Do you want to blow up your Instagram with style and composition? Populate your Facebook page with a zillion “likes”, one snap at a time? Garner praise for your artistic edge and keen eye? If you said yes to any of these, then this post is for YOU!
I’ve been taking photos for 30 years, and have picked up a few tips and tricks I believe can add a little “zippity-do-dah” to anyone’s photo game; or -as in my case- make their photos suck less.
By now you must wonder (or not) how I learned these super-secret tricks of the photography world? It all began a long time ago, on a continent far, far away… Actually, it was 1985, and the continent was Europe. At the time I was embarking upon my first big trip: Three months backpacking, with no set agenda.
Being the first of my friends to fly across the Atlantic, I was desperate to take mind-blowing photos of centuries-old landmarks and cool places we’d only ever seen in history books and James Bond movies. Most of all, I wanted to show my friends how “National Geographic” I, and my life, truly was; hence why “no agenda”.
To achieve my lofty photography goals, I’d bought a “Nikon One Touch” camera and a whole bunch of film – it was 1985 after all. However, once three months were up and I got home and developed my thousands of rolls, the photos revealed two things: First, my out-of-focus shots showed very little for anyone to be impressed by; and second, I was actually a crappy photographer.
Back then, buying and developing film cost a fortune, so it was hard to be artsy and edgy without taking a million shots without breaking the bank. This explains why my shots were so awful – I was trying to keep costs down. Sadly, this trend would last for a few years.
The good news is that digital cameras eventually arrived, so buying and processing film quickly became relics of the past. Eliminating the need for second mortgages to pay for film and developing allowed me to become more creative with my photos. I began shooting from odd angles, use light and/or focus in new ways, and experimenting with colours and textures. It was all very liberating!
In a nutshell, digital freed me up to shoot ordinary subjects in extraordinary ways. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but at least now I can see the results of my ideas and efforts before I decide to keep trying, or be happy with the result. Which brings us to now.
This post covers three styles/subjects I enjoy shooting and offers examples of each. I hope you also enjoy them; but more so, I hope the next time you pull out your camera, they inspire you to try something new – even if that something new is to use your newfound skills to make your (a) social media way better, or (b) your friends jealous of your mad photography skills.
Either way, it’s a win-win. Let’s get started.
Contrasting Focus
I’m a fan of having the contrast of blurry/clear in photos, especially if they help tell a story in the photo. I took this shot at Swayambhunath stupa, a.k.a. Kathmandu’s “Monkey Temple”. Kathmandu is a HUGE city; and that thousands of monkeys live amongst 1.5 million people blows my mind. To give a sense of this juxtaposition, I shot the monkey in the foreground (and slightly off-centre) against the sprawling city blurred in the background. I love this shot.
I’d never seen a wild chameleon before, so finding this one in Namibia was exciting, and my aim was to show how effective his camouflaging is. If he were blurred like the branches, we wouldn’t know he was there; but he’s not. We see him because he’s in focus. I also put his eyeball in the center of the frame to draw the viewer right to him.
This shot is layered. It begins with the in-focus wheat right up front, then draws the viewers eye across the colours of the field to the farmers, then beyond to the hills, then eventually the mountains and finally the sky. While the grain is the only thing in focus, the whole picture gives a glimpse of a day in the life of a Nepalese valley farmer.
Bright Colours
Whenever you want to celebrate bright colours in a shot, it’s important to make the colour the focus. Two rules are (a) whenever possible, eliminate all the people as they distract the viewer; and (b) to accentuate any minute details, shoot as close to the subject as possible. These photos are from the famous Grand Bazaar market in Istanbul.
In the above picture, the different colours jump out and create a festive kind of shot; the one below, also from the Grand Bazar in Istanbul, shows a close-up of loose tea, highlighting the various ingredients like rose hips, dried orange rinds, flowers, etc. In both pictures the colours are the focus, not the subjects themselves.
And finally, this simple shot of a farmer’s corn and chilis drying in the hot Nepalese sun. The contrast of the colours makes this picture pop – even more so with the shadow in the background. It’s simple, yet vibrant in it’s own way.
Children
The best thing about children is they LOVE to have their picture taken; this is especially true of kids in developing countries. Anytime I’m travelling and kids show up, I get on “their level” – be it physically, or interactively. Whenever I take their picture, I’ll show them the images; and without fail, their priceless expressions of joy and excitement always make for truly memorable photos. Whenever possible, I try to put the subject in the centre of the shot so the eye beads on it first.
While staying in a small village in rural India, we came across an entire group of kids who followed us through the streets, giggling and laughing. All they wanted was to see themselves in a photograph, so I obliged. After each shot, they’d excitedly gather around to see the picture before quickly posing for another. It was sheer joy for them, and me.
In Nepal, this young lady wanted her little sister to have her picture taken. I waited until there was nobody behind them, and she helped by posing her sister in different ways. I love how the confidence (and bit of mischief) of the older sister, and the trusting innocence of the younger, are both on display in this single shot.
I met this remarkable young girl in South Africa, in an orphanage for HIV children. During the four hours we visited, she was always close to me, hanging onto my leg or hugging me, and displaying a sense of confidence and leadership. I love this picture as it captures these qualities in her. I have this picture on my wall and home and often wonder what life would be like for her if she was born in Canada instead?
I hope you found these posts useful for your own photography. Be on the lookout for Part II of the series!
Author Bio: David Knapp-Fisher
As founder of The Inspired Humans Project, David loves sharing inspirational stories. His TEDx talk, “Discipline or Regret, a Father’s Decision” been viewed over 100,000 times, and his first book, “Punch Failure in The Face, The Buy It a Beer” has 36 five star reviews on amazon.ca. and this post is from it.
David lives in Victoria B.C. where he spends most of his time trying (& usually failing) to stump his son with movie trivia, or planning his next big adventure; both while drinking great coffee, of course.
Website: www.davidknappfisher.com
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