words Alexa Wang
There’s a big chance you’re familiar with the common saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, a great photo is worth thousands of words, moods, and inspiration. In other words, not all photos are the same and for a photograph to have the best effect, the photographer has to know a few hacks and tricks to make their work stand out.
In essence, great photo shots are determined by a combination of various factors, including the photographer’s skills, gear, location, lighting, positioning, and much more. To cut the long story short, here are a few helpful tips that can help you capture great photos.
Location
Picking a location for a lifestyle shoot is quite crucial. It can make or break the whole shoot, and that’s why it’s necessary to choose a location with great consideration. When it comes to lifestyle shoot locations in London, there are endless options for beautiful locations to capture stunning photos. From iconic landmarks and historical buildings to scenic parks and bustling streets, London has it all. It’s important to choose a location that will help tell the story of your shoot and complement your subject.
Get Your Gear Right
One of the first things that you’ll need to get right for great photos is your photography equipment. Of course, you’re better off with a powerful camera, which is unarguably the most important piece of equipment in the art. When choosing a camera for your photography needs, Davide Shun and the team from the ShootSearcher website occasionally point out that the best one for you will depend on the moments you want to capture as well as other factors such as your budget and how you intend to use the photos. Apart from a camera, other things you might need include additional lenses, camera stabilizers, tripods, and studio lighting, among others. You can also benefit from different camera harnesses as they can help you carry your camera around safely and comfortably. If you invest carefully in photo shooting equipment, you will have little to regret as you improve your shooting skills with time.
Go For Plain Backgrounds
It’s always tempting to use colorful backgrounds when taking photoshoots. However, such backgrounds can easily create chaos and shift a significant amount of focus on the subject. Plain backgrounds, on the other hand, tend to show off your subject more, resulting in great shots.
Closer Shots are often better
While distant shots can be interesting, shots captured with the subject filling the picture area tend to be more powerful and intriguing. They are clearer, more striking to the eye, and are often more detailed. So before you take that shot, consider moving in closer, but watch not too close than the closest focusing distance or the picture will be blurry.
Lock the Focus
At times, you’ll want to put the subject of your photo on one side of the picture rather than the center to add some spice. However, in auto-focus mode, most cameras will assume that the subject is the centermost object in the picture and direct much of the focus there. To avoid coming out with a blurred picture, you’ll need to first lock the focus with the object of interest at the center, and then recompose it so that the subject is away from the center.
Practice Makes Perfect
Like any other skill, photography requires lots and lots of practice before you can finally become a pro at it. For this reason, it pays to shoot as many photos as you can from different locations, scenes, and conditions. The more time you spend behind the camera, the more you learn and the better you get at it.
Consider You Flash’s Range
A camera’s flash range is as important as the camera itself. This is normally less than 5 steps or 15 feet for most cameras and is often indicated in the manual. More often than not, photos taken beyond a camera’s maximum flash range come out darkened.
Day-time Flash
It’s a common misconception that camera flash should only be used when it’s dark or when taking indoor photos. The flash can also be used outdoors during the day when the sun is casting shadows on your subject. This way, you shine extra light on the subject so that the lighting exposure is even as shadows are eliminated. Depending on the range between you and your subject, you can choose between the fill flash or full flash modes. A digital camera lets you preview the results using the picture display panel before taking your shot.
Hone Your Picture Director Skills
If you take photos of humans regularly, your directing skills will come in handy on many occasions. This is because many people are often short of ideas when it comes to photo poses. With polished photo director skills, you can easily suggest poses to your subjects, suggest locations, and take charge of the entire show to produce the best work. After all, you’re the professional here!
Photography is an amazing activity that many people take as a full-time career. However, one needs to be extremely skilled to come out on top in the highly competitive industry. Hopefully, you will find the few tips above helpful as far as capturing great photos is concerned.
