Every day, millions of images are posted and published. For your images to stand out from the proverbial ‘crowd’, it’s always a good idea to get a bit creative, when taking images. Try taking a photo of a subject from a completely different angle to anything you have tried before. Try shooting from different heights and use varied focal lengths. Don’t look at other photography competition winners and replicate his or her winning image(s), as it has already been done. Try angles that, quite literally, shouldn’t work according to photography rule books. You may take 50 shots, all from different positions and angles, yet only one of those images will be that unique one that works.
With digital photography, it doesn’t matter how many images you take. Shoot like crazy, experiment and see what works and what doesn’t. Try placing your subject in direct line with the sun, using the subject to cover it. You could end up with some pretty funky backlighting and effects. For those of you that own wide lenses that go to f2.8 (or smaller), get creative by focusing on just one part of an image and blur out the rest. Some will work, some won’t, but that’s the fun part of experimenting.
If your preference is for macro photography, water has the potential creating many different moods and effects. Photographing rain drop reflections can be very rewarding and create some great artistic effects. For example, try shooting a spider’s web just after sunrise, after it has rained. The subtle light can create sublime rainbow-coloured effects, especially with the sun shining at just the right angle (see image above).
For wildlife, don’t always photograph the whole animal. Try a head and shoulders portrait, or simply take shots of a bird’s feathers or a reptile’s scales. If possible, photograph just the animal’s eye(s) for a striking effect.
Images that are perfectly sharp, well composed and photographed in good lighting are nice, but do they create a positive reaction when someone looks at the image for the first time? With so many images being posted online every day, it’s an idea to showcase images that evoke a reaction, just by being ‘different’.
When looking at the winning images of photography competitions, you will often see shots that are truly unique. Judges will always agree and disagree on what’s images are winners but often it’s the ones that are ‘out there’ that win these competitions.
The best advice I can give:
“Get on out there with your camera and give anything a try. It costs you nothing and will get your creative juices flowing”
If you have a passion for wildlife, nature or travel photography and would love to go on a small-number, professional photography adventure, please get in touch with Michael Snedic at WildNature Photo Expeditions. You can call him on 0408 941 965 or fill in this Contact Form and he will get back to you ASAP.
