San Jose Photographers – How to Use Your Zoom Lens

Nearly every camera on the market comes equipped with some sort of zoom function. What’s ironic about this gift of modern technology is that camera zoom is almost always used either incorrectly, or not at all. Many photographers starting out consider the zoom to be for “far away things” and never understand the impact using a zoom correctly can have on their images. With that in mind, here are some great ways to use your zoom lens or function the next time you’re out shooting:

Crop, Crop, Crop

In a perfect world, no piece of photography software would have to come with a “crop” feature. If you don’t know the term “cropping” it refers to removing all of the extra stuff in the image that the photographer should have avoided when shooting the picture. Rather than cropping the junk out of the background afterwards, make use of your camera’s zoom and fill the frame with only the important parts of the image. Pictures of family get togethers are infamous for this as most photographers don’t fill the frame with the subject and instead take a picture consisting mostly of the background.

Stand Back

No camera lens reflects the actual subject with 100% accuracy. In every kind of lens there is a tiny bit of distortion, and this can and should inform your decisions with your camera zoom. For example, taking portraits with a zoom lens from a little farther away will give you much better results than putting the camera right in someone’s face. Give it a try the next time you take a portrait style picture. Take a few up close then take a few with the zoom and see which your subject likes more.

Nicely Spy on Your Loved Ones

If you happen to have a powerful camera zoom or great lens, it may be time to try your hand at being sneaky. Obviously, it’s not a good idea to invade the privacy of your friends and family, but candid pictures are a great way to capture people you care about as their natural selves. When you are far away with the camera, people tend to be more comfortable and act “normal” so you’ll end up capturing some great images that you would have otherwise missed.

A zoom isn’t just a tool to use when you’re far away. Use it to improve your composition, make your subject comfortable, and steal moments that you could have never captured. A lens that is capable of zooming is a wonderful tool to help you in your quest to become a great photographer, so have fun finding new and creative ways to use it. You’ll love the results.

San Jose Photographer – Benipayo Photography

Contact: Michael at michael@benipayo.com

If you are interested having a portrait session.

408-717-3670     415-763-7643

Author:  Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames.com and loves taking photos. Shop online and see our selection of wooden antique picture frames now. Visit our online picture frame shop or call us at 1-800-780-0699.