If you want to blog like a pro, then one of the most important things that you need to learn is how to take a good photo. Having a good photo to accompany your post can make it that much better and attract more viewers. So here are a couple of tips to help you to take great photos for your blog.
Know your camera or phone
Whether you’re using a camera with an f-stop and shutter speed or just using your smartphone, you need to know how your equipment works. So before you go out for a proper shoot, put in some practise time to familiarise yourself with your equipment. Go outside and experiment with different lighting and framing so that you know what effects you’ll get.
Rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is another important thing to keep in mind when taking photos. It is a photographic composition principle where an image is broken into thirds, horizontally and vertically, so that you have nine parts in total.
When positioning your subject or object, you want to place them in these intersections or along the lines so that your photo will be more balanced. If you don’t have a camera, your smartphone should have the option of switching to a grid.
Lighting
When it comes to lighting there are two basics that you need to understand when taking photos, which is direct light and diffused light. Direct light will create hard-edged dark shadows on your subject while diffused light scatters onto your subject from many directions.
Think of it as the difference between taking a picture in direct sunlight and taking a photo when it is cloudy. So depending on what kind of photo you want to take, you’ll need to take lighting into consideration.
Focus on one subject
If you have many subjects in your photo, sometimes it can be too distracting and take away from the overall composition. So rather than trying to fit many things into one frame, go for one interesting subject. When you’ve found that one subject, whether it’s a person or a plate of food, you should also make sure to take the time to set up the shot.
Your subject shouldn’t take up the entire frame, two-thirds of the photo should be negative space as it helps your subject to stand out. Negative space is the area around and between the subject of your photo, it can be a water, an open field, a large wall, etc.
Leading lines
When looking at photos, you’ll find that the ones that are more pleasing to look at will have a line that will draw your eye to a certain point in the picture. These are called leading lines. They can be circular or straight, like a staircase, a road or train tracks, and are great for creating a sense of depth in your photos. So keep an eye out for leading lines when going around searching for subject matter.
Symmetry
Another aspect that can greatly contribute to your photos is symmetry. When it comes to photography, symmetry means creating a photo that can be divided into two equal parts that are mirror images of each other. A picture that contains symmetry is very pleasing to the eye and is one of the easiest ways of composing an image. If you want to incorporate symmetry into your photos, then using grid lines will help.
These are just some of the basics that you should keep in mind when taking photos for your blog. The more you follow these, the less time you will have to spend editing them afterward.