Sick of snapping photos with trees growing out of your kid’s head? Tired of capturing photos with missing limbs and blurry body parts? Then, it may be time to get back to the basics of photography.
Rule of Thirds: This is one of the rules of photography that can be broken and still yield frame worthy shots. When it comes to composition, placing your subject dead center in the frame can create a powerful image. However, in most cases, you want to stick with the Rule of Thirds which recommends drawing imaginary lines on the camera viewfinder to create a simple grid that is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The intersections of the imaginary lines are where you should place your subject.
Posing vs. Candid: Depending on the type of shots you are snapping, it may behoove you to include some candid photos rather than having your subject strike a pose for every picture. Photograph your subject doing something that they love or with people they are close to. This will put them at ease and you’ll walk away with special shots of your subjects reacting naturally to their environment.
Less is more: Photographers have the ability to manipulate shots, so the viewer is left with a variety of ways of interpreting different photos. By investing in a lens with a long focal length you can get up close and personal to your subject without invading their personal space. Once you are zoomed in you can photograph a particular part of your subject. Documenting a person’s hands, eyes, mouth or even part of a leg can spark a viewer’s imagination. Remember you don’t need to shoot your subject’s entire body to create a stunning shot. Often it’s what is left out on an image that speaks louder than what is included.
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