Have you ever felt that the snapshots couldn’t do justice to how it actually felt in real life? With cameras getting extremely handy accompanying smartphones, all of us have become photographers of sorts. The art of photography is easy to be acquired, but takes persistence and creativity to master. Like any other form of art, capturing memorable images requires learning the rules, practicing and using your creativity to break the rules ingeniously. Whether you decide to use the smartphone or your prized camera to capture memories, here are some tips to help you create beautiful images.

5 Photography Tips to Consider Before You Click

1. Subject and motion:

   Overcome the urge to click as soon as you find something appealing. Take a moment, step back and identify your subject. Position it visually in your composition in such a manner that while drawing all the focus, it also binds the other elements together. This will make it easier to get your message or emotions across through photography. It will help bring out the feel that inspired you to capture the scene in the first place. Leading lines also create great compositions. They guide the eyes to the subject effortlessly. Try and explore leading lines whenever they appear to create a sense of movement and involvement of the viewer.

2. Texture and negative space:

   Not just busy images, but those with breathing space also make for great photographs. Negative space is as important as the subject. Breathing space in the composition tells a story of it’s own and expresses beauty through simplicity. Subjects or scenes that give a feel of being peered through doorways have a lot of negative space. It adds layers to the image story. Textures too play a great role in photography. For instance, the texture of a dilapidated wall speaks a lot when used as a backdrop for delicate flowers. Try to capture the drama as light hits the elements in your scene, enhancing textures.

3. Light and darkness:

   While clicking outdoors, try to use the softer rays of sun early in the day or just before sunset. Everything looks more soft and beautiful in this light. Else, try to find pockets of light where the sun doesn’t shine from above, but is reflected by the surroundings. It creates a more horizontal source of light than a vertical one and thus is amenable to photography. Overexposed light sources can cause the foreground to blur or darken. Use opacity of elements to manage exposure and let light peek out from behind the subject. This creates warmly lit images. Darkness is as important as light in many situations. Some images are best captured with brightly lit background and silhouetted subjects in the foreground. It creates interest and depth.

4. Highs and lows:

   With so many cameras about, finding something unique to click isn’t easy. The trick here is to not search for unique subjects, but for unique angles and vantage points. Find interesting and creative angles to infuse interest in mundane scenes. Use your surroundings to put your subject in perspective. Try to see things differently that have been clicked too many times and convey that newness through your photography.

5. Depth:

   Depth in a photograph creates a layered, 3D feel, as if you can step right into the scene. Getting up close to your subject is an easy way to create depth in the image. This photography technique creates a nice bokeh effect in the foreground and a diffused background. The focus remains crisply on the elements in mid-distance. Thus, you get layers in the image similar to the way real-life feel is created in animation. For a more professional approach to photography, you can also use wide-angle lens to infuse a sense of being present on the scene through depth creation.

From cave paintings to life-scene-depicting artworks and now photography – the quest to capture memories in tangible forms is always going to appeal to us humans. So, it is as well that we learn to do it properly. Photography as an art form has a huge scope for expression and communication of ideas, messages and emotions. Deciding to begin this exciting journey is the first step towards learning a new language that is globally understood. So pick your camera up, make informed choices and click away to your heart’s content!

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