3 tips on how to take freaking awesome pictures

Ok, so check it. Some people know how to just pick up a camera and take freaking awesome pictures.

It’s like they have some kind of secret language with shadow and light - it’s kinda scary.

And then you ask them how they do it, they’re all like “oh, I don’t know. It just comes naturally.”

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Don’t you hate that?

Yeah, me too.

Meanwhile, your pictures? Totally blown out. Or too dark. Or someones head gets cut off.

But it’s all good. Why? Because whether it comes naturally or whether they’re full of crap, there ARE some basic rules that anyone can master. And sure, while creating works of art with your camera phone may take time, at least you’ll learn a few tricks to help you figure out the rest on your own.

1. Know your lighting: If you care about nuance and pretty colors, never. And I mean NEVER. Ever. EVER take a picture during midday when the sun is at it’s highest. Not only can your images look burnt out, but if you’re taking pictures of people you will inadvertently highlight every hollow and every wrinkle. Actually, if you really don’t like the person you’re photographing, then by all means, shoot at high noon. But if you want your photography subject to feel good about the way he or she looks in the picture — or at least not mired in self-hatred when they see their haggard and hollowed out features — then shoot when the sun is a decent angle.  (Sunrise and sunset are your friends, and will allow you to keep your friends.)

“But what if I’m not taking pictures of people?” I hear you cry.  Same rule still applies. Sure, while colors can look vibrant at midday, they’ll look at lot better when the sun is filtering in gently from the side. If you can swing it, and if you have a banging espresso machine, then shoot at dawn. Otherwise, aim for the hour before sunset.

2. Learn how to count. No joke. You know how in fairy tales there are always 3 fairies or 3 brothers or 3 wishes? There’s just something magical about the “rule of thirds.” Here’s how it works:  Basically, you should imagine your picture is divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines. (3x3 is 9, people!) The cool things in your picture should be placed along these lines or where they intersect. Basically, doing this creates a more interesting picture. 

Now that’s what I’m talking about:


Law of thirds, baby. Law of thirds.

3. Make it interesting. Yeah, OK, trees and mountains are all pretty and whatnot, but unless your Ansel Adams that crap gets boring fast. So ditch the pretty scenic shots that could totally show up on calendar for a mortuary. Instead, find something dynamic that challenges you. Birds in flight! A plume of smoke! A busy street scene crowded with colors! And if that’s too hard, find SOMEONE interesting with a face that tells a story.

And you know what? Use Pixplit as your muse. See what people are uploading to a split, and use that as inspiration. See half a building? Find another one to shoot from the same angle.



Now that’s interesting.

So there you go. And remember, these rules aren’t hard and fast - but the do provide a solid framework so you can get better at taking pictures. And then go out and break the rules.