{"id":203623,"date":"2016-11-30T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2016-11-30T14:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightstalking.com\/?p=203623"},"modified":"2020-04-07T20:32:25","modified_gmt":"2020-04-08T00:32:25","slug":"how-to-improve-your-photographs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lightstalking.com\/how-to-improve-your-photographs\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Genuinely Want To Improve As A Photographer? Share The Ideas Behind Your Images"},"content":{"rendered":"

Presenting The Thinking Process Behind Your Photographs To Improve Your Photography<\/h2>\n

Us photographers know full well, “good enough” is never good enough<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

You should always strive to make the most you can out of any\u00a0idea<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ideas aren\u2019t something that you come by every day, but with enough practice, you\u2019ll learn to develop them more and more until you achieve a complete product.<\/p>\n

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Image by David Mark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photographs<\/a>\u00a0may often look pretty good from where you're sitting, and although you\u2019ll notice the areas in need of improvement, you might be inclined to let them slide and address the issues “next time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

However, experience tells me, there is no next time<\/em>. You should do it now<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You have to force yourself to make the most<\/strong> out of a photograph, even if it means redoing it 50 times.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll provide you with two examples to show you how to improve your photographs<\/strong><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Photographing Architecture<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I was wandering around my hometown, which is undergoing a massive overhaul, and I saw this piece of new baroque architecture that I wanted to photograph.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My immediate instinct was to capture this arch with the clouds in the background. It had nice contrast and color, so I took this shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

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First picture. It looks quite nice, but something was missing when I looked at it closely. Photo by Dzvonko Petrovski. All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Problem<\/h3>\n

I then soon realized that it could be better.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Architectural photography is all about making the arches and every crease in the concrete pop<\/strong>, so I decided that I\u2019d make a high-contrast picture.<\/p>\n

But then it became clear that the clouds would have too much contrast<\/em> and it would become a distraction. Hmmm, back to the drawing board on this one…
\n<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Second shot. Black and white. This had higher contrast, but still not enough for me. Photo by Dzvonko Petrovski. All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Problem Solved<\/h3>\n

In order to solve that problem, I decided to shoot ten photos at a longer exposure<\/a><\/strong> (I closed up the aperture to the max and fitted a CPL filter in order to trim out even more light).<\/p>\n

So, ten shots with 2-second exposure each turned out to be 20 seconds of exposure.<\/p>\n

\"how
The final image. This is something I like. Yes, the clouds could use some smoothing, but I'll do it when I get an ND filter so I can do it in a single long exposure. Photo by Dzvonko Petrovski. All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Portrait<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Portrait photography can often be deceptive, even to the photographer. It's easy to believe the portraits came out great<\/strong> when in reality they were just average<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is simply because most models (especially if their gender is opposite that of the photographer) can distract the photographer from noticing that the picture (final product) is missing key<\/span> elements.<\/p>\n

When I photograph models, I usually break everything down into stages<\/strong>, especially when the models are friends of mine. So in this case, I took some shots of my friend and tried to build upon it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"how
First image. This was the root of the idea. However, it was too plain to stand out. Photo by Dzvonko Petrovski. All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How Could I Improve This?<\/h3>\n

Without a doubt, it was a decent portrait, but it could be better.<\/p>\n

It will improve as you add more elements to it. So after some make-up and some magic with the hair, the portrait is starting to improve and it is already more interesting<\/strong> and appealing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it is more flattering for the model.<\/p>\n

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After discussing it with the model, we agreed upon the basic makeup and look. This was the second stage of the idea development. Photo by Dzvonko Petrovski. All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To Further Improve…<\/h3>\n

What if I can do even better?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, I can always<\/em> do better. So can you. Never stop thinking about improvements. They can always<\/em> be done, and the more you dive into it, the better the results will be.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I decided to find a better spot to photograph<\/strong> the model so as to have better light<\/strong> and background.<\/p>\n

Using just a reflector<\/a><\/strong> to fill in some light and a better background, the portrait is now complete. Of course, some portrait retouch (a process which is explained in depth here and here), and some post-production magic is necessary to make a truly great final product.<\/p>\n

\"how
This was the final result. Light was set up properly and the background was dimmer and more homogenous. The final idea was to give the image a look that was sleek, classy, and a tad retro. Photo by Dzvonko Petrovski. Model: Monika Pavlovska. All rights reserved.\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Every idea can be built upon with the goal of realizing what more you can do to improve. You must push yourself to do better<\/strong> all the time. Be reasonable, of course.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t dwell on a single idea for years, but you can spend more than 30 minutes to further develop that idea, right?<\/p>\n

So, here are some great tips<\/strong><\/span> I have to offer you:<\/p>\n