What makes a good photographer?

There are many different criteria that one would use to classify a good photographer. It could range anywhere between technical prowess to creative genius. I propose that becoming a good photographer starts in your head. Specifically within the area of the brain that allows a willingness to experiment. The part of the brain that says “Good enough isn’t quite good enough”.

This year, as we all strive to better hone our craft, consider the resolution of becoming more playful and experimental with your photography. Think to yourself “Good enough isn’t quite good enough”.

Here are 3 Quick Tips to Better Your Photography

Get Close

Female Lion Close Up

Get close to your subject, then get closer, then get even closer. This is especially true in portraits. This is all about filling the frame and excluding distracting elements. Portraits are supposed to be about people not necessarily about their surroundings. You’d be surprised at how much more engaging your portraits will turn out when you’ve eliminated busy background noise. This isn’t just about portraits though. You can use this with many different subjects so experiment with getting close to every subject.

Take Lot’s of Pictures

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If you’re new to photography you may notice when perusing your images that you were a split second away from a great shot. This is where burst mode can come in handy. Something to really think about when your trying to photograph your 3 year old daughter that can’t seem to sit still (yes I am referring to my kiddo here). This is really great in photojournalist or street photography as well because you don’t generally have control of people in those types of surroundings. Be forewarned that this will add some extra time to your editing process but may be worth it in the long run. It’s a good idea to take more snapshots than you think you’ll need at any event. Vacations, for example, seem to be an instance where I always wish I had taken more pictures no matter how many I come home with. Perhaps this is because I can’t go back and re-shoot something I may have felt I missed (even if we do go to Las Vegas every year).

Keep Your Subject Off-Center

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In following the general guidelines of the rule of thirds we all try to keep our subjects off-center, right? Even if you don’t quite understand the aesthetics behind the rule and where to put your subject to create drama or utilize negative space you’ll be off to a great start by simply keeping your subjects off-center. This is something that is taught in virtually every art class in every medium around the world because it simply works. Of course there are times when you do want to break rules and guidelines but you still need to know what rules and guidelines you are breaking. So to start off, just keep the main subject to the left or right of the image if it’s a person and the horizons should be above or below the center.

Photographs:

Female Lion Close Up by size_uk

untitled by ☁☁☁

… by Tony Mantovani