How to take cool pictures

All your friends are constantly posting cool photos on social media and you are dying to do the same, to win more likes than them. Did I guess? I knew it, and then I also bet that, not having much experience in the field of photography, you would like to learn to better master your camera and / or your smartphone to get some breathtaking shots. Did I get caught up in this too? Very well, then know that this is the guide for you!

In the next paragraphs, in fact, I will have ways to explain you in detail how to take cool pictures paying attention to some details that can make a difference when it comes to making a quality shot and making it stand out from the crowd. You will see that, with a little practice and with the right artistic ideas (those, however, I cannot give you, nor anyone else!), You too will be able to reach, if not exceed the level of your friends.

Come on, since I already hear you "pawing", I would say not to lose ourselves further in chatter and start immediately to get busy. Courage: make yourself comfortable, take all the time you need to concentrate on reading the next paragraphs and, more importantly, implement the "tips" that I will give you. There is nothing left for me to do, except wish you good reading and wish you a big good luck for everything!

Use the right tools

The fundamental assumption from which one must start for take cool pictures è use the right tools. Without these, in fact, it is impossible to get quality shots, which are able to attract the attention of other people.

For this reason, equip yourself with a good DSLR and / or a smartphone with a good camera, perhaps following my buying guides dedicated to these products and choosing the best device according to your budget and your needs.

In addition to the camera, you will likely need others as well useful accessories for making good photos. If you plan to use a reflex, you will find it useful to use tripod e filters for the lens, so as to be able to take shots in particular conditions. Obviously, when purchasing any accessory, make sure that it is compatible with the camera in your possession.

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As for taking pictures with the smartphoneinstead, they might come in handy tripod, selfie stick e additional lenses (which allow you to create special and fun shots, often at the expense of a pinch of quality, especially if they are cheap).

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Pay attention to the light

Pay attention to the light is one of the most important aspects of making good photos. Without the right lighting, in fact, there is the risk of making useless any effort that is subsequently made to try to make a correctly exposed shot.

For this reason, whenever possible, try to choose a location that is adequately lit: this means avoiding not only dark places, but also excessively lit ones. If you happen to take pictures in poorly lit places, try increasing the ISO value of the camera (I'll explain better what it is later on) and increase the i a bit too exposure times.

If, on the other hand, you are in a too bright place, you can close the diaphragm, decrease the shutter speed and lower the ISO value. By doing so, you will avoid "burnt" or overexposed shots.

Compose the image

Compose the image it is a very important phase when taking a photo, regardless of whether you do it using a DSLR or a smartphone. If you don't know how to compose the image, try following the famous one rule of thirds.

What exactly does it consist of? According to this rule, you have to divide the image you want to compose with an imaginary grid composed of 9 rectangles (or real, if you use a smartphone and the Camera application you use supports grid display).

According to this rule, instead of in the center of the frame, the main subject must be positioned at one of the intersection points generated by the grid (i white dots found in the figure at the beginning of the chapter): by following this simple trick, the shots you will make will be more interesting and meaningful.

Also, when composing the photo, try to pay attention to the background, especially when making portraits. The advice I give you is to avoid backgrounds that are too messy and try to make the subject stand out by blurring the background with thebokeh effect, which I will tell you about in more detail in the next chapter of the guide.

Blur the background

Blurring the background is a relatively easy way to bring out interesting shots. L'bokeh effect, characterized by the foreground subject in focus and the blurred background, is in fact one of the most evocative techniques that can be used in photography.

How can you make a photo with good bokeh? If you use a reflex, you have to equip yourself with a bright lens (possibly with an aperture f / 1.8 or even f / 1.4), set the manual mode e open the diaphragm as much as possible.

If, on the other hand, you use one smartphone, you can blur the background by calling the mode HD Portrait o Portrait available on various high-end or mid-range models. On devices without this feature, however, you can try to take a shot with the background blurred by getting as close as possible to the subject you want to highlight.

For more information on how to take photos with a blurred background, I suggest you take a look at the in-depth article I linked to you, because I am sure you will find it very useful.

Use manual shooting settings

Use manual settings allows you to have full control over the main shooting parameters, such as the ISO sensitivity and shutter speed, which allows you to create artistic and refined shots.

If you use a DSLR to take photos, you can activate the manual mode using the appropriate selection dial (usually the manual mode is marked with the letter M). If you use a smartphone, however, it is likely that you will need to turn to third-party apps to manually control the shooting parameters: among the best I point out Camera FV-5 for Android and ProCam and Halide for iPhone, which both cost 6,99 , XNUMX euros.

Regardless of the device and possibly the apps you will use to manually adjust the shooting parameters, take into account what is indicated below in relation to the modification of the latter.

• ISO sensitivity - indicates the degree of amplification of the electrical signal sent to the sensor cells. When you increase this value, photos become brighter, even in low-light conditions. In increasing the ISO, however, be careful not to overdo it, because the "effort" that the sensor will have to make to return a brighter shot significantly affects the noise of the photo, or rather that grainy effect that would ruin it irreparably.
• Shutter speed - by increasing the shutter speed, you can avoid blur or micro-blur, due to the movement of the subject or the normal shaking of your hand. By decreasing the shutter speed, however, it is possible to create an artistic blur, as I showed you in this other guide.
• Maximum aperture of the diaphragm - this value indicates the amount of light that passes through the lens. It is measured in F-stop (Eg. f / 1.4 o f / 8, etc.). If this value is low, more light enters the lens, resulting in brighter shots and making it easier to achieve the bokeh effect.

Set the maximum shooting resolution possible

Set the maximum shooting resolution available it is of fundamental importance when taking a photo (especially if this happens with a smartphone), as doing this avoids having to act heavily on the shot in post-production, which obviously would create artifacts. To set the maximum shooting resolution available, follow the steps below.

• Your Android - open the app Camera, tap on thegear which should be placed at the top, select the item Photo size from the menu that opens and then choose the maximum resolution available (eg. 14MP). The procedure described above may differ slightly depending on the brand and model of smartphone you have and the version of Android installed on it.
• Your iPhone - iOS does not allow you to change the resolution of your shots, as it is already set to maximum. For the record, you can change the resolution only for videos, by going to the menu Settings> Camera> Record video.
• On the Reflex - the procedure varies according to the make and model of camera in your possession. Usually you have to go to the Menu of the latter and select the preferred resolution from the section Image quality.

Please note: setting the maximum resolution does not always give better results, as a lot depends on the quality of the optics. I recommend that you experiment with various settings to find out which ones allow you to get better shots.

Do not use digital zoom

If you plan to take pictures with your smartphone (or compact camera), do not use digital zoom why, unlike that optical (which is present only on some top of the range), involves a considerable loss of quality of the photo, since it is a simple digital enlargement of the image, causing a very ugly grainy effect.

If your smartphone or camera is equipped with it, therefore, use the _optical_ zoom to "get closer" to the subject you want to photograph, because the latter uses optical and mechanical elements that shorten and / or lengthen the focal length, according to to the choices made by the photographer.

If you don't have the ability to use optical zoom rather than digital zoom, try to get as close as possible to the subject you want to capture.

Take lots of photos

Take lots of photos it is a simple and at the same time very effective trick, as it increases the chances of making at least some decent shots. Since even the most experienced photographers may not be able to take an optimal "first shot" photo, following advice becomes particularly important if you are a novice photographer. Also, shooting the same subject multiple times gives you the opportunity to experiment and try different angles, which can make the difference between a quality shot and a poor one.

Taking multiple photos is also important when you want to capture a moving subject (e.g. a child playing with a ball, an animal running, etc.). If you use a Reflex camera, you can take advantage of the "burst" shooting mode which is usually also present on entry-level models; if you use a smartphone, especially if it is high-end, you can count on a similar mode, which in any case is considerably less performing when compared to that of real cameras.

Retouch photos in post-production

Even the best photographers make mistakes, this is an established fact. For this reason, you are likely to have a need to too retouch photos in post-production. In doing so, I advise you not to overdo it too much with photo editing: you just have to correct some flaws in your shots, not transform them completely (unless you intend to make a photomontage).

Whether you want to act on a mobile or computer, there are various solutions that can be for you, such as free apps Snapseed (Android / iOS), Pixlr (Android / iOS) and VSCO (Android / iOS) and the inevitable Photoshop e GIMP. If you want more information on how to use these and other solutions to retouch your shots, feel free to take a look at the deepening in which I illustrate how photo editing apps and photo editing programs work.

Take a cue from others

To hone your ability to take good photos and get better and better, you can also try a take inspiration from other photographers.

In this regard, I suggest you browse Instagram, by going to the section Explore of the service, reachable by pressing the button with the icon magnifying glass (from app) or on the symbol of compass (from the web version of the social network) and then search for the type of photo you want to take inspiration from using hashtag. More info here.

There are also other platforms that can come in handy for taking insights from other photographers, such as Flickr, Shutterstock e GettyImages. I recommend you use it to get inspired by other photography enthusiasts, without copying, of course!

How to take cool pictures