With summer on our doorstep, families and friends finally begin to emerge from being cooped up in their homes at the hands of Britain's notoriously changeable weather.
When the sun has got his hat on, people congregate in their local beer gardens, go for picnics by the lake and there is the familiar, chargrilled waft in the air of burgers sizzling on the barbeque.
Of course, it also the time when people like to capture those bright and colourful moments and get snap happy on their digital cameras.
There's nothing like a memorable group shot of friends dining al fresco, or the dog splashing around with the kids at a fountain.
You may not necessarily be a dab hand with the camera, so here we'll talk about a few tips which can get you started.
Everyone always has those summers which they will never forget, so instead of boring your grandchildren in a few decades time about the unforgettable 'Summer of 2010' you can show them a compiled photobook of snaps you took with your new found skills, so they can really relive the memories with you.
First of all, when you want to capture an image you should establish what your subject matter is.
Even if there are loads of things going on in the image, it is a good idea to focus on something - it could be a landmark, a person, or even a tree.
The safest way to take a good picture is to use the artist's rule of thirds.
Whether landscape or portrait, imagine the picture split up into nine equal blocks - three columns, three rows and then position your camera so that your subject falls into one of these blocks.
Remember, you can experiment with putting subjects in different boxes - it doesn't always have to be the box in the centre.
Once you've mastered this technique you can be a little more adventurous.
Your subject matters don't always have to be horizontal or vertical.
You can play around with different angles and perhaps capture shots at a slightly diagonal angle if you think it will work well.
With it being sunny, the lighting is important in getting the most out of your photo opportunity.
It is a good idea to have the sun behind you when you take pictures as if it is directly in front of the camera it is likely to create a glare so avoid this (unless you're going for that look of course!).
Equally, make sure you have the flash on in the evenings and in darker settings, otherwise you'll wake up the next morning to find a lot of plain images of just black on your camera.
Ever taken a brilliant picture only to find the top of a bald person's head in the corner of the image? No, that's not Harry Hill attempting to sabotage your pictures, it's your finger.
We've been trained to stick out our pinkie finger when we drink tea so much that we even do it when we are taking photos.
So ensure your lens is unobstructed and that the only digit doing any moving is the one that clicks the picture.
When the sun has got his hat on, people congregate in their local beer gardens, go for picnics by the lake and there is the familiar, chargrilled waft in the air of burgers sizzling on the barbeque.
Of course, it also the time when people like to capture those bright and colourful moments and get snap happy on their digital cameras.
There's nothing like a memorable group shot of friends dining al fresco, or the dog splashing around with the kids at a fountain.
You may not necessarily be a dab hand with the camera, so here we'll talk about a few tips which can get you started.
Everyone always has those summers which they will never forget, so instead of boring your grandchildren in a few decades time about the unforgettable 'Summer of 2010' you can show them a compiled photobook of snaps you took with your new found skills, so they can really relive the memories with you.
First of all, when you want to capture an image you should establish what your subject matter is.
Even if there are loads of things going on in the image, it is a good idea to focus on something - it could be a landmark, a person, or even a tree.
The safest way to take a good picture is to use the artist's rule of thirds.
Whether landscape or portrait, imagine the picture split up into nine equal blocks - three columns, three rows and then position your camera so that your subject falls into one of these blocks.
Remember, you can experiment with putting subjects in different boxes - it doesn't always have to be the box in the centre.
Once you've mastered this technique you can be a little more adventurous.
Your subject matters don't always have to be horizontal or vertical.
You can play around with different angles and perhaps capture shots at a slightly diagonal angle if you think it will work well.
With it being sunny, the lighting is important in getting the most out of your photo opportunity.
It is a good idea to have the sun behind you when you take pictures as if it is directly in front of the camera it is likely to create a glare so avoid this (unless you're going for that look of course!).
Equally, make sure you have the flash on in the evenings and in darker settings, otherwise you'll wake up the next morning to find a lot of plain images of just black on your camera.
Ever taken a brilliant picture only to find the top of a bald person's head in the corner of the image? No, that's not Harry Hill attempting to sabotage your pictures, it's your finger.
We've been trained to stick out our pinkie finger when we drink tea so much that we even do it when we are taking photos.
So ensure your lens is unobstructed and that the only digit doing any moving is the one that clicks the picture.
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