15 Ways to Improve Your Photographs

1) Try unusual angles.



2) Plain backgrounds are often the most flattering. This way trees, telephone poles, etc. won't be growing out of people's heads.


3) Use flash outdoors and in other situations where you wouldn't intuitively use a flash.

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After


Fill flash chases away shadows and fills in dark circles.



4) GET CLOSE! If you think you are close enough to your subject, take two steps closer.



5) Move it from the middle. Put your subject in interesting places compositionally.



6) Know your flash's range.

This was shot inside of Howe Caverns in upstate New York during their Halloween event. Given the fact that I was in a cave with no exterior lighting source, I relied on my flash. Given these unusual considerations, I was not close enough to my subject in this shot for my flash to do its job.


When I got closer to my subject, my flash did its job nicely.

7) Watch the light. Good light makes great photographs.



8) Take some vertical pictures.



9) Be a director. Move people around in your shots!

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After

10) Imagine your photograph divided into three horizontal and vertical sections. To compose a well-balanced, off-center shot, place your subject near the intersections of the imaginary grid lines. This is called the rule of thirds. Placing your subject off-center creates an interesting, dynamic image.


11) Pay Attention to lines, textures, and shadows.



12) Look for interesting reflections.



13) Take pictures at night (with a tripod).



14) TAKE AS MANY PHOTOS AS POSSIBLE! This is one of the greatest advantages of shooting digitally.

15) Know your camera inside and out and remember your basics! A photograph taken at a shutter speed of 1/60th or lower (without a tripod) may be blurry due to “camera shake”. A larger aperture opening (f2.8 for example) will provide less depth of field than the same photograph taken at f16. Keep the basics in mind!