9 tips and tricks to instantly improve your photography

There has never been more demand for photography in history—more than 300 million photos are uploaded every single day. So how can we stand out from the crowd? Here are 9 tips and tricks on how you can instantly improve your photography game.

Tip #1: Nail your focus

The first tip to instantly improve your photography is nailing your focus, and I’m not just talking about the sharpness of a photo. There are a few different ways you can lead your audience’s eyes. One of them is by using a shallow depth of field (or by your composition). If you want your audience to look at the clothing more than the subject, you should focus on that more than his/her face.

Tip #2: Shoot through

This photography trick is done by placing an object in front of your camera. This creates bokeh which helps creates depth in photos.

Tip #3: Use movement

Try putting your shutter speed in a slower setting, this will helps create an illusion that something is moving. This instantly gives a sense of emotion, improving your photography.

Tip #4: Backlit

Whenever I’m shooting outdoor or with natural light, I know 100% that placing my subject against the light will always look great. I use this almost all the time when shooting with natural light.

Tip #5: Play with your angles

One of the most common mistakes of photographers is that they don’t change angles. Next time you take a photo try playing with high and low angels, changing your camera position, or even tilting your camera.

Tip #6: Cut your subjects limbs between the joints

You’ve probably heard this photography tip before but I can’t stress enough the importance of this. Cutting your subjects limbs at the joints looks unsettling, it’s better if you cut the limbs in between the joints, not at the joints.

Tip #7: It is ok to edit

In this day in age, editing is essential to photography. If you like to shoot portraits, it’s ok to retouch the photos and remove skin blemishes. If you like to shoot landscape, it’s ok to do HDR in post-processing. Understand that our cameras don’t have the same dynamic range as our eyes; they can’t exactly capture the way you see the subject. For editing, I like using Wacom tablets. This makes my retouching easier and faster.

Tip #8: Set it to auto

Some might disagree with this photography tip, but it’s ok to put your camera in aperture priority or shutter speed priority. This will help you focus on your subject and composition. Putting the camera in auto mode can be great to use when shooting events or when light is changing fast.

Tip #9: Maybe it’s time to upgrade your camera

If you are already doing these photography tips and tricks but still feel like your images are lacking that extra “POW,” consider upgrading your camera to a full-frame sensor if you haven’t already. Full frame cameras have shallower depth of field, better dynamic range, better ISO performance, and have a greater variety of lenses to choose from than crop sensors. Full frame cameras are more expensive than crop sensors but will improve your photography significantly (hence the reason they’re expensive). If you are in the market for one, Best Buy has a great selection of camera gear to choose from. 

These are some of my tips and tricks on how to instantly improve your photography and take it to the next level! Share some of the photos you took with these techniques by using #BestBuyPhotoTips on Instagram! If you are looking to upgrade your camera or getting a new lens, tripod, and any camera accessories, make sure to check out Best Buy’s camera department for great deals!