Last updated on December 7th, 2023
Photography is a skill that has been around for centuries. It’s evolved from the use of black and white film to capturing color images on digital sensors. Technology has changed drastically. But it still takes an artist to make photography look great.
We will explore the eight underappreciated photography tips often overlooked by beginners. And, we’ll include recommendations for more experienced photographers. Read along below:
Shoot in Natural Light to Avoid Shadows and Other Distractions
One of the best ways to take great photos is by shooting in natural lighting. The sun provides a clean, clear light that will help you create beautiful pictures with minimal effort. If possible, try to shoot when the sky has no clouds and puts out even light across the entire horizon line. It may be early morning or late afternoon, depending on your location. So, make sure you do your research before setting off for an outdoor photoshoot!
Shooting in Low Light Situations
The quality of natural light can also depend upon how close you are to it. If there’s direct sunlight overhead, then shadows might become too prominent in your images. You might experience other distractions like glare from windows and reflections off the water. To avoid these problems, head over to a shaded area that still has enough natural light to provide a good, even exposure.
Quality Over Quantity
The quality of natural light can also depend upon how close you are to the sunlight. If there’s direct sunlight overhead, then shadows might become too prominent in your images. And other distractions like glare from windows and reflections off the water. To avoid these problems, head over to a shaded area that still has enough natural light to provide a good, even exposure.
To Capture Sharp Details on an Item, Use a Tripod or Set Your Camera on the Ground. Suppose you’re taking pictures with people in them. Be conscious of their height and angle to avoid having the top half of their body cut off by an overhanging branch.
Tripod Use for Shooting Situations
There are a few different methods for photographing food and drink. If you want to capture the flavor of your dish, go with natural light or use indirect flash when possible. For more accurate colors in product shots, try using an external lighting kit.
Suppose you’re shooting still lifes from afar. Like a landscape photo without people or animals in it. Experiment with how close you can get before losing clarity on detail. You might find those foreground elements come into focus instead as subjects worth getting closer to you.
A Note on Exposure Metering
Many photographers will tell beginners not to worry about exposure metering. Many cameras have automatic modes that do this for them already, but if yours doesn’t, then metering is essential.
Practice Your Photography Skills by Taking Pictures of Everyday Objects
Practice your photography skills by taking pictures of familiar things like your plate or coffee mug. And try different lighting conditions out while experimenting with various resolutions. Do this until you find the best one for posting online.
Practice on Friends and Family
You can also take pictures of your friends and family. Experiment with angles, too, like up close or far away, to see which one showcases them the best.
Patient Photographers Always Win
Practice being patient when taking photos because not every shot will be perfect on the first try. If you’re feeling frustrated or rushed, sometimes it’s best to set down the camera for a bit before coming back and trying again later.
Use a Tripod for Stability When Shooting Indoors or at Night
Next, use a tripod for stability when shooting indoors or at night. It will make your shots clearer and crisper, which is perfect for just starting on photography. It’s pretty hard to hold the camera steady without one!
When you’re trying to get portraits or practicing with astrophotography, tripods are perfect. They work because they’ll keep the camera steady and allow you to focus on getting the perfect shot.
Outdoor Photography
Tripods are equally as important when doing outdoor or adventure photography. And they’re an excellent investment for any photographer.
Many newer photographers have trouble holding their cameras steady while composing photos, especially in low-light environments. A tripod is an excellent investment for any photographer who wants to capture clear and sharp images, even those just starting!
Reduce Camera Shake
The camera can make moves that the human eye won’t see–think about how shaky your shots will look when shooting at night without some support.
The same goes for portrait photography. It’s tough to hold the camera steady while trying to get close-ups or group photos. So, a tripod can be invaluable in these situations too. In both cases, you’ll end up with fewer blurry pictures. This is thanks to the stability provided by tripods because they help keep the camera still during shooting.
Capture the Moment with Action Shots
Show people doing things, not just standing around. As a photographer, your work will be more attractive to viewers if it’s not all just posed headshots.
You want the photos you take of people to capture them in action–doing things rather than simply posing and smiling at the camera. It’ll make for much more compelling photographs when they’re doing something. Or even if looking off into space instead of giving us their best smile with eyes staring straight ahead.
How to Capture Candid Moments
Capture images filled with life and movement instead of ones where people appear lifeless and bored by staying still too long on one pose. The best shots happen when someone is caught off guard in an active moment. We don’t care what they were doing before because now they’re busy making a funny face!
Photograph Children as They Grow Up
Children are like a work of art in progress–each day, they change, and each day you get to document their growth with photos.
The most critical time for photographing children is when they’re babies and toddlers. It’s because this captures them at the peak of cuteness. But don’t forget about their lives as kids grow up!
The Value of Time in Photography
There’s nothing more rewarding than looking back through photo albums from your childhood. Or those taken by family members. The pictures show what it was like to be young (and I have no idea how cool we’ll all eventually become).
An incredible idea for documenting children as they grow up is to set up a photoshoot every year on their birthday. Please take a picture of them in the same spot each year. Similarly, you could photograph them on the first day and last day of school. It’s a simple way to document the differences from one year to the next.
Take Photos From Unusual Angles
You take shots from different angles with your camera, like down low on the ground or high up in the air. It can give your photos a different feel and make them more interesting to look at once complete.
Get Creative with Angles
Similarly, you could take the photo from above or below someone’s eye line for an unusual perspective on what they’re doing, like taking a picture of their hands while typing something out. Again, it might not be as easy to get shots this way, but it will often create much more compelling images than when shot head-on.
Tip: If you’re unsure how to look up “different angles photography” on Google, see some examples and tutorials.
Use Editing Software to Add Effects and Filter Your Photos
Editing software can help you create interesting effects that make your photos look like paintings.
There are many free and paid editing programs for phones and computers. So, it’s worth checking out what they have to offer if this is something you’re interested in doing.
Noteworthy Adobe Photoediting Apps
For example, the mobile app Adobe Spark has some nifty filters that allow you to take any photo from your phone or computer camera. And then, turn them into oil painting-type images with just one tap!
Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom are go-to’s for many professionals. They’re both available for desktop computers that are powerful enough to run them.
Lightroom is also a subscription-based software product from Adobe with an annual $99 fee.
For Mac users, the easiest option would be Apple’s Photos app. It has editing capabilities built-in. Though, you may well find yourself wanting to purchase other apps at some point if your photography gets more advanced or specialized.
One way around this is by using third-party plugins like Topaz Labs (available on most major platforms). This app adds effects without having to buy any additional programs separately!
For photo best photo editing apps, check out our helpful resource, where we break down the best editing apps on the market.
Shoot in RAW Format for the Best Quality Shots
Photographers can choose from two formats when shooting-JPEG and RAW
What is JPEG Best for?
JPEG is best for storage, as it takes up less space on the memory card or hard drive. It also has a faster upload time to social media sites like Instagram because there is less data to process. You’ll get better color reproduction in the images without having to edit them too much post-shoot.
You won’t make any significant changes to shadows or bright spots later on if you change things on your mind like composition and exposure. So this format isn’t ideal for fine art photographers who want total creative control over their shots!
What is the Benefit of RAW Files?
RAW files are more extensive and slower than JPEGs; they take up more room. This means you’ll need to get a memory card with more storage or delete photos after every shoot! But the upside is that RAW files allow for much greater flexibility in editing. You can change exposure, adjust shadows and highlights, increase clarity—everything without affecting image quality as long as your original file hasn’t been edited too heavily already.
JPEG Cons
The downside of shooting in JPEG mode is that it’s not ideal for fine art photographers who want total creative control over their shots. But there are ways around this!
One way to edit photographs taken in JPEG format using Adobe Photoshop (or other similar programs)? Converting them into TIFF images during the post-production process does one thing. It allows you to save your master copy and use an alternate version of the file with all your edits. You can have both edited and unedited copies of your JPEGs on hand for different purposes.
What are TIFF Files?
-TIFF Files are what professionals use when they want to edit a single file without affecting others. This format will take up much more space on your hard drive than JPEGs or RAW. It’s due to a lack of compression. But, it’ll allow you full power in post-production with no need for converting!
TIFF File Cons
The downside is that TIFF files are much larger than JPEG files. They’re also not compressed at all, meaning they’ll take up a lot more memory space. But if you need to edit just one photo this way without having it affect every other image, then it’s worth considering! (All editors offer options like these– consult their help section or manual when using them).
-The downside is that TIFF files are much larger than JPEG files. They’re also not compressed at all, meaning they’ll take up a lot more memory space – and will take much longer to process.
-The upside is that TIFF files are uncompressed. That means you’ll be able to edit them without losing quality, and they won’t need time-consuming processing times. Or converting before importing into photo editing software like Photoshop. The lack of compression also means there’s a lot more room for detail in your images than you’d get with JPEGs.
RAW vs JPEG
-Raw Files give photographers greater flexibility in post-production due to non-compressed data
-JPEG mode offers quick editing. Meanwhile, RAW is better for fine art images because users retain complete control over the photographs
-RAW files give you greater tonal and color flexibility, which makes them best for artistic images.
JPEG mode is better suited to more candid photography. Like where the photographer wants quick editing without giving up control over more refined details of their photos.
RAW Files: RAW files have the most flexibility because they’re not compressed. But this format doesn’t offer any advantages over other forms except when it comes down to fine post-production details.
JPEG Mode: JPEG mode can easily be used by photographers who want quick edits while still maintaining some control over their finer adjustments. As well as those who don’t want to spend the time converting RAW files
Frequently Asked Questions: Underrated Photography Tips
What are the essential tips for good photography?
Tip #1: It’s a good idea to have your hand on the camera.
Tip #2: Look for interesting perspectives and angles that make images more dynamic, like shooting down low or up high.
Tip #3: Shoot in RAW mode when possible. JPEG files are compressed, so they lose some detail.
What are the four different types of photography?
Type #1: Documentary photography is when a photographer captures moments or images they feel are worth remembering.
Type #2: Fine art photography is more conceptual and often features specific themes, moods, or messages in the photos that make them unique.
Type #3: Photojournalism is not as photo-heavy as photojournalists shoot both images and video.
Type #4: Portrait photography is when a photographer captures someone’s personality in an image.
Which types of photography are most in-demand for clients?
- Landscape
- Architectural
- Wildlife
- Fine Art
- Photojournalism & Street
- Mono (black & white)
- Corporate Photography
Conclusion: Most Underappreciated Photography Tips
It doesn’t matter your photography level. There are always ways to get better and take your photography to the next level. Some of these tips will help you with that, but even if they don’t, hopefully, it gives you some inspiration for what can be done in a photo or what not to do.
For more photography tips, check out our helpful guides and resources.
