By LJ Caldwell; an observer of life through the lens

Here are three areas for consideration to improve your photos. 

When I first started taking photos I remember thinking, this could be a better photo. The problem was I didn’t know how or what would take them from okay to amazing. I learned these three principles along the way and they are a starting point from which you can explore. As you practice with them, your photos will improve and you will know how to get amazing photos.

Photography is light. Light the subject you are photographing!

Light is how you and I and your camera “see”. An image is then produced by exposure. If this is an unfamiliar principle to you Professor Peter Corke gives a brief history of light and how we perceive it. “Light illuminates an object but it also can reflect and bounce around. So.it is critical to know the direction or where the light source is coming from. It is then possible to place the subject in a well-lit area. Light can get very complex as in studio lighting for television or movies. For our purposes, let’s stick to the natural light you would encounter around you. Outside this will be mostly overhead unless it is sunrise or sunset - sometimes called the magic hour due to the color of the light. To determine where the light source is coming from so you can place your subject accordingly, let’s do this simple trick. Hold your hand out in front of you, and look at the back of your hand. Notice if it has shadows, is bright or dark? Now turn 90 degrees and do the same thing. You should be able to determine which direction your hand, the subject, was lit and which was not. Shoot your photo in the direction where your subject is well-lit. In general, the light will shine toward your subject and not behind it. When it is behind the subject it is called a silhouette. This may be a technique to use in telling the story of your subject. Utilize that intent as a technique, and avoid the mistake of not knowing your light source.”

Frame your shot. The composition can make it dynamic.

A basic technique for composing your shot is called the Rule of Thirds. This is a simple concept but one that takes practice to learn. So, what is it? It is not a hard and fast rule but more of a guideline to place your subject on the left or right of an image and leave the other two-thirds more open. Your frame is divided into three columns and three rows. Most smartphone cameras actually have a grid you can turn on in your settings so you can see this grid on your screen. This will be visible when you take the picture, but not appear on the image itself. This is how you can practice where to place your subjects as you photograph. But like all rules, this one too may be broken. Play with what works for your subject and setting. Using the Rule of Thirds will make you aware of the whole frame of the image and what you want your viewer to see in it. Now you are starting to craft a story with your imagery.

A unique point of view.

Just like the movie camera director making a frame with both thumbs and index fingers to look through, you too have your own point of view available to you. Here are three basic P.O.V.s (points of view) to think about:

• Eye-level

• Above eye level

• Below eye level

You might have a foreground and a background to your image. Ask yourself, what do I want to focus on, where do I want to place it and what angle would I like others to see it from? A dog shot from below eye level - at the dog’s eye level - will say something different than shooting down from the top of the dog. P.O.V. will be another tool you can use to effectively tell a story in a photo to bring it from being an okay photo to a fantastic one. And if it is not, we can edit it later due to the amazing non-destructive nature of digital photography. But that is another subject for another day.

How do you think you can improve your photos? What areas do you think your photos are missing? Did you find a story in the photo above?