Professional photographers have a lot of tricks up their sleeve to make their work stand out from the rest. However, it’s not just about owning the most expensive equipment. Here are four tips you can use to make your everyday photography look professional.
Composition
The fastest way to make your photographs look professional is to think about how the objects or scenes you are capturing are arranged within the frame. Good photography isn’t necessarily about what is included in the frame, it’s about how these things are composed within it.
To give your images a sense of depth, try framing some objects close to the camera whilst others are placed further away. Alternatively, if you want to create a composition that is naturally pleasing to the eye, try framing things symmetrically.
Woman takes a picture of a flower arrangement with a smartphone
Lighting
Nothing is more central to photography than lighting. Every time you take a photograph, you are capturing the way light is falling onto objects or landscapes. This is why an awareness of where light is coming from is important when taking photographs. It allows you to play around with the effects that different lighting conditions create.
If your aim is to capture the finer details of a particular subject, make sure that your light source is in front of it. On the other hand, positioning a light source behind a subject creates a silhouette – like photographing someone in front of a sunset.
Backlit woman smiling with headphones
Colour
Along with lighting comes the colours that are presented by it. Professional photographers have a keen eye for this, and you can too. Paying attention to how and where colours are positioned in-frame allows you to create particular moods. You can also make a particular object stand out by noticing how it fits into the scene’s overall colour palette. Perhaps a red flag stands out against a cloudy horizon, or a bright car in front of a brick wall.
View of colourful orange buildings with balcony
Contrast
Contrast is a word often used in relation to photography and it can refer to different things. Broadly, however, contrast refers to a difference between two things that is noticeable to the eye. In this sense, we have already touched upon one way of creating contrast: by isolating certain colours that stand out from others in-frame.
Another way of creating contrast is through lighting. Pay attention to moments when light and dark areas of the frame clash. When this happens, you can create very striking images that emphasise space, mood, and atmosphere – also known as ‘chiaroscuro’ lighting.
Cat in black and white with contrasting shadows
Hopefully these four pointers will add another dynamic or two to your photography. You don’t necessarily need professional equipment to make your everyday photography look professional; you just need to bear the above things in mind.
Why Glover & Howe?
With over 50 years of experience in photographic insurance, we understand how much your camera equipment means to you. That’s why we boast a specialist in-house claims team to ensure that should you need to make a claim, it’s dealt with in full, in a timely and efficient manner. Click here to start calculating your quote.
Protect your photography equipment and have peace of mind with Glover & Howe. If you have any further questions about our specialist photographer insurance, speak to the team about your requirements on 01206 814500.
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