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When you’re starting out in photography, it can be easy to become discouraged if your images don’t come out looking as you’d envisioned them in your mind’s eye. Over exposed, under exposed, camera shake, bad composition – there’s so much to remember and it can be quite overwhelming to try and get everything right. So how do the professionals do it? How do they get that slick, perfectly composed and exposed image seemingly every time? The answer is, of course, years and years of trial and error – because nobody starts out perfect in any skill. In photography, as in any creative endeavour, you’ve got to put in the hard yards to get the experience, however there are a few simple professional tips that can help you take your images to the next level. Get Some Grounding One of the best ways to get some genuine professional advice is to do a course. Something like a Joel Meyerowitz photography course allows you access to one of the world’s most legendary photographers so you can learn tips, tricks and techniques from the man himself. While only practice, practice and more practice will improve your skills and knowledge, an online Joel Meyerowitz photography course (or one with any of the Master photographers) will give you a fantastic opportunity to get up close and personal with an inspiring teacher. Use Lighting to Your Advantage Here’s the thing: the light doesn’t always have to be ‘perfect’, but it does have to be interesting. Some of the most arresting images are captured in lighting that an amateur overlooks because it’s too dark, too light or simply too hard to make use of – or so they think! Try to utilise the most interesting and creatively effective lighting, which includes early morning, evening, low, moody, directional, shadowed and the list goes on. There’s a reason why the great photographers get the best images, and that’s because they’re prepared to chase that light. Get in Tight on a Subject By that we mean using a tight composition to create a striking centre of attention. Zooming in with a bold focus on something within your frame (in both colour and black and white) is always far more effective compositionally than having a ‘busy’ image with lots of distraction. Take a minute to really examine a scene and decide not only what you want in it, but also what you want to leave out. Focus, Focus, Focus This is possibly the single most common mistake amateurs make, and one that’s very easily rectified. Sometimes it’s camera shake (you might be trying to use too slow a shutter speed), sometimes it’s motion blur (not fast enough shutter speed) and sometimes it’s that you simply haven’t focused your lens properly. Learn to get into the habit of checking off focus, shutter speed and aperture before you start shooting and you’ll reduce the disappointment of producing poor, out of focus images. Consider Composition and Perspective Some of the greatest images have been by fluke or even mistake, but many more of them come about because the person behind the camera has captured something truly unique – whether it’s the subject itself, the angle, the lighting or the composition. The key is the old cliché: look outside the square. In other words, don’t take the image everybody else is taking. Be on the constant lookout for a different perspective, an unusual subject or an unfamiliar composition, because it’s when you learn to see the world with different eyes that magic will happen. Act Like a Professional! If you make a decision to start acting like a professional creative you might find that mind-set to be one of the best tips of all. The great thing about learning from a Master (like on a Joel Meyerowitz photography course) is that you’ll be able to see how the craft can be applied in real life, which may inspire you to believe that you too can enjoy a fulfilling and exciting creative career. Confidence breeds confidence after all! Author Plate Adam Harper is a Photography Consultant at Masters of Photography. If you’re looking for courses from the world’s greatest photographers, they offer a Joel Meyerowitz photography course online as well as other excellent Masterclasses. Suitable for all levels, the courses provide lifetime access to easy to follow classes, allowing participants to learn valuable tips and tricks and take big steps to improve their photography. The online community affords the opportunity to find inspiration from both the Masters and fellow students.
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