You have used a camera your whole life but now you want to make a clear distinction between picture taking and art. You want to know what it takes to produce quality images. The advice in this article will give you all you need to know to take your photography to the next level.

Get closer to the subject to get a better shot. This allows you to eliminate backgrounds that are distracting, and it also makes it easier to properly frame what you are photographing. It also allows you to focus on facial expressions, which can be important elements to any portrait photographer. Little details are often missed when your subject is too far away.

Set up some basic programs for your DSLR camera. By setting some of the basic values ahead of time, you don’t have to mess with them in the event that you want to get a shot in, in a short amount of time. Instead, you just press the button and start shooting.

Pay attention to natural lighting. You might need to use your flash feature or install additional sources of light, but you can use natural lighting to create interesting effects with light and shadow. Position your subject accordingly. Make sure the photograph is not too dark or too bright.

Make sure you have the right lighting before taking a photograph. Lighting is perhaps the most important factor in producing a good black and white photograph, because it affects the texture, contrast and shape of the image. Side lighting can produce some dramatic photographs as it creates shadows and highlights the edges of shapes.

When all is said and done, anybody can take a picture but it takes a true artist to have their photography considered art. You should find that the many helpful hints in this article will help to get you on the right path if that is indeed your goal.