Do you think your photos are boring? Do you think they don’t attract attention or that the person looking at them is unable to retain them on their retina for more than a few seconds? It’s probably true, because it’s a very common mistake that most photographers, amateurs and not so amateurs make 😉 There are many reasons why one of your well-intentioned images ends up being boring. Let’s look at some of the most common reasons why our images sometimes make even our most loyal fans yawn 😉
1. Choose a good topic
Although most subjects can be obtained interesting images with some effort and imagination, it is true that starting from a good base makes it much easier. I mean, we all respect that you like walls, but as artistic as it may seem to you, a wall is a wall, it doesn’t tell us much. Now, someone backlighting in a hurry in front of her, a teenager painting graffiti on a wall, a dog sniffing her, a shadow cast on her suggestively… They can help you get out of a “boring” subject.
Obviously the theme is free, as well as its infinite interpretations, but if you don’t want to easily fall into a boring image, it’s best to think of a suggestive theme before you start pressing the shutter. I don’t know, between puppies with sweaters and walls, maybe I’d start with the first 😉
2. Take care of the composition
We always say that an image is the sum of many things: technique, light, composition, theme, etc. Of all of them, the composition is perhaps the least obvious but at the same time one of the most powerful weapons that exist (photographically speaking), to express yourself in photography and get images shocking and full of strength. And just as they can help you get a great and interesting image, if you don’t take care of it, you can get the opposite effect: boring images, without a center of interest, or with an unidentifiable center of interest due to a composition error.
If you’re just starting out and there are too many concepts running through your head, the easiest trick to avoid boring compositions is to not do what we all do when we start to compose. search do not focus the center of interest. It is the typical and classic image that rarely has any type of compositional interest.
- Power your compositions through lines
- Power your compositions through perspective
- If you don’t want to center but don’t know where to place your center of interest, try starting by applying the rule of thirds
- Do not forget the importance of color in compositions. It can help you enhance it, contrast it, or simply cancel out the center of interest (imagine a strawberry on a red tablecloth…)
3. Move
Forget looking straight ahead, point and shoot, cowboy 😉 If you want bold and different images you will have to try a little harder. Before a scene, stop, think and move. Proof different shooting angles and points of view (high-angle, low-angle, zenithal, etc.) until you come up with an interesting image that conveys strength and interest.
4. Dive into manual mode on your camera
If you really want to get away from boring photos, you’re going to have to fully immerse yourself in the possibilities offered by your camera. Forget automatic mode. We always repeat it, but it’s like going from riding a scooter to driving a Ferrari, it has nothing to do with it, nothing, nothing to do with it. The world of possibilities offered by the manual mode of your camera is infinite.
- Try to play with the shooting speed: sweeps, lightpainting, zooming, high-speed photography, silky effect and a long etcetera that will surprise you.
- Try playing with the diaphragm: To isolate your protagonist, to integrate him with the scene, to enhance the center of interest and help you tell your story.
5. Pay attention to the context
Everything that surrounds your center of interest is equally important and can help you enhance your image and make it more interesting. Of course, it is important to stop and think about how to do it so that the background or context do not subtract information from your center of interest. Too much meaningless information means that our sight can get lost among so many elements and that a chaotic image results.
- Look for those elements that can enhance the center of interest or the message
- Avoid flat images, you can use several planes in the image to add a sense of depth
- If there is nothing in the context that provides relevant information to your image, close the frame
6. Portraits
A different and original portrait requires some planning. Do not limit yourself to the typical “here I catch you here I kill you-give me a forced smile-with whatever light there is at the moment”.
- Look for the best light you have around you
- original poses
- Different expressions (funny or not)
- Original clothes and props will help you get a different portrait
7. The human or animal element
As living beings, we are naturally interested in everything that is, especially if it is human or animal. Adding human elements has been shown to increase our interest in photography. By that I don’t mean that we can only do portraits, far from it. Simply that adding a person or something that reminds her, or an animal, our interest For the image increases. For example, a photo of a road can be interesting because of its lines, its vanishing points, etc. But if we add someone who walks alone through it, or even a shoe beside it, or a cat… Our image becomes much more interesting for those who observe it.
8. Some Photoshop… Why not?
For those who have a hand with editing programs and have some imagination, these are an inexhaustible source of material with which to work our images, combine techniques and avoid boring images.
A few days ago I found an illustrator who is dedicated to taking boring images from Instagram and adding humorous drawings of his own to his project “Photo Invasion”. His name is Lucas Levitan, you can see his pictures here 😉
9. Be original, get inspired without copying
Photography is like life itself. When you spend a few years in it trying to adapt, do things well, be like others, you realize that if we all do things “well”, in the end we all end up doing the same activities, going to the same places, dressing the same and , consequently, taking the same boring photos, don’t you think? When you have been in this life for a while, you realize that the important thing is to be yourself. It’s okay to socialize, be influenced, learn constantly, but you always have to keep yourself to give a touch of originality to our images and everything we do in general.
Better a few less likes on your social networks and a little more originality and of yourself even if you find yourself misunderstood, right? So now you know, let yourself go, be creative, innovate, practice, don’t fall asleep, strive and do everything with passion. I dare to assure you that if you follow these ingredients (and apply any of the points in the article 😉 ) you will hardly make boring images 🙂 .
I hope you found it useful, if so please share it so that someone else who might need it can take a look. Thank you and see you next time.