Are you looking to make a creative career change? Or maybe you’re looking for a way to boost your likes on Instagram. Many people find themselves interested in photography for varying reasons.
You may find yourself sitting in front of a photo editor for hours just trying to figure out what looks best with no avail. But don’t give up just yet – it is possible to improve your photo taking skills.
Learning how to take professional pictures can be very challenging but rewarding. There’s no better way to remember an amazing trip or special moment, than by having gorgeous pictures to look back on.
Do you want to learn how to achieve this? Keep reading to discover how to take professional pictures.
Get a Good Angle
Have you ever wanted to take a breathtaking picture of the Eiffel Tower or the Grand Canyon? Both of these have been photographed countless times by countless people.
But, chances are, many of these images have similar angles. We’ve all seen those famous Instagram shots that look the same as every other picture out there.
When learning how to take professional photos, it’s important to be unique. Taking the same old picture as everyone else isn’t how you’ll get noticed. Instead, find a good angle. Try something nobody’s done before and get creative with it!
Don’t forget to take the mood into consideration here. If you’re shooting a powerful subject, you may want a low angle with the camera tilted up towards the subject, whereas a softer subject may look best with the opposite angle.
Concentrate on Lighting
One of the most important, yet often overlooked, professional photography tips is to concentrate on lighting. If you’ve ever heard a photographer say, “we need to get this done before we lose the light,” there’s a good reason for it. It’s very hard to capture a great picture without great lighting.
But you don’t have to wait for the sun to be in the perfect position to get good lighting. You can create your own by playing with lamps, shades, and positions. One of the easiest things to do when shooting outside is to place your subject with their back against the sun. This will prevent them from squinting and having shadows across their face.
Find the Right Subject
You can’t learn how to make photos look professional without knowing what to photograph. The subject of your picture is extremely important. However, if you find the subject interesting, chances are other people will too!
The key is to not get ahead of yourself. Don’t rush to snap dozens of pictures of that butterfly. It’s better to slow down and only get 3 or 4 good pictures, rather than 24 blurry images with poor lighting.
If you’re shooting a still object, consider creating a product photography set up. It’ll help set your product apart from the competition.
Use Your Zoom
Alright, so you found a good subject – now it’s time to focus on it. When you’re first learning how to take professional photos, you’ll want to start simple.
Don’t try to include several subjects and detailed scenery. It’ll just make the picture look crowded, and it’ll take away from the main subject.
Instead, zoom in close to your subject. Use the rule of thirds to achieve a good composition, and let them be the star of the show.
Focus Correctly
But making the subject the focus on your picture isn’t enough – they also need to be the focus in your camera. Without properly focusing, you’ll end up with fuzzy lines. This will cause your subject to blend in with the background instead of standing out.
One of the most important professional photography tips is to practice focusing. You want your subject to be sharp and prominent.
This can be tricky to learn at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll see a huge improvement in the quality of your images. One trick to help you focus on human or animal subjects is to put the focus point on their eye.
If you need more practice with focusing, consider trying product photography. Look at websites, like Pixel Pix Product Photography, and try to mimic their images. It’ll become very obvious if you don’t focus correctly.
Play with Shallow Depth of Field
Once you got the art of focusing down, try playing with depth of field. This will really bring life and interest to your photographs.
Shallow depth of field is a great place to start when learning this technique. Make sure your subject is sharp and the background is blurry. This will bring more attention to your subject and make your photographs look like they were shot by a pro.
Don’t Forget to Edit
Alright, so you’ve done all this work to take a great picture, but you’re not done yet. No professional picture is complete without editing. You’ll be able to adjust things like contrast and lighting to make your colors pop and place transparent textures to add interest.
You’ll also be able to fix any blemishes in the picture. Does your model have some acne? Was there a hair out of place? Now is your time to edit these things out.
You’ll also want to edit the background to make it free of clutter. A rusty street sign or an unsightly garbage can take away from the overall image. In order to learn how to take professional photos, you’ll need to learn how to edit like a professional.
How to Take Professional Pictures
If you want to learn how to take professional pictures, you may be feeling frustrated at the process. Just like any art form, photography takes patience and attention to detail. But by following our tips and tricks, you’ll be taking pictures like a pro in no time.
Did you like these tips? Check out our blog for more photography posts like this.
