How to take a good photo: 6 basic principles

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Everyone who is interested in photography should know this.

1. Composition

Composition is the art of placing objects in a frame. Whether to capture the entire scene or focus on a particular part of it is a matter of composition.

The first thing to pay attention to is the main subject of the photo. Often, its location has a huge impact on the image. For example, placing an object in the middle of the frame emphasizes symmetry. Positioning it to the side, following the rule of thirds, makes it easier to focus the viewer's attention on the whole image.

Equally important is what remains outside the frame. Often, shifting the camera position or zooming in will help eliminate unnecessary irritants and draw attention to the subject even more.

2. Exposition

To create an image, the camera's sensor must capture a certain amount of light. How much light hits the sensor is called exposure.

The camera's built-in exposure meter helps the photographer determine the factors that affect exposure - these are shutter speed, aperture and sensitivity. In automatic mode, the camera does all this by itself. An image that is too dark is called underexposed, and an image that is too light is called overexposed.

The concept of correct exposure as such does not exist: this moment is subjective, like photography as a whole.

It is possible to underexpose the image and lose detail in dark areas, but thereby make the picture look darker. If you overexpose the photo a little, then the image will turn out to be more airy. By changing the exposure alone, you can significantly affect the mood of the photo.

3. Focus

The camera lens is equipped with lenses, due to which one or another part of the image is sharp. You can easily highlight the main subject by manually changing the focus or letting the camera do it for you in automatic mode.

Some photographers leave the background blurry, others sharpen most of the image. We are talking about the depth of field, which is determined by the distance to the subject and the size of the camera sensor. It is because of the latter aspect that you will never be able to blur the background with your smartphone camera in the same way as with a full-fledged DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Thus, by changing the aperture number and distance to the main subject, you can muffle distracting details or, conversely, leave the environment clear if it fits harmoniously into the frame.

4. Light

Understanding how light affects an image is essential to learning how to take good pictures. Light can be different: it can fall at different angles, its intensity and even color can vary.

When the subject is evenly lit from the front, it is easier to get the most correct exposure, but it often looks boring. The light coming from the side creates dynamic shadows and can make the photo more interesting. By shining the light from behind, you can literally make the object shine.

On a cloudy day, light is distributed in a completely different way than on a sunny day. Soft lighting creates soft shadows. The harder the light, the deeper the shadows. There is no single correct option here - it all depends on what kind of mood you want to give the picture.

The colors in the image are very dependent on the lighting, and sometimes it is impossible to completely control the situation. If any shade in the photo does not look what it should be, change the white balance on the camera when you are photographing or already in processing.

5. The moment of shooting

The moment of shooting affects how the shot will turn out: boring or really interesting. By pressing the shutter button in time, you can make the cat hang gracefully in the air, and the shadow can take an abstract shape.

In order not to miss the decisive moment, you can use the burst mode. In it, the camera takes the maximum possible number of photos in one second.

Equally important is what time of day you shoot. Right after sunrise and before sunset, the light is soft, creating a golden glow in the image. During dusk, the sky is blue. The midday sun on a cloudless day provides hard light and deep shadows.

6. Inspiration

Photography may be technically perfect, but still boring. The camera is a tool that allows you to show your own view of the world. Therefore, it is very important to find a source of inspiration in order to take interesting pictures. You can easily break some of the rules if your idea calls for it.