Taking photos is an art and a science. This is something you ought to remember if you want to learn how to take better pictures. See, though certain people, maybe including you, were born with the natural talent - the natural eye to capture the beauty, a lot of factors still come into play when one is taking professional photos. While it’s no mistake or sin for you to just enjoy holding your camera and shooting shots whenever you feel like it, learning how to take professional photos will help elevate your talent and your skill. If photography is not just your passion but your career, a portfolio of your shots is essential. And while some of your natural photo-taking talents might very well show themselves, taking what you have to the next level will require conscious efforts to improve your craft.
Professional Photos
Professional photos are not really something that can be defined. Different photographers and/or photo-taking specialists will give you varying explanations about what it is - depending on the work they involve themselves in and the industry they are more immersed into.
Nevertheless, they can tell you that professional photos are the kind of photos you can use for business purposes. After all, if your main purpose for taking photos is to upgrade your professional portfolio, then you do it by learning how to take better pictures. Professional-looking pictures are more likely to be bought by companies and businesses. A gentle reminder is that professional does not always mean commercial. As a photographer, it must be clear to you that there are a lot of different subjects and industries you can bury yourself and your talent in.
How to Take Professional Photos
1. Remember: Foundation is Key
Like we previously mentioned, photo-taking is both an art and a science. So if you want to take better pictures, you will need to understand that this is a combination of talent and skill - natural instinct and proper knowledge about taking photos. See, regardless if photography is a hobby or a career to you, it won’t hurt to know how to take professional photos and, thus, to know about the fundamental principles of composition in photography.
The first on that list is the focal point. Taking photos can be as easy as point and shoot. Still, when you are conscious about following professional photography tips, one thing you should be more aware of about your subject is what part can draw and hold the attention of your viewers - this is your focal point. Finding and using leading lines or anything in taking photos helps you draw more attention to your focal point and influence the mood of your professional photos. Knowing and following the rule of thirds is another crucial principle of photography. The rule of thirds tells us how to take better pictures by placing the focal point or the most important pieces of our photo off-center - placing them along the imaginary tic-tac-toe lines (or the intersection of these lines) of the frame.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
Depth, perspective, and framing is key principles that can help you learn how to take better pictures. You can show depth by using the different elements in your subject's environment so that they actually look real in your professional photos. Perspective is simply the angles from which you do your photo-taking. The perspective you use in taking photos can greatly impact its mood and story, even if it only involves one subject. Finally, framing. Framing is one of the easiest ways to know how to take professional photos. It simply involves finding a natural frame for the subject you are focusing on and taking photos with your subject inside it. One common and true advice about framing is for you to “Fill the Frame”, especially when taking portraits and other kinds of photos where other elements in the background will only cause distractions. Note that part of your journey b how to take better pictures is not just knowing about these key principles but also about how to use and apply them in your work.
2. Don’t Just Follow the Light, Embrace it
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
Now, after knowing all about some of the principles of photo-taking, the next thing you need to know about is the lighting of your professional photos. Of course, you don’t need to be learning how to take better pictures or professional photos to understand that a good photo has good lighting. And good lighting means that the subject or focal point is visible and emphasized. Thus, while it is still sometimes good to use the natural light around your subject, it is also useful to know how to make the best out of what you have using your own tools. This means investing in some lighting equipment (which need not be expensive, by the way!) to take photos, like external camera flashes, a diffuser for built-in camera flashes, and a light reflector. Knowing how to maximize these items (and your own camera settings) will not only allow you to have the best lighting and use other lighting effects to make your professional photos even better.
3. Be Immersed in the Editing World
Image taken from Strikingly Product
There is a misconception in photography that if one needs to edit their photos, then that someone is no good of a photographer at all. On the contrary, though, learning how to take professional photos also includes learning how to edit the professional photos you have taken. See, this doesn’t take away the need to know how to take better pictures with just your camera but rather, extends it into knowing that some of the best photos taken won’t look amazing immediately after their shot but will look stunning and jaw-dropping after it goes through the photo editing software. But of course, these professional photography tips also come with a fair warning to not edit too much so that the photos lose their beauty and realness. You’d want to be gentle and careful, after all, these photos are your babies.
4. Master Your Tool
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
One of the most basic things you can do if you want to take better pictures is for you to explore your camera settings. See, all of the previously mentioned professional photography tips won’t mean as much if you do not take the time and effort to know your camera. Automatic settings can only take you so far and can even hold you back from learning to take professional photos. You must familiarize yourself with your camera's different settings and features (especially before buying a new one). Knowing what to adjust when taking photos at certain times and subjects will greatly improve your photo-taking skills and experience. Help your camera be an extension of your mind and imagination - learn how to adjust its settings according to the kind of shot you envision. Take some time and read online articles and guides about your type of camera.
5. Showcase Your Professional Photos
Finally, what’s the use for all this learning about how to take better pictures if you do not also know how to display them best. Here, you should start considering the kind of audience you are targeting to be your viewers. You can print and develop the professional photos you have taken, make them into a portfolio or find someplace to frame them. Honest advice, though, if you are only starting out, it might be a good idea for you to first have an online portfolio or even a website to display your products.
In this avenue, Strikingly has got you covered! Strikingly is a website builder with all these unique features you can use to create your own professional website or online portfolio.
Image taken from Strikingly Product
It not only allows you to incorporate different features to help you connect with the right people and gain your desired number of viewers, but it also has different options for you to choose from when displaying your professional photos. You can use the different gallery formats - whether you want to have captions or not, borders or not, or varying sizes or not. You can also display your professional photos in a Big Media format wherein they make up most of the screen. Depending on what kind of photo-taking industry you are involved in, you also have the choice to use a banner image slider and/or a grid. No matter what, the best choice comes with understanding how your photos will be best viewed because no matter what it is, Strikingly has got your back!
Don’t just stick with the knowledge of how to take better pictures and stock your best professional photos on your hard drive and computer; showcase your skill and talent by building a website of your own! Sign up with Strikingly now!
