Five questions to ask yourself to become a better photographer

I’m sure you’ve heard the joke about the old man who tells his grandkids “when I was a kid I had to walk ten miles to school, in a blizzard..uphill!”

Well, there are times when that is exactly how I feel about photography.

When I was in photography school, there were no DSLR cameras. We used film camera and there was no such thing as even as simple as a built in light meter.

Getting a good photo meant lugging around not only the heavy camera with multiple lenses but a light meter (and sometimes a calibrated string) so that the proper exposure could be calculated. To make matters worse, if an error was made, it wasn’t until the film came back from the lab days later, that I would discover my photos were worthless.

Now that all the technical stuff is miraculously done for us, all one has to do is point and shoot. Sounds easy right? Not always. I know many continue to struggle to get a good final image. What if there were five questions to ask yourself to become a better photographer?

 Before you leave the scene of your photo, ask yourself these five questions. I promise it will make a difference in the quality of your images.

1. What is the focal point or subject of this photo?

Every photo needs to have a focal point. Perhaps it a person or a building or a dog? Take a look at your screen and if you see multiple things going on with no clear subject matter, try re-framing your photo and take it again. This time focus on what you want the subject to be. Below was the first of two images I took of glass bottles on display at a flea market. In my initial photo there is so much going on that the photo has no clear focal point.

In the image below, I changed my angle and re-shot.

Now the subject or focal point is clearly defined.

2. Is the photo properly exposed?

Even with the amazing smart features of today’s cameras it is still not foolproof. One bright window can throw off the in-camera light sensor. Double check that the image is not too dark or too light. If you shoot with an iphone like I do, then tap on the screen and use the sun icon to override the light meter and control the exposure. 

3. Is there anything distracting in the background?

After you take your photo, look carefully at the background. Is there a plant that appears to be growing out of someone’s head? Can an annoying exit sign easily be eliminated if you slightly switch angles? Will that  person in the background wearing a big white floppy hat soon move out of the frame? Most of the time all you have to do is wait a few seconds and people walk out of the shot or reposition yourself to remove any distracting objects. Remember, it’s much easier to correct the background in the moment than to be struggling to edit it out in an editing app later.

4. Does the composition looked balanced?

In any basic photography class, you will learn about the “rule of thirds”. This simply means that if you divided up the image in thirds both vertically and horizontally, then it is most pleasing to the human eye to have the subject matter falling along one of the lines of thirds.

This is only a guide and of course not every photo is going to look best following the rule of thirds. An example of when it does work is in the photo of the children below. See how the children are located in one of the thirds of the grid?

There are lots of composition "rules" in photography. Remember, photography is an artistic expression so don’t be rigid with the rules. Just ask yourself if the photo looks balanced. If not, re-frame and take another.

5. Would this photo look better with editing?

I’ve said this many times but almost ALL photos can benefit with some sort of editing. Is the exposure correct? Maybe it needs a little boost of contrast or saturation? Would the photo benefit from being cropped? What about white balance? All these editing features can take a good photo and turn it into a great photo.

Next time you are out with your camera, take a few seconds to ask yourself the above five questions. I guarantee your images will like professionals in no time!

If you are serious about improving your iphone photos then be sure to check out my online course "Better iPhone Photos".