7 Tips How to Make Better Photos

Simple and practical tips on making better photos:

1. Use a flash

When you use the flash on your camera, you create more surreal photos.

I love shooting with a flash, because you never know what you’re going to get!

Xf10 and flash
Shot with XF10 and flash
Flash inside toaster
Leica M9, 35mm lens, flash. Tokyo, 2011
No flash.
Flash photo I shot while chatting up a gentleman in Paris, catching his laughing gesture.
Film Leica MP, f/8, flash at 1/8th power, 1.2 meters
Long-distance flash photo, film Leica MP, Kodak Tri-X 400 film.

Furthermore, shooting with a flash helps simplify your photos, by adding contrast to your subjects, and causing them to pop out from the background.

As general tip:

Whenever you have the opportunity, always shoot a scene BOTH with (and without) a flash!

2. Simplify the background

You can simplify the background by holding your camera super high in the air and pointing downwards.

Or another tip is to shoot from a super low angle, and photograph your subject against the sky.

3. Get closer to your subject

By getting closer to your subject, you will make your subjects look more interesting and distorted.

Furthermore getting close to your subjects will make the photos far more intimate. The more intimate your photos, the more emotional response from your viewers. Thus, the more likely the photos will stick in the mind of your viewers.

4. Shoot against the sun

Often if you shoot against the sun, you can create dramatic effects (lens flare, silhouettes):

Simple figure to ground composition. Man in silhouette in black in top left of frame against white sky.

By shooting against the sun, you allow more interesting and random things to happen in your photos!

5. Photograph strong emotions and mood

Look for hand gestures, and scenes that you identify with emotionally.

For example for my SUITS book, I looked for miserable looking men in suits. It was a self portrait of myself, and how I felt when I had a 9-5 job.

Shoot hand gestures, or body language or facial expressions you feel evoke an emotional response.

6. “You don’t take a photo, you make it.”-Ansel Adams

To make a photo, you must post process your photos in a way which highlights the drama in your photo.

Remember, adding filters or processing is not “cheating”. That’s like saying a chef who uses spices and herbs is “cheating” (it is part of the artistry!)