What Makes a Good Photograph

There are several components that go into a brilliant photograph. Lighting, depth of field, focus, subject matter, isolation of a subject, etc… All great photographs have a synergy of these elements, a balance, which draws the viewer in. To really become a great photographer, you must begin and understand the basics.

One of the first steps that can bring you from a 'picture taker' to a 'photographer' is the understanding of how to arrange your photograph. Placement of a subject (graph), focus or depth of field used, elimination of distracting elements and proper lighting are things you must become aware of. The basics of photography are general rules which you must learn and understand before you break them- similar to the rules of grammar and punctuation in writing. By simply following these steps, you should see a dramatic change in your photographs.

A large difference between most peoples vacation pictures and photos you see in magazines is where the subject lies. You would think that the best place to put your subject is smack in the middle of the photograph, this is the first step. Imagine a grid, similar to a tic-tac-toe game with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines dividing the image into nine evenly spaced rectangles. When looking through the viewfinder (or cropping an image), place the subject at one of the intersections of a vertical and horizontal line- in other words, off-center towards a corner of the image. This tends to give an image some context and allows the viewer to examine the whole image, rather than just focusing directly on the center of the photograph.

You can use depth of field to bring more attention to your subject, or eliminate background clutter. Depth of field is the range of focus in your photograph and is controlled by the F-stop. The smaller the number of your F-stop, the narrower your range of focus. This is most prevalent in zoom or telephoto lenses (lenses larger than 50mm) as the distances become exaggerated. This allows you to blur the background, or bring attention to the sharp focused areas. As a general guideline, portraits and single subject photographs tend to have a narrower range of focus, or depth of field; whereas landscapes and panoramic style photographs have a very large range of focus.

You should be aware of all the elements in the image and remove all that could be distracting or cause the viewer to be distracted from the overall beauty of the image. A distracting branch, a post behind a person's head, an out of focus bright yellow car, any of these elements can cause distraction away from your subject and a failed image. This can be more difficult with fast, action photography, however, a good study of the viewfinder and even a depth of field check (if your camera supports that ability) will result in a much more predictable image.

We will begin with natural lighting, as it is all around us and most of us are pretty familiar with how it acts. There are two 'golden hours' during the day for photography, dusk and dawn. Photography (especially outdoor photography) at these times will usually result in a rich, warm and textured photograph. During this time, the sun tends to be low on the horizon and a bit softer reducing harsh shadows and evening out the bright and dark spots. It also allows you to light more effectively by placing yourself between the sun and your subject.
Flashes or strobes can act as an enhancer (flash fill) or be the primary light source. On camera flashes tend to be too low and create harsh lighting causing images to appear flat. It can also cause red eye in portrait and wildlife photography, opt instead for a raised 'hot shoe' or detached flash to better influence the angle at which the light hits the subject. For indoor photography, a technique called 'bouncing' can be used for adjustable flash units. This technique 'bounces' the light off of a wall or ceiling towards the subject, similar to bouncing a ball. This allows for a more natural lighting angle, and diffuses the sometimes harsh flash. Lighting is an area to really become creative in, as it is a huge component in how an image will look. Unique lighting techniques such as the under lighting on this Malichite Butterfly can produce images with a lot of personality, and really 'make' the image. Have fun with it and see what lighting can do to enhance your photographic experience!

Author: Jean-Paul LaCount