TL;DR Take a moment to look at your subject in a different way.

So many times we see something image-worthy, and we pull out our big honkin’ SLR camera with the big ‘ol lens (is that just me?), or our handy pocket sized point-and-shoot, or more than likely our PHONE, cuz that’s the one we have with us most of the time, and we capture the beautiful/interesting/adorable/disgusting thing we see right now, just as we see it, to save for all time.  And then we look at the image we just captured, and it’s JUNK. It’s flat, it’s boring, it’s dull, it’s blurry, it’s overexposed, it’s underexposed, it just doesn’t capture the essence of what we saw!

And sometimes, that’s the best it’s going to get!  Some scenes occur so quickly that there really isn’t time to capture them well, to do them justice with a camera. Not even Photoshop can help that mess!

But a lot of the time, if we slow down and take just a single minute longer… we can put a little more effort into really portraying that beautiful/interesting/adorable/disgusting subject and getting an image worth showing off to our friends and family.

So what can we do in just a few moments to improve an image?  SO MANY THINGS!

• Focus – Not your camera, focus YOU.  Take a few seconds to really LOOK at your subject and observe what it is about it that drew your attention.  NOW you can focus your camera on that detail, and share with the rest of the world the amazing thing you saw.
• Move around – Literally walk around your subject (where possible) and look at it from different angles.  An amazing composition may magically appear to you when you move around your subject even a step or two. The light and shadows may be better, or that tree behind them may no longer be “growing out of their head”, or the buildings behind it may line up just so, and suddenly your composition is so much stronger.  Seriously, just a few steps. Indulge me.

• Change your perspective – We have a habit of taking our pictures exactly as we see them right now. But what happens if we sit down? Stand up? Squat? Lie down? Climb up on a chair? Climb up in a tree?  Turn our head sideways? Yes, I know it’s not always appropriate or possible, but when it is, try changing your position. If nothing else, this may allow you to see your subject in a new way and change your perception of it, even if it doesn’t grant you a better picture.  *Especially* with kids and animals, get down on their level, and see how your image improves.

• Get close – This one isn’t always appropriate, because sometimes we really do want to capture that great big scene.  But if we want an image of little Susie with the goat at the petting zoo, we don’t need a picture of the entire petting zoo including the thirty other people there.  Get as close as you can while still keeping them both in the frame. Move your feet if you have to.

• Get even closer – Really.  You just got a great shot of Susie and the goat.  Now get closer. Use the zoom in your camera if you must, but it is almost always better to zoom with your feet.  See if you can get just Susie’s darling rosy-cheeked face, eyes aglow and intent on the weird way goats move their mouths.  See if you can get close enough to make little details like her eyelashes your primary subject.

• ***Bonus tip*** You can focus your cell phone camera usually with single finger a tap on the main point of interest.  Normally, your phone will automatically try to put the entire scene in focus, but if the focal point should be the flower pot, not the building behind it, get that flower pot in the scene, then tap on it. As much as possible, your phone will do it’s best to get the flower pot in focus, blurring the building behind, creating separation, and adding more visual interest to your image.

You probably won’t remember to do ALL these things every time you raise a camera to take a picture.  But if you have a minute and you remember to do even one of them, you’ll improve your picture taking a bit.  And the more often you do one (or more) of these, the more often you’ll remember it, and the sooner you’ll start using more of them.

Now go!  Get your camera, even if it’s just the one in your phone. Each time you pick it up to take a picture ask yourself if you can take a few more seconds to get a better (or your best!) picture.  And whatever you do, HAVE FUN!