Everyone loves good photography, but not everyone can shoot stellar pictures. Even with the ready availability of many affordable quality digital cameras, poor photography seems to be the result of a “trigger happy” photo fiend more often than not. But this really does not have to be the case. Try out these 10 great, simple tips to better improve your own photography today.
1. Analyze three favorite photographs: Often people say that they “love” a photograph without ever really thinking about why that particular shot is extremely profound. Improve your own photography by analyzing three of your favorite photographs. Consider aspects like angle, perspective, facial expressions, composition, lighting, etc. If you know what you love in a photograph, you can better emulate those same qualities in your own pictures. 2. Shoot in black and white: Eliminate all the distractions of colors and take a day shooting in just black and white. This monochromatic approach to photography may seem a bit backwards to some, but it can significantly improve a photographer’s awareness of essential elements to photography like lighting and shadows-elements that are too often overlooked when combined with the confusion of colors. 3. Do a photo challenge: Find a 30-Day Photo Challenge list online and force yourself to complete all of the assigned pictures. Even if you fail to actually complete the challenge in the prescribed 30 days, you’ll still gain valuable experience as you stretch both your creativity and your knowledge of photography. You’ll probably be forced to learn how to shoot some photographs with styles that you wouldn’t otherwise know about, such as bokeh, smooth waterfalls, or long exposures. 4. Change your angle: Get yourself out of the rut of always shooting horizontal pictures from eyelevel. Make it a point to take pictures from all heights and angles; you’ll discover how some photographs are actually best when shot from hip-level and others are more ideally framed when the camera is right on the ground with an object. Switching up your angle will allow you to create diversity in your overall photography portfolio as well. 5. Join a photography club: Often, the best photographers make it a habit of surrounding themselves with other great artistic role models. Join a local photography club to meet other photographers who can provide encouragement and constructive criticism on your artwork. If such a club does not exist in your area, consider founding one yourself. Submitting your photographs to online photo forums is also another great way to get unbiased feedback from others. 6. Increase your shots: Every time you shoot an object, scene, or person, force yourself to shoot that same photograph in three different ways. This could mean taking a macro, distant, and wide angle shot of the same thing; at the same time, it could mean using different cropping or framing to capture the same moment. Either way that you approach this, increasing the number of shots and styles that you capture a moment in will subsequently increase your awareness of the best way to capture certain photographs. 7. Shoot on the go: Often, the most interesting photographs are merely snapshots of extremely fleeting moments. Increase your own ability to rapidly capture these moments by doing a day of photography on the go. Take pictures while you are riding in a car or going for a jog. This will teach you how to hold your camera steadily while moving in order to shoot clear, quick photographs. 8. Learn your camera’s functions: All too often aspiring photographers do not know the full capabilities of their cameras. Spend a day reading through your camera’s user manual and educate yourself on how to utilize your camera to the fullest extent. Not only will you be better prepared to take stellar photographs in every situation, but you will probably also gain valuable knowledge regarding the basic principles of photography at the same time. 9. Organize your portfolio: Create a collection of your best photographs, organizing them by subject matter. This can serve as a confidence booster; additionally, it should also show you what areas you need to work on. 10. Make a photography dream list: Finally, make a list of all of the photographs that you dream of capturing one day. Obviously you will not be able to fulfill this list all at once, but it can help guide you and encourage you to try for shots that you might not otherwise think of taking. Having a distinct vision for your photographic ambitions will improve your photography while in the actual photo moments.