5 Tips to Improve Your Photography

I enjoy learning about photographic composition, color palettes, and the whole world that is photography, and one of the questions I most often get on my personal Instagram (@garrbz) is concerning photography and photo editing. So in this post, I’ve separated my top 5 tips that are SURE to help you produce stunning photos.

1. LIGHTING

One of the fundamental rules for achieving quality photographs is to have good lighting. In fact, lighting is everything in photography, because a photo is nothing more than capturing light as it enters through the lens. It is essentially drawing with light and contrast. That is why it is so important to have very good lighting, preferably from a natural source like the sun. However, sometimes it isn’t possible for a photo to be taken during the day, so artificial lights such as incandescent, fluorescent, LED, and others are used. Photography with artificial lighting can also be incredible, so explore both light sources. Below are some photos taken just by playing with light during sunset, the famous golden hour.

2. COMPOSITION

Humans are very visual, so we tend to like things that are well aligned, organized, symmetrical, etc. We often don’t know why we like a certain design, but we just do. When we consider the concept of composition, we must think about the proportion each element will have in the photo. We want to make everything as harmonious as possible. Use the grid that can be activated in the settings of most cell phones; it will guide you so that your photo will have neither too much ceiling nor too much floor. Frame your subject with other objects that surround it. For the best results, you want your subject to stand out in the photo. Watch how proper composition makes a difference:

Notice how we could improve the composition of this photo. On one side there is extra space where we can see the water, and on the other the rock is already touching the edge of the photo.

With just a little cropping, we arrived at a much more satisfactory result, don’t you think? I aligned it so that the rock touches both edges of the photo leaving it aligned and centered.

In the photos above we can notice composition and framing in action:

The window was positioned right in the middle of the photo and we have corresponding spaces on both the top and bottom.

Architecture photography is my favorite! We can easily work composition and framing well with these subjects. Notice how in the above photo the building starts from one side (right) of the photo and goes all the way to the other side. This guides the eyes of the viewer and creates a sense of satisfaction.

When it comes to portrait photography, it is interesting to leave the subject in the middle of the photo, but this is a matter of taste.

3. EQUIPMENT

Contrary to what many may think, you don’t need to be professional, let alone have a camera, to take wonderful photos. In addition to the investment involved, you often don’t carry a camera with you wherever you go. Your cellphone is much more practical. But even your cellphone requires time spent with it to know and understand the tools and functions it has. Be curious and research the many possibilities you have available through your mobile device. However, if you are interested in buying a camera just for fun and experimentation, to start a new hobby, or a career, I have listed below two entry-level cameras that I like and that may be useful for you. I’ve also included links to where you can buy them.

Canon EOS T6i

This camera is perfect for beginners and an excellent entry-level camera. It’s great for anyone who wants to get started and who wants to use their phone less and switch to a DSLR. It allows you to better adjust the speed, diaphragm, and ISO. It has built-in Wi-Fi to send the photos straight to your phone, and it is available at an affordable price range.

Click here to buy

Nikon D5600

Equivalent to the Canon EOS T6i but lighter and simpler to use, the Nikon uses Bluetooth connection to transfer the photos directly to your phone. It allows speed, diaphragm, and ISO adjustments.

Click here to buy

4. REFERENCES

This is my favorite tip, honestly, good references are everything to me. I love spending hours poring over photography profiles and absorbing ideas that inspire me. I feel that the more references I study, the more my ability to take good and creative photos increases. My suggestion is to separate five profiles of people you follow on Instagram and analyze what they have in common, what you like, and which elements from their photography can give you photo ideas. Sometimes it can be a cup from the kitchen, a fruit, different textures, there are many options. Photos are hard work, so we must value the people who make them, who researched references, gathered props, waited for the best time to take the photo, thought about the composition and other things that are involved, which we often don’t even imagine. But of course, photos can also be spontaneous, and sometimes spectacular results come from an unpretentious click. Here are some profiles on Instagram that I love to follow and are certainly sources of inspiration for me.

@liebe.gaby / @anna.laura / @joaogorri / @c.mnzs

5. EDITING APPS

Obviously we couldn’t end this article without talking about these, could we? Photographers who stand out the most do so through the way they use a color palette and keep it consistent on their feed.

Below are 3 apps that I use to edit my photos. These are my favorites, hands down, but if you have read this far, send us a message on Instagram (just click here @thegirlwrites), and I’ll tell you about a bonus app that I found these days that’s just perfect. But I’m only going to share it with those who DM us ????.

Let’s get to the 3 apps:

1-Lightroom

In this app, I do all the lighting and color adjustments. It’s amazing because it gives you an absurd amount of options to improve your photo. It isn’t that simple to use its more advanced options, like the tone curve. You will need to research it a little, but it’s super worth it, and I recommend it above all others.

2-Photoshop Fix

If you want to remove spots or objects from your photo, this is the perfect app for that. In addition to having an option to brighten photos, there is also another one that I often use to make the photos whiter.

3-Vscocam

The most famous of editing apps! It’s responsible for adjusting the photo tones more attractively through the various filters it offers. The free version doesn’t give you many filters, but the ones that are available for free are pretty cool. If you want to stand out with different tones you will have to pay.

I hope these tips have helped and that you can tell a little more of your story through your photos. If you use any of these tips, tag us so we can see the results! Tag @thegirlwrites or use #thegirlwrites. I will love to see you putting the tips into practice.