Don't be scared. We're not trying to make you into a professional, a hobbyist, an enthusiast, or, heaven forfend, one of those camera-toting stooges who spends weekends huddled in a darkroom, forever entering contests and neglecting personal hygiene. Certainly not! All we want is for your drunken party snaps, vacation photos, and candid pics of family and friends to have a certain style and panache that will make you the envy of all.

After reading this SYW, there will be no excuse for redeye, decapitation, strange cranial growths, and various other sorts of visual ickiness. You will be an expert amateur (how's that for an oxymoron?) who has fun photos that everyone wants to see.

1. GET THE RIGHT CAMERA

Unless you have a photographic memory, or are going to poke a pinhole in a shoebox, you are going to have to buy a camera. Or you might already have one, of course, in which case, good for you, but you might not have the right kind. The choice of which camera to buy will have the kind of impact on your photographs that we in the photography business refer to as "not much." Of much greater importance is how you see the image, use the light, compose the frame, and know your equipment.

But you might as well start with an advantage, so why not just get a decent camera to begin with? There are two main types for you to choose from: 35mm and digital.

35mm

The 35mm camera has been the traditional and most popular camera for many years now, and it is still the choice of professionals and artists everywhere. But you are neither of those, so don't feel compelled to buy one just for that reason. However, 35mm cameras are plentiful and cheap, and there are lots of outlets vying to process your film for rock bottom prices. Those are better reasons.

The 35mm camera comes in two types: the SLR and the "compact, point and shoot," automatic style of camera.

SLR: SLR stands for "Single Lens Reflex," which means that what you see in the little eye-hole (the thing you look through when taking a picture) is exactly what goes onto the film, but it is reflected up to your eye-hole by magic, smoke, and of course, a mirror. This gives you more control over the final image. It is possible to get an SLR camera which is also fully automatic, but you'll have to shell out mucho dinero for that kind of rig. If you are a pro or a yearbook geek, then this is the one for you, but it's overkill for most of us.

Automatic: Automatic 35mm cameras have an eye-hole that is separate from the camera lens. Be sure to get one that is centered over the lens so that at least your framing will be the same. If your eye-hole is off to the left and the lens is in the center, you will have your whole picture shifted off-center. Someone will have half her face cut off at the edge of the frame. Men have been killed for less, so it's best to avoid it.

The SLR is a lot more hands on and complicated to learn, which gives you more control over the way the picture is taken and allows you to change lenses for various effects. But then again, it is a lot more hands on and complicated to learn, which is why only professionals, hobbyists, contest-enterers and geeks from the AV club use them.

The Automatic is your best bet as a 35mm camera. It automatically reads the light, sets the focus, triggers the flash, and advances the film, which leaves you free to lurk around, waiting to capture your friends' most embarrassing drunken moments. The difference in quality for an amateur's photographs will be negligible, and it allows for more spontaneity and fun. It's the John Wilkes Booth of cameras: point and shoot. (Note for those with no sense of humor: Lincoln's been dead for a long time now, so we feel no shame in making jokes. Please don't sue us.)

Digital

The newest thing to come along in the photography world is the digital camera. And as a practicing web site and corporate citizen of the cyberworld, we would be remiss if we did not throw the full weight of our recommendation behind this option. Digital cameras record images as an electronic file rather than on a chemical film, and these files are then downloaded onto some form of electronic box for further developments (pun intended).

The pictures you take with a digital camera have the advantage of being easier to display on your computer, easier to call up in a word processor to use for newsletters and similar projects, easier to send by e-mail, easier to post on a web site, easier to print on a color printer, easier to ship home to your friends from an Internet café or public library when you're travelling…

Notice the repetition of the word "easier?" This is the key to this option. You have instant pictures, with no wait for developing, and it's FREE. You don't have to wait six months to finally finish a roll of film and then have it developed; you can download 10 pictures or 100. Some cameras even have an LDD display on the back of the camera that shows you what the picture looks like right away. And in this MTV world of instant gratification, you deserve that. If you don't like the picture or it didn't work out as you planned, just delete it on the spot and try again.

There are also several weirdo functions like "image enlargement without zoom lens," "mini-zoom to 2 or 4 times magnification," and "auto light meter" that add to the ease of use of the unit. And you could take naked pictures of yourself and/or neighbor, and not be embarrassed that the 14-year-old Fotomat developer will see what kind of sicko you are. That's worth the price alone.

Here's the catch: a digital camera is still a lot more expensive than a compact 35mm camera, but you will never have to pay to have film developed again, so imagine the savings there. So make a choice and move on knowing that there's more to great photos than the perfect camera.

2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT FILM

If you have a 35mm camera or have chosen to buy one, you need good film. Don't think of this in terms of the best brand name film, because most of the generic films will perform just as well as the name brands. Just buy whatever is on sale, and keep what you're not using in the fridge. Film "keeps" longer if you keep it cold, much like cheese, fruit, leftovers, and truncated human body parts. Wait… Forget we mentioned the last one.

There are two kinds of film out there, but please pretend that there's only one. You should NOT buy slide film. It's called slide film, because it's the film you use to make slides. Tricky, eh? The makers of slide film are responsible for every excruciating instant of boredom that you spent as a kid watching your grandparents' vacation slides. They are to be shunned and hated wherever they go. (Not your grandparents-the makers of slide film.)

You SHOULD buy Color print film. (Or Black and White print film, if you're an art- house wannabe.) Print film is the kind that "prints" off as 4X6 or 8X10 pictures and then gets stuck into all those photo albums that get chucked into the attic as soon as they're full (if the pictures were taken by someone who is not SYW-savvy, of course).

If, as we've suggested, you have decided to purchase print film, the only other choice you're faced with is what film "speed" to buy. A film's speed is a measure of its sensitivity to light, measured either as "ISO" or "ASA." Don't worry about what these abbreviations mean. It doesn't matter, and frankly, we don't care. All that matters is that you know what to buy. Now, this sensitivity to light means that a 200 ISO film would capture an image on film twice as fast as a 100 ASA film. Slower speeds give you clearer pictures, but they also are more prone to blurriness if your picture subject is moving around. Use the following chart as a guideline:

100 ISO/ASA Slow Film Good for sunny, outdoor conditions, less "grainy" 200 ISO/ASA Medium Film Good compromise for indoor/outdoor use 400 ISO/ASA Fast Film

Good for indoor use, low light conditions, or action shots

3. LEARN BASIC LIGHTING AND COMPOSITION

Lighting

The etymological definition of the word "photograph" is "transcribe light." It's easy to understand, therefore, that light is the most important element of photography. You should always be conscious of your light source, and compensate for low light with a flash (your camera will probably do this for you, but keep it in mind). If you're outside, try to keep your back to the sun so that it illuminates your subject and doesn't throw a glare across your lens.

Watch for dark areas and shadows, and try to use a flash to "fill" them up. Many Automatic 35mm cameras have a "force flash" function which allows you to make the flash work even when the camera reads that there is enough light to expose the film. It is often better to seek out shadows or shoot on an overcast day and "force" your flash to fill the immediate subject with light and not have too much contrast, which can make for a harsh look. Chemical film is not as flexible or adaptable as the human eye, so don't think that it will look the same in a picture as it does to the naked eye. There is an art to choosing good light that comes with practice.

The best lighting conditions are generally the early morning or evening. At high noon, the light is too "flat" or stark, which washes out the color and depth of the image. Remember that the flash is only good for a maximum of 8 to 10 feet, a flash won't help you get those concert shots from the 15th row. For concert photos, get a super high-speed film (800 ASA or higher-ask for advice at your local camera store). The images will be grainy, but visible, as opposed to 24 shots of a dark cloud of smoke. And to cure "redeye" from flash photography, you can get a camera that has a "redeye double flash," or you can just ask all your subjects to look about a foot above your head. Make sure they're in a co-operative mood first.

Composition

Composition is arranging the elements of the image within the frame for the best effect, and involves the ability to "see" pictures, or what the visual world will look like when rendered in 2 dimensions.

Develop your natural fascination with the visual world. Look at the composition of paintings, drawings, and famous photographs to see how images are balanced within the borders. Walk around your subject entirely and come closer and then try walking further away before committing to a vantage point. You are the artist, and you have to remember to look at all the elements in the frame, not just the subject.

At the most basic level, watch for trees or poles growing out of people's heads, double amputation, partial decapitation (this means cutting people's heads off), too much headroom, too much background and not enough subject, and other common errors which occur because the photographer looks only at the person standing in front of him/her. Don't be afraid to fill the frame with your subjects-get in their faces if you can't zoom in.

A very common error that is easily solved is known as "centeritis." This is the tendency for the subject to occupy the exact vertical middle of the frame and for the horizon to occupy the exact horizontal middle of the frame like a freakin' cross. This composition is dull, static, and uninteresting.

The solution is to remember the "rule of thirds." The way to follow this rule is to mentally divide the screen in three equal sections vertically, and then three horizontally (like a tic-tac-toe grid). Align your vertical subject matter 1/3 of the way over from the left or right, emphasizing background in the remaining 2/3. Then align your horizon 1/3 of the way from the top or bottom, emphasizing a cool sky or a cool foreground, depending on what you've got. This composition is more dynamic, interesting, and better balances subject and background, or context.

Other elements of good composition:

  • Eye level - take the eye level of your subject for a more intimate portrait, especially with pets or children (this means, get down so that the camera is at the same height as the subject's eyes); high angle is distancing and low angle is menacing (you can also use this to your advantage if that is the effect you want)

  • Visual themes - watch for repetition of color, line, shape, texture, or perspective, as these can make for more compelling images. An example would be a picture of a girl in a purple dress with lilacs (these are purple flowers) in the background or foreground, or a number of doorways of similar shape and size but of different colors, etc.

  • Line and movement - watch for lines which naturally lead the eye toward the subject, such as railroad tracks, rivers, winding roads, railings, and fences.

4. TAKE GREAT CANDIDS

Some of the best pictures you'll ever take are those in which no one says "cheese" and you have a bunch of relatives and friends grimacing at you. "Candids" are photos taken when the subjects are unaware the camera is on them. Move around at a party or gathering, and look for people doing interesting things and wearing interesting expressions unrelated to the utterance of dairy products.

The images you get will be far more true and varied than if you posed people a thousand different ways. Tell the "story" of the event, taking shots from beginning to end, from all angles, and involving all the people there. This will vary the backgrounds as well as the subjects.

5. TAKE GREAT VACATION PICTURES

Think of a vacation as a chance to tell a story with pictures. Shooting in chronological order, you could include images of picking up the tickets at the travel agent, packing, waiting at the airport, arriving at the hotel, seeing the sites, having dinner out, ruining priceless cultural artifacts, being arrested by local authorities, laughing for joy when the extradition papers finally come through, and arriving back at home at last.

First and foremost, try not to take those standard pictures with your fellow travelers standing in the center, looking at the camera with some building or vista in the background. This is boring, and doesn't make for good pictures. Try something a little different, like having a person closer to the camera looking out at the significant tourist thingy, so that the eye follows their gaze to the subject. Or just take the thingy without someone standing in front of it… your friends will still believe you were there even though you're not standing in front of it.

From an equipment point of view, remember to bring lots of film, and don't let it go through the x-ray machine - it could destroy your film. Another thing that can be fun is to buy some disposable "specialty" cameras, like a panoramic camera if you were going to Egypt and wanted to take sweeping shots of the pyramids, sunsets, and desert, or an underwater camera if you were going to the Caribbean. This allows you to throw some variety into the usual mix of photographs you take, and have some fun in the process.

6. TAKE GREAT PORTRAITS

At some point in your life, you're going to want to go for some kind of "the way we were" formal portrait taking. An important point to remember in photography is that people make the best subjects. The eyes and mouth are the crucial element of all pictures of people, so you work outwards from there to decide how much you need to include in the frame to capture the real person.

Don't shoot the person straight on with their shoulders squared to the lens. Posing at a quarter angle is the most natural look, with the head slightly inclined. Don't try to shoot the whole body, but also try not to cut it off at noticeable points, such as the shoulders, elbows, waist, or knees. Cut in between these points to soften the look and suggest the continuation of the body.

7. TAKE GREAT SPORTS AND ACTION PHOTOS

The best advice for sports and action photographers is to get close to the action, either with a zoom lens or by walking right out onto the field. OK, OK, the sidelines will do, but you really can't get good shots from the stands. Get a faster film if you want to freeze the action, and if you are able to control shutter speed, try for 1/500th of a second for a freeze effect.

A slower shutter speed can be effective by producing the "blur" effect of the subject or background, giving the feeling of speed or motion. To blur the background, pan with the moving subject and then snap while still moving.

For more info on how to take great photos, check out these websites:

http://www.all-photography.com/indx_1.html
http://www.nyip.com/
http://www.photolinks.com/
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/nav/takingPics.shtml
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Visual_Arts/Photography/

Still need a visual? Check out this video, which helps make taking awesome photographs a snap.

WATCH THIS HOW-TO VIDEO