Q: Do you have any tips for taking beautiful photographs of night scenes or sunsets that retain the impressions you see with your eyes?
A: When shooting night scenes or sunsets, the key is to set the "white balance." If you set the white balance to "auto," you can capture the white light of office buildings at night beautifully, but the reddish light will be corrected. If you want to capture a moody night scene, set the white balance to "sunny" to reproduce the warm light color.
The left is when the white balance is set to "Auto" and the right is when it is set to "Sunny."
When photographing a sunset, choose a white balance setting that will bring out the most reddish light in the photo, in the order of "sunny," "cloudy," and "sunny in the shade." In the example below, we set it to "sunny in the shade." Note that names such as "sunny," "cloudy," and "sunny in the shade" vary depending on the manufacturer and model, so be sure to check your instruction manual.
The left is when the white balance is set to "Auto" and the right is when it is set to "Sunny Shade."
Q: Photos taken on cloudy days tend to look dark and unattractive. Is there a solution?
A: When taking pictures on a cloudy day, first try not to include too much of the sky in the frame. Also, you can take brighter pictures by using exposure compensation, which adjusts the brightness of the image. All cameras have an exposure compensation function, so check your camera's instruction manual.
The left photo was taken on a cloudy day. The right photo was taken with the exposure compensation adjusted to + to brighten the image.
Q: Even if I'm impressed by a wide landscape, when I take a photo of it, it doesn't look as impressive. Is there a solution?
A: When taking a photo, it is important to think about what you were impressed by, that is, what you want to show in the photo. In the case of a landscape, there is always an accent point, so try zooming in to capture that part. The example below is a landscape taken on Bora Bora in Tahiti. By incorporating the mountain into the background, the photo becomes powerful. In addition, move around to find the best shooting point so that you can place other elements (in this case, the overwater cottage) in a balanced way.
The photo on the left shows the beautiful blue sky and sea of a southern island, but the impression is vague. The photo on the right has a strong impact thanks to the large mountain in the background.
Q: When shooting cityscapes or the interior of buildings, do you have any tips for composing the shot?
A: Whether you're shooting cityscapes or the interior of a building, it's important to think about what you saw that impressed you the most and make that place the focal point.
This is a photo of the sunroom of a Western-style house. When taking photos inside a building, a symmetrical composition like this is one example, but it gives a sense of stability. Also, because I used a wide-angle lens, I was able to capture the scenery reflected in the window to fill the entire frame.
Please tell me how to take photos of food that make it look sizzling and delicious.
A: When photographing food, the way you light it is important. To create a sizzling effect, place the plate next to a window and use backlighting. This will brighten the background and make the light more pronounced. However, if you take a photo like this, the foreground will be dark and the atmosphere will be heavy, so try using a small reflector (about the size of an A4 copy paper folded in half). Place the reflector in front and reflect the light from the window onto the shadowed areas before taking the photo. This will result in a delicious-looking photo like the cake above. You can make your own reflector using a styrene board or aluminum foil, or you can use copy paper instead.
Q: What are some tips for taking dynamic photos of airplane takeoffs and landings?
A: Photographing planes taking off and landing from an airport observation deck requires a lot of preparation, so it may be a bit more advanced. Any camera will do, but you'll need a telephoto lens with a focal length of about 300-600mm or a telephoto zoom lens. And the key to capturing moving subjects without blur is to optimize the focus and exposure settings.
First, set the focus. For "autofocus," set it to "AF-C (Continuous)," which keeps the camera in focus on a moving subject, and for "focus area," set it to "motion tracking," which focuses on several surrounding focus points even if the subject moves away from the focus point. In Nikon's case, this function is called "Dynamic AF mode," but the name varies depending on the manufacturer, so be sure to check the instruction manual.
Next is the exposure setting. If the weather is clear, you can capture planes taking off and landing with an ISO setting of 100-200, an aperture value of F8, and a shutter speed of around 1/1000th of a second. Furthermore, if you have a continuous shooting function, you will be able to take pictures without missing the right moment. Then, look through the viewfinder and keep tracking the plane, and release the shutter at the right time to get the image you like.
Q: When I take pictures with my smartphone camera, the photos somehow seem to lack depth. Is there a solution?
A: Even if you're using a smartphone, you should think of the way to take pictures as basically the same as with a digital camera. Because it's so easy to take pictures with a smartphone, you tend to take sloppy shots, so think carefully about the composition and decide which part of the subject you want to make the focal point before you take the picture. If you're taking a picture in landscape orientation, decide on the left or right side of the screen as the focal point, and then compose the shot so that you gradually move away from that point to create a sense of depth.
This photo was taken with a smartphone camera, and because the nearest water cottage is positioned on the left side of the screen, it gives the image a sense of depth.
Q: Are there any recommended smartphone apps for easily editing photos?
A: It's important that you find it easy to use, so I think the best thing to do is try out a variety of free apps. I often use Adobe Photoshop Express (Android/iOS), a famous image processing software from Adobe. By simply selecting from a wide range of preset filter effects, you can easily finish your images to your liking, or you can fine-tune each element. It's very easy to operate and intuitive to use.
The example below is an omelette ordered at a restaurant, but the photo on the left doesn't look appetizing because the light from the cloudy sky coming in through the window mixes with the indoor lighting. So, I increased the "Exposure" in Photoshop Express to brighten the whole image, then adjusted the "Color Temperature" to correct the blue cast and increased the "Saturation" to make the photo look very appetizing.
Using Adobe Photoshop Express, I adjusted the "Exposure," "Color Temperature," and "Saturation" of the image on the left, and it turned out to be the appetizing image on the right.
Q: Is there anything I should pay attention to when shooting in square format?
A: Photo composition is complex, so many people may find it difficult to decide. If the finished product is rectangular, the quality of the photo will vary greatly depending on where you place the subject. However, with a square, not only can you arrange the subject in a well-balanced way, but you can also take a bold composition and create a novel and stylish atmosphere. It's best not to think too hard about it, but just take the photo as you feel it.
Here, I took a photo of a beach, tilting the phone to create a bold composition. A rectangular composition would look unstable, but a square one works better.
Another example is a photo of a flower. With a rectangular image, placing the subject in the center of the frame can make the image look featureless and ordinary, whereas a square image can make the photo look strong and impactful.
Q: How can you effectively use Instagram's filters?
A: Instagram has a variety of filters and editing features. For example, the "Structure" feature in "Edit" is useful on cloudy days. If you take a photo on a cloudy day or a day with a lot of clouds, the photo may end up looking dull and with low contrast. In such cases, you can adjust the structure number to make the image clearer.
The image on the left is the original, and the image on the right has been adjusted with Structure. By sharpening the overall image, the dynamic feel of the clouds is emphasized.
What do you think? Were you able to find at least one tip that you can use right away on your next trip? If you can take good photos to remember your trip, your trip will surely be even more enjoyable. Start by finding the area that interests you and discover your own fun with cameras.
Katsunori Saito
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Production Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tokai University. Studied under photographer Takaaki Uchida. Founded photo design company KS-1, Ltd. in 1996. His photography expertise ranges from landscapes, snapshots, models, sports, and still lifes to underwater and even movies. He also shoots advertisements, including for the web, and writes for camera magazines. He is currently a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS). He is a lecturer at Nikon College, a photography course run by Nikon.
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*First posted on July 25, 2017 (some content updated on December 26, 2022)
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
