March 19, 2020
*Scroll to the bottom for a TL/DR [Too Long, Didn’t Read]
Each component is listed in order of importance and build onto each other:
1. Subject/Focal Point
2. Lighting
3. Composition
4. Contrast
5. Purpose
Full disclosure, these are fundamentals to taking consistent & “correct” photos. At the end of the day, photography is an art, and we know art has its ways of breaking down fundamental rules and structures to question how we are “supposed” to do things. So, if you take photography seriously as a way to express your creativity, forget the rules.
This write-up is a great reference for those that aren’t sure what makes a great photo, or are amazed and baffled by their friends or family that seem to take amazing photos consistently. These Five things listed are what I consider the fundamentals to taking great photos. Enjoy.
Subject/Focal Point
The subject or focal point should be in focus and be obvious in the scene/frame.
The subject should be interesting, although this is more of an artful point of view. I know, “interesting” is a really broad and subjective term, so find an audience that shares similar interests if you’re sharing your photos online. Use hashtags on any hashtag supported site to find accounts that focus on similar interests.
I use a hashtag generating app called Focalmark -- I copy its suggestions, save it into my notes app, edit it accordingly because it’s not 100% spot-on every time, and post the tags onto my shared photo/s. When I get interactions with new accounts, I interact with those new accounts and gain some influence. I can’t pay the bills with that influence, but it's nice connecting with strangers online.
Lighting
Lighting that is just the right amount of bright contributes to the image quality, mood, subject, and composition of a photo. Low light takes a hit on your image quality, so be wary of situations where you have little to no light source.
For most people that aren’t sure what lighting works best, just trust your eyes. The light source that we’re all acquainted with is, you guessed it, the sun. The sun is in different positions throughout the day -- so lets talk about those positions and what to do under specific conditions.
On a sunny day, early mornings and evenings (with fairly clear skies) usually provide the most interesting lighting. You will notice that the sky takes on beautiful tones when the sun is close to the horizon, and those colors disperse onto anything that you take a photo of. You can take advantage of the sun beaming from both in-front of your subject, or directly behind; it really depends on the look you’re going for. The sun hitting your subject from behind (your subject) is referred to as “backlight” and typically causes a silhouette effect if the backlight is much brighter than your frontal light.
On a cloudy day, anytime of day is typically ok for photos, BUT you don’t typically get that dramatic warm light when the sun gets close to the horizon, so you have to focus more on your surroundings to compose an interesting composition.
For night photography, it’s important to use light sources that you have around you or at your disposal. In low enough light situations, you may have to resort to using a flash, but in most cases I would suggest you use a built-in flash as a last resort. The light emitted from most on-camera/built-in flashes makes for an unflattering photo with reflective eyes and shiny looking skin.
Today's smartphones are getting surprisingly good in low-light situations; though, If you’re interested in night photography (taking photos of the stars, urban nightlife, or light-painting) you should look into getting a mirrorless or DSLR camera that you can control the shutter speed on.
Composition
The use of symmetry & asymmetry, the rule of thirds, leading lines (which guide your viewers eyes to or from a subject) or a combination of the three.
The Rule of Thirds -- Imagine your photo divided up into 9 equally sized squares created by drawing 2 equally spaced vertical lines and 2 equally spaced horizontal lines within any given frame. The four places that those lines intersect represent the general area a focal point should be placed. This given “rule” doesn’t [always] take into account perfectly centered and symmetrical photos, which is perfectly pleasing to the eye. So, really the rule of thirds can just be referred to as a “rule of thumb”, not a dead set must for photography.
Symmetry & Asymmetry -- We find symmetry beautiful because it’s pleasing to the human eye due to us always seeing it in nature. Practically every living creature that you can think of is symmetrical in its biological structure. People have adopted symmetry from nature and adapted it into our arts, designs and architecture. Asymmetry uses other objects (or possibly a lack there-of) to balance out a photo. For asymmetry, using the rule of thirds to determine if a photo is balanced is crucial.
Leading Lines -- Leading lines typically show up in compositions when there is a lot of depth to a photo and there are two parallel lines receding to a vanishing point. Subjects are typically somewhere along the lines receding to the vanishing point. Imagine train tracks, long straight roads and hallway photos; all of which have obvious vanishing points. Depending on the angle of the photo, either symmetry or the rule of thirds can be practiced in this type of composition.
Contrast
Contrast builds onto everything mentioned above; composition, lighting and subject/s. We’re getting advanced here. Contrast covers the literal and metaphorical aspects of a photo; like highlights vs shadows, color contrasts, moods, textures, and context. With the use of contrast, photos can grab a viewers attention with controversy. Use opposing subjects and elements within a composition to make original styled photos that people have never thought of.
Purpose
“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” — Don McCullin
Is the moment that you’re seeing in your viewfinder worth capturing?... or is it just a fleeting moment worth sharing as a humble brag to the world? The thought process purpose-driven photo can be absent in the moment of hitting the shutter-button, but you’ll know when the photo you took has purpose -- and eventually be able to take them more consistently. Just don’t stop taking photos.
Thanks for reading.
TL/DR:
1. Subject/Focal Point: Keep an interesting subject in focus
2. Lighting: Have enough light to keep a sharp focus on your subject/s
3. Composition: Practice symmetry & the rule-of-thirds in your photos
4. Contrast: Relating to subject-matter, colors, texture & other elements
5. Purpose: Capture moments that make you feel something incredible
The TL/DR is heavily broken down into one liners. If this subject matter is something you would like to know more about, I highly suggest you read in more detail above.