5 Tips For Taking Better Photos

Photography for me is one of the best ways to hone in on my skills as a creative. The principles that shooting photos teaches you allows you to learn more about lighting, composition, storytelling, and more.

Here are some of my tips I’ve learned over the years to level up the way you shoot photos:

1) Look For Different Angles

Often, we find ourselves shooting at eye level when taking photos, as it seems like the most natural thing to do when we draw our viewfinders up to our eyes. But, an easy way to enhance the diversity of your photography is to actively seek new angles to shoot from. Crouch down to get a lower perspective, or get even lower by placing the camera on the ground. Shoot from hip level. Try out a dutch angle, where you tilt the camera roughly 45 degrees in either direction. Point the camera straight at the ground or up to the sky. These are all just possible examples, but this is a great opportunity to really let your imagination run wild and shoot from all angles. Below is an example of a recent photo I took in Joshua Tree National Park, where I crouched lower to the ground to get more of a low angle, grand shot of these large rock formations.

A towering rock formation in Joshua Tree National Park.

2) Try Out “Natural Frames”

This is one of my favorite things to do when shooting photos. This is potentially easier with some categories of photography than others. I often take landscape or nature photos, and I love to search for “natural frames” in the environment around me. A specific example would be during the fall season, looking for low hanging branches with changing leaves to shoot through. Doing this creates a level of depth and focus in the image that otherwise might not be possible. Below, you can find an example of a photo of mine from a fall photo adventure in Boston a few years back where I put this into practice.

The Parkman Bandstand in Boston on a rainy November day.

3) Keep In Mind The Time Of Day & Weather

What time of the day you’re shooting and what the weather conditions are has a huge effect on the style and lighting composition of your photos, particularly if you’re shooting outside.

Sunrise and sunset are often ideal, because the light is more diffused and pleasing.

Mid-day, especially if it’s sunny outside, the lighting can be harsh when the sun is at it’s highest, brightest point in the sky. This creates harsh contrast between shadows and highlights.

When shooting landscapes and street photography, I often find overcast days to be ideal, since the clouds create diffusion, even under mid-day sun conditions. The only downside is that, depending on what you’re shooting, the cloudy sky can have an effect on the tone of your photos, potentially making them more moody. A blue sky conveys a brightness and generally more positive tone in an image.

Shooting at night, when the sun is mostly gone, provides it’s own unique challenges. You need to have a camera that performs well in low light situations, to prevent noise from ruining your image, or some sort of adequate light sources to bring up the exposure. This could be something more natural to the environment, such as shooting objects under a street light or next to a bright neon sign, or something more artificial by bringing in lights or flashes.

The photo above that I took of the Parkman Bandstand in Boston is a good example of thinking about a lot of these aspects - it’s overcast, so the lighting is very even and diffused, and it had just rained, which makes the pathways glossy and adds an overall moody tone to the image. All of which was accentuated by the way I edited the photo to add contrast.

4) Think About Lens Choice

Choosing the right lens for your photography is essential, as it aids heavily in the storytelling aspect of your photography. Taking photos at different focal lengths not only effects the physical result of your photography, but can elicit different moods and meanings.

Wide angles have a tendency to create grand, powerful images of subjects looking larger than life. Medium shots can create a “normalcy” to an image, simply capturing a slice of life, as medium focal lengths tend to mimic what we see out of the human eye. Long focal lengths can often create an intimate closeness and focus, separating a subject prominently from it’s background.

For more on what lens might be right for you, check out my previous blog post, “The Best Lenses When You’re Starting Out.”

5) Think About Scale/Juxtaposition In Your Photos

Juxtaposition is the act of placing two elements close together, often to highlight the contrast between the two. When I’m taking photos, one of my favorite ways to create this contrast is to position people or objects in a scene that adds a certain grandness to the scene. A good example of this is in this photo below that I recently took on a trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

A lone hiker traversing through a rocky desert in Joshua Tree National Park.

I could have easily not included the hiker in the photo. In fact, I took a few versions of this exact photo where the hiker had not stepped into frame just yet. But, by including the hiker in the photo, it creates a sense of scale. The hiker seems so small in comparison to the environment around him, with the towering rocks along his path. Including the hiker also creates depth because they are more in the foreground, and what is on the path ahead of them is more in the background. These two details, the positioning and size, create this grandness to the image that is even more apparent with the hiker remaining in the image. In addition to creating juxtaposition with position and size, you also can do this with other aspects such as light and color.

The Best Lenses When You're Starting Out

The answer to this is pretty subjective. You’ll find a variety of answers out there.

In my opinion, the answer to this is entirely dependent on what type of content you’re shooting and what skill level you’re at. But overall, there are a lot of factors to take into account when selecting lenses.

Here are the main aspects I would take into consideration when looking at a lens, particularly when you’re just starting out:

1. PRICE

   It’s no secret that lenses can be incredibly expensive. They are definitely an investment. When you begin to go down the path of searching for and purchasing a lens, it’s important to take into account what you can afford versus what you want. When you’re just starting out, I’d recommended going for a “middle of the road” price range - which will be different for each person depending on your budget. If you’re really serious about the purchase, I would personally avoid going too cheap. If you save up and invest in decent glass (note: people often interchangeably use “glass” in place of “lens”), it will last you. Based on current lens prices, a price range I would consider would be anywhere from $500 to $1200. This price, again, is so dependent not only on what you can budget for, but also on what you’ll need the lens to be capable of, which we’ll get to next.

2. LENS MOUNT TYPE

   Pretty much every camera manufacturer has a different lens mount. Canon has the EF and RF mount. Sony has the E mount. Leica has the L mount. There are a few that cross camera manufacturer barriers, such as the PL mount (that mount style is typically reserved for cinema cameras). When selecting lenses, you’ll want to take this into account. Prices can also vary across the lens mount types. A good example is how much Canon RF mount lenses cost versus Canon EF mount. While EF mount lenses are still expensive as well, because RF lens technology is so new and more innovative, the prices are higher. Given this, you might be more tempted to buy a Canon EF mount lens and get an EF to RF adapter to be able to put your EF lens on an RF body. Related to this, brands like Sigma and Tamron make lenses that are available in multiple lens mount types, and are often more affordable than the name brand lenses. Quality can vary on third party lenses, but it really just depends on which specific lens you’re looking at from these manufacturers.

3. SENSOR COVERAGE

   Lenses are designed to cover certain sensor sizes. You’ll want to note what size your camera sensor is when selecting what lens to buy. If you have a full frame camera body, you’ll want to get a lens that can cover full frame. If you don’t, and say buy a lens that only covers Super35/APS-C sensors, you’ll at the very least get heavy vignetting at wide focal lengths, and possibly lose other qualities such as sharpness. On the flip side, if you have a lens designed for full frame cameras on your Super35/APS-C body, you’ll have a decent amount of crop. This can be advantageous in some situations if you want to get longer focal lengths with a usually cheaper and smaller camera body.

4. FOCAL RANGE

   You’ll want to figure out what focal range you need your new lens(es) to cover. And with this, do you want to invest in a zoom lens, which can be more versatile and more bang for your buck? Or do you want to invest in a set of prime lenses, which can achieve generally better image quality? Like I said, as you’re starting out especially, a zoom lens can be really useful. You can buy one lens that covers a wide range and you don’t have to worry about swapping lenses. But, investing in a set of prime (or even just one prime lens to start) can also be a good option. If you were going to invest in a prime lens, and only pick one to start, I’d think a lot about the main type of content you’re shooting. What does the kind of shooting you do necessitate? If you are a photographer that shoots wide landscapes primarily, I’d recommend getting a wider prime (16mm, 24mm). If you shoot a lot of portraits, I’d go with more of a longer lens (85mm). If you need something more versatile, go for a medium distance (35mm, 50mm). This thought process can also be used for selecting a zoom lens, but just thinking more about what versatility you need from the focal range.

5. AUTOFOCUS

   Not all lenses have autofocus capability. This is particularly true of cine style lenses. The manufacturer’s of these cine lenses are designing them for film sets where there is a focus puller. If it’s important that the lens you buy have autofocus, be on the look out for that in the specs. Also, note that the newest lenses will (most times) have the best autofocus technology within them. So if you were, for example, looking at buying the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, the 3rd generation of this lens (denoted as “III” in the product title), will have the quickest and most effective autofocus response.

6. IMAGE STABILIZATION

   This goes hand-in-hand with point #5 - not all lenses have image stabilization built into them. This is often a trait of mostly photography zoom lenses. Image stabilization can come in handy when shooting handheld especially. Some camera bodies have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) built in, and when coupled with a lens with image stabilization, you can achieve some smooth results. A lens with image stabilization can come in particularly handy if you have a camera body with no IBIS. At least the lens with provide some help in controlling the image’s stability.

7. FOCUS READ-OUT

   This is kind of a small detail, but one I wish I knew to look for more when I was first starting out. If you want to be able to have a visible, numerical readout of what focus point you’re at, and you want the focus ring to physically stop at the beginning and end of the focus range, you’ll want to look for that in a lens. Some lower end lenses don’t have either of those, particularly the kit lenses that come with most DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Especially when your camera doesn’t have any sort of focus assisting features, this can make pulling manual focus a nightmare. In most circumstances, at that price point, you’re probably just using autofocus, but if you want to do something like night sky photography, knowing what focus point you’re at is crucial.

8. FIXED VS VARIABLE APERTURE

   This common lens trait is often the sign of cheaper versus more expensive glass. A fixed aperture on a zoom lens means that the given aperture will stay throughout the focal range. For example, if you have a 24-70mm lens with fixed aperture, when you set your aperture to f/2.8, your lens will stay at f/2.8 no matter if you are at 24mm or 70mm. A variable aperture means that the aperture will change as you zoom in or out. For example, if you have a 18-55mm kit lens and you set the aperture to f/3.5 at 18mm, when you zoom into 55mm, the aperture will close down to probably around f/5.6. Variable aperture can be a problem if you want to have a live zoom move while shooting video, as you will see the light change through the focal range. It can also pose a problem in low light situations if you need to zoom all the way in on something. So knowing whether a lens has a fixed or variable aperture is important.

9. PHOTO LENSES VS. CINE LENSES

   I’ve already touched on this in some of the points above, but there are distinct differences between a lens designed for photography and a lens designed for filmmaking.

   PHOTO LENSES:

   1. Don’t have rings with teeth for changing focus (you have to buy an adapter if you want to use something like a follow focus)

   2. Often have autofocus and image stabilization built in

   3. Can have variable aperture

   4. Generally cheaper than cine lenses

   5. More lightweight

   6. Available as prime lenses or zooms pretty equally

   7. Most are varifocal, meaning the focus changes when the focal length of the lens changes

   CINE LENSES:

   1. Parfocal, meaning the focus does not change when the focal length of the lens changes

   2. Don’t have autofocus or image stabilization

   3. More precise manual focus, iris, and zoom controls

   4. More artistic/stylized

   5. Generally heavier than a photo lens (but not always)

   6. Most often prime lenses, but zooms are also available

   7. Cine zoom lenses don’t expand or change in length as it adjusts the focal distance internally, which is more convenient for camera setups

   8. T-stops offer a more exact measure of the amount of light that passes through the lens

   9. More expensive than most photography lenses (but not always)

Now that I’ve listed all the aspects of lenses to consider, here are some of my personal, general recommendations for lenses to start out with, within price ranges. I have these listed as Canon EF/RF mount lenses, but you can find equivalents for most of these for whatever camera manufacturer/lens mount you prefer. Or, you can also find adapters to adapt these specific EF/RF lenses to a variety of camera bodies:

PRIME LENSES

LESS THAN $500

1. Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Lens | $249

2. Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Lens | $499

3. Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens (Canon RF) - The “Nifty Fifty” | $169

$500 TO $1000

1. Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF | $779

2. Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF | $779

3. Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF | $779

OVER $1000

1. Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens | $2499

   (Alternative: Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF | $1199)

ZOOM LENSES

LESS THAN $500

1. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens | $149

2. Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens | $299

3. Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens | $499

$500 TO $1000

1. Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon EF | $679

2. Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM Lens | $899

OVER $1000

1. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens | $1299

2. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens | $1899

   (Alternative: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art Lens for Canon EF | $1299)

3. Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens | $2199

Choosing The Right Camera

While I do think there is often an overemphasis on camera choice over other aspects of production (especially on social media - good audio and lighting is equally if not more important than camera choice), being able to assess what camera is right for you or the job you are trying to accomplish is crucial. It can be an overwhelming decision too, with so many options out there and things to consider.

Here is my non-exhaustive list (in no particular order) of key considerations to take into account while determining what camera you want to use for a shoot:

1. What format do you need to shoot in? (HD, SD, 35mm Film, Super8, etc.)

   The basic decision that needs to be considered here is whether you are shooting digital (4K, Ultra HD, 2K, HD, SD, etc), on tapes (MiniDV, VHS, etc), or on film (35mm, Super 35, 16mm, Super16, 8mm, Super8, etc).

2. What types of shots are you trying to get? (Handheld, Tripod, Steadicam, Jib, Gimbal, etc.)

   From a more practical perspective, this is where the camera’s weight can come into play.

   Handheld can be difficult with smaller cameras than larger ones, but you also have to factor in how much you can physically lift. With larger cameras, this is where something like an EasyRig can be helpful.

   Tripods are built to handle specific weight ranges. This is crucial not only for safety reasons, but also for how the tripod performs. (You don’t want to put an ARRI Alexa 35 on a $10 plastic tripod and you’d look pretty silly putting a Sony a6400 on a tripod designed for cameras over 30 pounds)

   Gimbals are similar to tripods, they are only made to handle so much weight. If your camera is too heavy in particular, it can be hard to balance (if not impossible) and damage the motors of the gimbal.

   Jibs and Steadicams are also built to handle a certain amount of weight. With a Steadicam, if your camera is extremely light, the operator will have to find a way to add additional weights to get the Steadicam to balance properly.

3. Do you need to match existing footage?

   If you’re working on a project where footage has already been shot and you need to seamlessly integrate new footage, you’ll want to consider that fact in choosing a camera. Each camera manufacturer uses different color science in their cameras, and that color science can also vary between different models. With modern advancements in color correction, programs like Adobe Premiere Pro and Davinci Resolve can color match most cameras, even if they are from different manufacturers, but this should no be used as a crutch for all situations. As always, achieving what you need in camera is better.

4. Do you need multiple cameras that all match?

   This goes hand-in-hand with point #3 here, but if you are working on a multi-cam style production, odds are you will want you cameras to ideally all be the same, at the very least the same camera manufacturer. This is not a hard and fast rule, you could get away with mixing cameras in some situations, but it is still something to think about.

5. Do you need to capture internal/on-board audio?

   This is less of a consideration on most consumer and prosumer level products (phones, DSLRs, mirrorless cameras), but some high end cameras don’t have any sort of built in microphone. Many ARRI and RED cameras don’t have any built in mics, so the only way you can get audio is by feeding it an audio mix from your mixer or attaching an external microphone of some sort. Unless you sync your video and separately recorded audio on set using timecode, this can pose a problem for syncing your video and audio in post production if you record to one of these cameras and don’t feed it any audio.

6. Do you need external audio inputs? What kind of inputs?

   If you’re planning on hooking up some sort of microphone to your camera, you’ll want to know what kind of audio inputs a given camera has (could be 3.5mm, Mini XLR, or XLR) and how many of them there are.

7. What kind of lens mount will you need? (PL, Micro 4/3, EF, RF, etc)

   If you have a certain lens or set of lenses you’d like to use with the camera, you have to make sure that you pick a camera with the right type of lens mount. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use the lens at all, or you’ll have to see if there is an adapter available for the conversion you need to make. Not all lenses can be adapted to all lens mount types, and some lens adapters do have an effect on the image, such as adding a crop. It’s also important to note that lenses are designed to fit certain sensor sizes. For example, if you attempt to put certain Super35 lenses on a full frame camera, you’ll notice some possible deficiencies in the lens quality, such as vignetting.

8. Do you need something that can go underwater?

   Certain cameras, like modern GoPros, are waterproof and don’t require any sort of housing to keep them safe (up to a certain depth). But most other cameras require special underwater housings to be able to go deep underwater. Often people will use the fish tank trick to achieve an underwater effect, but if you need to go deeper you’ll need a waterproof housing. This can limit your camera selection, because not all cameras have waterproof housings available.

9. Do you need a camera with SDI inputs? HDMI?

   Knowing all the ports available to you on a given camera is important. If you plan on sending your camera’s feed to an external source (whether that’s to another monitor, to a computer, etc), you’ll need to know what outputs it has. HDMI is often found on more consumer/prosumer level cameras (and can come in a variety of sizes - standard HDMI, mini HDMI, micro HDMI). It isn’t always as secure as an SDI connection, which physically locks into place. SDI is more commonly found on higher end equipment. Something important to note as well - a signal can be carried further with SDI than HDMI, which is why you don’t really find HDMI cables in lengths longer than 50 feet.

10. Does the camera need to have good low light performance?

    A common trap less experienced filmmakers fall into is picking a camera that has extremely good low light performance (such as the Sony A7sIII) and thinking they don’t have to worry about having a good lighting setup. A strong lighting setup should come first before worrying about a camera’s low light capability. Although, this aspect is still important to consider in many circumstances. It just shouldn’t be used as a crutch to forgo good lighting. A camera with good low light performance can be important when shooting in naturally dark spaces where you may not be able to bring much (if any) lighting (ex. a concert if you’re a concert videographer). Assessing a camera’s low light performance involves many factors, such as dynamic range, available bit depths, sensor size, and more.

11. Do you need to shoot in slow motion? Super slow motion?

    Not all cameras shoot in high frame rates or have slow motion modes (such as Sony’s S&Q mode) available. Many lower end cameras only shoot up to 60fps, and if they do shoot at higher frame rates like 120fps, you are limited to only shooting in 1080p HD. This is important to look into if you want to shoot something in slow motion. If you want to shoot in a super slow motion format, you might be limited in your choices as well. There are a few different cameras now that can shoot 240fps (such as the GoPro Hero 10 and Sony A7sIII), but if you want to go beyond that you’ll have to look at high end cameras like certain RED cameras (the highest they offer is 600fps) or Phantom cameras.

12. Does the camera need to have both photo and video capability?

    Having a hybrid camera solution can be useful if you’re doing a lot of both photo and video production. An example would be the Canon R5C. The R5C is a more professional hybrid camera solution, as it contains the same excellent photo capability of the R5, but also incorporates many great aspects of Canon’s cinema cameras. To me, the Canon R5C is like an R5 and Canon C200 put together, in one small body. Part of this decision comes down to preference, as certain folks might like to have two separate, dedicated cameras for these tasks.

13. Does the camera need to be able to shoot LOG? RAW?

    Not all cameras have the ability to shoot LOG or RAW footage, even though it is becoming more and more common to find. Certain cameras may only shoot certain types of LOG or RAW too. The Canon R5C, for instance, only shoots in C-Log 3, whereas the higher end Canon cinema cameras, like the C300 MKIII, can shoot C-Log 2 and C-Log 3. Some camera manufacturers also offer varying degrees of RAW shooting too, such as Canon’s Cinema RAW Light.

14. Does the camera need to be able to shoot at a certain bit depth?

    Bit depth can be important to consider, especially if you are planning on doing heavy color correction/grading, VFX work, or green screen keying. Many consumer level cameras only shoot in 8-bit, which has a low amount of color information. Many prosumer level cameras can shoot 8-bit, but also 10-bit, which includes more color information. 10-bit is suitable for most general video production situations, but again if you are planning on doing heavy grading or VFX in post, you might want to look into a camera that is capable of 12-bit.

15. Does it need to have built in ND filters?

    Having a camera with built-in ND filters can be great for certain situations. If you work on more run-n-gun style productions, such as documentaries, having a camera with built-in NDs can be not only a time saver, but the difference between getting the shot or not. Built-in ND filters do have certain limitations though, as many don’t go beyond 8-stops or so.

16. Does the camera have all the in-camera monitoring features you want?

    Not all cameras come with all types of monitoring features, even though they are becoming more standard. If you need monitoring features like false color, focus peaking, RGB parade, etc. - you’ll want to make sure the camera you’re looking at has that. If you end up opting for a camera that doesn’t have some of these features, you can also buy an external monitor that has these features as well.

17. Do you need to be able to record for long durations?

    The ability to record for long durations can be important if you are shooting long form interview pieces or something like a podcast. In a way, this kind of marks the distinction between what manufacturers view as a video-focused camera or a photo-focused camera. You’ll find a lot of consumer and prosumer level DSLR and mirrorless cameras do not shoot for durations longer than 30 minutes. This is in part to prevent overheating, especially since many of these camera bodies are so compact, and control memory management. Some say that this limit also comes from the fact that in the European Union, there is a bigger tax on cameras that are able to shoot over 30 minutes, as they are classified as video cameras after that point. Camera manufacturers created this limit to avoid the tax. If you want to record for longer durations and have no limits, you’ll want to look for that in the specs of each camera you look at.

18. Do you need the camera to have reliable autofocus?

    You don’t need autofocus in all situations, such as when you have a dedicated focus puller on set or your subject is fairly stationary so you can just dial focus in manually yourself, but it can be important for certain circumstances. Autofocus capability in cameras has come a long way, with Canon and Sony having some of the best autofocus systems out there. It is important to do your research though, because not all autofocus is the same. For example, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras have autofocus capability, but in my experience as well as other’s, it does not work well at all.