Lighting patterns are a great way to create unique portraits. For me, photography is all about light and having full control over that light. It is why I am obsessed with studio light. Being able to create a shadow here and a highlight there brings me so much joy! Lighting
Symmetry appears when equal parts of your composition mirror each other, like when two halves of your scene look the same and balance each other out. Symmetry is defined as something being clean, proportional and balanced. This often makes pictures appear neat, tidy and clinical. Horizontal symmetry Horizontal symmetry is when
Expert photographers talk about photography composition all the time because they can’t stress it enough. It’s key to delivering the message, story or mood in a photo. You can have a sharp and well-exposed photo, but if the composition doesn’t say anything, that image means nothing. This is what visual
We often hear the saying that we must learn the rules of photography first before we break them. However, as Daniel Inskeep of Mango Street tell us in the video above, we often aren’t told in detail how to break these rules. If this is something you’ve also noticed and would like to hear
You’ve probably heard of the Rule of Thirds — I learned about it in middle school art classes, and art history in college. It’s a terrific tool for guiding composition in your pictures. Formulaic use of the Rule of Thirds can take you a long way toward making better pictures,
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone say ‘I am not ‘photogenic.’ To be honest, I hate that statement. I mean who isn’t ‘photogenic?’ To me everyone, I don’t care who you are, is or at least can be ‘photogenic.’ I love the saying, ‘photogenic’ doesn’t have to
When you’re new to doing photography seriously, among the first things you learn is to be mindful of your composition. There’s a bunch of timeless composition rules — the Rule of Thirds being the most popular — that will serve as your guide. However, it doesn’t mean that these are
We are completely bombarded with images every single day. From social media to blogs, to advertisements and billboards, we are constantly flooded with images that are aggressively jostling for our attention. As a fledgling portrait photographer myself years ago, this presented me with quite the challenge as I sought to
As with any type of photography, portrait composition is key to great results. It’s what determines the intent, goal and impact of your work. Many of the composition rules work well for portrait photography. However, if you’re just starting out, you might want to master a handful of basic techniques
Among the most common mistakes of landscape photography beginners is not paying attention to the foreground of the scene. This results in uninteresting photos that don’t have a main subject. Or, if there are foreground elements, they don’t effectively lead the eyes towards an object of interest. If you’re looking
Being a part of a local photowalk group, I often experiment with different techniques during our outings. One of our group leaders, Dianne Carroll Burdick, has long taught the importance of looking up and taking advantage of different perspectives. Looking up has turned into one of the most important aspects of
When it comes to landscape and travel photography, do you try to capture what thousands already have? Or do you look for something a little more unique? Perhaps you are asking, how can I make my travel pictures more interesting? I love to travel, many people do. Sadly, for many
