A Little Change That Will Vastly Improve Your Photos

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Let’s look at how to transform a good photo to a great photo. Often, the difference between a good image and a great one is the smallest of details. Sometimes it is just that little difference in the person’s expression that makes an image stand out while other times there might be a small distraction in one image that can take away from the photo. All great images have to start with strong composition so let’s start there.

Compositional Tools

There are a number of compositional tools for your photography toolkit which we have discussed in the past: rule of thirds, bird’s eye view, worm’s eye view, backgrounds, foreground interest, vertical vs. horizontal composition, symmetrical images, details, and quality of light. Remember, just like any skills, these tools need to be practiced to become second nature.

The different tools that you have been adding to your photography toolkit will help you compose stronger images. So how can you take what you have learned and make those images even better?

Taking Your Composition to the Next Level

As you develop your compositional skills and add them to your Photography toolkit, the next step is to make small changes that make those images even better. Often times it is just a little change that can make all the difference in your image. A slight shift here or there, including or excluding something or being more aware of the edge of your frame or background.

There is nothing worse than capturing an image that you are excited about only to go back home and review the image and see something wrong with it. Something that you could have avoided when capturing the image.

So when you have found a composition that you like, don’t just settle for capturing one image. Capture the image and ask yourself what changes you can take to make that image better. ALWAYS look at the background and the edges of the frames as that is where the majority of distractions in images get missed.

Training You Photographer’s Eye

Let’s start by training your photographer’s eye to see the problems or issues. Look through the following comparison images below. Start by dragging the slider so the image on the left is fully visible. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. Are there any distractions or elements that hurt the composition?
  2. What could be improved?

Then move the slider to see how I tried to adjust my composition to fix what I thought was a problem with the first image. Finally, read my thinking in the accompanying text under the series of images to get an explanation of what I did to try to improve the first image.

  1. In the first image (left side) there are a number of distractions. You can see through the doorway on the left side of the frame and see a busy market in the background. The right side of the frame also has distracting elements.
  2. To improve the composition, I moved to my left so I could no longer see through the doorway and zoomed closer so the elements on the right were out of the frame.
  1. In the first image (on the left) the walkways out over the water connect to a wall on the left side of the frame. I didn’t like how the viewer’s eye was drawn to that part of the image and it took focus away from the three fisherman. I also didn’t like how the second fisherman’s silhouette is connected one of the other fishermen.
  2. In the second image (on the right) shifted my frame to the right to have more space in front of the fishermen and so the walkways were not connected to the shore. The viewer’s eye is drawn from the left side of the frame to the fishermen.
  1. The first image (on the left) has some distracting elements at the top of the frame which draw attention away from the subject.
  2. To improve composition, I zoomed a little closer so the repeating concrete blocks extend to the edge of the frame.
  1. In the first image (on the left) the archway behind the statue cuts through the top of the head.
  2. In the second image I move further away from the statue and adopted a slightly higher perspective so the archway behind the statue framed the head.
  1. The first image (on the left) has a distracting patch of grass in the bottom left corner that I didn’t like as I felt it was wasted space and didn’t add anything to the image.
  2. In the second image, I slight adjusted my position and zoomed closer with my lens so that the patch of grass was not in the image.
  1. I wanted to use a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of people coming past this man. Whenever I use a slow shutter speed, it is a good idea to capture a number of images because the results are not completely predictable. If you have a few images to choose from, you can choose the best one afterwards. In the first image (on the left) I felt that the person in the top right of the frame was a distraction. I also didn’t like how I cut off the bottom of the man’s matt at the bottom of the frame.
  2. In the second image, I like the flow of movement of people in the background much better.I also adjusted to have the man’s matt in the bottom of the frame.

Improve Your Composition

Once you start to recognize the small changes in comparison photos like these, you can start to avoid issues in your own photos and transform your good photos into great ones. So the next time you are out with your camera and you find a composition that you like, capture a number of images try to improve on that composition. Ask yourself: 1. Are there any distractions or elements that hurt the composition? 2. What could I improve?

Don’t settle for the first image that you capture. Look at the details of the scene and try to improve your next image. This attention to detail will make you a better photographer.