Taking a good photo is harder than you think. After all, thereâs a reason your latest camera phone snap hasnât landed in any museum yet. Take your camera off âAuto,â put away the fuzzy filters, and follow these instructions to take photos that turn heads.
If you want something to be the center of attention, donât make it the center of your photo. The focal point should be a little off to the side. Imagine if your shot was divided by a 3x3 grid of squares (like a tic-tac-toe board). The centerpiece should be at an intersection, near a corner.
Moving the subject off-center can make your photo more interesting, but it can also leave awkward space on the opposite side. Good photos tend to balance the photo with a second, less eye-grabbing focal point on the opposite side.
Your photo will only look as good as the moment it captures. The best photos are rarely staged or posed.
Donât underestimate color. It can emphasize important details or highlight distracting objects in the background. Our eyes love contrast, and theyâll be drawn toward any surprising colors, for better or for worse. (Thatâs why so many wedding photos are made black and white. A monochrome color scheme helps you focus on the happy couple.)
Look for natural borders that isolate the subject. A natural edge (like a ring of trees around a lake) will create symmetry and direct your viewerâs attention to the focal point. While youâre at it, keep fine details away from the corners. You donât want anyoneâs eyes to drift off the photo. You may also want to darken the corners a littleâitâs an effect called âfalloff.â
Purge your pics of any clutter. A busy background or foreground can distract your viewers from the subject and change the mood youâre going for. No matter how much editing you do later, if you donât get it right while the camera is in hand, the photo wonât work.
For whatever reason, our eyes love lines. We look for them in every image. Find some!
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