In today’s age it’s easier to take photos than ever before and everyone is armed with a camera phone in their pocket. The convenience, and cheap tricks, allows everyone to snap away until they get something decent but with a few tips you can immediately start taking better photos every time you pick up your phone, camera, or even start shooting video.
1. Breathe
Take a moment to recognize the thoughts in your head, take a deep breath, and rest your attention into the sense of sight. Our thoughts distract us from our experience. Know this and choose to be present. By being present with what’s actually in front of us we can see more and be more effective about capturing an image.
2. Identify your Subject
This tip is simple, and almost too obvious, but often overlooked. Identify your subject. The main subject isn’t always what you think it may be. Putting a person in a landscape you may find your subject is really the landscape. By identifying your subject you prioritize what needs to look good and can create the narrative to support the story you want to tell about your subject.
3. Simplify
After identifying your subject you want to ensure that you only convey the narrative that you want to. Ever seen the instagram / real life memes? This is the magical selfie in blue waters within the real life crowded beach. It’s exactly like that. Eliminate the elements that don’t support the narrative you want to share. When in doubt, move closer or crop tighter. Eliminate distractions.
4. Support your Narrative
Contrary to the previous where you eliminate elements we also want to add elements that support our story. This is adding the person to the landscape which conveys an interaction and experience of the space. Each element added should support the purpose of the image. Identifying the landscape as the subject you can compose a strong composition of the landscape. Only after that do you add the additional element (person) to educate the story.
5. Don’t Shoot
It’s important to consider when not to shoot. Documenting something literally puts a divider in between you and your experience. Imagine going to a Michelin restaurant and deciding to take a main dish home to microwave later instead of eating it now. Moments can’t be put on layaway. This is what we do in life. It’s ok to allow yourself to enjoy something in the moment and not try to “save” the memory.
6. Don’t use cheap tricks
We all have that one facebook friend who has ten thousand selfies of themselves that look identical because they saw a youtube video years ago on how to look skinny. Please don’t do this. Repeat number one and observe what looks good in an image. Sometimes the tricks work but not every image is the same and each shot should be treated uniquely.
7. Practice
Don’t be the one trick pony from number six. Practice. See what works first hand. Shoot, try a different perspective, compare the two, and contemplate on why. Use juxtaposition and extremes to explore different looks and then see what aesthetic resonates with you.
8. F*** AI
AI has a place and actually is built into every camera these days. It is an effective supportive tool. AI for image creation is a dangerous strategy, though, because AI should never be used to replace experiences. Use photography to capture your experience (reality). And be proud of reality – flaws and all. We are human, after all. AI has the potential to create a standardized manufactured world based on discriminatory data without any determination for what is real, good, bad, honest, and human. Do you really want AI to replace your experience of life? No.
9. Be a photographer
The previous two lead us to being a photographer. Don’t cheat with AI and practice to see what looks good. By being a better photographer you also won’t need to spend as much time editing images (whether on your phone or a computer). Put your time and effort into taking a better photo within the camera. You’ll develop your skills to become the one shot wonder and have more time to spend either creating or otherwise enjoying life.
10. Have Fun
You can say this is a given but fun also allows passion to flow and activates flow states. Flow states allow for faster learning, heightened senses, and a better overall experience. When you find yourself not having fun you are usually stuck in your head. Return to number one, breathe, and let yourself enjoy it again. Creativity is supposed to be fun. Let your creativity flow.
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