We all want to take great pictures - but how?
Is there a simple 'cheat sheet' for great images?
Whether your new to photography of been at if for a while, one of the key drivers for a lot of photographers is a desire to take 'great' images, but how can we get these great images and grow in the art of photography.
Here are some ideas for getting you closer to those great images you're striving for:
Less Gear and More Experiences
GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is a real and deadly barrier to creating great images.
While a new camera or lens is exciting the first time you use it, great images don't often come when you're struggling with new gear. Instead master the gear you have so that you can use it to it's potential (and beyond), to the point where it becomes a simple extension of your creativity, rather than a shiny new thing.
Most of the great photography in the world wasn't created on the latest Nikon Z9, Canon R3 or Leica SL2, but 'old' film camera's used by masters of the craft.
Instead spend the money on learning - doing courses and going to events, on creating experiences by going to new and interesting places, or spending money on test shoots where you can experiment and try new things.
When was the last time you and a photographer friend or 2 pooled resources to travel to a new location, to book a model and a makeup artist for a portrait shoot, or hired a stylist to partner with in creating new and exciting still life images.
Have a Plan
Whether it's a single shoot, or part of a photo project, have a plan for what you want to shoot. Approaching photography with purpose and an idea of what you're trying to create increases the chance of creating something great.
Whether it's practicing a particular technique (such as zone focusing with the cover image for this blog) - shot wide, from the right hip as walking past the couple with the balloons (one of about a dozen images as we moved past each other), or seeking out a particular image and sitting in the same spot for a few minutes waiting for it to happen, like the image below, with a plan you're much more likely to create images you like.
Intention
Another aspect of great images is often the intention behind the image - great images have a point, they're not just 'pretty pictures' of snaps taken in the moment, but composed and created with conscious intention by the photographer.
Whether it's in the controlled environments of the studio, the wild nature of landscape photography or the 'unexpected' of street photography, having intention behind the images you choose to make, can't but help improve the images you make.
Tell a Story
Most great images aren't just pretty pictures, they tell a story - there's a tension, an action, something happening within the image that engages the viewer and draws them in.
Whether it's an old building telling a story of decay, clouds on a mountain top telling the story of blustery weather, or a person in your image conveying something of their life - story builds the engagement with your images that can take a good image and turn it into a great one.
Go Digital
I love film it's a wonderful, magical medium, and it's where I learned photography,.
But it's also sodding expensive, and particular film stocks can (at times) be difficult to source, so film lends itself more to carefully crafted images where cost is a key aspect of every image you take.
On the other hand, cost is marginal with digital images - taking a dozen shots of a couple walking past with balloons is easy with digital, but it's up to half a role with film (if your film camera can even shoot 15fps).
Digital gives you the space to experiment and be creative - to try new things without the bankrupting expense of film, and that low(ish) cost of entry increases the chances of creating great images.
Spray and Pray
As a beginner start by just taking images, and a lot of them - the spray and pray technique, but move beyond that as quickly as possible by bringing intention to your technique. Whether it's playing with shutter speed, aperture or ISO, trying different compositional or lighting techniques, or exploring new genres of photography, consciously focus on mastering the skillset of photography.
Then pass a critical eye over your images - how can they be better next time, what could you do differently to improve your skill as a photographer. Photography is one of those passions where you can literally be forever learning and exploring, whether you've been at it for 50 minutes or 50 years.
Get Lucky
We've all heard stories of 'the lucky shot', and we may have even captured a few ourselves, but luck is often about being in the right place at the right time - particularly with landscape or street photography.
But how much luck is actually lucky?
Luck is a numbers game, it's getting out there and shooting at every opportunity - having an EDC (Every Day Carry) camera on you , be it your phone or a point and shoot, and not being afraid to use it. It's about planning and intention, and knowing your gear inside out so it doesn't get in the way of a good shot
It's about being in the right place at the right time by going to the same location every weekend for a month, just to get that 'lucky' shot after a month of trying.
So are you ready to take great photo's, or do you just want another piece of gear for a quick adrenaline rush, followed by buyers remorse?
Get out there and create great work, and have fun going it.
And if you're interested in getting new experiences and hanging out with other photographers, learning new things and making great images check out or upcoming events below.
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