It’s no secret that I have found a new love in Photography. My wife bought me a new lens for Christmas (Tamron 2.8/f 75mm) and I am currently taking my 4th photography course online. I have learned quite a bit over the past year and after a recent chapter on composition I took to the streets to practice some shots. I have placed a few below that I put up on my Flickr page for the world to see. It’s more for myself than anything else but it’s really neat to see the improvement in your photographs as you gain more and more experience from quality tutorials.

One of the greatest tips I learned recently is simply what to look for in taking a photograph, “how to create a great composition“. Balancing the photograph and always getting closer to make the subject more of the focus goes a long way. Framing the photo with lines or shapes is not always easy to see but if you look for them, you can find a great photograph that you would have never saw before. Lastly, making sure the subject and the background are easily distinguishable is a must. If you look at the basketball hoop below, it jumps out and is the first thing you look at in the photo. The background with the tree, bench, and fog is meant to serve as a balance to the rest of the photo.

I am practicing in black and white since it’s best to practice on compositions in black and white. It get’s rid of the “noise” that color can add to a photograph and really focuses in on the overall composition. One of the best pieces of advice that I learned in the composition chapter is always shoot in color and convert to black and white in post production. You have way more flexibility in altering the tones in post production this way, so there really is no situation when you should shoot with a black and white setting on your camera.

Black and white shots are fun to take and even more fun to edit. If you’re interested in taking better photographs and overall better compositions I highly recommend taking some tutorials online. I know it has helped me become a better photographer so I am sure it will help you as well.