Post by Admin on Jan 17, 2024 13:40:00 GMT
How to take better photos
Anyone can learn the principles that are essential to capturing quality images. Follow these tips and see the difference
by Paul Pope
psyche.co/guides/how-to-use-composition-and-empathy-to-take-better-photos
A selfie-taker caught my attention at a wedding once: they kept returning to an inflatable castle to get a picture of themselves with some guests playing in the background. They didn’t stop before to-ing and fro-ing five times – presumably, the first four attempts weren’t good enough, but the fifth one was a winner. Sound familiar? Smartphones and digital cameras make it easier than ever to take and share photos (and to save numerous versions to choose from), but many of us still aspire to capture the perfect image of a memorable moment, person or place. While just about anyone can take a picture, perhaps you’d like to take more photographs that truly capture the richness of an experience, or that other people will appreciate, or that will push the boundaries of your creativity.
Before the era of social networking sites, creating and sharing photographs was more deliberate and less instantaneous, which made picture-taking feel special. Families cherished the physical print – a link to the past with sentimental value – and kept their precious memories in albums, rarely showing them outside the family. Today, people commonly take photos not only to serve as memory cues but to tell others who they are, what they care about, and how they feel. The functions of photography have expanded to include connecting socially and helping to define one’s identity. Photography is also a way to express creativity and to document the beauty, diversity and uniqueness of different places, cultures and people.
In this Guide, I will provide some photographic principles and specific tips for casual, amateur and aspiring photographers on how to take better photos. By ‘better photos’, I mean appealing images that evoke emotions in the viewer and capture the essence of a subject or scene (and that resonate with how our brains make sense of the world).
Whatever your intentions when you take photos, aiming to capture better ones can bring many benefits. Photography is a relaxing hobby, one that can get you outdoors and provide a break from the stresses of daily life. It can increase the enjoyment of experiences, and lead to creative fulfilment – boosting your confidence and self-esteem as you chronicle special occasions for the future. And, the act of looking back at these pictures can make you happier. Practising better picture-taking also helps people who aspire to take pictures for professional reasons, of course: a portfolio of eye-catching images can help attract clients, engage audiences, promote products and services, and raise awareness of social causes.
What makes a good photo?
It’s not always easy to judge the superiority of one image over another. The American photographer William Eggleston has a personal discipline for only taking one photo of a thing. Not two! Why? Because he would have trouble deciding which one was better. It’s even harder to figure out which photos other people will appreciate the most. I like Eggleston’s mundane photos, but others find his work boring. A picture-viewer’s personal experiences can influence their aesthetic evaluations beyond the work’s composition and subject matter.
That being said, there are several key concepts we’ll cover in this Guide that can help you improve your picture-taking:
Composition – this is the way you arrange visual elements within the frame, guiding the viewer to the main subject or theme and helping you to create visually pleasing and balanced images.
Storytelling – in photography, this involves using an image (or multiple images) to engage viewers emotionally or intellectually, helping them to understand why you took the photo. A story connects people with the photo’s subject or theme, making your images memorable.
Anyone can learn the principles that are essential to capturing quality images. Follow these tips and see the difference
by Paul Pope
psyche.co/guides/how-to-use-composition-and-empathy-to-take-better-photos
A selfie-taker caught my attention at a wedding once: they kept returning to an inflatable castle to get a picture of themselves with some guests playing in the background. They didn’t stop before to-ing and fro-ing five times – presumably, the first four attempts weren’t good enough, but the fifth one was a winner. Sound familiar? Smartphones and digital cameras make it easier than ever to take and share photos (and to save numerous versions to choose from), but many of us still aspire to capture the perfect image of a memorable moment, person or place. While just about anyone can take a picture, perhaps you’d like to take more photographs that truly capture the richness of an experience, or that other people will appreciate, or that will push the boundaries of your creativity.
Before the era of social networking sites, creating and sharing photographs was more deliberate and less instantaneous, which made picture-taking feel special. Families cherished the physical print – a link to the past with sentimental value – and kept their precious memories in albums, rarely showing them outside the family. Today, people commonly take photos not only to serve as memory cues but to tell others who they are, what they care about, and how they feel. The functions of photography have expanded to include connecting socially and helping to define one’s identity. Photography is also a way to express creativity and to document the beauty, diversity and uniqueness of different places, cultures and people.
In this Guide, I will provide some photographic principles and specific tips for casual, amateur and aspiring photographers on how to take better photos. By ‘better photos’, I mean appealing images that evoke emotions in the viewer and capture the essence of a subject or scene (and that resonate with how our brains make sense of the world).
Whatever your intentions when you take photos, aiming to capture better ones can bring many benefits. Photography is a relaxing hobby, one that can get you outdoors and provide a break from the stresses of daily life. It can increase the enjoyment of experiences, and lead to creative fulfilment – boosting your confidence and self-esteem as you chronicle special occasions for the future. And, the act of looking back at these pictures can make you happier. Practising better picture-taking also helps people who aspire to take pictures for professional reasons, of course: a portfolio of eye-catching images can help attract clients, engage audiences, promote products and services, and raise awareness of social causes.
What makes a good photo?
It’s not always easy to judge the superiority of one image over another. The American photographer William Eggleston has a personal discipline for only taking one photo of a thing. Not two! Why? Because he would have trouble deciding which one was better. It’s even harder to figure out which photos other people will appreciate the most. I like Eggleston’s mundane photos, but others find his work boring. A picture-viewer’s personal experiences can influence their aesthetic evaluations beyond the work’s composition and subject matter.
That being said, there are several key concepts we’ll cover in this Guide that can help you improve your picture-taking:
Composition – this is the way you arrange visual elements within the frame, guiding the viewer to the main subject or theme and helping you to create visually pleasing and balanced images.
Storytelling – in photography, this involves using an image (or multiple images) to engage viewers emotionally or intellectually, helping them to understand why you took the photo. A story connects people with the photo’s subject or theme, making your images memorable.