3 Habits To Improve Your Photography — Without Buying Anything

I need a new camera!

If I only had that newest model camera I could take better pictures!

Have you ever felt that way?

I think most of us have felt the urge to go buy a new camera or piece of technology, but do you need the newest and best camera out there to improve your photography?

Let’s think back to the reasons you like taking pictures.

• Some people take pictures to record a memory of that experience. We used to call those “snapshots”.
• Maybe you admire the famous photographers of long ago, Henri Cartier Bresson or Ansel Adams, and you’re inspired to take serious photographs.
• Perhaps you have many friends on Facebook or some other Social Network and would like to share your experiences with them.

Whatever your reasons for taking pictures, before deciding to buy a new camera, consider these 3 things that will improve your photography with any camera, even your smartphone.

1) Hold the camera steady and level the horizons.

When most people see something and they want to take a picture, they just point and shoot. Sometimes that’s enough, and the picture turns out great. Other times, however, the image is blurry or crooked. We may not even notice at first, but when the horizon is not level the picture looks like a poor quality snapshot.

When you take a moment to level the horizon and see what is within the frame before you shoot, the pictures will improve immediately.

2) Notice the background behind your subject.

How many times have you seen a picture of someone with a tree coming out of their head?

This may seem an obvious thing but it continues to be a problem for many people.

By moving the camera over just a few inches you can avoid that. The key is to see it before you take the picture. Good photography is about seeing, not just pushing a button.

By training your eye to see the details quickly, your photography will improve.

3) Keep your subject off-center, preferably using the “Rule of Thirds”.

Yes, it’s true. Some subjects deserve to be in the center of the picture. But most pictures benefit by locating your subject off-center. The “Rule of Thirds” is more of a principle than a rule.

When we locate our subject using this principle, it almost always improves our pictures.

So, what is the “Rule of Thirds”?

When you look through the viewfinder (or back of camera LCD for some), imagine lines that divide the frame into three portions horizontally, and three portions vertically. Where those lines cross is the best place to locate the subject. Some cameras have a setting that puts those lines in the viewfinder (or on the screen) to make this easier.

Oh, and one more thing. If your subject is a person or even a flower, face the subject into the frame, so they are facing towards the middle of the image. If the subject is facing out of the frame, it makes the viewer wonder “what is he looking at?”. Sometimes that adds interest to the picture, but most times it’s better to have the subject facing in.

So what’s a good reason for buying a new camera?

A new camera may have a faster or more accurate focussing system, or it may have better image resolution. There may be features that inspire you to experiment and try different methods of taking pictures. Or maybe you want to shoot videos and the newest model does a better job for you.

These may be good reasons for you to buy that shiny new camera, but remember a camera is just a tool, the same as a hammer is a tool for a carpenter. A new hammer won’t make the carpenter build a better house, that’s determined by his skill.

In photography, visual organization can stem only from a developed instinct. — Henri Cartier-Bresson

In the meantime, practice improving your photographic skill with the camera you have or your smartphone. Your pictures will improve dramatically.