June 3 (11 tips for photography success!)
Struggling with your own personal style can be confusing when you start pursuing a passion in photography.
With about 4 years of having my baby Nicki Minaj, my Nikon d3200 under my belt, a year of photography class my freshman year, and a year of working as a photographer for my school newspaper, I feel as though it's safe to say that I know a few tips or tricks here and there in constantly stepping up my game and producing work that I'm proud of.
Although sometimes I may not find pride in the work I've produced and felt as though I haven't put my best effort through, creating something every single day is what's more important in the long run. Learning from experience and learning from your mistakes is one of the ways I've personally dealt with feeling crappy of a photo that could have been more in focus, or another that could have had better composition.
But that's the thing - if you are looking to improve your skills as a photographer the only way to do this successfully is through practice. Some tips that I would give to someone who's interested in becoming a better photographer would include:
1. Plan your shot before you take it.
Some key composition elements of photography that draw attention to your subject include the rule of thirds, framing, and leading lines. Especially if you're shooting on a film camera, make sure that you're getting the shot you want before you make any unwanted mistakes. You wouldn't want to waste any precious shots on your last roll of film.
2. Good - scratch that - EXCELLENT lighting is key to every photo.
If you dig that grainy, blurry look in your photos or are trying to achieve some next-level aesthetic, excellent lighting, in my opinion is what separates a good photo from one that I draw inspiration from. Good lighting allows your subject, if you're shooting a person to be seen clearly. If you're shooting a landscape setting, the right shadows and spots of light in a photo can ultimately help improve your game as a photographer
3. Golden hour.
There's this magic and golden light that comes from the golden hour. About approximately 2 to 1 hour(s) before the sunset, shooting in this wonderful light helps illuminate your subject or help emphasize the objects you are focusing on capturing.
4. Constantly being aware of your surroundings and any lighting changes or events around you that are occurring.
Knowing the people or environment around you while you're taking pictures and exploring that environment to its fullest extent is crucial in helping you find those special places with the ideal settings for taking photos. This includes lighting and also how the subject or how these certain unseen objects interact with one another. Also, constantly being aware of your surroundings can help you capture that perfect moment of someone embracing a loved one, or a person with a unique or engaging look on their face or an interesting way they've positioned their body.
5. Fill the subject with the frame.
The closer you get to your subject, and the more that they fill the area of the photo, the greater your ability to capture the details and flawless flaws that the person you're shooting may have.
6. Take your camera with you, EVERYWHERE AND ANYWHERE.
This is one way that you can practice, as I've explained previously in getting more hands-on experience and greater confidence behind the lens.
7. Photograph the people you love.
If you're not keen in photographing someone that you don't know, taking pictures of someone that you love can also further build your confidence of posing your subject and creating the right composition within your photo.
8. Knowing your location if you're planning a photo shoot with someone.
If you ask to take photos of someone or they ask you to take photos of them and you're planning to shoot at a certain location, search up pictures of how the place looks on the interwebs to get a feel of shots that you may want to create while at this certain desired location.
9. Finding inspiration.
Instagram, Tumblr, blogs - inspiration is definitely everywhere! Especially with the internet, your world is limitless in finding a style of photography which suits your interesting (e.g. portrait, street, nature photography).
I made a blog post of some of my photography inspirations here.
http://nomwonton.blogspot.com/2017/03/kind-sir.html
10. Shooting with your friends or fellow photography enthusiasts.
If you were shy, like I was to whip out a DSLR in public, a great way of conquering and being more comfortable shooting in setting with people that you don't know is to invite (or drag) a friend along who also likes taking photos. Who knows, maybe they'll also be sources of inspiration for your own work or will be able to help motivate you to become a better photographer.
11. HAVE FUN!
If you think that creating art through photography with the hopes of it being your catalyst to success and financial stability as an individual, you're not enjoying what it means to be a photographer. Make sure to always do your best, but never take anything too seriously. Photography is a great way of expressing your ideas in a tangible way and should be a fluid and creative process that should come freely to you.
With these tips in mind, take pictures with the best intentions and put your heart into what you're doing. You're on the way to creating and making the best photos you can!
Hit me up at http://instagram.com/soyhappymilk on Instagram and tag me in your photos. I would definitely like seeing you implementing these tips into your own work!
With about 4 years of having my baby Nicki Minaj, my Nikon d3200 under my belt, a year of photography class my freshman year, and a year of working as a photographer for my school newspaper, I feel as though it's safe to say that I know a few tips or tricks here and there in constantly stepping up my game and producing work that I'm proud of.
Although sometimes I may not find pride in the work I've produced and felt as though I haven't put my best effort through, creating something every single day is what's more important in the long run. Learning from experience and learning from your mistakes is one of the ways I've personally dealt with feeling crappy of a photo that could have been more in focus, or another that could have had better composition.
But that's the thing - if you are looking to improve your skills as a photographer the only way to do this successfully is through practice. Some tips that I would give to someone who's interested in becoming a better photographer would include:
1. Plan your shot before you take it.
Some key composition elements of photography that draw attention to your subject include the rule of thirds, framing, and leading lines. Especially if you're shooting on a film camera, make sure that you're getting the shot you want before you make any unwanted mistakes. You wouldn't want to waste any precious shots on your last roll of film.
2. Good - scratch that - EXCELLENT lighting is key to every photo.
If you dig that grainy, blurry look in your photos or are trying to achieve some next-level aesthetic, excellent lighting, in my opinion is what separates a good photo from one that I draw inspiration from. Good lighting allows your subject, if you're shooting a person to be seen clearly. If you're shooting a landscape setting, the right shadows and spots of light in a photo can ultimately help improve your game as a photographer
3. Golden hour.
There's this magic and golden light that comes from the golden hour. About approximately 2 to 1 hour(s) before the sunset, shooting in this wonderful light helps illuminate your subject or help emphasize the objects you are focusing on capturing.
4. Constantly being aware of your surroundings and any lighting changes or events around you that are occurring.
Knowing the people or environment around you while you're taking pictures and exploring that environment to its fullest extent is crucial in helping you find those special places with the ideal settings for taking photos. This includes lighting and also how the subject or how these certain unseen objects interact with one another. Also, constantly being aware of your surroundings can help you capture that perfect moment of someone embracing a loved one, or a person with a unique or engaging look on their face or an interesting way they've positioned their body.
5. Fill the subject with the frame.
The closer you get to your subject, and the more that they fill the area of the photo, the greater your ability to capture the details and flawless flaws that the person you're shooting may have.
6. Take your camera with you, EVERYWHERE AND ANYWHERE.
This is one way that you can practice, as I've explained previously in getting more hands-on experience and greater confidence behind the lens.
7. Photograph the people you love.
If you're not keen in photographing someone that you don't know, taking pictures of someone that you love can also further build your confidence of posing your subject and creating the right composition within your photo.
8. Knowing your location if you're planning a photo shoot with someone.
If you ask to take photos of someone or they ask you to take photos of them and you're planning to shoot at a certain location, search up pictures of how the place looks on the interwebs to get a feel of shots that you may want to create while at this certain desired location.
9. Finding inspiration.
Instagram, Tumblr, blogs - inspiration is definitely everywhere! Especially with the internet, your world is limitless in finding a style of photography which suits your interesting (e.g. portrait, street, nature photography).
I made a blog post of some of my photography inspirations here.
http://nomwonton.blogspot.com/2017/03/kind-sir.html
10. Shooting with your friends or fellow photography enthusiasts.
If you were shy, like I was to whip out a DSLR in public, a great way of conquering and being more comfortable shooting in setting with people that you don't know is to invite (or drag) a friend along who also likes taking photos. Who knows, maybe they'll also be sources of inspiration for your own work or will be able to help motivate you to become a better photographer.
11. HAVE FUN!
If you think that creating art through photography with the hopes of it being your catalyst to success and financial stability as an individual, you're not enjoying what it means to be a photographer. Make sure to always do your best, but never take anything too seriously. Photography is a great way of expressing your ideas in a tangible way and should be a fluid and creative process that should come freely to you.
With these tips in mind, take pictures with the best intentions and put your heart into what you're doing. You're on the way to creating and making the best photos you can!
Hit me up at http://instagram.com/soyhappymilk on Instagram and tag me in your photos. I would definitely like seeing you implementing these tips into your own work!
By nomwonton
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