5 Beginner Tips for Better Photos

Monday 27 May 2024, 18:36 by Nando Harmsen | 4,633 views | 11 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

There are several things you need to consider when taking good photos. Camera controls, exposure, composition, editing and so on. It is easy to take the wrong path, leading to disappointing results. If you are starting out in photography, keep these tips in mind.

1. Change your perspective

Vary the height of the camera. Do not only take photos standing up, from eye level. Try a frog's-eye view. Or a bird's-eye view. Show the world from a different perspective.

Instead of a low viewpoint on the access road, as everyone photographs it, this time from the side with flowers. It is a completely different perspective.
It is important to vary things. Sometimes eye level works well, sometimes it does not. Sometimes a frog's-eye view, and at other times a bird's-eye view. Even if you have already seen many examples of a particular place, you can always do something different and capture it in a completely different way.

2. Do not use cheat sheets

Finding a good exposure or composition can be difficult. There are countless cheat sheets for this. Do not be tempted to rely on them. It is better not to use them, because they are not the solution to a successful photo.

There are endless types of cheat sheets. In many cases, they are pointless. It is better not to use them.
Photography is not about having to set the exposure manually. Or about using the rule of thirds. Let the circumstances guide you. Every situation is unique, and that cannot be summed up in a cheat sheet.

Do you want to set the exposure manually but find it difficult? Then choose aperture priority. Do you find composition difficult? If the image in the viewfinder looks pleasing, it is often simply good. Above all, practise a lot and try things out. You will learn more from that than from a cheat sheet.

3. Different equipment will not make you a better photographer

It can be so tempting. A new lens or a new camera. But it will not make you a better photographer. Adding a lens will not give you better photos, and a different camera is not the solution to better exposure.

New Fujifilm cameras. They are fantastic, but your photos will not become more beautiful or better because of them.
Of course, equipment is important. But it only matters when you reach the limits of your current equipment. Since equipment has been incredibly good and comprehensive in terms of features for years, you will not reach that limit quickly.

4. Do not overdo the editing

You take a good photo with the camera. You do not achieve it through editing. Editing can only make what is already good a little more appealing.

Excessive editing. It attracts attention at first, but that is often not positive attention.
So do not overdo the editing. That will often not make a photo better. Quite the opposite, in fact. Do you shoot in raw? Then you are not obliged to go to extremes either. If it is good, it is good.

5. Keep it simple

There is no need to contort yourself to create a special photo. A good exposure is simply good, and you cannot make it more than that. Do not make your composition too complicated, because too much is too much.

Do not make things too difficult. A simple photo is more accessible and ultimately more appealing.
Do not try to cram everything into a single photo. Select what is important and leave out the rest. Do not look for complex arrangements of image elements. Keeping it simple will make your image much stronger in many cases.

Do you have any more tips?

Perhaps you also have a tip you would give to a beginner photographer. There are more than just these five. Share your tip in a comment below this post.

This article is based on Shotkit: Beginner Photography Mistakes.

Share: WhatsApp Facebook

About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

10 Tips for Beginner Photographers
by Elja Trum
10 tips for photographing mushrooms
by Nando Harmsen
Practical tips to become a better photographer
by Elja Trum
Composition tip: Use symmetry
by Elja Trum
5 Tips to Improve Your Photography in the New Year
by Nando Harmsen
Composition tip: Creating a sense of urgency
by Elja Trum

Show every article in Basics

home

11 comments

martinphili wrote on Monday 27 May 2024 at 19:30 | reply
Goeie tips, helemaal naar mijn hart. Niet te technisch, integendeel zelfs. Volg je gevoel, zet je camera desnoods gewoon maar op de automaat.
Ik zou daar nog als tip bij willen voegen: fotografeer vooral wat je zélf leuk vindt. Als je binding hebt met je onderwerp gaat het als vanzelf.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 08:58 | reply
Dat is een waardevolle tip: fotografeer wat je zelf leuk vindt. Dank je wel.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Monday 27 May 2024 at 20:17 | reply
Even een plaagstootje Nando . Jij hebt toch ook een spiekbriefje bij jouw HAIDA ND filterset in gebruik? Je had het erover in een cursus
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 08:57 | reply
Laten we die dan maar 'Sluitertijden afleestabel' noemen
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Liesbeth Verkade wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 14:16 | reply
Dank je Nando. Heldere tips, niet alleen voor beginners!
Ik heb ook een tip: neem de tijd om je foto te maken. Bij mij ging het nogal eens mis omdat ik te snel wilde zijn.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 15:00 | reply
Een waardevolle toevoeging: neem je tijd.
Dank je wel, Liesbeth
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Vercauteren Freddy wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 14:34 | reply
Nuttige tips Nando, eerst kijken en dan afdrukken en het moet niet altijd perfect zijn. Foto's neem je toch ook voor jezelf en niet om anderen te imponeren, alhoewel dat ook leuk is natuurlijk. En voor de smart phone "fotografen" het is ook mogelijk om een horizontale foto te maken.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 15:01 | reply
Yes... Inderdaad. Het hoeft niet altijd perfect te zijn. Top.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Helen Brandenburg wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 14:48 | reply
Duidelijke tips! Ik ben zelf in het begin vaak de mist ingegaan door midden op de dag in volle zon te fotograferen. Niet doen!
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 15:02 | reply
Waarom zou je niet midden op de dag fotograferen? Ik doe het zo vaak. Daar is niets mis mee.
Je moet gewoon goed letten op het gebruik van licht en schaduw.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 28 May 2024 at 15:04 | reply
Ik heb er al eens een artikel over geschreven: https://www.photofacts.nl/fotografie/rubriek/landschapsfotografie/landschapsfotografie-tip-ga-ook-eens-fotograferen-in-daglicht.asp
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.

Become a better photographer every week

A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
39,219 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via Facebook. Sign-up secured with Google reCaptcha.

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

Photofacts is made possible in part by