Tired of Lame Photos? Here Are 5 Photography Tips for Non-Photographers

Let’s face it, taking good photos requires skill, and rookie photographers simply haven’t had enough experience to develop them yet. For even the greenest of beginners, though, there are some simple tips that can improve your photos right out of the gate. Here are five that should instantly improve your photography, and make your new hobby a little easier and more enjoyable.

1. Always Back Up

The first and most important piece of advice is to make sure you have all the photos you want to keep backed up. Almost all photos these days are taken and stored digitally, and like all digital media, it’s vulnerable to corruption, deletion, and disaster. Hedge your bets, and follow the old 3-2-1 rule of backups: keep at least three copies of your photos, on at least two different storage mediums, with at least one backup kept off-site. It’s best practice for all electronic data, but most especially for your photos, which may be impossible to duplicate.

2. Equipment Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

Despite what you might be thinking, buying expensive camera equipment won’t necessarily improve the quality of your photos, especially if you’re not sure what you need or how to use it. So instead of going to Amazon and buying the most expensive camera you can, go for a more cost-effective solution: buy an inexpensive 50mm lens and a cheap-but-sturdy tripod. The tripod will help with unsteady hands and shots with long exposures, and the 50mm lens is an excellent starter lens for those who want to get more serious about their photography. Neither will cost very much, comparatively, and between the two you can begin achieving some stellar photos almost immediately.

3. Learn the Rule of Thirds

This is one that every photographer has heard of, but that as an initiate in the trade you may be unfamiliar with. When you’re looking through your viewfinder or at your camera’s display screen, imagine that the image is divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically (i.e., imagine it’s divided into a three-by-three grid). When taking photos, try to line primary subjects along these dividing lines, especially where two lines intersect. This will help you create dynamic and compelling photos, and is the first step to making your photos look professional.

4. Adjust the White Balance

Ever notice that some photos have a weird blue or orange tint? That’s because ambient lighting can have a dramatic impact on the color of a photo. Your camera (even a point-and-shoot) has an automatic white balance function, which helps level out the color and makes it look more natural, but it’s not always accurate. Sometimes the automatic function will get it wrong, and that results in the picture having a weird hue. Learn to manipulate the white balance by yourself; it’s relatively easy, and it will do a lot to improve the quality of your photos.

5. Learn About Exposure

If you stick with it long enough, at some point, you’re going to want to take your photography to the next level. Learning about exposure is the key to doing just that, as it’s a foundational principle in photography. Exposure is the convergence of three camera functions: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. These three features are the base functionalities of the camera and are how photos are created in the first place. Get familiar with them, and learn how each one impacts the photo as they are manipulated. Knowing how to properly use exposure is the difference between a novice and an expert in photography.