Better Photography 101 – Part 1 Intent – Take better photos

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Admin under Better Photography 101, Photography, Tips

Have you ever wished that you could take better photos?

This series of ‘better photography 101’ blogs will help you improve your skills

Basic composition and lighting principles can vastly improve the quality and impact of your photos, whatever your camera.

Pentax

Facebook and Instagram Stories, and Storytelling have become very important in raising your profile. Improving your photos, to give your images more impact makes sense.

“It’s not the camera but who’s behind the camera.”

Create better photos – create meaningful images – find your voice.

Here are a few basic tips that will help you improve your skills and help you create better images.

Martin Parr exhibition Paris - better photos

This photo was taken in Paris at the open air Martin Parr exhibition. I waited for ages until I saw someone start using their mobile phone (the lady in purple) next to Martin Parr’s photo of people on phones. She wasn’t quite as close as I’d hoped though.

Better photos – Your intent

List all the things you like about photography, why you like taking photos, what message or story do you want the world to hear?

Do you have a cause you’re passionate about and want to highlight? Are you happy just to capture family parties and events for posterity?

Do you take photos of your kids’ sports events? Or are you captivated by the natural world?

Snaps and selfies have their place, but even they can be vastly improved by learning some photographic techniques and considering the message you’re trying to convey.

Bring out your inner artist and find your Voice. Do a google search for famous photographers for inspiration, or look on Pinterest or Instagram for ideas.

Taken in India in Mandawa in India.

Exercises for better photos

Take a photo a day for a month, don’t think about it just do it. At the end of the month review your images. What themes have started to emerge? What did you like photographing the most?
This one is very interesting to do. Take your camera and 2 dice out for a walk. Roll the dice and walk the number of steps the dice say. Roll the dice again and take the number of photos the dice tell you, but think about what you want to say about what you’re photographing. Use position, angle, distance from your subject and so on.
You’ll be surprised at what images you can create. To vary it, use more dice.

I once did a variation of this exercise and ended up under a very boring railway bridge, having to take 10 photos in the one spot. I had to think very creatively to get interesting shots that said something.

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