Nothing could be more appealing than repetition. You know, like when your coworker tells you the same joke 25 times or when your preschooler won’t stop making monkey noises. Yeah, I know. Neither one of those things is really all that appealing, but trust me when I say photography is different. Visual artists in general, [...]

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Scenic photos are a part of almost every photographer’s repertoire. After all, almost no one with a camera can resist snapping a photo of crashing surf, sweeping fields of wildflowers or a towering, snow-covered mountain. Landscape photos seem like they should be easy, yet the final images are often disappointing. How many times have you [...]

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Rules. They started in school and seem to follow us through life. They’re made to give guidance. They’re made to keep peace in the valley. And, some would say they’re made to be broken. If there’s one place rules are meant to be broken, it’s in anything creative. The catch is, if you’re going to [...]

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What’s the difference between a snapshot and a photograph? If you’re like most people, your hard drive is full of pictures that mostly qualify as snapshots. These are photos taken randomly at family outings, vacations or other activities. They do a good job of chronicling an event, but they may not be the sort of [...]

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What makes something special? Is it special on its own, or is it only special when compared to everything else around it? Contrast is what happens when you place two polar opposites right next to each other. It can be used to draw attention to an important element in your image. Contrast comes in a [...]

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How you frame your subject can make or break a photo. If you put your subject in a place that commands the viewers attention, you’ll immediately have an outstanding photo. This subtle technique is known to many as “composition,” and believe it or not, it has a few simple rules that will give you some [...]

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Do you feel like you’ve gotten into a rut with your photography lately? It’s something we all go through. We like to take pictures a certain way, and we often fail to see all of the possibilities. The sad part is that there are so many different things you can do as a photographer. Try [...]

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We’ve spent so much time talking about what you should and shouldn’t do in photography that we often forget that there is a time and a place to break the rules. You’ve heard about the rule of thirds before, but did you know that it’s okay to break it every once in awhile? Or what [...]

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We’ve been on the topic of visual focal points and how they draw attention to your subject for the past few weeks. Now I want to introduce you to something that’s in the back of your mind. You probably don’t know why sharp lines and powerful shapes can create such an impact, but you’re about [...]

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Visual focal points are everywhere in great photography and art. It’s impossible to produce outstanding images without them. The funny thing about visual focal points is that you don’t even know they are there. They simply tie everything together and make you say “WOW.” But if you’re going to take your photography to the next [...]

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Photography is about choices. Whenever you go out for a shoot, you have to decide which lenses you want to bring with you, which angle is best, and what aperture gives the right depth of field for your subject. Another important choice is the one you make between portrait and landscape modes. It is a [...]

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There is something peculiar about people. We are amazingly adept at reading one another. We can look into someone’s eyes and see emotions without having to think for a second about it. Because people are so good at this, photographers have to be careful when they frame portrait pictures. If you don’t give your subjects [...]

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It’s always a good idea to critique photos and to have one’s own photos critiqued. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to develop an eye for great photography. You just need to sit back and think about what appeals to you in a photo. Oftentimes, this is some combination of color balance, composition, [...]

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Today we’re going to have a look at how to analyze the composition of an image. Assuming that you have the exposure right and taken the lens cap off, you should end up with some nice images. A really great image, though, has to be well composed. Here are the points to watch out for.

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