OCTOBER 2023
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Photography Tips: October Edition
Alberto Chain
Hello, fellow photographers. In this new edition I will talk about some tips to make your photos the best. It doesn’t matter what device you use, even if you are using an iPhone or a DSLR. My purpose is to help you through your photography journey. Today, we will talk about the basics and a few tips along the way. Let's dive right in!
Positioning
Our first tip is positioning. Have your photos been flat and without depth? This is most probably caused by your positioning. Here is what to do, get closer to your subject. Try not zooming in as much because it makes the photo look bland. Just by getting closer and not zooming in you're creating depth. It’s even preventing your photo from appearing flat. Depth gives us a quote from the Click Community “The more sense of depth and dimensions we create in our images, the more likely the viewer will connect to the scene and commit to its exploration.” This fits right into our next tip which is using different angles!
Most beginner photographers only take pictures using just one angle, this makes photos don’t have any variation. This is bad for 2 reasons, firstly, if you are trying to sell your photos many customers will look at the same angle over and over again. This makes it boring to the customer or viewer, this makes you less likely to be able to sell your photos. It also limits your creativity, for example, if you take pictures of a car, but you only take pictures from one angle, you miss out on an opportunity to learn and grow. This is why it's important to experiment with different angles, it lets you run your creativity and gives you the opportunity to grow and learn.
Examples of different angle shots by Nate Hassler and Fstoppers
Learn the Lights
Learning how to manage light and how to capture light is very important if you want to succeed in photography. This is why you should learn how your camera processes light and how to optimize it. A tip I recommend is to search up your camera or phone on YouTube and learn how your camera or phone uses light. Another thing to remember is to try out different angles and see where the light is most vibrant, unique, looks the best etc. Take note of where the light is coming from and if it is a ring light where does it look the best. Look at some examples below.
Some examples of good use of lights by Studiobinder and photojaanic
Focus on moments, not subjects
Some new photographers when taking portraits focus on the subject, this is fine at the beginner level. My tip is to capture moments not subjects. For example, let's say you're taking a picture of two men in the desert with a campfire in between them. Instead of you taking a picture of the two dudes you instead zoom out a bit and let other subjects and backgrounds into the frame. By doing that, your picture is not just focused on the subjects, it is focused on what is happening to the subjects. This tip also helps with storytelling.
When you are shooting moments, you should also try to get a lot of contrast in your photos. Any type of contrast works, color, shadows, shapes, etc. Contrast makes your photo feel more vivid, more graphic, sometimes it sells more in the immersion. Finally, it makes your photos more pleasant to see. Another tip when shooting moments, is simplifying! Don’t overwhelm your viewer. Sometimes less is more. For example, let's imagine you are taking a picture of a wallet on a desk. You think I need more stuff in the frame. In that example if you put a lot of props next to the item you want to take the picture of it overwhelms the viewer. So, sometimes just a few items is enough. Remember “less is more.”
Another tip is to be original. For example, you’re taking a picture of the Grand Canyon. You think “A lot of people are taking pictures from this one area, I should go take an image in the same spot.” This thinking limits your creativity and opportunity to grow. Also, your picture will be the same as everybody else and that is bad for the viewer because they are seeing the same image over and over again. You should experiment, try a net spot, a different angle? It doesn’t matter, the only thing that matters is how original you are. Below are some examples of all the tips I talked about in the last few paragraphs.
Images by shot kit, Studio Binder, click magazine, and Under canvas
Framing
Framing is a great lesson to learn. What Do I mean by framing? I mean by using other objects to frame your photo. Example, I am taking a picture of a car, I use a palm tree to frame my shot. Framing gives that picture that extra push it needs. You should try this tip and see how it goes just grab a random item, could be a phone, a book, a pencil, whatever. Find something and put it beside it by the corners, and boom you did framing. Another tip related to framing is shooting through objects.
Shooting through objects is another great tip to learn. I mean by saying shooting through objects is this using a coffee mug handle to frame an item or using two trees to frame a house. It is so easy and fast to implement it makes your photos ten times better. Try it for yourself by using, I don’t know, maybe two playing cards or two trees. Use whatever you like and make your photos better. Look at some examples below.
Images by Giggster and the New York Institute of Photography
I hope you learned something today. I'll be back next time talking about the "rule of thirds" and other things. Furthermore, I will be giving a shoutout in the next edition: Since it's spooky season, send me a themed photo using these tips, and I will rate what I receive. The highest rated will be shouted out in the next edition. Send the pictures to “albertogabrielco@amschool.org.”
OK that's it. See you guys next month!
Work Cited Page
YouTube, YouTube, 23 Dec. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb5bjlnDkCs. Accessed 21 Oct. 2023.
YouTube, YouTube, 23 Jan. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L7N8U7emCVU. Accessed 21 Oct. 2023.
YouTube, YouTube, 18 May 2023, https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Lt2_KGNBPCY. Accessed 21 Oct. 2023.
Wyatt, Rebecca, et al. “Adding Depth and Dimension to Photos When Editing.” Click Community Blog: Helping You
Take Better Pictures One Day at a Time, 13 Jan. 2021, www.theclickcommunity.com/blog/adding-depth-and-dimension-to- photos-when- editing/#:~:text=The%20more%20sense%20of%20depth,their%20place%20in%20the%20scene.
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