Many people often wonder when they see some breathtaking professional photos: oh I don’t have those high end equipment and hence I can never create a picture of that level. Today I am here to tell you: this is not entirely true!
Well, it may be true that pros are using top end equipment; For sure there is definitely a difference in Image Quality (IQ); and certain effect is almost impossible to do without certain equipment.
However, let’s be honest: the camera does not move itself for a better framing , angle or perspective, right?
A camera is a camera, a lens is a lens; in other words, equipment are dead object, they do not move and think by themselves.
“The most important piece of equipment in photography is the object that is only a few inches away from the back of the viewfinder.”
Yes – the photographer! So, here are a few tips to make your photo stands out among others!
Lighting
Photography is all about lighting! Yes of course it is about the subject that we are shooting at too; but think about the reason for our eyes be able to see: it is because of light reflected on the image and into our retina. As a photographer, you have to be aware of the lighting at the scene, such as intensity, direction, colour etc.
The good thing (and probably the hardest thing too) is that there is no 100% right or wrong in photography (within boundary of course :)) so I cannot say you have to always shoot at X angle at Y o’clock of the day. Just be aware of the lighting!
Story
A photo is a piece of art, also it should be a story. Think about what you are trying to achieve before you press the shutter. For example, if you are doing a couple shoot, you probably want to capture and showcase the love in between them, not the unfinished sandwich in their picnic style props – just saying!
Angle
Try not to take picture at eye level – because it is BORING! Our eyes have probably seen the same thing a million times, hence taking a picture from eye level is very unlikely to make it stand out (but again, there is always exception thou oops :P). Be creative about the perspective and framing, sometimes feel free to exaggerate the story too.
And get dirty if required! You are there to create a nice shot, not to show off your own clothing
(well, yes I am probably exaggeratting myself a bit here, I could have just crouched but I found myself more comfortable this way)
Technique & Equipment
Here finally comes the technical stuff. Although they are not the determining fact of a photo’s quality, they are still very important in photography. Knowing the basics and theories will allow you to think and shoot quicker and hence less missing shots. It can also reduce the amount of post-processing work. As you can see from above, I was only using an Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II instead of some massive Full Frame DSLR (in fact, the E-M10 Mark II does not feel like an entry level camera at all!).
With a good lighting and framing, I was able to produce this picture without much post-processing tweaking:
Post-processing
I have to say, again, that post-processing is very important and it definitely isn’t cheating. Think about it, cheating means a person has achieved a certain result with an illegal way while the result is achievable by a normal way.
For example, you cannot really take a picutre of Black/White straight out from camera, nor one of those popular shot in London with only the bus being red colour and grayscale everything else – because everything in the world is coloured to start with! These post-processing skills are used to emphasis the photographer’s thinking and the story that he/she is trying to tell, i.e. no cheating.
Again, as I always say, there is always an exception – I have seen people “draw” sun ray into a picture – well you can argue that it is what Photoshop is capable and designed to do, which is true; but I do not agree that is part of “photography” thou.
So, do go for post-processing, as long as it is within reason. Everyone has a differet post-processing style, and you can never please all viewers – my wife doesn’t like my processing style but I do have many other friends loved it, so there you go
Remember, everything is created by God and they all have their beautiful side, always! Look for it and captured it to share with others!