6 Advanced Composition Techniques to

Improve Your Photos

A Post By: Barry J Brady

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When you think of composition in photography, what is the first idea that pops into your head?
Let me guess – the rule of thirds?
Likely that was true for many of you who reading this, why do you think that is? The rule of
thirds is probably the most widely known, and well used compositional tool in photography.
Most often, it is the first composition tool we are taught (it was for me anyway). Once we know
it, and use it, we don’t really think about it, or about any other compositional techniques.
There are other methods though, using visual design techniques that talk about texture and
colour, amongst others. Many photographers simply default to the rule of thirds and take the
shot, without trying other compositions. These other techniques can make a difference in your
images. This article is about six techniques you can use to improve your compositions, and your
photos Some of these would be known as advanced techniques, but once you understand them,
they are pretty self explanatory.

1. The Golden Ratio or Fibonacci Spiral

Use the Golden Ratio to enhance your composition
This is a tool that has been used for centuries, as a design principle. Many famous works of art
use the Golden Ratio in their composition and it is often seen in nature’s own designs. Think of
the spiral of a snail shell, how it curls in on itself. That shape conforms to the Golden Ratio. It is
a ratio of 1:1.618 which seems to work really well in design and photography. To read much
more detail about this technique check out: Divine Composition With Fibonacci’s Ratio (The
Rule of Thirds on Steroids).

2. Unity
Unity is about order. Repetition can be very powerful in this regard. You can repeat shapes,
lines, or colours in your image. By doing so you create a unified view of the scene, and this in
turn gives a very powerful compositional effect. Unity can bring a calming feel to the image, try
and find a subject that portrays this.
The lines and the rivets in the image make it feel uniform, as does the lack of colour

3. Coherence
Different from unity, coherence is more about similar types of elements or shapes in your scene.
Think of a rocky river bed with similar sized rocks and pebbles. This scene would be coherent if
the rocks and pebbles are a similar size, shape, and colour. Coherence appeals to the viewer’s
sense of order, and can make for very interesting images.
Similar shapes and colours make this image feel more coherent

4. Balance and Rhythm

Balance is pretty much as it says, the idea here is to try and arrange the elements in your scene so
that the image is symmetrical. This can be done using lines and shapes. The ideas is to create a
sense of equality in the scene. Rhythm is similar in a sense, but is about a repeating pattern in the
scene. These are a little more difficult to find, but often a close up or abstract image can
showcase this technique well.
The centred composition of this image of a theatre shows the balance in the scene
The repeated curved shapes of the glass buildings gives a great sense of rhythm

5. Space
Open, or negative space, in your image is sometimes as important as the subject. Negative space
gives your subject context, and shows the viewer where or how your subject relates to its
surroundings. Quite often, negative space is the sky. It can be tempting to ignore this one, but if
it’s used correctly, this can be a very powerful compositional tool.
The texture in the clouds in give this image some gravity. If the sky were simply blue, it would
not be as impactful

6. Breaking the Rules

Now that you have some new ideas about how to make better compositions. Knowing these
techniques will certainly improve some of your images, but also, knowing how to break them is
just as important. In some cases, it will be obvious which technique to use, in others, you may
find that putting your subject in the middle of your frame works best. You need to decide what
will work for your image. Try techniques like this and see if one works. If not, break the rules
and do what you think looks good.
By cropping the building quite aggressively, the image seems unfinished, but the colours and the
sky make it work

Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category

Barry J Brady
is a Fine Art Landscape and commercial photographer based in Vancouver, BC. He is also an
addicted traveller and loves travelling to far off places and capturing their essence. Barry is an
entertaining and experienced photography teacher and public speaker. He loves nothing more
than being behind his camera or showing other photographers how to get the most out of their
camera. To see more of his work, visit his site here. You can also join Barry on a photography
workshop in Canada. Click here to find out more.

Advanced Photography - Making Better Photos

 
 
If you’ve mastered your camera and its controls and are able to get results that are
technically acceptable, the next step is to make better photographs.    You can take
pictures, but you have to make photographs.   Many consider fine photographs as art –
work that is created by the photographer, as opposed to a “snapshot” that almost
anyone could take.   Some people have an artistic ability, others can learn it.
 
There are widely accepted “rules” in photography that aren’t really rules – just
conventions in composition that can help to make a photo pleasing to the eye.    All
photos do not have to be taken according to these rules, but they are a good way to
learn to see and create a photograph.
 
(The following is adapted from the Kodak.com website – they can explain their business better than I can.
Some of the points are illustrated):
 

 
1.  CHOOSING YOUR MAIN POINT OF INTEREST.  Although you know what your
subject is, it can be hard for a viewer to determine your intent if too many elements in
your picture make it confusing.  Eliminate all unimportant elements by moving closer,
zooming in, or choosing a different shooting angle.  See below:
 

 
There are many elements in this photo - it doesn't have a real "center of interest"
 
  
See the difference by moving in a bit, the main interest is now the train.
 

 
 
2.  ADJUST YOUR ANGLE OF VIEW.   Alter your position - Change your position to
emphasize or exaggerate how big or small your subject is.   You can also move your
camera right or left only a few feet to change the composition dramatically:
 

 
Here's a "Helicopter View" looking down at the scene, often the normal way we see our
trains.
 
  
Notice how the same scene looks at a lower viewpoint.
 

 
3.  PLACING THE SUBJECT OFF-CENTER.  Putting the subject off-center often
makes the composition more dynamic and interesting.  Even if your subject fills the
frame, the most important part of the subject should not be dead center.
 

 
 
4.  FOLLOW THE RULE OF THIRDS.  An easy way to compose off-center pictures is
to imagine a tick-tack-toe board over your viewfinder.  Avoid placing your subject in that
center square, and you have followed the rule of thirds.  Try to place your subject along
one of the imaginary lines that divides your frame.
 

 
The caboose, the main subject of the photo, has ben placed at one of the dividing points.
 

  
5.  WATCH THE HORIZON.  Just as an off-center subject is usually best, so is an off-
center—and straight—horizon line.  Avoid cutting your picture in half by placing the
horizon in the middle of the picture.  To accent spaciousness, keep the horizon low in
the picture.  To suggest closeness, position the horizon high in your picture.
 

 
6.  USING LEADING LINES - Select a camera angle where the natural lines of the
scene lead the viewers' eyes into the picture and toward your main center of interest. 
You can find such a line in a road, a fence, even a shadow.  Diagonal lines are
dynamic; curved lines are flowing and graceful. You can often find the right line by
moving around and choosing an appropriate angle:
 
     

 
Notice how the tracks act as leading lines - leading your eye to the train subject.

 
7.  INCLUDING OBJECTS IN THE FOREGROUND - When taking pictures of
landscapes, include an object, such as a tree or boulder, in the foreground.   Elements
in the foreground add a sense of depth to the picture.  A person in the foreground helps
establish a sense of scale: 
 

 
8. FRAMING THE SUBJECT. - Sometimes you can use the foreground elements to
"frame" your subject.   Overhanging tree branches, a doorway, or an arch can give a
picture the depth it needs to make it more than just another snapshot.
 

 
 
  
9.  SHOOTING VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL - Don't forget that you can turn your
camera sideways to take a vertical picture.    Try taking both horizontal and vertical
pictures of the same subject to see the different effects.   A subject that your might
usually think of as horizontal can make a stunning vertical picture.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
10.  KEEP PEOPLE BUSY.  The model figures in your scenes should be doing
something.
 
11.   FIND UNUSUAL VIEWPOINTS.  All photos do not have to be taken from
trackside, or from a “helicopter position”; shoot under trees, from tops of buildings or
rolling stock, etc.
 

 
12.  One of the MOST IMPORTANT TIPS is to practice, practice, and practice some
more!   Nothing beats a lot of experience, finding out what works and what does not.  
Golfing legend Arnold Palmer replied to someone who said he sure was lucky in golf by
saying “Yes, the more I practice the more lucky I become”.
 

  
 
 
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – Composing Photos
 
For something that could be moving, like a person or a locomotive, leave a little room in
front of it so it looks like the subject is moving into the photo, rather than out of it.
 

 
In the photo above the engine is almost out of the scene - it appears to be leaving, making the
photo less interesting.
 
 

 
In this same scene the engine still has some place to go, making the scene appear like something
is  happening -
 the train is moving on through.
 

Depth of Focus
The size of the lens opening determines how much  a scene is in focus.   Lens openings
are measured in "f stops".   Smaller numbers like f/2.8 are LARGER openings.   Big
numbers such as f/22 are SMALLER openings.  

For our use in model photography, the smaller openings will give us the most depth of
focus (also known as depth of field).   See examples below, taken with a Canon Rebel
XT:

This photo was taken at f/4.5 , with the lens  focused on the figure.   The sharpness is very shallow, not all
of the sign is in focus and the background is totally blurry.    (This can  be an effective tool to isolate a
foreground subject;   a lack of a depth of focus isn't always bad.)   
 
 

 
This photo was taken at f/8 . A little more is now in focus, but the sign is still not all sharp.
 
  

 
This photo was taken at f/14.  Still more is now in focus the sign is better, and the background is more
distinct.
 
 

This photo was taken at f/22. A good part of the sawmill scene is now in focus, the background is still soft
but this does not detract from the overall effect.

NOTE:  Most "point and shoot" digital cameras - those whose lenses are not removable
-  will only be able to close their lenses down to around f/8.  This still gives a decent
depth of focus, but it is best to shoot some trial photos first to gauge your camera's
capabilities.
You will always get the most depth of focus with the camera lens set at the widest
setting.  As you zoom out, depth of focus decreases.  So for the best depth of focus,
shoot at the wide angle setting on your lens.

To be able to achieve the smaller f stops such as f/11, f/16, and f/22, a camera with
removable lenses is required - the DSLR -Digital Single Lens Reflex type.   I personally
now use a Canon Digital Rebel T3i/600D DSLR.

More on Depth of Focus/Depth of Field

 

 Thisphoto was taken with a point and shoot digital set for close up mode and on
automatic, showing the effect of depth of focus.  The HO Climax steam engine under 6" 
(15 cm) long from coupler to coupler.  

Focus extends from about the front pilot to the cab.  Everything beyond that is out of
focus.   Not the greatest for showing the details of the engine.

 
  

The same engine taken with the same camera and settings, but a side view to be able
to show all of the engine.  The forground and background are out of focus, but do not
matter in this scene.

This scene was again taken with the same camera as the above photos,  The truck and
sign painter are in focus, with the far edge of the billboard is out of focus but it is
acceptable.  The out of focus background  is a good thing in this shot, as it does not
detract from the main subject.   Depth of focus can be useful in such occasions.

Seamless Backdrops
 
If you have a need to pose your models without any distracting background, to post in on line, mail to
friends, for a "how to" article, it is relatively easy to do.  Model will stand out better without a distracting
background.
 

Here's one way I do it - place a piece of  poster cardboard on a table, curved up towards the
back.  Weights behind the reflectors holds it in place.  Lighting is by a fluorescent desk lamp with built in
magnifying lens.  The circular lamp is especially suited for this purpose, as it provides and overall soft
light.  When actually shooting, the lamp would be much closer to the model.

 
 

This is a refined version of my posing method,  using a smaller piece of poster cardboard (bristol board),
good for smaller models.  In use the reflectors would be a lot closer to the model, to direct more light on it.

This is how I made the small posing stage.   I made a curved back and braces from corrugated plastic
(you can buy this or salvage it from old signs), and glued it together with a hot melt glue gun.   The white
poster board was glued on with the same glue.  This stage is an option for smaller models and is easily
stored out of the way and does not take up as much desk space when being used.

Here are two of my On30 models photographed using these setups. The shadows are lightened with
reflectors.  
 

You can use colored backgrounds or white, for different effects.   The camera is on a tripod, and the white
balance is set for the fluorescent lighting - best to make tests using your camera.   Of course you can use
incandescent desk lamps for similar photography, just be sure to set the white balance to incandescent. 
Ues the lowest ISO setting for the best quality, and turn on the camera self timer to eliminate vibrations
when you press the shutter button.

 
A SUGGESTION - When you set up a scene to photograph, be sure to check and see if all of the
wheels of the rolling stock are on the rails.   It is very easy to set an engine on the tracks and not notice
that all of the wheels are on the track!   Unless your intention is to show a derailment, do a quick
visual check before shooting.   The voice of experience talking here!

 
Presenting here a few recent photos to illustrate different things than can be done with model
photography:
 

 
The camera doesn't always have to be on a tripod to get the photos you want. 
Here it's sitting on the layout to get a closeup of the bridge area.
 

 
This is what the camera captured.   I wanted to illustrate a scene with an automobile and a train.
 
  
One of the great advantages of digital images is they can be adjusted, rearraged, changed, added to,
etc.
to achieve the final image you desire:
 

 
Notice the changes?  I didn't like the billboard with the RDC behind the car as it was distracting, so I
edited it out using the clone feature in my Paint Shop Pro program.   I also added steam and smoke to the
steam engine, and finally cropped some of the foreground out to make this final version.

3 Advanced Techniques For Stunning Photos - YouTube

12 Jan 2020 ... Find out more about Digital Camera Mastery: ...

Photography can be divided into two main topics – the technical side and

the creative side. Both are important, but which one really helps you improve your work
the most?
The technical side of photography is the left brain stuff – it’s logical. An image is either
in focus or it’s not. Exposure is mathematical – there is a “correct” exposure to calculate
for any light source. White balance can be set correctly for your light source as well.
The creative side is completely different. It’s a right brain function – more artistic and
less concrete. Some people do have an “eye” for things like composition, but not every
photographer will. Creativity can be taught, but it’s not as clear-cut what is “good” or not.
It scares people because there are no set rules.

KNOWING YOUR CAMERA
The fundamental elements of exposure and autofocus are crucial to grasp before you
can really move on to the next creative level of photography. When you know the
resulting effect of each adjustment you make, you can create the image you want to
see.
After that, the creative aspects become much more important to making an image that
really “works.” The majority of your viewers don’t care if you used ISO 800 or ISO 8,000
to create an image. An emotional response to your image comes from the visual
experience and story you tell, not from how technically “perfect” it may or may not be.
With that said, you can’t just throw technique out the window. You should always work
to improve your skills. Blur should not be unintentional, and preventing blur comes from
understanding shutter speed, autofocus, and long lens technique. Combining a
technically solid image with a scene and subject that really touches people is what
creates the absolute best shots.

WHAT IS GOOD CREATIVITY?

Here’s the key idea to understand – there is no “good” or “bad” when it comes to
creativity. It’s a completely personal preference. You should be creating the
images you picture in your mind. By learning your camera, you can utilize that tool to
realize that picture in your mind. With that said, there are images that work and there
are those that don’t. Both technical and creative elements, plus the uncontrollable
elements of your scene, will determine whether an image “works” or not.
Photography contests can quickly rank images based on their technical merit
(sharpness, low noise, good exposure). When it comes to the creative side of the image
judging process, it becomes more of a personal preference of the judging panel. I’ve
read of many instances where two photographers took the same incredible shots at the
exact same time, but only one wins the same contest. How can the judges choose
which one is “better?”
Images that become more abstract, creative, or ambiguous seem to become more
difficult for your viewer to understand. You can’t please everyone with your creative
ideas, so don’t even start going down the road of making work that others want to see.

While composition is on the creative side of the fence, there are still guidelines and
ways to that enhance your vision and emphasize your subject. You can use color, line,
shape, etc. to draw your viewer’s attention to where you want it. Composition can make
or break an image. You can have phenomenal lighting, a great subject, and nail the
exposure, but if your composition is so distracting that your viewer loses focus… the
image won’t work.

Technical vs. Creative

Photography
There are two sides to every photograph. A technical side and a creative side.

A technically correct photograph that is not too light or dark and in focus can still be
boring. You must make good creative choices to create a beautiful photograph.

Technical and creative are two different worlds. There is no setting on the camera that
will change a low to a high camera angle. Camera height is a creative choice. Today’s
digital camera is a computer with a lens on it that can be set to automatically control
the camera settings. Creative choices can only be made by the photographer.

If you have bad framing, cropping, angle, lighting, perspective, subject placement
choices you will have a bad photograph. Bad lighting alone can ruin a photograph.
Learning how to see creatively is the first thing you need to do, camera settings is
second.

There are people who say that creativity can’t be taught. You either were born with
a creative eye or you weren’t. I would agree except I have seen my Creative
Photography Secrets workshop teach people how to see creatively and take
amazing photographs. If you want great photos you need to go beyond the
technical and embrace the creative side of photography.

Filed Under: Creative Photography Tips

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGES

We have created weekly photo challenges that people can take if they like. Going out to
take photos can be a great way to meet people as well. Wearing one of our wristbands
or hat can let people know that you are part of our group and they can talk with you.
At Easy Photo Class we want to help people connect taking and sharing their photos.
JANUARY
Week 1 – Shape: LINE
Week 2 – Color: BLUE
Week 3 – Subject: VEGETABLE
Week 4 – Idea: QUIET
FEBRUARY
Week 1 – Shape: SQUARE
Week 2 – Color: GREEN
Week 3 – Subject: DOOR
Week 4 – Idea: SOFT
MARCH
Week 1 – Shape: CIRCLE
Week 2 – Color: RED
Week 3 – Subject: WATCH OR CLOCK
Week 4 – Idea: COLD
APRIL
Week 1 – Shape: RECTANGLE
Week 2 – Color: YELLOW
Week 3 – Subject: CUP
Week 4 – Idea: TIME
MAY
Week 1 – Shape: CURVE
Week 2 – Color: BLACK
Week 3 – Subject: CHAIR
Week 4 – Idea: LOVE
JUNE
Week 1 – Shape: TRIANGLE
Week 2 – Color: WHITE
Week 3 – Subject: WHEEL
Week 4 – Idea: SMALL
JULY
Week 1 – Shape: OVAL
Week 2 – Color: GOLD
Week 3 – Subject: FRUIT
Week 4 – Idea: FUN
AUGUST
Week 1 – Shape: NATURE SHAPES
Week 2 – Color: SILVER
Week 3 – Subject: CAN
Week 4 – Idea: QUIET
SEPTEMBER
Week 1 – Shape: REPEATING SHAPES
Week 2 – Color: ORANGE
Week 3 – Subject: FLOWER
Week 4 – Idea: HAPPY
OCTOBER
Week 1 – Shape: CONNECTING LINES
Week 2 – Color: GREY
Week 3 – Subject: TREE
Week 4 – Idea: DELICIOUS
NOVEMBER
Week 1 – Shape: REPEATING LINES
Week 2 – Color: PURPLE
Week 3 – Subject: ROCK
Week 4 – Idea: SMART
DECEMBER
Week 1 – Shape: HOLIDAY SHAPES
Week 2 – Color: GLASS
Week 3 – Subject: LEAF
Week 4 – Idea: COOL

10 Easy Steps To Advanced Photography

Skills
 16 mA camera does not work like an eye; film does not work like
memory. There is a fine line between a photo that is quite nice and one
that is quite breathtaking. At some unknown point, a photo can cross
the Rubicon and be forever a piece of beautiful art. That hinterland
between a regular photo and evocative art is a shifting area from person
to person and taste to taste. However, that zone can be narrowed a bit
once you start to consider the way the brain stores memories and
emotions.
A camera does not work like an eye; film does not work like memory. There is a fine line
between a photo that is quite nice and one that is quite breathtaking. At some unknown
point, a photo can cross the Rubicon and be forever a piece of beautiful art. That
hinterland between a regular photo and evocative art is a shifting area from person to
person and taste to taste. However, that zone can be narrowed a bit once you start to
consider the way the brain stores memories and emotions.
And yes, it gets a bit touchy-feely here trying to determine if your work has
crossed that line. With rigorous practice and peer feedback, you can start to
appreciate where that zone is and, consequently, improve your hit ratio.
The back of the Taj Mahal during a summer sunset.
The good news is that divining your way to more beautiful photos does not
require rune rites of scapulimancy. There are some basic things and mantras
to keep in mind as you practice and fail, then practice and succeed, then
practice and fail, then practice and succeed, and rinse and repeat. We’ll detail
a few of these below.
You may want to take a look at the following related posts:
With so many people working from home, we thought we would bring
our Smashing Workshops from our home offices to yours. Meet online
front-end & UX workshops, with practical takeaways, interactive exercises,
recordings and a friendly Q&A.
Check upcoming workshops ↬

 50 Incredible Photography Techniques and Photo Tutorials

 50 Excellent Digital Photography Photoshop Tutorials
 50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Photography Skills
 35 Fantastic HDR Pictures
1. Think About The Brain
I’ve always thought about photography differently. I grew up seeing out of
only one eye, thanks to several botched surgeries in the 1970s using
refurbished archaeological tools of the Australopithecus medicine men.
When you see out of one eye your whole life and then start using a camera in
your mid-30s, something happens to you! You come to realize that a camera
works nothing like the eye. Forget 3D; I’m talking about the way the brain
stores images and scenes.
Upon birth, you have legs, but it takes a few years for your legs to get along
with your brain well enough to actually walk you around the savanna a bit.
The eyes are the same. They get wired faster than the legs, but the neural
pathways from the optic nerve to the parts of the brain that matter take a
while to find their chemical trails. You start to sense light levels, then shapes,
then edges, then relative positions and the like. And then, around the age 2 or
3, you finally come up with a tagging system that allows you to know
generally what a “barn” looks like. Your brain has been working nonstop
over that time to give you the visual and memory infrastructure to enable this
watershed event.

Fourth of July on Lake Austin: the first HDR photograph to hang in the
Smithsonian.
Now, let’s fast forward to today. You’re older, your brain is more or less
fully formed, and you happen upon a barn in a field. But it’s not just any
barn: it’s the barn you’ve been wanting to see your entire life. And in the
distance, a storm is brewing as a gentle sun sets. It’s beautiful; you lock it
into memory. The way you lock it into memory is nothing like the way a
camera records the image on film (or a CCD). This is what I quickly came to
realize as I sat there, looking at a photo I took with a fabulously expensive
Nikon and showing it to a friend. “Well, you really had to be there.” I’m sure
you’ve all said that!
Now, this first step is a big step: it’s a philosophical re-assessment of how the
camera works in contrast to how the memory maps a scene, the latter being a
process of layering visual reality with the emotions and memories linked to
that scene. You see, you are not just remembering that barn but are
remembering every barn; you are not just remembering that storm but are
remembering every storm. A beautiful photo must tell the epic tale of the
memory, linked with the other emotions that fold into a whole.

2. Engage In The New Global Salon

In the 1860s, all art roads led to the Salon in Paris, which was the most
important judged competition of art in the western world. During a period of
just over 10 years, the Impressionist masters battled it out in a competitive
and cooperative tour de force that created a panoply of creations that we now
cannot imagine the world without.
The reason Paris became the center of the art world and an explosion of new
art is the combination of new technology in travel and communications
combined with Napoleon III’s focus on infrastructure around the Salon.
Hong Kong from a peak on a summer night as the city comes alive.
Today the same thing is happening, although perhaps not everyone really
realizes it in a grand historical sense. It’s called Flickr. Flickr has become a
techno-Salon, allowing the world to easily use the Internet to enter the
competition and force each other to evolve and improve their art. The
automated “Explore Algorithm” does a pretty good job of automatically
filtering the best photos that are uploaded every day. Go ahead and look at
some of the current best of the last 7 days.


Learn how event teams are using Hopin to delight their attendees, speakers, and sponsors.

CREATE EVENT
Click “Reload” a few times and I promise you will have seen something that
impresses. It is quite unbelievable the level of art and beauty that is created
every single day. Now, all of this amazing art on Flickr can either inspire or
intimidate you, depending on your mindset for competition. I hope it inspires
you to upload one photo a day and see if you can make it in the top 500 or
even the top 10. And don’t give up. Competition makes everyone better; this
is an undeniable truth, and you are not realizing your full potential if you
remove yourself from the process.
I can think of a number of things Flickr can do to improve this new global
competition. Its AI algorithm to find the most interesting new artists still
makes many mistakes. Maybe I will save that for another article! But in many
ways, Flickr is close to squandering an amazing opportunity to set the art
world on fire.

3. Get Rid Of Your Toy Camera

Oh, look at that camera you have! It’s so tiny and slim and techno-looking.
Look! It fits right in your pocket! Oh my, you can take it to parties and
sporting events, and it’s so convenient. Oh, it is 10 megapixels, too? Oh my.
Well, that is a good camera then!
No, it’s not. It’s a toy: give it to your kids or the nearest gradeschooler (for
whom it was designed) and get serious. I know that 19-year-old punk at Best
Buy told you that your compact camera is really neat and just what you need.
But are you gonna listen to him or me?
Get yourself a DSLR (I have suggestions on my page that aren’t very
expensive for people just starting out). For those of you who don’t know, a
DSLR is one of those cameras you see the pros carrying, but it doesn’t have
to be a giant one like what you see in the NFL endzone.
Sorry to be rude about the toy thing, but you want to take more beautiful
pictures, no? Well, a decent DSLR has such a good sensor chip, combined
with more flexible lenses, that your batting average will dramatically
improve.
An ancient Hindu temple at sunset in the jungles of Indonesia.
Also (people with DSLRs already know this), it is important to have a good
wide-angle lens for landscapes. Beautiful photography does not have to be of
a landscape, but it commonly is, and this is what many people envision when
they want to make their own beautiful photos. So, we should talk about wide-
angle lenses here for a moment.
If you are used to using a toy camera, then you have never really seen the
world through a good 10 to 24mm lens. It’s almost the difference between
regular TV and HDTV. The vistas are wide and bold; the clouds, sun and
mountains all fit; the river and bridge are easy to compose; and so on. Once
you go wide-angle, your landscape will never be the same!

4. Carry A Tripod For Those Beautiful Sunsets And Sunrises

Oh, what’s that? You don’t want to carry a tripod? What are you, a 9-year-
old? Now, come on. You’re a grown-up, and you want to take some seriously
beautiful photos. Do you think pros carry around tripods because they like the
extra weight? No, of course not. They know what the heck they’re doing.


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If you bit off on getting a DSLR, then you are going to need a tripod,
especially for sunset and night shots. Unless you have the steady hand of a T-
1000, you are going to get some camera shake.
A tripod allows you to do the following things with landscape photography
(in no particular order): set up and take your time to compose a photo with
serious intent; keep noise low as the shutter stays open longer; look cool as
you carry it around; keep the shutter open for 5 or more seconds for those
fleeting sunrise and sunset shots; use it as a weapon in a tight spot while
traveling (not kidding).

Dresden, Germany
So, are you still worried about carrying it around? The problem, you
understand, is mostly your attitude. Let me provide a different perspective.
Nothing in life is worth doing unless you’re serious about it. Believe that you
are going to shoot that sunset, and you are going to take your nice DSLR and
tripod out there and make it happen, and no one is going to stop you. You’re
carrying that tripod around because you’re serious about it. Otherwise, you
could just go sit on a pretty beach at sunset and drink beer with your friends
and not be serious about it. Go ahead… but you won’t be getting any
beautiful photography out of it.
5. Admire Impressionism

I spoke earlier about the Salon of Paris and what happened during the
Impressionist movement. While the process and examples of what happens
when artists start cooperating and competing is interesting from a social-
group evolutionary perspective, this section is more about the art itself.
Early critics of the art form found it crude, sloppy and unconventional, to the
point that they felt it didn’t even deserve to be placed alongside the classic
masters. But the public was awestruck by the new art form. It doesn’t take a
critic to know good art, but it does take a careful and discerning eye.
Consider the colors and styles of Degas, Cézanne, Monet and Renoir. There
is not a single detail about any well-known Impressionist painting that is the
slightest bit “realistic.” But yet, the rough shapes and colors still make sense.
Something about it just feels right. What is that something?

An icy lake at sunrise, fed from the seasonal melt at Glacier National Park; a
panorama of 90 shots.
To me, what feels right about Impressionism is what we discussed above.
These Impressionist images go deep into viewers’ brains and evoke
memories of shared scenes and events. The memory is in fact an
Impressionist playground of fleeting colors, shapes and edges. A face here, a
blur there, a hint of something almost there, but not quite.
Look at Monet’s work. Think about how the yellows of a sun in the distance
is the same yellow as an up-close flower. But something about the colors
makes the sun feel brighter than the flower. How does he do that? Can you
get closer to achieving this with your photography?
As you look at Impressionist paintings, juxtapose them with your own
photography. If you want to evoke the same sort of feelings, then consider
how it was done without resorting to realism.
6. Practice With HDR

What is HDR? It’s short for High Dynamic Range photography, and it’s all
the rage. I have a tutorial on HDR on my blog. But here, I’ll explain HDR in
a circuitous but meaningful way.
About 80% of my photos are in HDR, but I do something a little different. As
you start looking into HDR (many of you already have), you will begin to
notice how absolutely horrible most HDR looks. When many people begin
experimenting with it (myself included), it is overdone and looks too
psychedelic. Over time, mine have improved via rigorous self-examination
and an evolving methodology.
Remember that bit about me growing up and seeing the world with one eye?
Now, we come to the second part of this daring mini-biography as we are
cross the stepping stones to my point. My background in college was
Computer Science and Math, so I’ve always thought about things in terms of
algorithms and software. The very first time I used a DSLR camera, when I
was 35 or so, I very quickly came to the realization that something was
missing.

A young Amish boy allows me to freeze time after I help him carry wood
with his sisters.
That missing something was the “software” layer between the eye and the
memory. Consider what you do with the barn and apply it to how the camera
works. You survey the scene. Your eye jumps around from interesting object
to interesting object, sometimes moving slowly, sometimes quickly. Your eye
lets in more light in some areas, less in others as your pupil dilates. You
squint into the setting sun and see warm colors splashed across the clouds,
grass and barn. You remember other barns, other storms, other sunsets. You
may have been with someone or were alone, but you certainly
remember. You lock it all up in your mind’s eye forever.
Because we are visual creatures, a photo or painting can evoke great
memories. But the only way to trigger some of those intense memories on a
deep level is to adjust the light levels in the photograph, so that the light
levels and color match those buried in your head. The HDR process can help
achieve these goals.

7. Take Your Camera Everywhere

Don’t just take your camera out on those rare occasions when you actually
decide to set aside a portion of your day for photography. Face it: we’re all
busy people with real lives, and setting aside three to four hours for anything
extracurricular is tough. But it takes only a few seconds to get inspired for a
photo, and it’s no good if your camera is back home.
Gulfoss in Iceland. Catholic theologians of old believed this was the entrance
to hell.
Keep it in the trunk of your car in a fun little photo backpack, with a small
selection of lenses. You never know when you will see something wonderful.
Use this opportunity to take at least one photo a day. It doesn’t have to be a
grand landscape; just something small and nice that you may not have
noticed before.
8. Understand The Fantasy/Reality Membrane

Do you have kids? Are you a kid at heart? Think about when you were a kid
and what happened when you turned into a jaded old grown-up. Maybe by
the end of this section you can ask yourself some new questions about reality.
Kids have this remarkable “membrane” between fantasy and reality. They
can jump back and forth between the two in an effortless way. In fact, the
membrane itself is wonderfully “thick,” in that there is a vast dream-state
wilderness where the world is both fantasy and reality. When pressed, kids
will tell you what is real and what is pretend, but that is often a painful
process that pries them from the escapism they felt so viscerally just a few
moments before.
My personal foray over the last year into learning how to draw.
When we are all grown up and serious, that membrane is razor thin, and there
is little tolerance of “pretend” and “fantasy.” Why is this? Is it because we are
surrounded by other serious people and want to conform? Is it because
fantastic escapades are what “kids” do and thus not pertinent to our lives?
Obviously, we can all still get into that fantasy zone, and we all love it.
That’s why movies are still such a potent force; they give us social
permission to be like kids for two hours, once a week. It also explains the
growing relevance of online games.
But when we start talking about photography – well now, that is a different
subject! Photography is a serious art form, practiced by classically trained
masters whose reality is quite serious indeed! There mustn’t be anything
fantastical in the art form. The process goes from camera straight to the film,
you see!
Poppycock.

9. Learn To Draw

This is a weird one, eh? Who on Earth has time to learn to draw? Well, you
would have time if you stopped wasting it on less important activities.
You’ve got one life here, so you might as well start applying yourself. “I
don’t have any time! I have kids to look after, a full-time job, a bunch of cool
games to play, books to read, exercising to do, a bit of photography, and blah
blah blah.”
As a personal experiment, I wanted to see if anyone could learn to draw. This
is similar to an earlier experiment I did on myself to see if I could take
something I hated and turn it into something I enjoyed. That experiment was
with coffee, but I was afraid that learning to draw would be harder,
particularly because of the jitteryness introduced from the first experiment.
A tame wild-haired horse on the windy fjords of Iceland.
I’ve always admired people who can just grab a pencil and paper and make
something amazing. Man, I’ve always wanted to be able to do that! I began
the experiment with the hypothesis that great natural artists can draw
anything without any instruction whatsoever. These are true masters, and I
was unlikely unlikely to reach that level. However, I thought I could become
adequate at drawing and be at least satisfied with myself. A great side-effect,
I envisioned, would be new insight into photography: into line, shape, light
and composition.
All of this turned out to be true. So, if you have hit a rough spot or are in the
doldrums with photography, take up drawing. A few instructional books out
there are practical hands-on guides that give you basic pointers. I think you
will be quite impressed by how it starts to bleed into your photographic art!

10. Make Mistakes

Make a lot of mistakes. Throw yourself and your art out there and see what
works and what doesn’t. Show your stuff to true friends who will give you
frank feedback.
Don’t be like those sorry saps on American Idol who make fools of
themselves in big auditions because they’ve spent their whole life listening to
their tone-deaf mom tell them they are incredible at singing “Over the
Rainbow” or because Aunt Mabel enjoyed it so much during the grade 2
play.
Get yourself online and begin making friends by finding other photographers
who you respect. Beg and plead for them to come look at one or two of your
photos and give frank feedback. They will cut you apart, but just take your
medicine, lick your wounds, and go out there and improve.

Fin

And there we have it: 10 things to shake up your world a little bit. I’m no
Baudelaire when it comes to writing these sorts of polemics. However, just as
he drove Manet to be Manet, perhaps I can do my own little part to stoke the
fires and help drive a new art revolution. Evolve and evoke, or whither into
nothingness.
EXTRA CREDIT
To end off, here is a random selection of some of my other favorites.

The Lonely Trinity

An elderly woman, who has never cut her hair, ascends the stairs to her daily
Hindu pilgrimage