Reams of books have been written on the subtle art of photography, which can't possibly be summarized in one lecture. However, here are ten simple steps for improving images.
1. Get close. Then get closer.
Strong, bold images catch the eye, so charge right in the middle of the action. The traditional advice is “go as close as you dare, then advance three more feet”. Portraits especially benefit from this intimate approach. What's more striking: a snapshot of granny on the couch with her dog, the molting Christmas tree and a tepid cup of tea – or a full frame of her noble, wrinkled face?
Shy shooters fret over the “invasion of space”, especially when the language barrier makes explanation impossible. Politely ask anyway, advised McCartney, who often talks and photographs for half an hour before reaching her favorite setup: three or four feet away with a 28mm lens. Approach cautiously and monitor the subject's expressions, gestures and posture.
“Approach slowly, as though they were small frightened animals (which most of us are, deep inside),” she joked. The camera can erode inhibitions on both sides. “It's rather like wearing a mask – and with the camera's protection you can approach, talk to and photograph most people quite easily.”
As war photographer Robert Capa famously put it: “If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.” He followed this advice to the end: the 40-year-old stepped on a land mine while covering the French Indochina War in 1954. So get close, but tread softly and safely.
“Open the other eye occasionally,” recommended Photographer and Visual Storytelling Instructor Marcus Donner. “Maybe you're missing some interesting element … or maybe you're about to be whacked with a croquet ball. Don't let the camera give you a false sense of invulnerability.”
2. Dominant element
Your photo should clearly be about something. Direct the observer's eye – and don't distract them with too much clutter (like the poodle and the gift wrap). A useful trick here is the “rule of thirds”. Imagine a tic tac toe grid over an image. Good pictures have a “center of interest” where the lines meet.
When photographing people with objects, place the person in the extreme foreground, the thing far in the background (this works well with large objects, like St. Peter's and the Washington Monument. Otherwise you wind up with a camel driver against a biscuit-colored wall, instead of a camel driver with the Sphinx). Add even more depth with a relevant or interesting element in the middle ground too. Make the viewer's eye move in the frame, transforming a two-dimensional object into a three dimensional-one.
Landscapes pose a particular problem, according to Michael Busselle, author of Travel and Vacation Photography
and fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. “There is often a temptation to include too much in the frame,” he observed. The image “has no immediate focus of attention and too many conflicting details.”
3. Prime time
Early morning and early evening light are warmer (the syrupy gold hue before sunset is nicknamed the “magic hour”, much exploited by catalogue designers). Looking at a magnificent sunset? Without filters, the splendor is hard to capture. But spin around; all that gorgeous light may illuminate a more intriguing scene.
Avoid shooting at midday, when the sun throws harsh shadows. Eye sockets, in particular, recede into gothic gloom. The human brow really serves a purpose: it shades the eye. A fill flash softens the contrast. Slightly overcast days provide nice, soft tones for portraits (while landscape photographers gnash their teeth).
Take notice of the shadows in a composition. Is there a better time to return and try again? Ansel Adams was famous for stalking light, returning time and time again in different seasons, until the conditions optimized. Much of good photography is patience: composing a frame, then waiting for conditions to perfect (for the purple light of dusk, a flock of birds in a certain quadrant, for the hunter-gather to pry open the trap or the Indonesian washerwoman to collect the linens).
This time-consuming process can clash with a reporter's restless quest for information. National Geographic staffer Jodi Cobb recommends that teams touch base – say, be in the same country and region – but not dog each others' footsteps. Travel writers doing double duty should expect conflicted loyalties … and even compromised coverage at times, sad to say.
4. Work the angles
Search out unusual angles. Climb up a column and shoot down. Lie on the cobbles and shoot up. Tilt the camera. Vary your perspective to produce an unusual effect. Also, look for natural 'frames', which add depth and interest to an image. Try shooting through a doorway or an archway of branches. Place a palm-leaf umbrella in a corner, then photograph the sandy beach and surfline. Finally, compose with “leading lines”, elements that draw in the eye (like a woman standing on the center line of a road, along a fence line or atop a staircase).
5. Avoid posing
“Photo faces” make for poor images generally. The artificial stiffness doesn't convey the sense of scene (professionals call this unnatural look “camera-conscious”). Shoot real people doing real things. Put subjects at ease by chatting – or shoot them unaware with a telephoto lens. Another technique is to “blow film”: keep the shutter firing until they grow accustomed to the experience and relax. Digital technology makes this option more affordable now.
6. Pound the pavement
Remember those boots were made for walking. A common amateur mistake is monotony; dozens of shots where the people and backgrounds remain in the same ratio. Gathered together, the images are dull. Mix it up. Vary the distance between the subject and camera. Change lenses. Zoom in and out. No flashy technology? Wear down the shoe leather and simply walk closer to avoid visual redundancy.
7. Outside the box
Get one in the can, to borrow some Hollywood lingo. Take a middle-of-the-road, good-enough “safety shot”, then push for more risky, artistic compositions. The subject needn't be dead center in the frame – as long as it's still clearly the subject. A runner, for example, could race into the right side of a photograph, giving a sense of movement and speed. A portrait might emphasize someone's soulful eyes, by eliminating their hair and chin. Likewise, not all photographs need to be the classic rectangle shape. Crop images into squares, panoramic strips or thin columns.
8. Silhouettes
Play around with shapes, especially distinctive ones (a pregnant woman, a child in a cowboy hat, a man with an Afro). Place the shadowy figure against a bright background (a person standing in a doorway on a sunny day does the trick). Adjust the exposure for the light area.
9. Avoid distractions
Don't let unwanted elements destroy your images. Is a tree behind the shaman? That palm will sprout from his head in the photograph. Try to minimize signs, telephone wires, garbage cans and other clutter. Shooting from a higher or lower angle often hides the mess. Blurring the background helps too (on an SLR, limit the depth-of-field with a large aperture like f-2.8).
10. Bracket exposures
Fancier cameras allow the photographer to set the exposure. The light meter displays the optimum setting. Take a shot at the recommended f-stop, then one above and one below (some models have auto-bracketing now). And don't hesitate to take multiple pictures of the same scene. Professionals use a rapid-fire function – and easily blast through several rolls or hundreds of digital frames perfecting one image. If in doubt, underexposure is always preferable, as it richens the color slightly.
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