Photography can be challenging at times. It may frustrate you and lead you to think that buying new gear would solve your problems. But before you press that add-to-cart button, perhaps it's best to go back to the basics.
In photography, there are basic rules and guidelines you need to follow in order to take a decent photo. Once you follow these rules, it's simply down to practicing them repeatedly. I've been practicing photography for 16 years, and I'm still learning. It never stops. But eventually, it becomes second nature, and that is what you want to achieve.
However, if you're starting the photography journey and want to fast-track your learning, I'll share the five top tips I've learned over the years, which I apply to my photography every day. They will help you become a better photographer. In the beginning, keeping a cheat sheet in your kit bag is handy; however, with enough repetition, these five tips will become second nature over time.
However, if you're starting your photography journey and want to fast-track your learning, I'll share the five top tips I've learned over the years. These tips, which I apply to my daily photography, will help you become better.
Composition
Use foreground interest to lead your viewer's eyes to the subject. The human brain recognizes shapes and patterns. Utilizing basic shapes to guide the viewer's eyes to your subject works well and often helps to create balance in the photograph.
Change your angle. Get low to the ground, as you'll have more to work with. Your subject's perspective will also change, which could make it appear more pronounced in your frame.
Getting Creative With Your Aperture
Use your aperture to add or subtract depth. Shooting at a wide-open aperture, such as f/1.8, helps blur out distractions, such as tree branches in the foreground or unwanted objects in the background, and guides the viewer's eye more easily to the subject.
On the other end of the scale, if you're looking for pin-sharp photos throughout your photo, consider shooting between f/8 and f/16, as this is usually the range your lens is sharpest before diffraction sets in.
Study Your Subject
Before you start shooting your subject, walk around it. Look for interesting lines and shapes. Remember to look at how the light angle changes and use this to your advantage to introduce texture. Sometimes, shooting a subject head-on isn't as interesting as shifting over a few steps and shooting it from a side angle.
Get your straight-on shot, then move around the subject and shoot it from various angles. Try a few variations with the camera's height and angle. Once you've got a series of images of your subject from different angles, you can choose the best one when you edit the photos. It's always better to have a choice after the shoot than to be disappointed you didn't shoot that one angle you doubted would be a good shot at the time.
Using Additional Tools To Get More Creative Results
If you want to improve your photography, invest in filters to get more creative photos. Filters like a circular polarizer help add contrast to your photos while also removing reflections from water and glass. Most polarizers darken the image, meaning you'll need to slow your shutter speed down, which can often lead to more creative results, such as motion blur. Think waterfall photography or streaking clouds across a sky.
Of course, if you use a polarizer filter, you should also use a sturdy tripod. Shooting landscapes often requires a small aperture, such as f/11–f/16, which requires slowing the shutter speed to expose correctly. Adding a circular polarizer to the front of your lens would require slowing the shutter even further. So, if you want to avoid camera shake, mount your camera on a tripod and start getting creative with long-exposure photography.
Experimentation Helps You Grow
Don't be afraid to experiment. Try different techniques to bring your subject to life, such as experimenting with a wide-open aperture, filters, or slow shutter speeds. If you're unsure whether to take a photo horizontally or vertically, why not shoot both? I often come home after a trip to look at the pictures, only wishing I'd shot a particular frame horizontally instead of vertically. Shooting both orientations gives you a choice when it's time to sit down and edit photos. In the beginning, you should expect to fail a few times, but as time progresses, you'll find that failures are getting less, and the photos you walk away with improve. It's a slow and steady learning curve, but patience and experimentation will improve your photography.
I often hear of photographers making excuses not to go out and shoot whenever possible. It could be due to the weather or the lawn needing mowing. Whatever it is, don't be afraid to go out and shoot, even if the weather's terrible. You'll often be surprised at what you get, and after time, you'll find yourself in a groove of getting the shots you want. It all comes with time and lots of practice, so don't make excuses not to go out.
By utilizing the tips in this article, you'll be on your way to becoming a better photographer and enjoying the process more. The great thing about photography is that you're always learning, even years down the line. So don't waste time; go out and shoot!
