HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

By Janis Connell

1. Get out and shoot. You can't win if you don't play!

2. Join our club--we have lots of events. Check out the Events page of this website.

3. Ask others to critique your photos.

3. Regardless of what kind of camera you have, learn about composition. This is the easiest and least technical way to improve your photos. The concepts of composition are consistent throughout the art world. Study other artists and photographs. You can learn to develop an eye for unique and stunning compositions. It is not necessarily an innate talent.

4. Learn to critique a photograph. Our club leader, Janis Connell, prepared this presentation on photo critiquing. Check out the resources at the end of the presentation

5. If you're using a phone, use the edit feature to straighten horizon lines, crop out distractions, etc.. Play around with filters, light balance, color mixing, etc. Common beginner mistakes are:

Exposure Issues--Overexposed (too bright) or underexposed (too dark) images.
Focusing Problems--Focusing on the wrong part of the subject. Especially when photographing people, ensure the eyes are sharp. The same is true for wildlife.
Including too much background and foreground--Beginners often include too much in the frame, leading to distractions. Get closer to your subject, use the rule of thirds, and pay attention to the background to avoid clutter.
Centering the subject--While sometimes effective, centering can lead to a static and uninteresting image. Experiment with the rule of thirds and other compositional techniques.
Not using leading lines and depth--Use elements in the foreground, like leading lines, to draw the viewer's eye into the scene and create a sense of depth.
Straighten horizons--use the crop tool to make sure your horizons are straight. This is a very common beginner mistake.
Other composition concepts to explore--Balance, Simplicity, Layers, Framing, Leading Lines, Symmetry

6. Once you've got the concepts of composition under your belt and you have edited a few phone photos, it's time to get technical. Learn how a camera works.

7. Learn about the Exposure Triangle--Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO.

These three settings work together to determine the exposure. Understanding how to balance them is crucial for getting sharp, well-lit images.

8. "Develop" your images using photo editing software. Most common tool is Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom is great at organizing photos and has very powerful editing features.

9. Learn to tell a story with your photos--more advanced, but you can do this with any camera.

10. I can't say it enough--Get out and shoot. You can't win if you don't play!

11. Join our club--we have lots of events and we are all here to learn and improve. Check out the Events page of this website.