how to take better photographs

I once knew a guy who took the worst photos I've ever seen in my life - and he did it as a profession. He would spend thousands on equipment without knowing a single thing about how to actually capture good images, and his work suffered badly for it. Considering he'd quit his job to do it full-time, his family expected him to actually be able to make an income from it - and yet, most of his work would be unpaid and unwanted, and most importantly, goddam awful. Whilst good equipment is great, being able to take photos people actually want to spend time looking at is so much better - and so, I've pulled together some ways in which you can make your photos more unique and, more importantly, not absolute crap like that photographer.

Plan your timings

Soft colours and different tones often result in some of the best photographs, and I find that if you want to add a small contrast to your photos then shooting either really early in the morning or in the evening can render some of the best lighting - also, there's less likely to be tourists swarming about every corner in the twilight hours.

Framing

Yesterday, I flew back from Adeje, and looking back at my photographs some of my favourites have been ones where the mountains are framed with trees, or where door frames obstruct the focus. Mess around with the foreground and background and add depth to your images.

Use a tripod

Especially during long exposure or dark shots, using a tripod is one of the most important things to make your photographs less shaky and more focused. You could take the best photo in the world, but if it's blurred when you look back at it then you'll be hella mad at yourself.

VR and IS

Speaking of shaky images, if you have to take tricky photos handheld, it's definitely useful to learn about VR (Vibration Reduction) and IS (Image Stabilisation), options that most good cameras should have on the body.

Focus on a subject

A photo of, say, a beach, may be great, but adding diversity to an image to enhance the look of it can definitely work in your favour. If a surfer suddenly jumps to the ocean, or a kid's clown is sat entertaining on the sand, getting them in the shot can both make it more interesting and have something to draw your eye to.

Get on the ground

Different angles can be used to shape up images. If you're walking down an old street full of cobbles, getting down low to get in the whole scene would help enhance the image, along with if you were to get close to action such as ocean waves or lavender fields.

Use sh*t weather to your advantage

Don't be put off by bad weather conditions, as you often find that they could add an atmosphere to a photo. I went to the Lake District and the stormy skies overhead looked so much better than if it were clear and blue, and are definitely more intriguing than a lot of the shots I shot there in the sun.

Always be prepared, don't leave the house without your camera
You miss out on 100% of shots you don't take - and it's kinda hard to shoot when your camera is in the back of the car.

Ask the locals for good spots

After all, they have probably lived there for years and scoped out some pretty good locations. Whilst guide books and research can hint at some good locations, actually going out and getting lost will give you so much more variety than your average tourist.

Shoot in front of the tourist

Looking back at photos I took years back, I'm so mad that I took some great photos but with a tourist wielding a smart phone in the corner or a group of people jogging past when they're blocking what I'm trying to photograph. Shoot in front of the rogue tourists, instead of getting them in view. If all else fails, Photoshop is great for editing out the odd arm or crouching Englishman.

Editing is your friend!

Speaking of which, editing photographs can be useful in so many ways. Ever seen a photo of the Aurora Borealis, with the vibrant greens stretching across the sky? Yeah, they didn't really look like that. Subtly enhancing colours and themes can really make a photo pop, and will work in your favour if you're careful not to go overboard.

Shoot in RAW

One of my friend's father's is a photographer, and on a trip away with his family he taught me that shooting with JPEG and the like make it so much harder to edit at a later date, and will obstruct the quality of the overall image. Whilst it may take up more memory, shooting in RAW is a sacrifice you will be glad you made.

Learn how to use a camera

If only that photographer I mentioned at the start actually knew how to use his equipment, eh? Learning the ins and outs of your camera is one of the most important things you can do - don't just shoot on automatic!

Be Patient

Here's an example of me not following my own advice, but I really admire people who spends hours waiting to catch the perfect sunset or a bird taking flight, and I love photos like that. After all, patience is a virtue, right?

POV

I only mentioned this because I adore POV shots! I can't remember the name of the couple that shoots all their shots with their hands holding in the shot, but they're some of my favourites and I can always tell when a photo belongs to them. Add a voice to your photos and give the viewer something to relate to.

Stalk the web and magazine for inspiration

Think Pinterest, Wanderlust mag, National Geographic's Instagram. I spend so many hours just scouring the pages of photographers I love, and I've easily learnt a thing or two from just that. At the very least, you'll end up with a massive list of places you want to go to.

Layer your images

I mentioned earlier about introducing a foreground to your images, but layering in other ways is also important. Say a mountain range, sometimes it'd so much more interesting to see four of five peaks in alignment than just one long summit. Many different layers can really enhance an image.

Get lost

Ditch the map and bugger off to some backstreet a sunscreen-slathered tourist wouldn't even dream of venturing to for more unique shots.

Hone basic photography skills

Think about the Rule of Thirds, utilising light, etc. Angles and editing is all great, but some prior knowledge to what people find most aesthetically pleasing is also good. I took a photography class for two years, and whilst I will probably never use a lot of what I learnt, it's good to understand how it all works.

Change the perspective and experiment!

Finally, experiment! That's the best. Does the focus reflect off a mirror? Is there a hole in the wall that overlooks the subject? Some vine leaves snake into the shot? Go wild, photography is one of the most fun forms of art, and changing things around and messing about is what makes it so great. If you can't enjoy doing it, what's the point? Even if you're like the crap photographer I mentioned earlier and your images are super grim, so long as you've enjoyed it, its been worth it. Although, don't expect others to praise you on it.