
In this article, I will reveal the 7 tips for taking good photographs, and whether you are a beginner in photography or have been around for a while, you are going to learn a lot from this article.
If you are planning to take photography to great heights, you need to understand that it all begins with the fundamentals of your composition.
But then, there are other methods and techniques you can employ for taking better photography and without much ado let me reveal to you the 7 tips for taking better photographs.
And if you put them all into practice, you are going to take better photos and catapult ordinary images into extraordinary photographs.
Let’s get into this article, shall we?
What are the 7 Tips For Taking Good Photographs?
The 7 tips for taking better photographs are:
- Compose your photos.
- Focus on your subject.
- Be creative with your shot angles.
- Make sure your images have some depth.
- Create a silhouette using the sun.
- Use reflections.
- Find symmetry.
1. Compose your photos.
Taking great photos usually starts from your composition, and what is composition?
Composition in photography is simply the way you frame your shots as well as where you position different elements within the scene of the shots.
Therefore, learning how to compose your photos will set you on the road to taking good photographs.
Photography is simply an art, and for that reason, there are times you will be seeing images and simply capturing them based on feel.
However, being selective of your subjects and using the Rule of Thirds principle is going to help you really improve on your photos.
The rule of third simply means how you position your subject off-center rather than putting them in the dead middle of the frame.
How you frame your image is going to help you draw so much attention to your subject. You don’t have to use frames around your photo all the time during post-production.
Instead, try to find something within the scene you can use to create a typical frame around your subject. You can simply place your subject within certain boundaries by using whatever is available at the scene of the shots.
All you have to do is to really get creative when you are taking photos.
For instance, you can simply place your subject within a window, between a tree, or even have them use their hands or legs to enable you to frame a portrait if they are flexible enough.
When your framing is creative, it is really going to provide a unique perspective, and not something everyone is doing and others are seeing every now and then.
Whenever you are taking photographs, think of how you can get to focus your viewer’s attention on where you really want it to be, which is none else but your subject.
You can give yourself some time to really master the art and get along with it.
2. Focus on your subject.
You don’t necessarily need to have a lot going on in your photo as a means of taking good photographs.
As a matter of fact, if there is so much negative space in your image, it will serve to make the subject stand out the more.
Thus, you need to allow enough breathing space around your subject so you can draw so much or all the attention to them.
3. Be creative with your shot angles.
The traditional way of taking a picture is from a standing position and holding the camera in front of you from eye level.
But at times, you may have to choose awkward positions that will enable you to take out-of-this-world photographs.
The point is you don’t have to be afraid of getting creative with your angles.
Believe me that you have to change your perspective if your dream is transforming your photography from ordinary to extraordinary.
So when next you are composing a picture, ensure you chose a different position in order to shoot a never seen angle shot.
You can try to shoot from a low angle while focussing on the foreground of the picture, that’s if you are trying to get a blurry background.
Other options you can take is to look straight up at your subject, or get up high and look down at it. Just try and shoot from a perspective people have never seen before in order to provide a unique, interesting, and memorable perspective.
4. Make sure your images have some depth.
If you want your image to have some depth, your photos need to have a three-dimensional feel and to get this all you have to do is use layers and leading lines.
As we reviewed on the last point, when you add something to the foreground of your image, you are going to provide a depth that will lead the viewer into the picture.
The foreground is capable of drawing your viewers to the subject or even serving as the subject itself.
Always keep in mind that your subject does not have to be your focus every time you are taking photographs.
5. Create a silhouette using the sun.
It is not always a good idea to take photos while facing the sun, but there is a simple trick you can use to create a silhouette while doing this.
Meanwhile, a silhouette is simply a place where your subject is seen as a dark or black outline against a white background.
This trick usually allows for little or no detail to be captured within your subject’s shadowy form, and the focus of interest is usually a sharp, crisp edge around the subject.
To achieve this, choose your subject and then position yourself so the sun is directly behind that subject or another object in the photo.
Note that this is going to depend on what your subject is; as a matter of fact, you can allow a bit of the sun to be visible. This will create a ray of light that shines into the frame. Move around to see if you prefer a silhouette or partial silhouette, with the sun in or out of the frame.
Another option to consider, especially if your subject is a long way off, is to use an object in the foreground as a way to shield the sun.
6. Use reflections.
If you are planning to offer an interesting perspective on your subject, then replections are a great way to do so.
In fact, reflections have the tendency of completely transforming your image into a jaw-dropping masterpiece – all you need to do is train your eye to look for them.
You can find reflections anywhere — for instance in the window of a building. Reflections is going to provide a powerful and oftentimes intriguing views of otherwise ordinary subjects.
On a quiet weather day, a body of water like a lake, river, or pond provides a smooth, almost glassy appearance for a potentially stunning image. A windy day, on the other hand, can provide a more dramatic look, with choppy waves and swirls making any visible reflection look distorted, almost abstract.
With windows and glass, anything can happen and oftentimes it does, and this is especially true of windows in a building on a busy city street. In fact, there may be so much going on with moving vehicles and people that you don’t even notice all the action until later when you’re editing.
Glass can also serve as a mirror or prop, providing any number of different possibilities for how you shoot and edit your image.
7. Find Symmetry
Symmetry is simply defined as “the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis.” Everyone knows a symmetry when they see one, and it oftentimes stops anyone in their tracks.
Think of it this way: what you have on the left is the same as what you have on the right. Or what you have on the top is the same as what you have on the bottom.
To get a great symmetrical image, frame the shot to keep the vertical lines vertical and the horizontal lines horizontal. Look for symmetry in architecture as well as in nature. Try to get as close to a perfect capture as possible when you’re shooting, but be prepared to tweak it and apply the perfecting touches when you’re editing.
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