As a photographer, it’s incredibly important to know what makes a great picture. Just having a nice camera and fancy tools isn’t enough to really make it in this industry anymore. Knowing what to look for and honing in on those specific things can help you capture truly unique, personal, and in the moment images that will hopefully help to set you apart from your peers. Here’s just a few things that I look for during a session

• Composition
I had a little bit of trouble deciding what was the most important aspect of an image. But finally after much thought – I came to the conclusion that composition should be the first thing you consider when taking a picture. Composition can actually make or break an image. There are some images that seem boring and mundane until you recompose them. For example:

Now I’ve seen many pictures of the bride and groom (or engaged couple) laying in this pose. But most often when you see this kind of picture – it’s a close up of their faces and maybe the tops of their shoulders. This is a uniquely composed image. Not only are we seeing their whole bodies at a nice little 45 degree angle, but we also have this wonderful circular tile pattern on the floor. Couple that with the brides fanned out train and veil and it makes a really beautiful eye-catching and unique image.

Here’s another good example:

I LOVE this picture! How cute is this little girl! I’ve seen so many pictures of little kids peeking over things, waiting for dad to get home, etc. But this one is from a different angle. You don’t often see a profile shot of the child. And this photo is taken so that that all the focus is on the girl’s beautiful blue eye and gorgeous long lashes! It just makes me smile every time I see it!

One more example of composition:

This is another image that takes a standard sort of pose and gives it an all new twist by changing up the composition. In actuality the coupe in this image is actually just a reflection. The only part of them we really see is the thighs down. The other interesting thing to note is that the couple is not distorted in the reflection – which actually takes a bit of preparation and patience to reach just the right angle to avoid a lot of distortion. All in all – this makes for a really unique image!

• Story Telling
This is a trait I personally find important – although not everyone does. I think the best pictures tell the story of the people in it. Now this may be some kind of artistic creation which can be really cool like in this picture:

But usually what I’m talking about is more just an image relaying an event that occurred, an emotion, or just a little about the people in the picture. So here’s an example:

I love this picture! There is so much awesomeness here between the lighting, composition, and story told. Obviously this is a proud new daddy. Sure maybe the babies not in full view and it’s a tightly cropped picture, but a story is very clearly told. You can tell this baby is brand-spankin’-new! And that Daddy is so proud and happy, and just look at that beaming momma in the background! I’d be willing to guess these are first time parents and they are just completely infatuated with this new little person. Love it!

Here’s another cute one:

Another picture I love! So since we’re focusing on the story here’s what I get from this picture. I see this beautiful, sweet little girl, soft colors and flowers galore. She’s the picture of little girl innocence and sweetness. She’s possibly making a wish while she’s blowing those flower petals, and it makes me wonder what she’s wishing for. I also feel as though I know what she’s going to do right after this shot. She looks up bright eyed and grinning from ear to ear. It’s just a simple picture that says a lot to me.

Here’s the last one I’ll show (and it’s the only one of my own I’m going to give as an example):

So here’s why I love  this image! Since I took this picture – I know this couple a bit. We so often see pictures of young people – it’s nice to occasionally see the contrast of those who are ahead of us. This is a couple who has obviously been together for a very long time. Married for who knows how many years. A couple that is very much still in love and enjoys spending time together. Even if it’s just to read the morning paper. I see love when I look at this picture and its the kind of love I hope to have when I’m their age.

• Emotion
We are often taking pictures of faces. Everyone’s face is totally unique and different and so much emotion can be seen just in a person’s face. So many, many, many pictures are of people’s faces. Here’s a great example of a highly emotive image focusing on people’s faces:

When I look at this image – I see utter joy. The happiness and glee between these two friends is just beautiful to see. It’s something that you might pose – but a genuine emotion that you can’t force. It’s the kind of picture that if this was me and my bestie – I’d be holding onto this for years so that when we’re 80 we can look back and realize how many years of fun we had.

Here’s my next example:

What an awesome father and child picture! This is another great image for story telling too. But the emotion and lighting is what makes this an awesome picture! That subtle smile, the peace and calm in dad’s face, the gentle way forehead is touching forehead… It’s as though this dad is trying to convey to his child telekinetically how much love he has for his little one. If this was a photo of me and my dad – I’d be cherishing this picture forever!

Here’s my last example:

Emotion in a picture doesn’t always need to be happiness or joy sometimes it can be something different – like sadness, loneliness, relief, peace, calm. It could be anything. This image conveys a completely different emotion than the previous two. I look at this picture and I feel like I’m there. I’ve done this exact thing before. Nothing fills me with more calm and peace than nature. Just being outside, feeling the breeze on my face, and letting go of my stress, worries and fears. To me this picture depicts relief, peace, and freedom.

• Detail
I find detail images to be fascinating and often some of my favorite images. We focus on people’s faces so much that sometimes it’s fun to mix things up and throw in some pictures of other little details to remind ourselves of the little things. Like in this image:

What momma doesn’t love sweet little baby toes or the reminder that at one point in time her baby’s legs could fit in her hands. Kids grow so fast – it’s these little details that we forget too quickly so having sweet little reminders like this is often the sweetest gift we could get.

Here’s another one I love:

This may be a small picture and heads may be chopped off, but I love how much content there still is to this image. I love the way her hands are tucked back towards her chest and he’s hanging on to her. I love the kiss and the composition. So much is captured in this image without showing their faces.

Here’s the last one:

This one is similar to the previous image but it’s even more subtle and tightly cropped. I love that all you’re seeing is their inner elbows, the tops of their inner knees and his hand. And yet you can still guess what the look on their faces might be. I also love thinking that perhaps this couple isn’t that type that likes PDA (public displays of affection) but they have their own little ways of letting each other know they’re thinking about them and they like having them close – like the subtle touch of his finger on her arm.

• Lighting
Lighting is the last element and probably one of the most important because you need light just to create a picture or to set a mood. I’m sure you’ve noticed some of the awesome lighting in the previous pictures, but I’ll give you just a few more examples. Here’s an interesting take on backlighting:

I love that the couple is the darkest part of this picture (which is the opposite of how you would normally shoot. I love the lens flare over the top of them and they style of silhouetting. I also love that the balloons become more translucent when backlit in this fashion. It creates for a really dynamic and unique image!

This is one of my favorite ways to utilize natural light. You can create awesome natural soft boxes by having your subject stand in front of a window and using those lovely sheer curtains to create the perfect soft box. One of the perks to shooting this way is that you get these amazing high contrast photos. Here’s another example of a single light source – high contrast photo:

See the awesome moody silhouettes you can create with this kind of lighting. With the solid black backdrop and the one back light you get the perfect silhouette of this gorgeous pregnant momma. It’s an incredibly visually stunning image.

Well there you have it. You now know the five elements that help in creating stunning imagery. Composition can help you take a standard pose and give it a new twist. Story telling can help you relay more about a person or couple in an image. Emotion is often one of the most important elements to a picture especially when conveying joy or happiness. Detail shots can make for a great reminder of the little things we love in others. And of course, lighting will always make a break a picture since light is what actually enables us to take a picture.

I hope you found this at least a little helpful or insightful. If nothing else – you got to see some beautiful pictures by other photographers. I hope you’re having a great Wednesday and that I’ll see you back here on Friday!

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