{"id":71,"date":"2015-02-24T23:05:06","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T23:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/?p=71"},"modified":"2015-03-24T17:35:34","modified_gmt":"2015-03-24T17:35:34","slug":"how-to-take-better-photos-part-i-composition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/2015\/02\/24\/how-to-take-better-photos-part-i-composition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Take Better Photos, Part I \u2013\u00a0Composition"},"content":{"rendered":"<body><p><\/p>Did you know that on average, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.popphoto.com\/news\/2013\/05\/how-many-photos-are-uploaded-to-internet-every-minute\">Buzzfeed research<\/a>, there are 27,800 photos uploaded to Instagram and 208,300 to Facebook per minute? So how do you make your photos stand out in a sea of eye candy?\n<p>Fear not \u2013 we have plenty of photo tips that will take your photos from mediocre to masterful in no time.<\/p>\n<p>Think of the composition of the photo as the building blocks of a good photo. You could photograph a model, but if the subject is standing in the middle of the frame with nothing to frame her, the photo lacks movement and interest.<\/p>\n<h1>\u00a0Remember the Rule of Thirds<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/B1P1.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-72\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/B1P1.png?resize=620%2C413\" alt=\"Rule of Thirds - Lightning\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/B1P1.png?resize=620%2C413&amp;ssl=1 620w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/B1P1.png?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gone are the days when you took your kids to get \u201cprofessional\u201d photos done at the mall department store (at least, we hope so.) Today, nearly everyone owns a digital camera or a smartphone, and can call himself a photographer. Whether you want to spruce up your family photos to strut on Instagram, or you\u2019re looking to take your photography skills to the next level, keeping your photo within the rule of thirds can help.<\/p>\n<p>The rule of thirds is a loose guideline that applies to the composition of your photo. Ignoring this rule can create uninteresting, and even awkward photos. By positioning the subject in one of the four places the imaginary rule of thirds grid intersects, the photo is given balance and interest.<\/p>\n<p>Some digital cameras and smartphones have this grid available to use as an overlay while you\u2019re taking your photo.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>Don\u2019t be Afraid to Try New Angles<\/h1>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/b1p2.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-73\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/b1p2.png?resize=620%2C414\" alt=\"\" width=\"620\" height=\"414\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/b1p2.png?resize=620%2C414&amp;ssl=1 620w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/b1p2.png?w=939&amp;ssl=1 939w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>How do you know which angle will make your photo look the best without trying them? You don\u2019t. Taking the same photograph from a variety of angles is the best way to learn what angles create the best photographs in different situations.<\/p>\n<p>Different angles can create anything from a better perspective, to a better-composed photograph. For instance, if you\u2019re shooting a portrait and you\u2019re facing toward the sun, you\u2019re likely to get an unwanted lens flare and a washed-out photo. However, you might find that by positioning the sun behind you or to the side of you creates the effect you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<p>Stand on something, squat down, move to the left, move to the right, angle your camera down on the subject, or angle it up at the subject. Don\u2019t be afraid to move.\u00a0Afterward, you can choose which angle you like best, and learn how to position yourself better next shoot to save time.<\/p>\n<p>Many professional photographers will take tens to hundreds of photographs before they get the one they\u2019re happy with. This is a normal part of the process. The more photos you have to choose from at the end of the shoot, the more likely you\u2019ll find one you like.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>Practice Makes Better<\/h1>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/B1p3.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-74\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/B1p3.png?resize=577%2C721\" alt=\"\" width=\"577\" height=\"721\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Every photographer will admit they have room to grow and get better at their craft. However, like any art, the more you practice, the better you\u2019ll become. Don\u2019t get discouraged if your photos aren\u2019t what you want them to be\u2013 keep practicing.<\/p>\n<p>Practice is where every professional began.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the truth is that\u2013 as any avid Instagrammer knows\u2013 it often takes about 10 tries to get the perfect photo,\u201d said Lauren Conrad on her personal blog.<\/p>\n<p>Indulge in some of her tips and tricks on the anatomy of a good Instagram photo <a href=\"http:\/\/laurenconrad.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/tips-tricks-how-to-take-the-perfect-instagram\/\">on her blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h1>Happy Snapping!<\/h1>\n<p><strong>Practice composition and post your favorite photo below and let us know why you chose the angle you did. We can\u2019t wait to see what you come up with!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that on average, according to Buzzfeed research, there are 27,800 photos uploaded to Instagram and 208,300 to Facebook per minute? So how do you make your photos stand out in a sea of eye candy? Fear not &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/2015\/02\/24\/how-to-take-better-photos-part-i-composition\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6,8,9,7,4,5,10],"class_list":["post-71","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-camera","tag-camera-tips","tag-composition","tag-photo-tips","tag-photograph","tag-photography","tag-rule-of-thirds"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/B1P1.png?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions\/116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryangphoto.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}