Stephen Walton Photography Workshops

Half the battle of being a photographer is getting the camera settings right for the best exposure and focus. What’s the other half? Knowing what makes a photo great in the first place.

Things like the exposure triangle and what your camera buttons do is fairly straightforward to learn as there’s only one answer in most instances. But figuring out what to include (and exclude) in your composition is a totally subjective experience.

Use These 5 Tips to Suit YOUR Photography

If 10 photographers all stood in front of the same landscape you’d get 10 different viewpoints. This loose guidance as to how to spot a great shot makes beginner photographers nervous about what makes a killer shot.

And the upshot of it all, no one really has an absolute answer as to what makes a great shot.

But there are 5 tips I can give you to consider each time you take a photo. They are designed to make sure your image has a strong story, in a well-balanced frame and a few other aesthetically pleasing considerations.

1. Pick Out a Single Subject

The initial excitement of a beginner photographer is to photograph anything and include everything. While this isn’t a bad thing as a beginner, over time you need to refine your shots to have a purpose.

Look out for singular subjects (tree, flower, person, ornament, car etc) to make your image about. Standing really far away from your primary subject is only going to push your audience away from it too and make it harder for them to engage.

Make sure the subject of your photo is clear and obvious. Look at these examples of the same subject in different compositions;

Use a shallow depth of field to isolate your subject if the background is busy. Shooting at F/4 or wider will help blur the surroundings provided your focus point is on your primary subject.

Choosing multiple primary subjects isn’t ideal unless they are clustered together in one area of the frame. If they are spread across the frame in a busy scene it could be hard to piece together the story.

2. What’s In the Background?

The background of a photo is just as important to consider and decide on as the main subject. A busy background can be distracting and a disconnected background is even worse.

Look at these examples of the same subject in different surroundings. Which one looks most natural and familiar?

You may need to adjust your position to make the background nicer or less distracting. If you’re out in public consider people or traffic passing through. This could be annoying as you take the shot otherwise.

If you’re shooting a stationary subject then take a second or two to check the edges and corners of your frame. Look to make sure that everything that is in the shot is deliberate and furthers (or reinforces) the original point of your shot.

3. What Do the Colours Say?

Colours carry mood, emotion and feelings in a photo. Warm colours are inviting and comforting, whereas cooler colours can feel defensive, formal and industrial. While you can change the colours of your photo in editing it’s best to strike the right tone in camera.

Complementing colours are great to create contrast in a photo. Take a look at a colour wheel to figure out which colours work together (and which don’t).

A good colour clash is not only eye-catching but also sets the mood of the shot for it being conflicting.

Even if you love black & white photography there are many different ways to edit the tones. Look for light subjects against dark backgrounds (or vis-versa) to create contrast and clear outlines.

4. Are There Distractions?

As well as checking the background for distractions make sure you always check the foreground, floor and corners too.

Little annoyances like litter, graffiti and reflections can force you to spend extra time in editing to remove them. If you can change your angle without destroying your composition do so.

The last thing you want is to spend hours removing the same bit of litter from 30+ photos. The more work you can do in-camera to make your photo close to the final article the better.

5. Would a Stranger Understand It?

And my last tip for taking amazing photos is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Photographers struggle to be truly objective about their own photos. Just before you finish your shot and edit, think ‘would a stranger understand what this photo is about?’.

Does the composition, subject, lighting, focus and colours all reinforce the point of the image? While it’s easy to say ‘oh its a photo of a flower’ (if its a flower in shot), what you’re looking to convey is how you felt about that flower;

– Would it feel soft to touch?
– Does it look rich and vibrant?
– Is it obvious or could someone be looking at multiple subjects?
– Does the composition lead the eye towards or through the shot?

Try to be as objective as possible in judging your photo. While photography is subjective and different stories will be drawn by your audience, at least getting your feelings across is the aim.

Did You Enjoy This?

Photography is easy to learn, but difficult to master, they say. And I agree. I think it’s this grey area of knowing what makes a great shot that stumps photographers. Have these 5 tips for taking amazing photos helped you though? I’d love to know.