Everyone loves to take photos – and stunning shots can bring an immensity of joy and wonder! Most anyone can pull out their phone and take a quick snap, but have you ever wondered if there are some key principles you could study up on to improve your capture game?
Here’s our quick start guide on the path to becoming a master photographer – simply apply a few of these tips the next time you find a worthy subject to snapshot and you’ll start seeing results in no time!

Clean Your Camera Lens
A quick and easy tip that anyone can apply before getting started with shooting is to make sure your lenses don’t have any built-up dirt and grime.
If you don’t have time to sit down and give your phone a thorough cleaning, you can simply wipe the lens off with a tissue.
Ideally, aim to use a good cleaning fluid or glasses wipe every few weeks to keep your shots clear and pristine.

Rule of Thirds & Grid Lines
A basic photographic compositional guideline to follow is known as the Rule of Thirds – a principle that says an image should be broken down into thirds both horizontally and vertically, resulting in nine equally sized squares.
Enabling Grid Lines while shooting breaks up the image into nine sections and allows you to clearly view where the subject and points of interest lie within the frame. By separating visual ideas into sections and placing points of interest where the lines intersect, your captures will be more balanced and natural-looking.

Use Shade in Portraits
Place your subject in a shaded area – such as underneath a tree, or alongside a wall – this will result in ideal lighting quality for more flattering portrait shots.

Focus on One Subject
Consider not filling your shot with too many subjects – this can be cluttering and detract attention from the most intriguing parts of your piece. Instead, consider focusing on just one particularly interesting subject.
Many professionals suggest not letting your subject fill the entire frame – rather, allowing two-thirds of the frame to be negative space can enhance the mood by distinguishing the subject from its background.

Negative Space
The area around or between the subjects of your image is known as Negative Space. You can help your subject stick out by leaving “background” space for your subject to distinguish itself from, which can have a drastic impact on viewer perception.
Try playing around with all sorts of negative space types – skies, water, walls, street views, tabletops – nearly anything can work well!

Color Blocking
A similar concept to negative space that helps draw attention and evoke emotional response toward the subject is Color Blocking.
Block out the color of surrounding space in order to focus the viewer’s attention on the color of your subject. Several tools can be found on the app store by searching “color blocking.”

Unique Angles/Perspectives
Try taking photos from unexpected angles so that viewers will ponder and reflect on what they’re seeing – unique perspectives may allow your art pieces to be open to broader interpretation.
Experiment with every angle to line up your shots in ways that you think adds layers of potential meaning and emotionality.

Focal Points/Leading Lines
You can help draw the viewer’s attention to specific points in your photo through the use of Leading Lines – think of paths, roads, walls, and staircases – from the appropriate angles, these lines can guide the eye to the Focal Point of your image.

Symmetry & Patterns
Mathematically recognizable visuals can be especially pleasing to the eye. Symmetry refers to balance and harmony between ideas/subjects/space, while Patterns involve repeated elements and ideas such as lines, shapes, forms, and colors.
Symmetry and patterns can be found everywhere in nature and manmade structures – it’s just a matter of discovering it and then capturing the perfect framing!

Reflections
Bodies of water of varying shapes and sizes, mirrors, glass and metallic surfaces can be used to create reflections of your subject that often results in satisfying symmetry. Reflection can also be used to create abstract images and painting-like landscapes, completely filling the frame with beautiful colors and wonder.

We hope that these 10 Photography Tips have been useful to you and that you’ll be able to apply them to your future captures.
Let us know which of these tips you enjoy applying to your artwork and which ones you are most excited to start implementing!
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