Creating Quality Content - Two26 Photography

While I’m by no means the top photographer and I’ve still got a lot to learn myself, I’ve put together a few tips to think about while capturing & creating photos. With most phones now having amazing cameras and editing software, creating high quality content is easier than ever.

The first thing to remember, is there isn’t a right or wrong way to take a photo. Though there are some rules, it’s entirely subjective. So although these pointers can help you along the way, if you think it looks good, don’t let them hold you back! 

Phone wires, wonky fences, people. Lots of things can ruin or improve the background of your image. Before you take the shot make sure you look carefully at what’s behind the subject. Colours, lighting, you’ll need to have thought about what you’re shooting and where.

What’s the focus of the image, is it the entire athlete? Or is it the wider landscape? Think about what the image is trying to tell you, and then where you put the subject. If you’re shooting sport there’s likely to be an athlete in there somewhere, but you don’t always have to put them front and centre. Try to consider where you’re going to put them ahead of time. 

Is it going to be an athlete working hard, or a fan encouraging them? Thinking about the image and how you want it to make the audience feel ahead of time is going to be key to capturing a great image. Some of the feelings can be achieved through editing, but best to think about it before you take the picture! 

Composition is key. Straight lines, level backgrounds, the rule of thirds. These are things most people don’t notice, but help you be drawn into an image. Composition is key to making an image feel complete, if the subject is slightly out of place, it can throw off the whole image. You can move a subject slightly by cropping an image in post processing, but you can’t complete transform the composition so worth getting it in the camera.

Taste and style is constantly changing. There are usually a lot of different ways to edit the same image, so it’ll come down to choice on what effect you’d like to use. Trying multiple different editing styles will help you find your own photographic language, as well as find out what people respond to! It’s definitely worth editing the same image multiple ways, or finding other photographers you like and trying to work out how they might have edited the image.

As I said at the start, there’s no right or wrong way to take a photo, the hardest bit is just getting started! Take your camera to a race, session or out on a walk, and see what you can create. You’ll learn the craft really fast if you work at it. Can’t wait to see what you can do!