Photographs are a quick, easy way to gather ideas from which to paint. In order to capture as much information as possible here are a few things to remember.

COMPOSITION

Consider the composition of your photograph. No matter what your subject, try to see it as an arrangement of abstract shapes when you frame it in the viewfinder. You probably wont have time to go through all the elements and principals of design and apply them to the shot you’re about to take, so keep these two simple rules in mind.  Unless the center of interest fills the frame, try to place it off center

Try to avoid placing strong horizontal or vertical lines in the middle of your photograph. Horizon lines in particular should be placed around the top or bottom third of the frame

EXPOSURE

On dull overcast days the white sky will cause most automatic cameras to under expose your subject. If your camera allows it, switch to manual and take the exposure reading from the subject. Some cameras can be set to overexpose by half to one stop. On overcast days, if your camera has fixed automatic exposure, try to fill the frame with the subject and include as little sky as possible.

Without compensating for the bright sky the subject is left under exposed.

FOCUS

On manual focus cameras, selecting a small aperture and turning the focus back a little way from infinity will put everything from a couple of meters to infinity in focus. Many lenses have a scale in front of the aperture ring to accurately make this adjustment.

LIGHT

The best light to take photographs is either early morning or late afternoon. In the middle of the day the sun is overhead making everything look flat.

LANDSCAPE FEATURES

If you like to work with landscapes, here are some ideas you might find helpful when photographing landscapes:

Two distinct types of features can be found in landscape based paintings

LINEAR FEATURES

Linear features guide the eye into, around, and out of the painting. They also lead the eye to the center of interest. Any continuous unbroken line or shape can be considered a linear feature. Roads, tracks, fences, creeks, rivers, groups of buildings, trees, and animals are examples. Horizon lines like edges of hills, clouds, and shadows are also examples.

SPOT FEATURES

Spot features act as punctuation marks throughout the painting. They create the center of interest and are used to provide a balance for it. Spot features can be used to stop the eye running out of the painting.

Buildings, trees, bushes, people, animals, and rocks are examples.