For a little more than four years now, one of my all-time favorite hobbies is photography! My DSLR has been my companion on every trip, every new place I visited, every vacation and more. I got the chance to learn about photography during my undergraduate degree. And while we didn’t go into too much detail initially, all it took was an introduction to get me hooked on. Soon, I had gone to a summer class, I had read as much as I could find online and was trying to learn as much as I could.
One thing I realized early on is that photography is one of those arts that means a different thing to each person. While the basics remain the same, what I like in a photo might not be what you like. And what I want in the photo when I take one will not be what you look for. So if you’re trying to learn and excel at the art, stop comparing yourself to the others. Instead, look at others and find what you like about it, find what you don’t about it and learn it! And that’s the only way you’re going to find you’re own unique style.
For instance, I’ve always been more of an architecture and landscape photographer rather than people. It’s always been what I loved first, and what I wanted to capture first (which in all honesty, irritates my friends 😉 ). So find your thing and you’ll never stop clicking.
But like I mentioned, the basics are still the same for most people. So here are the 4 things to look out for in every photo you capture, DSLR, mobile or whatever technology you’re using!
- Hero the subject
Whatever you’re trying to capture and memorize through that photo, there’s no point if it’s in some obscure corner of the picture. So make sure you’ve hero-ed the subject! Whether you choose to put it in the center or pull the viewer’s eyes to the subject on the side or highlight with amazing lighting, remember that when you look at the photo years from now, what you want to see first is what you wanted to capture in the first place!
Hero the subject! - Framing
Another important aspect that keeps being mentioned is the framing. You can follow the rule of thirds, the golden ratio or create your own rule. But there are loads of reasons why people always say framing is important. For instance, framing adds depth to your picture, it gives context to the subject, it leads the eye towards the focal point and so much more.
Framing! - Lighting
In almost a continuation to the first two points, it would defeat the purpose if the picture is too bright or too dark. So find the lighting that you think makes your subject look the best. Often, we go darker to set a mood, or we go brighter to camouflage faults and there’s always a ton of things that go into how we choose to light our photos. Just make sure that the lighting reflects the picture the way you want it to and not just how you imagine it is.
Lighting - Make it look the way you want it to!
And most important of all, what matters the most is whether you love how the picture turns out. It’s about you enjoying the process, it’s about you liking the hobby, it’s about you loving the picture and it’s about the memory you will always associate with it.
Make it look the way you want it to!
So there you go, the 4 things to look out for in every photo you capture! I’m sure you’ll fall in love with photography all over again!
Also, also, also, if you’ve liked the pictures on this post and want to check out more of my pictures, please do check out my Instagram page (Â https://www.instagram.com/a_different_take/ ).
A Different Take 
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