Here are some tried and true tips to help make your photos stand out.
These photos were selected not so much for content (although I did pull all photos of my boys!)…but more for photo technique. So read on- I will talk a little bit about what I did to achieve each. You know I am on the constant quest to help others take great photos! I am passionate about photography and want everyone to feel the success of the perfect shot!
You push the button on your camera to focus, and it indicates you do not need a flash. Hey, it's a sunny day out hiking, why on earth would I use a flash? If I had not forced my flash to fire, my boys would be dark in the shadow of this cave. And I would have gotten home and been disappointed with the shot. Instead I got this shot and it is one of my favorites.
GET DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL:
Hot, over-cast day. Kids doing slip-n-slide (nakie, I might add!). No flash needed. But I did bend down to make better eye contact and be able to capture the popsicles undistorted.
TILT IT!
This tip (or 'trick) is a real secret of commercial photographers. Take portraits at a slight angle. Now, in this particular case…I didn't- I took a regular ol'boring straight up and down photo… but when I cropped it, I also turned it a little to give it this effect. So you can go play around with photos on your computer right now! It is obvious in this shot if you look that the palm tree in background. Something about angles makes the subject feel more engaged with the viewer. And this tip can turn a boring photo into a winner.
GET OFF CENTER:
Get out of the habit of having your subject dead center of each photograph. Move them to the right or left. Put them down at the bottom of an image and capture a beautiful sky behind them. Mix it up. Take the same photo as many ways as possible. This photo won me a little award on Photo.net years ago. And can you tell I had just said to my [then] 2 year old, Tucker, "Do NOT pick the poppies!"… and yes, I clicked… and he picked!
So, those are a few photos I really love. And some tips I like to teach to others. These photos are my favorites because they capture such happy memories of times with my boys. And that is the real purpose of great photography. It is not just about making something 'frameable' but it is about capturing what you FELT and not only what was SEEN. Now go on… get off this blog and go shoot something! Hey, let me know how it goes, will ya?
Marcy Massura writes monthly for Blissfully Domestic.
But you can find her at her blog daily…The Glamorous Life Association. Come on by and have a giggle!
Interested in her photography? please visit The Marcy Photo Company
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This is a great post! I really appreciate the pointers for better photography. With 10 grandkids and an addiction to blogging this is going to be fantastic. Thank you!