Photography Ideas - How you can Improve Your Photographs

Want to create something professional looking? Bored with your standard colour photos? There's so much you can do to make your photographs stand out before letting us create your canvas print. There's also many styles and effects we can apply here before we create your unique canvas, but here's a few things you can do to improve your photograph before it goes to canvas print.

Learn a bit about Photography

It won't take long and could make a huge difference to the quality of the photographs you take. Learn about light and dark, contrast, resolutions, anything you can find out to aid you when you go to take 'the' picture. Remember practice makes perfect so try out you camera in all conditions to see what works best for the effect you are trying to create. If you think you'd like to take up photography as a hobby there's a very large amount of information and help available through the web, magazines, and local groups.

Think About Props

Props can really add interest to a photograph, if chose wisely. They can also distract from the main subject of the photograph or confuse the viewer if not chosen correctly. Props should have a meaning, a purpose, to aid the feel of the picture with out distracting from it.

Consider the Colour of Your Props

Weigh up the colour of the prop in comparison with the colours of the main subject. For example, if you have a subject, for example a child, dressed in mute colours, don't have a brightly coloured prop nearby. It will draw the eye away from the subject and make them look less interesting. Equally, make sure the colours of your prop and your subject do not clash! If your prop is simply something for your subject to lean or sit on you can always change the colour by throwing a length of fabric over it.

The Importance of Positioning

You should also consider the positioning of your prop. Many photographers use the rule of thirds, for positioning their subject and their props. Position your prop on the line of one or two thirds into your image, depending on the position of your subject. Other use triangular shapes to decide prop placement.

Think about Proportions

Be sure your prop doesn't throw the proportion of your subject or background by looking abnormally small or large in comparison. Your prop may look ok with the naked eye but get behind that lens and it can all look rather different!

Think About Angles

Think about how different things look from an unusual angle. Even the most boring subject matter can become interesting from a peculiar point of view. Try taking photographs for your canvas from up high, or down low. For example, look directly up at buildings and trees, or down from a tall building try get a remarkable perspective on ordinary subject matter. Try getting very close to your subject, or sometimes very far away will work too with the right lighting.

Think About Movement

Your subject does not have to sit and smile at the camera to create a great photo. Quite often natural shots, taken when the subject is unaware, can be the best. A natural smile is a cut above a forced one on canvas. You may want to experiment with directing your subject. Props can help here. By giving a child a toy or toys to play with they can lose themselves in their imaginary world and forget they are being watched. This can create a wonderfully natural photograph. You can get adults to play games that can't be seen. For example get them to lie on their fronts with their heads resting on their elbows, then try to push the others out of shot by pushing their straight legs against each other. This will usually result in fits of laughter and a natural photograph.

Think About Backdrops

If you want a studio feel why not hang up a white sheet for a clean and pure backdrop. With no distraction your subject will certainly be the focal point of the canvas. If you're out and about check the backdrops around you. Just a few feet to the left or right could produce better results, check all your options before pressing that button! Be sure your backdrop doesn't distract from the main subject of your image. If the backdrop is that stunning, it may deserve to be a photo canvas of its own.

Take Lots of Shots

It is rare for any photographer to get the perfect shot first time. Professional photographers will take multiple shots of each required image, because there is most likely someone looking the wrong way, a gust of wind playing with someone's dress or hair, or some other inconvenience which means even the shot you think is 'the one' may not be. Be increasing the number of shots you take you are automatically increasing your chances of success. Don't worry about using up all your camera memory of you are using digital, you can delete the ones you don't want later.