Home | Catch My Party

There are some beautiful, touching, funny photos on our site, so I'm starting a new feature where I highlight my favorite party photo of the week.

This week, that honor goes to this photo from

Joanne W's Tate's Bug Bash.

I love Tate's expression juxtaposed with the festive party table.  Brilliant!

HOW TO TAKE GREAT PARTY PHOTOS

As I've been thinking about photography (and trying to become a better photographer myself), I checked into what some of the experts had to say about how to take great shots.  Here are some tips for all you photographers out there:

Tip 1:  Get down to your subject's level, especially if you're shooting kids.

Tip 2: Pick a plain background for your subject to makes it pop.  (And make sure there are no trees sticking out their heads.)

Tip 3: Move in close and fill your picture with your subject.

Tip 4: Even outdoors, use your flash.  On bright days it will fill in shadows, and on cloudy days it will brighten things up.

Tip 5: Know your flash's range (for many cameras it's about 10 feet).  This way you don't end up with dark pictures.

Tip 6: Turn your camera sideways and take some vertical shots.

Tip 7: Place your subject off-center.  Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid and place your subject at one of the intersections of lines.

Tip 8:  Lock the focus on your camera to take pictures of off-center subjects.  That way your subjects won't be blurry.

Tip 9: Watch the light.  For pictures of people, cloudy days are the best.  On sunny days, pay attention to shadows.

Tip 10:  If you're taking a group shot, aim the center of the camera at someone's chest. That way, the heads appear in the upper third of the photo, and you've filled the photo with people rather than background.

Tip 11: Be a director and get creative.  Add props, use different angles, take a ton of different shots (to increase your chance of getting that one "great" photo), and have fun!

I hope these are helpful.  I'm going to start using them and I'll report back.

Sources: Kodak and weschan.com