Instagram has 800 million monthly users. Pinterest attracts 150 million. As for Facebook, well it reckons that users upload 350 million new photos a day.
That tells us that photography is big business in the digital age. When someone like Beyonce is getting over 11 million likes on one photo, you know that it is visual content rather than written content that is currently in vogue.
All of this might have you wondering how can you improve your own photography skills? With cell phones and tablets all featuring high quality cameras, most of us are carrying around in our pockets a device with the capability of capturing breathtaking images, if we only knew how to get the best of them.
Well, now you can with these four simple and easy ways to make your digital photography look more professional.
Capture interesting lighting
Ask any professional, expert photographer and they will tell you the same thing – lighting is the single most important factor to consider when it comes to photography. Lighting can help to highlight a subject or frame them in a certain way – placing a person in the shade can result in even lighting across their face or turning their back to the sun can ensure that hard shadows don’t rake across their face. The time of day whem you take your photos is also important, with the light for landscapes or buildings in particular tending to be best during either sunrise or sunset. It may be brightest in the middle of the day, but very rarely will it provide the best light for photography.
Cut out anything that shouldn’t be in the photo
When you are paying close attention to the subject of the photo you are capturing, it can be easy to miss out what is going on around the edge of the frame. You might think you’ve got the perfect shot of the Lincoln Memorial, only to look back and see a random tourist has wandered into the corner of photo. Likewise telephone poles that have gone unnoticed or a piece of trash on the ground. Pay attention to everything that is going on in the frame to make sure you are photographing only what you want to see.
Edit your photo digitally
Even the best photographers in the world will use an editing program to touch up their photos. Whether it is Photoshop or Lightroom on a computer or something as effective as Tadaa Photo Editor on an iPhone, don’t be afraid to improve the image digitally. It can improve the look of your photos and make them appear trendier, which is ultimately the main appeal of Instagram when it comes to filters.
Find a unique perspective
You could have the most interesting subject in the world, but if you aren’t shooting from a unique perspective then what is going to make your photo different from the thousands of others that have been taken of that subject? Finding a different way to frame your subject, whether it be through angle, light or focus can help to make your image unique.