Photography Cheat Sheet: Tips On Taking The Best Photos

Whether you’re exploring our caves or hiking the Cape to Cape, it’s a joy to capture some great memories in photographs. Four locals share their tips on capturing the Margaret River Region’s most picturesque scenes.

Astroordinar Imaging, Edgewalkers — Sugarloaf Rock, Dr Erika Jacobson - Edgewalkers

Dr Erika Jacobson, Edgewalkers

Erika runs guided Cape to Cape walks and a night photography retreat with Edgewalkers. She has a flair for capturing the natural beauty of the region, and shares her tips.

Composition – find the most interesting composition by looking from different angles, from the side, underneath, above, behind – I have taken some great shots by getting down on the ground.
Point of view – give the onlooker a connection with the subject by letting them see what the subject sees.
Editing tools – my favourite tools are the saturation filter which allows you to pick up the colour a notch, and the structure filter which accentuates textures like the clouds in the sky or the grainy texture in the ground.

Get out regularly and at different times of the day so you can capture something unique – you can’t capture anything if you’re not out there!

Margaret River Exposed Tours Photography Quinninup Falls — Quinninup Falls, Hank Durlik - Margaret River Exposed

Hank Durlik, Margaret River Exposed Tours

Photography plays a large part in Hank’s nature tours, and he happily shares tips and incredible locations.

Choose a camera and lens to match your passion, whether that’s close-ups of flowers and insects, people, landscapes, birds or action photography.
Preset your camera settings to reflect the light conditions on the day.
Nature photography is about capturing that memorable moment, so be prepared and have your camera ready.
Your best friend in digital photography is the Histogram. Understanding this light graph will enhance your photography no end.

Instagram: @margaret_river_expozed_tours

Andrew Green Lake Cave — Lake Cave, Tim Campbell Photography

Tim Campbell, Photographer

Tim is a professional photographer who co-manages the Margaret River Region social media.

“These days I’m all about light and storytelling – it’s not about the gear. Concentrate on the narrative and shooting in great light.”

Take people on a journey in your images. Just like a movie, each photo should have a beginning, middle and an end – foreground, mid ground and background.

Use leading lines to direct the viewer’s eye through the image, to draw them in.

Shoot at a high aperture to render the whole scene in focus, this will give the image a greater depth of field.

Instagram: @timcampbellphoto

Wildflowers Margaret River Credit Sean Blocksidge — Wildflowers, Sean Blocksidge

Sean Blocksidge, Margaret River Discovery Co

Sean Blocksidge’s advice is simple: “I started with the technical info but then re-did it with what I think is truly the best advice… Read the instructions.”

His images of his daily life as a tour guide in the Margaret River Region have been shared thousands of times around the world. He operates “the tour for people who don’t do tours” and has won many awards.

Instagram: @discovermargaretriver or visit margaretriverdiscovery.com.au