it easier to hold and shoot in landscape mode. But that's not the only way. Some photoshoot settings are clogged with useless external objects or have a lot of unnecessary empty space on the sides. In this case, try to use the camera in a vertical position. The result may surprise you.

2. Turn off the flash

Automatic camera mode allows you not to think about focus configurations, exposure and when to turn on the flash. However, automatic calculations are not always correct, and a flash used at an inappropriate time can spoil the result. Besides, speedlight creates such unpleasant results as pale skin, red eyes, lighten too much central object and too dark background. Try to turn it off! In order to take photos without a flash, you need to hold the camera still for a while (at long time exposure), but the result is worth it.

3. Get closer to your object of photography

Most of time, we take photos of other people. The extra space and different objects around your model can make the photo oversaturated and less professional. For a good result, do not be afraid to come closer to your object. When you photograph people at a closer distance (or use the zoom lenses), you'll manage to make photos much more dramatic, personal and attractive.

4. Use the Rule of Thirds

Good composition is one of the most important components of good photography. The rule of thirds is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to achieve good composition in photography. The main idea of this rule is this: draw lines in such a way to get three equal horizontal rows and three equal vertical columns. Place your object at the intersection or along these lines - you are much more likely to get good results.

5. Do not deform faces

Most modern cameras are equipped with a wide-angle lens that allows you to capture a larger space. Don't use these lenses on close shots of people's faces, because they will deform the shape of the face. The solution to this problem is a lens with optical zoom. In portrait photography, sometimes you need to move away a little further from the object and take a close-up of a person with the help of zoom.
I hope you enjoyed these little tips and they will help you to make your photos more professional and beautiful.