In today’s digital age, sometimes I feel that the art of taking photos is a little lost. We all have cameras constantly, and its very easy to snap a photo without applying much thought. There isn’t the careful consideration of being mindful of using up the precious film you have and counting down frames. On the positive side, we can get as creative as we want without fear of running out of film, and I’ve definitely used this to my advantage! Throughout my photography journey, I have my tried and true tricks of the trade that I have found instantly elevated my photos from bland and basic to a more robust compelling shot. Read below for some principles of photography that I know you will find to make a huge difference in your photos. Be sure to try these out the next time you are out shooting. You can even use these principles on your phones, so no fancy equipment is necessary here! This page has affiliate links and if you purchase something from this page I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. I donate 5% of this blog’s revenue to the Environmental Defense Fund, so you help donate to a great cause if you click on any affiliate links or ads that may be on this page.
Get Low: Take Photos From a New Perspective
Don’t be afraid to get a little extra when playing with new angles and perspectives. Try getting low to the ground to shift the viewer’s attention and draw the viewer into the subject of the photo. Compare the images above. Note how the image on the left is a standard shot, straight onto the subject, taken from eye level. Notice how the image in the middle and on the right are taken from a low angle, focusing on the subject and emphasizing the train behind her. In the photo on the left, you’ll notice your eye is easily distracted by everything in the background: the trees, cars, street and train platform. On the right you are pulled into the scene and your eye is drawn into the subject of the photo. When taking photos, try to stay away from the same old eye level photos and don’t be afraid to get low!
Utilize Water and Reflections in Photography
A lot of people tend to stay safe and take photos indoors or outside in harsh lighting with the subject forced to wear sunglasses (my personal pet peeve) to keep the sun out of their eyes so they can take a good photo. Stop that! I love taking advantage of a good rain and low light to use a puddle as a natural reflection. Make sure to look for any reflecting surface, either a puddle, a calm lake, fountain, or a reflective building to get a unique perspective. Watch my Tik Tok to see how easy it is to transform a nasty gutter shot (literally!) into an infinitely more interesting photo.
Natural Framing in your Photo
A fantastic tool that will help to elevate your photography is to take advantage of natural frames that already exist in your setting. When taking pictures, always look around your environment to see if you can use a natural frame to draw the viewer’s eyes into the subject of the photo and hold the viewer’s attention. This can be a door or arch way, even an alley. I used the fence framing, tunnel, and the iron of a nearby gate in my examples above. Just get creative and always play with your surroundings.
Leading Lines to Elevate your Photos
Incorporating leading lines into your photo is a fantastic means of immediately transforming a photo. When taking a picture, pay attention to the environment and use a road or railing to your advantage. This will direct the viewer’s eyes through the photo straight to the subject. This creates dimension and space in the photo and keeps the image from appearing flat and two dimensional. Incorporating this principle is a great way to add depth and bring the viewer right into the scene. Learning how to play into this tool will instantly elevate your photos and captivate your viewer.
Movement into the Frame
A really fun way to create tension and anticipation in your photo is to show movement into the frame. This creates a visually interesting image for the viewer and it draws the viewer’s eyes into the scene. A great way to incorporate this is with car photography, sports photography, animals, or kids running or playing. In the images above, you can feel the excitement of the busy city streets as the anticipation of the cars moving into the scene stimulate the viewer’s engagement with the photo.
Take Candid Moments
Get away from the standard cheesy shots and sneak in some photos the subject isn’t expecting you to. I’ve found that some of my best photos are when the subject is natural and relaxed, rather than the forced smile. I love to utilize continuous shooting on my camera (or burst mode on your iPhone) to get those extra moments in the photo that you might not have expected to capture.
Incorporate Color Theory to Your Photos
Utilizing color theory to your advantage is a great method to attract visual interest in your pictures. Pictures with predominantly blue hues will attract your attention to the focal point utilizing a pop of yellow, and vice versa. These colors are opposite each other on the color wheel and so they create a balanced aesthetic to a photo. Similarly, in the photo above turquoise and orange are opposing colors as well. This is a great way to add balance to your photo. Be cognizant of your setting, if you are in a very blue environment, like the ocean, your subject should plan to wear an orange, red or yellow outfit to attract attention.
These basic principles are fantastic methods photographers use to work with their surroundings, shift the typical perspective and really take advantage of the elements in the scene in order to great a really interesting, visually appealing photograph. Really push yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and explore different options to get creative with your pictures. Creativity is a muscle that needs to be constantly stretched and worked. Once you get those artistic juices flowing you will see your photography skills continue to grow as you start to see new perspectives you may not have noticed before. A good photographer is more than just fancy gear, it takes practice and creativity! Give some of these elements a shot and if you find this helpful, please leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram at @amanda_meets_world_ and happy shooting!
