1. Taking Pictures of Your Girlfriend:

A. Sunset Do’s and Don’ts. Shooting into the sunset can make for a romantic image, but remember to turn on your backlight button.

B. Put your girlfriend in the center of the frame, press the shutter half-way to lock focus, and then pan to one side – this adds drama and captures the environment.

2. Taking Pictures at a Sporting Event:

A. What Not To Do: Using a telephoto lens, the slightest shake can result in a blurred picture. Hold the camera steady, shoot at a 500th of a second or faster, or better yet use a tripod

B. Fill the frame with the action – here’s a classic that doesn’t work.

C. And anticipate what’s going to happen on the field. Here’s a shot I took at a baseball game – I could fill the frame with this, but couldn’t get closer. And I thought, all right, what’s interesting about this picture is it’s going to be one of three moments: anticipation (that’s this image) a swing and a miss, and a hit. Each one requires anticipation… and patience.

3. Taking Pictures at a Party:

A. How To Get The Candid Shot: Have the camera turned on, the flash warmed up and be ready – but with the camera down. You don’t want people posing. Here’s a shot I took outside a pub in London. I’m with a few friends, camera ready, and what zips down the street, but a motorized sofa. CLICK. Got it…

C. Now, posed shots at parties are great as well. Just get the people in as tight as possible, use your flash, and remember to snap your fingers above your head to everyone to look at you at the same time.

D. If you want to be fancy, pan the camera and track one person as they move. Here’s a shot – from a museum – which illustrates the idea.

4. How To Shoot That Great Landscape:

A. Put something in for perspective… Here’s a shot of an Indian Temple. How large is it? You can tell more easily in the second shot with the person in the foreground.

B. Work with the light: Try and have the light either low and at your back, or low and to one side. Here’s an image of the Pyramids shot in the morning with light washing from right to left. Very Dramatic

C. Now, add the two concepts together -- perspective and light -- and you end up with this.

For more photo tips, visit www.kalisher.com

All photos and text, (c) 2004 Jesse Kalisher