Thirteen Ways to Create Compelling Images

The goal of every serious photographer is to create the most compelling images possible; images that viewers give more than just a casual glance. Here are thirteen ways to achieve this goal:

1. Pick the low hanging fruit first. When you see a scene or object worth photographing, take the first picture that comes to your mind. Then slow down and analyze what you’ve got. Move around until you see the composition that best captures your vision and take another picture. Repeat as needed.
2. Simplify. Some photographers try to include too much information in a photograph. When you compose a photograph, see what’s in the viewfinder. If what you see is confusing, zoom in to remove some of the elements. Cut to the chase and simplify the image. Less is more.
3.  Wait for the light. Sometimes you’re in the right place at the wrong time. If the light is harsh (also known as “Sucky Light”), wait a few minutes for clouds to diffuse the sunlight, or come back when the light is better.
4.  Do something different. Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and “look for an interesting shape that just happens to be a tree. You don’t have to photograph the entire object. Sometimes you find an interesting shape within an object. You can find interesting shapes everywhere.
5. Look for patterns. Instead of photographing a forest or a group of flowers, look for an interesting pattern, or look for a break in a pattern.
6. Notice what’s at the edge of the frame. When you look through the viewfinder, notice any elements at the edge of the frame that might distract your viewers’ attention such as brightly colored objects or bright spectral highlights. Bright areas give your viewers an escape route from your picture. When you see them, change the composition or zoom in until they disappear.
7. Look around. Sometimes photographers get in too much of a hurry. They snap one picture and then move on. Take the picture that caused you to stop and then look around. Look up, down and behind you, and you’ll probably find something else that piques your interest. Take a picture of that and then look closer. Sometimes there’s a picture within a picture.
8. Tell a story. Something made you stop to take a picture. Perhaps it was beauty, the color of the object, or the light. Take a picture that conveys that story to people who view your image.
9. Move it. If you stop to photograph a scene or object that captures your attention, but take a picture and don’t like what you see on your LCD monitor, move to a different vantage point and take another picture. Repeat until you get something you like.
10. Go with your heart and soul. Ignore the rules of composition. They’re guidelines. A photographer’s vision overrides the rule of thirds every time.
11. Create images to seduce the viewers’ mind and eye.
12. Create images that puzzle and intrigue viewers.
13.  Know the story you intend to tell before you take the picture.