1. Get very low.
Put your camera on the ground and shoot from the perspective of an ant. Or lie on your stomach or back.
If you shoot with a phone, hold it upside down, so the phone camera lens is closer to the ground.
2. Focus on threes
Find three objects, three colors, or three elements in your frame.
Three is the perfect balance.
3. Look for faces in things.
Where do you see two eyes, and possibly a face, or teeth?
4. Hold your camera high up, and shoot down.
Try to simplify the background with having no distracting elements in the background.
Why does this make a better picture? To abstract the scene, and to see a unique perspective, from a 7 foot giant.
5. Look for graphical elements
Just try to shoot diagonal lines, colors, shapes, and forms. Think like a designer or graphical artist.
Look for simple complementary colors (study color theory) and keep it simple.
6. Shoot textures
Tip: touch the texture of an object, then shoot it:
Why are textures interesting? Because aesthetically, humans like fractal patterns, irregularity, roughness and randomness. It’s in our aesthetic DNA.
7. Get eye contact.
If you see an interesting street photography scene or juxtaposition, get close, and keep shooting until your subject looks into your kens.
8. Take LOTS of pictures.
If you see an interesting person or scene, SHOOT A LOT OF PICTURES. When in doubt, shoot 25% more pictures than you think you “should”. This will lead to more serendipity, or hand gestures from your subjects that you might not anticipate… which make good pictures. I do this with all my STREET PORTRAITS.
9. Tilt your camera, DIAGONALS
Diagonals are much stronger in composition, as they are more DYNAMIC, EDGY, and energetic.
10. Only shoot HANDS
Hands show the soul of the person. Just focus on the hands, and use a flash to darken the background. Don’t show their face.
11. Hand Gestures
Or, show hand gestures. To capture hand gestures, wait until you see your subject making a hand gesture, then click.
Or, in my case… PROVOKE a hand gesture, by interacting with your subject. In my Jazz Hands picture below, the woman saw me about to make a picture of her, and she ended up POSING for me. It made a better picture.
12. Focus on 1 detail.
Don’t show the whole person or scene. Just ask yourself, what is the ONE THING you want to focus on?
13. Photograph colorful people and scenes.
When you’re out shooting, ONLY look for color, and focus on colorful things.
To increase saturation in your pictures, shoot with a flash. Also, increase contrast in your post processsing.
14. Always have your camera with you
How can you make pictures unless your camera is always with you?
Wear your camera like a necklace, or a bracelet.
Or just shoot with your phone.
The more you carry your camera in your hand or neck, the more you will SEE potential photo opportunities. And the more you shoot, the better you will get.
15. Shoot everyday.
Be creative everyday, and know your life is short.
The more you shoot, the better you will get.
Give yourself permission to make “bad” pictures. And know you don’t need to share all your pictures.
Only shoot scenes that speak to your heart and soul.
And always remind yourself of photographic MEMENTO MORI, to shoot everyday like it were your last.
MEMENTO MORI ARTWEAR
Never forget to shoot everyday like it were your last, with MEMENTO MORI ARTWEAR by ANNETTE KIM of HAPTIC.
Learn to take better pictures at ERIC KIM EXPERIENCE >