A new-year tech resolution: Take photos like a pro

Even the most humble smartphones today are armed with cameras that capture a bucketload of light at resolutions that can deliver poster-sized prints. Pair that with cheap-as-peanuts storage and it’s a classic formula for the shoot-first-sort-later mindset that most amateur photographers have these days.

For many people, the one thing that the ubiquitous smartphone-based digital photography has done is negate the need to lug around a separate camera. But it’s also instilled a distinct laziness and complacency towards the art of photography in itself. Back in the day when it actually cost real money each time you pressed that shutter button, taking a photo today barely requires a second thought. Or does it?

Before taking that next photo--even if it’s a spur-of-the-moment selfie--paying cognizance to just a few key aspects can spell the difference between an average shot and a great one. This year, promise yourself that you’ll mentally run through these three quick to-dos each time you snap. Your timeline (and your friends) will thank you later.

Focus: No matter how high end your camera, nothing--absolutely nothing--can save a photo that’s out of focus. Unless your intention is to specifically add blur to a part of your photo, you need to make sure that the subject in your frame is in focus. Depending on what you’re shooting with, this is done slightly differently. With a conventional camera, you can actually half-press the shutter button, which causes it to pre-focus the scene and determine the ‘exposure’ (capturing the brightness and darkness in the scene so that it appears as you want it to). This half-press is all important--it enables you to focus lock on your subject, re-frame the scene, then completely press the shutter button to capture the shot. Use the camera’s viewfinder with the dots as guides to what is being focused on. Use this technique and it will immediately bump up the quality of your shots. In the case of a camera phone, simply tap the subject to force it to focus on a particular area, otherwise the camera will make its own decisions regarding the scene. Which may not always be what you intend (if the tree in the background is in focus, and not your mother-in-law). Nail the focus and that’s half the photography battle won.

Also, make it a point to keep your hands as still as possible before taking that shot: hand-shake blur (especially in dark situations) is often the culprit in the shot getting killed. Try bracing yourself on something solid--a wall or a tree--for that added stability.

Composition: Quite simply, this is the act of framing your scene, so there’s a balance among all of the components in the image. As you look at scene in your smartphone’s screen or through your camera’s viewfinder, visualize it being divided into nine blocks as shown in the photo. As a rule of thumb, try and align significant elements--the vertical corner of a tall building, the horizon, your significant other--with the lines. This rule isn’t cast in stone, but images taken with this sensibility generally tend to look more balanced. View online examples and you’ll get the drift.

Subject: A photo is only as good as the subject you’re capturing. So it’s important to keep your eyes peeled for great photo ops. Many of these are often unplanned--even the most mundane of daily events--the excitement of a puppy playing, a melchalocy look into the distance--can turn out to be spectacular captures. The trick to capturing these moments is to always be at the ready. Move around, change your viewpoint if you can and you may just notice that perfect shot. Even for posed photos, try creating an environment that brings out the best in your subject. Make them smile, talk about something they like, align interesting elements in the frame, focus on standout attributes in their personality (a 1,000-watt smile, a strong jawline, sparkly eyes). Every good photo should be able to tell a silent story.

Finally, become the master of your camera. Explore its modes, play around with features like HDR, panoramas, slow-sync shutter and the like. They may sound daunting at first, but it’s not too difficult to understand their power if you spend some time with them.

So go ahead, stay click-happy this year, but this time taking cognizance of these tips. And don’t forget to share your experiences--ping us on our Facebook page or on Twitter @dna.