7 Ways to Improve Your Photography

Whether you’re a new shooter or someone who has more experience, there is always a chance that you can improve the quality of your photography. For some folks, this means refining their technique, for others it may mean learning some of the technical aspects of their camera equipment. In other cases, it may mean simply using a higher quality of camera gear, such as professional grade lenses or ones with special capabilities. Use these seven tips to improve your skills and get better shots.

Shoot in Better Lighting

While this might seem obvious, it is something often taken for granted. Shooting with abundant light means being able to use Lower ISO settings and apertures. This can produce photos with less noise and grain, plus better color accuracy and dynamic range.

Being able to shoot with lower apertures means being able to capture more detail in your images. In low light situations flashes and diffusion can help improve the quality of your images beyond what you can achieve by just increasing ISO and using wider apertures. Using wider apertures like those available in F/1.8 or F/2.8 lenses can make it more difficult to get shots in focus or capture all the details you want due to shallow depth of field.

Photograph shot with Sony A7r II by Roberto Blake

Photograph shot with Sony A7r II, 24-70mm F/4 by Roberto Blake

But as we all know, shooting in bright full sunlight is not always an option—or even the right answer. In cases where the sun is overpowering you can get overexposed, washed out shots. In these instances you can use ND (Neutral Density) filters to remove several stops of light. You can use low ISO settings and low apertures and fast shutter speeds to help compensate, however this may not always produce the exact look that you want artistically.

Shoot With Higher Quality Lenses

While the photographer takes the shot, having great gear helps. Even with a basic camera, putting professional glass on it goes a long way. The reverse is not always true. Higher quality lenses produce better color quality and can create beautiful bokeh in your shots. Shooting on lenses with a fixed aperture means that you don’t have to constantly adjust your exposure settings with changes in focal length. This leaves you free to shoot without having to worry about making images look consistent in post process editing via Lightroom or Photoshop.

 

Photograph shot with Sony A7r II, 24-70mm F/4 by Roberto Blake

Photograph shot with Sony A7r II, 24-70mm F/4 by Roberto Blake

Understand the Rule of Thirds

Every creative knows that composition is important and the rule of thirds is a large part of it. The rule of thirds as many of you reading this know, is about dividing and image into thirds horizontally and vertically, producing nine boxes. By positioning points of interesting your images along the lines or intersections of this grid you can make your images more visually balanced and attractive. When just starting out most photographers tend to do “center-weighted” shooting, which can feel boring or not convey a story. Mastering the rule of thirds is essential to creating compelling photos.

Photograph shot with Sony A6000, 35mm F/2.8 by Roberto Blake

Photograph shot with Sony A6000, 35mm F/2.8 by Roberto Blake

Shoot in Camera Raw Mode

Camera Raw will allow you to get the most out of your images. Many shooters still shoot in JPEG, mostly because this allows them to see their shots in post or because it allows them to avoid post-production editing all together. While many claim they want to “get the shot perfect in camera,” avoiding post production editing and shooting in JPEG means that these folks are not getting the full image detail available for their shots. It also means they only have what they got with the “push of a button.” But often the main selling point for clients is a signature look, or some extra editing in post production. Camera Raw allows a photographer to bring out the best of their images using programs like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. It also allows you to correct exposure and color settings if they were slightly off during a shoot. Camera Raw does produce larger files, but with modern memory cards, this is less of a concern.

Take Advantage of Auto-focus

The power of auto-focus has come a long way as cameras have evolved. The human eye is amazing but sometimes letting the camera assist can produce stunning results. When shooting humans or statues depicted as humans, setting the camera’s auto-focus to facial detection can allow you to get great shots in the moment and focus purely on your composition and exposure. This leaves you free to shoot and create the shots you want without having to worry that they won’t come out crisp and clear.

Photograph shot with Sony A6000, 35mm F/2.8 by Roberto Blake

Photograph shot with Sony A6000, 35mm F/2.8 by Roberto Blake

Use Camera Stabilization

While it is not impossible to get crisp sharp images while shooting handheld, it can be challenging, and it may require you to shoot at high shutter speeds that won’t produce the look you want. Cameras like the Sony A7r II have tremendous built-in stabilization to help with this, but other cameras do not. In those instances you will want to take advantage of stabilization gear such as tripods and monopods. Monopods specifically are very adaptable and can be less cumbersome than a tripod and allow you to get interesting shots in tight places and on the go.

Some lenses also offer additional stabilization, depending on the brand you prefer they may refer to is either as IS (Image Stabilization), VR (Vibration Reduction) or OS (Optical Stabilization).

Photograph shot with Sony A7r II, 24-70mm F/4 by Roberto Blake

Photograph shot with Sony A7r II, 24-70mm F/4 by Roberto Blake

Master the Exposure Triangle

In previous articles we have talked about the exposure triangle: aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Mastering the exposure triangle will mean that you will not be relying on the automatic settings of your camera. It will put you in a position to fully control the artistic look of your images prior to post production editing in Lightroom or Photoshop. You will be able to control the level of detail and depth of field via the aperture, the noise and color quality via the ISO, and the amount of light entering the lens to freeze a moment in time through the shutter speed. If you can master the exposure triangle and composition, you can master the art of photography and get tremendous images that you are proud of.

Photograph shot with Sony A6000, 35mm F/2.8 by Roberto Blake

Photograph shot with Sony A6000, 35mm F/2.8 by Roberto Blake

Recap of the 7 Ways You Can Improve Your Photography

  1. Sure to Shoot in Better Lighting
  2. Shoot With Higher Quality Lenses
  3. Understand the Rule of Thirds
  4. Shoot in Camera Raw Mode
  5. Take Advantage of Auto-focus
  6. Use Camera Stabilization
  7. Master the Exposure Triangle

In combination, these 7 tips should help you dramatically improve your ability to capture stunning images and be more comfortable as a photographer.

Roberto Blake is a graphic designer helping entrepreneurs and small businesses improve their branding and presentations. He also teaches graphic design and Adobe tutorials through his YouTube channel and community. See robertoblake.com for more details.
>