Developing your photographer’s eye to make better photos…
There’s a big, big difference between taking a quick snap on holiday and making a photo that’ll really “wow” your family and friends. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with snapshots. They usually have a huge emotional attachment with them — your kids growing up, fond holiday memories, a great nigh out (especially if it’s something to embarrass the groom with at his wedding). Trouble is, they’re just not that interesting for everybody else.
We’ve all seen the stereotypical sitcom matriarch (Hyacinth from the BBC’s ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ is a classic example) who strikes the fear of God into anyone nearby when she gets her holiday snaps out — they know they’re into several hours of mind numbing boredom as she recounts fond memories of holidays past. It’s a great comedic element, but it’s probably not who you want to be or how you want to be perceived.
So what can you do about it?
Simple — just make better photos, find out how to make them more interesting. Easier said than done? No, actually it isn’t. As one of my colleagues so very often says “if you want to make your photos more interesting, get them to stand in front of a better background.” That’ll work to some extent (let’s face it a beautiful view is better than a grotty brick wall) but there’s a little more to it than that.
To really make a difference to your images, you need to craft your images. Slow down. See the opportunity first. Anticipate the action. You need to learn to see like a photographer sees.
It’s a skill that anyone can develop, especially you! You just need to know where to start. To help you along the way, I’ve put together a course for you entitled “Learn to See Like a Pro”
It’s completely free, you just need to enrol with your name and email address. I’ll then send you an assignment each week for the next 12 weeks. Think of it as if you were a photojournalist and every week your editor gives you an assignment and a deadline. If you don’t turn in the requisite number of images before the deadline, you’re fired (play along with me on this one – you won’t be fired or kicked off the course; without the deadline you wouldn’t create the images before the next assignment arrives in your inbox).
What’s in it for you?
Plenty – you’re going to learn to make better photos by doing. The harder you work at it, the more you will learn. To get the most you can out of this I need you to push yourself. You could just go snap-snap-snap-job-done but you’re not going to get anywhere. If you apply yourself and have some fun you’ll discover how to ‘see’ a good photo in almost any situation. You’ll start to develop your photographer’s eye.
Plus, you’ll also be added to my VIP members list so you’ll receive priority notice of new articles on theLightMatters delivered straight to your inbox.
How to enrol…
Just fill out the boxes, tick the box to prove you’re not a robot and click the button. That’s all there is to it.
