Mike McCartney's hints and tips

Celebrity photographer and Postcards from the Park judge Mike McCartney has passed on some of his top tips to help you get that perfect picture.

Make friends with your camera
Keep it steady
Seeing the light
The camera never lies
Be artistic
People power
Take a walk on the wild side
Going natural
Move yourself
Up close and personal
Building momentum
Colouring in
Practice makes perfect
Useful links

Make friends with your camera

It’s a good idea to keep your instruction manual handy. It will have great information and might inspire some new ideas. Don’t be afraid to play with its various functions and get the very most out of it. Have some fun practising and see what interesting results you get.

Keep the lens clean using a proper lens cleaning tissue or cleaner (not your handkerchief or the end of your sleeve!).

Keep it steady

Keep the camera still. Before taking the photo, relax and gently squeeze the shutter button as pushing it abruptly might jerk the camera and blur your picture. A tripod can be a great but it takes time to set up and is often not ideal in busy places or for those spontaneous moments. You could try leaning against a tree or wall instead.

Seeing the light

Light is so important for good photography. Direct sunlight causes harsh and unflattering shadows and people and animals with sunlight in their eyes tend to squint and look uncomfortable. Take advantage of indirect or softer lighting, or try lighting from behind the subject. When outdoors, choose early morning or late afternoon for the best light, and shady or overcast days can also be good. For those bright, sunny days or in low light, try using a fill-in flash.

The best idea is to move around so the sun is behind you and to one side. This front lighting brings out colours and shades, and the slight angle produces shadows that highlight textures and forms.

The camera never lies

Our eyes focus selectively. You may only see your subject in the viewfinder, but your camera will see that piece of litter or graffiti in the background. Make sure you get exactly what you want in your picture, especially in the corners. Or have a good crop afterwards. Changing your viewpoint slightly can often help improve the picture.

Be artistic

Think about your picture like an artist! Don’t always place the main subject in the centre of the picture. Try framing it, maybe in a doorway, window or archway or under overhanging trees. When photographing landscapes, having a point of interest in the foreground will help create more perspective. A lone tree can often make an excellent focal point.

Depth is also important. It’s great when the viewer feels like they're looking through a window into a fascinating, three-dimensional world. A wide angle lens can help exaggerate this perspective.

The beauty of an image is often in its proportions. A popular technique with artists is called the ‘Rule of Thirds’. Imagine the frame divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Place your subject on one of the lines or intersections to add variety and interest

People power

Photographs of even the most awe-inspiring landscapes can make dull pictures. Include some of your friends, companions or even passers-by into the shot to add more interest. If there's no-one around, why not get yourself in the picture by using the self-timer?

Don’t forget to get full permission from anyone in your photos if you are entering them into competitions like this or ever intend them to be published. This is very important. It’s also essential to be very careful to get full parental permission when photographing children.

Try and capture people’s moods so your photo will have a more emotional feel. This will really appeal to the viewer. Sometimes it’s possible to capture a whole story in one brief second.

Take a walk on the wild side

Look out for wildlife in unusual places. Really good wildlife shots are very challenging but be patient and you will reap the rewards. A squirrel perched on a bin eating a sandwich or a dog jumping for a ball will make amusing and fun subjects. Take loads of shots to get a really good one. Birds, butterflies, frogs or even insects - especially if you get in really close - can be great subject matters for brilliant photos. Get quirky with angles and the light to avoid them becoming boring and take your time.

Going natural

We have all taken posed photos of people which end up being disappointing. A really good trick is to take a few more shots quickly afterwards to catch people in a more relaxed and natural mood. With children, it’s often better to wait until they are busy doing something and aren’t aware you are taking pictures at all.

Move yourself

Most photos are naturally taken from shoulder height but this may not be the best height. Mess around with different positions, kneeling down and getting high up and practice tilting the camera. An original angle often makes an average photo really brilliant and surprising.

If there’s a beautiful sky, get down low and make the most of it. If it's overcast, avoid getting the sky in. But don’t hesitate to take photos in the rain or on bad weather days as you can still end up with some excellent shots. The wind can also transform a photograph – try using a long shutter speed to add a sense of movement.

Up close and personal

Don't be afraid to get really close to your subject. The best photos are often simple so moving in closer will help remove any clutter from the picture. Small and detailed parts of your subject can be way more interesting than the whole thing.

When taking a portrait of someone, move in close to reduce that boring or cluttered background. If you look at most 'people' shots, they don't show the whole body so you don't need to either. Fill the frame with just the face, or get even closer to really give your shot impact. Use a zoom to crop the image even tighter. Focus up close on a flower, plant or building to really capture its beauty.

Building momentum

Reflections of beautiful buildings in water or fountains can make really eye-catching photos. Try taking photos of buildings from the corner so you’ll get two sides in the picture. Get really close to the architectural details, especially on more intricate old buildings. The sunlight through the patterns of an old bandstand or seen through railings can create great shapes, angles and shadows.

Colouring in

Think about colour and its overall effect on your picture. To jazz up photos, try having something bright red or yellow in the foreground. Consider the colour of the clothes people are wearing and improvise if you have to. Sometimes really clashing or unusual colours can look really striking.

Practice makes perfect

Don't be afraid to have fun and experiment. Particularly if you have a modern digital camera, you have the luxury of taking as many shots as you like. Just delete all those that don’t work. So go for it! It's better to take many shots that don't come off than to miss that one great photo.

Share your photos. Get other people to tell you what they think of them comment and which ones have worked the best. Above all, have fun and be creative. Your photos will be a great source of pleasure and will provoke fond memories forever.