When it comes to taking photos, not everyone is a professional and knows the best angles, the best lighting, and how to edit them. Taking high-quality photos isn’t as easy as pointing the camera and pressing the button to snap it. There’s a lot more that goes into taking good photos, but today, we are just going to discuss the basics of taking high-quality photos.
With social media being as popular as it is, taking amazing photos is so important. The social media era has opened so many doors to so many different possibilities like those who want to pursue a career in freelancing, and most importantly photography. In terms of social media, content is key. Without attention-grabbing pictures of yourself, your products, or anything you’re doing, you can’t gain the traction you are looking for.
Today, I am going to discuss the basic things you should know when it comes to taking better photos and improving the quality of the photos you’re taking so you can create that dream living right from your phone or your computer.
The tips I am going to share are the fundamentals you need to know when it comes to taking great photos. These are things everyone who wants to get into photography should know, and once you nail these 4 things down, you can start to master your art and your skills.
4 ways to improve the quality of your photos:
This tool is made out of ISO, the aperture, and the shutter speed. The ISO is the sensitivity the sensors have towards the light. The aperture is how much light the lens is allowing the camera to read. Shutter speed is how long the sensor is being exposed to the light. I like to call the exposure triangle the ‘love triangle’ because they all work together to give your photos the highest quality look.
To create beautiful photos, one of the most important things to get right is the exposure. If the image is underexposed, it’s going to look dark and pixilated. If the photo is overexposed, it’s going to cut out a lot of detail. When a photo is properly exposed, you catch everything in the shot in its perfect light – you capture the depth and shadows, as well as the highlights in the shot.
When you are taking photos, each one typically has a meaning. Whether you’re photographing the birds in your backyard, or the sunset at your favorite lake, the pictures you take are telling a story to those looking at it. The composition of photos is where you position the subject or scenery in your photo. This helps you get the right angle, the right position, where your subject is located, etc.
When speaking about what composition is in photography, a good photograph will include lots of details to capture the entire story the photographer is trying to tell. The composition of your photos is your one chance of telling your story and making your voice heard.
This is one of the most important things to get right when taking great photos. Without great lighting, you don’t have good photos. When I talk about proper lighting, I don’t want it to sound like I think you need to go out and buy expensive lighting equipment because you don’t – you just have to understand how to get the best photo with the lighting you are working with. What angle should you shoot from? How can you use natural lighting to enhance and highlight what you’re photographing?
Make sure you understand how to use natural light, daylight, and use the sun’s position to determine where and how you should take your photos. When it comes to lighting, the one thing I always think you should have with you is a reflector. This is something I use all the time with all different types of lighting situations and they always come in handy.
This is pretty straight-forward – you are going to edit your photos to reach the final result you are looking for. Once you have all your photos, you are going to download your photos to whatever photo editing software you prefer and add filters, textures, and any other edits to the photo. Personally, I use Lightroom and Photoshop to edit all my photos, and I’ve found it’s the easiest software to use while giving you the best results.
How you edit your photos is just as important as the photos you are actually taking. With the right editing touches, you can turn a basic picture into something breathtaking that people will love and be attracted to. In terms of photography, editing is what is going to make all the difference in your final results.
Get Creative
All 4 of these things complement each other and work together to create the best photos possible. The exposure triangle, the composition, the lighting, and the editing are all equally as important when creating stand-out photos that can create the income you’ve been wanting. You can’t get good photos without all these 4 things.
When it comes to freelancing and photography, knowing these 4 basics will lead you right into a successful career. Social media is forever growing and giving people like me a chance to showcase their talent and work, all while working from wherever I want in the world. Being a freelance photographer was the best decision I ever made, and without the use of social media and these 4 these I talked about today, I’d be nowhere.
Taking great photos that are professional-level quality is achievable – don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. If you have a vision, a creative mind, and a camera, you can do anything you set your mind to. For all your photos, use these 4 tips to create high-quality, stunning photos that are sure to grab your viewers’ attention!
Sources used for reference, but all wording is my own.
https://capturetheatlas.com/what-is-exposure-in-photography/
