Photography Ideas for Taking Great Pictures

Memorable pictures always have an emotional impact on the viewer – they are able to convey feelings and capture the essence of what’s depicted. Through such elements as effective lighting and photo composition, they can express their meaning and the photographer’s intent. Meaning and intent are conveyed by how well you use elements such as colour, contrast, shapes, lines, perspective, lines and texture in your photos. In a good picture, these elements work synchronically to tell your story. Follow these photography ideas to give you best chance of taking memorable, impacting photos.

Centre of Interest

Putting the centre of interest smack bang in the middle of picture is an effective way of focusing the viewer’s attention on the picture’s subject, but retroactively, it is also just about the most boring way possible to compose a picture. Simply moving your subject off-centre is one way to create a more pleasing composition.

Go for the Power Points

Using power points is a very simple photography idea. Imagine your picture is a tic-tac-toe board which divides the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically. The four intersections where the lines cross are your power points. When you place subjects at these points, it makes the pictures more dynamic. A single subject can be placed at one of these power points. Place a vertical object (such as someone standing or sitting) on either of the two vertical lines. Place a horizontal object (such as a long building) on one of the horizontal lines. For landscape photos, your pictures will dramatically improve if you move the horizon line to the upper or lower third of the frame. This power point rule of composition is also called the Rule of Thirds.

Using Point of View Effectively

The point of view you choose for shooting your pictures can mean the difference between a photo that is just a snapshot and a picture that involves the viewer and to which the viewer responds to. Here are some ways you can change your point of view:

Shoot Low

If you lower your camera to ground level it creates an insect’s eye view which suggests that a subject is bigger than it is. Shooting buildings from a low position will cause lines to converge and make the structure look more imposing, which is the same with low photos of people.

Shoot High

Snapping a photo from a high angle will keep most or all of the sky out of the picture. It’s great for taking shots of landscapes and cute furry animals. With high photos of people, it makes them look diminutive and meek.

Horizontal vs Vertical

The vertical/horizontal question affects the lines, scale and size of the sky. Vertical composition shows more foreground and emphasize perspective. Horizontal composition with a different background and lower camera angle does it too.

Think Artistically, and Turn Your Thoughts into Beautiful Prints

Learning the techniques behind creating good pictures expands your creativity and expressiveness. Once you have experimented a bit and taken some memorable pictures, send them to us to make beautiful canvas prints.