“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”-Ansel Adams
Happy Tuesday everyone! Today is 'Photography Tips with Hannah' day. Personally, I love a good critique. I like to turn my mistakes into opportunities to grow and get better photos. So without further ado, here are the top five things I think one should focus on when trying to make an eye-catching photo.
1. Always focus on the eyes. If your subject is a person, it's very important to have their eyes nice and sharp. Eyes are windows to the soul and the first thing people look at in a photo. Focus first on the eyes and then set up your composition.
2. Try putting your subject on the left or right of your frame. Let's be honest, sometimes putting your subject in the center totally works but a lot of the time it works better to have them to the left or right. Plus, it's extra fun to get creative with it. In the photo below, I have the points marked in red on a grid that I tend to put my subjects face in/near. It may not always line up, but it's a good guideline to go by.
3. Make it POP. Depth of field (a.k.a. f/stop) can add so much to your photos and make your subject really pop. Choosing a low f/stop (f 1.2-f 2.8) will make your background blurry and help the focus go exactly where you want it to go. I love it. I think I shoot most of my photos on a low f stop haha!
4. Angles, angles, angles Try taking a photo from up high or down low and show things from a different perspective. In daily life, everyone sees things from wherever they're standing. But you can kneel down, lay down, squat, climb on a chair, hang off a cliff (just kidding…sort of) and get different angles that a normal person wouldn't naturally see.
5. Wait for it. Smiles, laughing, joy. It's what we love to remember. The good times, the memories, those special moments. To capture those moments, sometimes you just gotta wait. The trick is to be ready. Challenge yourself by taking your camera everywhere you go for a week. If you see a moment, go for it! Practice makes perfect :)
All photos were taken by Hannah Victoria Photography. To see more, visit hannahvictoriaphoto.squarespace.com!