Almost every good quality camera on the market comes with some type 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 new 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 youre out shooting:
Crop, Crop, Crop
In a perfect world, no piece of photography software would have to come with a crop feature. If youre unfamiliar with the term, cropping an image” simply means cutting out all of the extra stuff in the frame that the photographer should have cut out while they were shooting the picture. Instead of cropping the junk out after the fact, make liberal use of your camera zoom to frame only the important parts of an image. Think of this like what you would when selecting a picture frame for your photo – you’d simply get a smaller picture frame to remove the extra stuff. Pictures of family gatherings are notorious for this one if youre taking a picture of the birthday boy or girl, you probably dont need to get the rest of the restaurant in the photograph.
Get Back
No type of camera lens will reflect the subject with 100% accuracy. With every kind of lens there is a tiny bit of distortion, so this should help guide your decisions with how you use 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 shot the next time you take portrait-style photographs. Take a few pictures up close then a few with your zoom and see which your subject likes better.
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 youre far from the action, people act more natural and youll find that you capture amazing moments that might have been missed if everyone was paying attention to the camera.
A zoom isn’t just a tool to use when you’re far away. You should use it to improve your composition, make your subject comfortable and capture unplanned moments otherwise difficult to capture. A lens that is capable of zooming is a powerful and flexible ally in your quest to become a great photographer, so try and find new and creative ways to use it. Youll love the results.
