Take Good Photographs for 2017
Happy 2017! It’s good to start the year with a BANG! Passion keeps me going and photography really helps me find who I am as a person. I am passionate about photography. I dream big and love coming up with grand ideas and planning on how to make them happen. I discovered my passion by trusting myself wholeheartedly, even when it felt foolhardy and impossible.
There is a great Dr. Seuss quote that I heard when I was younger and still read to this day, as a reminder to remain open to discoveries and the possibilities within our everyday moments:
“You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own and you know what you know and you are the one who’ll decide where to go.”
I learned to stop putting arbitrary limits on myself. Once I managed to overcome the expectations to conform to a typical life plan and started doing what I want, things got a lot easier.
First, I have to say that I’m not a professional photographer. I only work as a freelance by being a student and a blogger at the same time. I only recently discovered a love and passion for photography when I was in my 2nd year of high school with my iPod Touch. There’s just something about photography that let’s me capture a precious moment in time, portraying my chosen subject in different perspectives and playing with light that grabbed my attention. It’s remarkable how amazing the outcomes are with just one simple click.
Now guys, I want to share some of my ideas to you in creating better quality content for your future photographs.
1.) Composition
Remember: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it” (Ansel Adams). I always have this quote in my head to remind me that I’m different. Composing a photograph is eclectic as they are, there’s something that they all have in common. Think of composition as the foundation of your image and just like in constructing buildings, a foundation needs to be strong.
Composition is all about how you arrange the visual elements present in your photo. Your eyes are guided by specific elements like shapes and angles around the image on a specific path, leading to where it wants to take you. Use “Leading Lines” or patterns to give your composition structure a viewer key to elements.
2.) Depth of Field
Depth of Field is my favorite! It creates bokeh in your photo. Focus is all about distance from the camera. Even though this is a close up shot, notice the physical depth that’s very visible in the image. If you want to really see the effects of shallow depth of field, make sure there’s a good amount of distance behind or in front of your subject, otherwise there won’t be anything to actually fall out of focus. Use (2.8, 1.8 , 1.4 or 1.2 aperture on lens) to create amazing bokeh in your photo.
“I use 1.4 35mm for this shot”
3) Controlling Color
Light comes in all sorts of different colors. Daylight can be blue or cool, while household lights can be quite orange or warm. Adjusting your “White Balance” allows you to either accentuate the color of light or make it seem more neutral or “white”. This is important when it comes to conveying a particular mood or atmosphere in your image. White Balance can be found in your camera’s settings. If you’re using a smartphone for photography, I suggest you play with the temperature in Snapseed (this is an app. You can download it in the App Store or on Google Play). In my observation they really have the same tones when it comes to the atmosphere of the picture.
Samples
Warm tone
Cold Tone
4) Find your own kind of “beautiful”.
Average photographers imitates beauty, great photographers create their own. Look at the bright side and discover new ideas, Create new themes and explore more perspective. Always look for subjects that for whatever reason, interest you rather than the ones you think are “photogenic”.
For the BIG tip: “Don’t overthink things, Photograph what you feel.”
5.) Photograph without excuses
Great photographs don’t usually offer themselves up on a plate. You have to go an extra mile to capture them. Take photo walks, meet new people with same passion, look for inspirations and always give effort. When shooting, give yourself time to keep probing. Often than not, the act of taking pictures lead you to what you’re looking for.
Focusing your attention on a particular subject gives you more purpose and better results when shooting. Don’t feel like your photographs have to explain themselves. Hold back a little. Give your imagination somewhere to go.
Cheers!
