BRIEFS: How to Take Great Photos

RESEARCH THE AREA

Research area you are going to shoot Look in the “Images” tab on Google and study photos from other photographers. Note what you like and do not like. Consider what composition elements work at this location. Then, plan what you want to achieve on the shoot.

LIGHTING IS 90% OF THE BATTLE!

I ask myself what time of day I will be shooting. There are only two options — sunrise and sunset. The first hour and last hour of daylight are called “The Golden Hour.” The light is low and soft, and your subject will really pop!

THINK ABOUT COMPOSITION

Here are the basic rules of composition. First, simplify your images — declutter your foregrounds and backgrounds. Second, use the rule of thirds by putting your subject on intersecting lines of thirds. Third, use leading lines. If you spend some time thinking about your composition, then your photos will start to look professional.

GET AWAY FROM PATH

This is my favorite moment — I’m on site and ready to shoot. My number one piece of advice is to get away from the path. I see lots of photos from amateurs where you can see a beautiful mountain but there is also a hiking trail or even (God forbid) some people or signs in the foreground! Find a spot where you create a simple but compelling scene.

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Think about capturing the scene differently than others have before. That means changing your perspective. Sometimes I get low in front of a cholla cactus. Other times I get high and shoot down or employ advanced techniques like focus stacking or perspective blending. My final piece of advice is to think of your photo as four parts — foreground, midground, subject, and sky. Think about each of these elements and you will start to take amazing photos!

Paul Lynch, MD, CEO of Arizona Pain Inc, lynchmd@gmail.com. Paul trained at the New York Institute of Photography.