In my study of photography, I have found some the best images I have seen are simple yet seductive. Some of these images just used natural light. Others were just of a person walking by a wall. Yet there was something about these images that made them speak to many people. They are unlike so many images I see on the web today, including my own. Here are some ways to take your photography and keep it seductively simple.
Keep Post Work Simple
It is easy to over-edit an image. Sometimes all an image needs is a subtle tweak of the contrast or a slight change of the color saturation. We want to make our work the best it can be. The challenge is to do as much in-camera as you can. A little more time put into the creation of the image can keep the editing process as short as possible.
Show Some Control With HDR
There are post process techniques like HDR that can make an image look unique. The issue here is it’s so easy to ever do. On the web, HDR images can be fantastic or make your eyes bleed. Decent HDR needs a subtle hand. Simplicity works best here.
Do Not Rush
In the end, photography is an intuitive process. If you rush through that process, you run the risk of capturing a snapshot instead of creating an image. Sometimes you just have to simply spend a few extra seconds composing your image or a few minutes to wait for the right light. Putting a bit more thought into your image provides you with a bit more control of the end product.
Keep Your The Background Clean
In your images, a nice clean background makes a world of difference. If you are not shooing a landscape or a cityscape, this is something you should keep in mind. If you cannot identify your subject, viewers of you image can’t either. Too much clutter in your image distracts the eye causing people to lose interest.
Put Your Self Into The Image
Do not literally put yourself in the image. You should create an image from your point of view. Do not try to create the exact copies of images from photographers you admire. We all are different shapes and sizes. We hold our cameras differently, and see the world differently. This should reflect in your image. Using your point of view is the simplest way to develop your own style.
Relax, Don’t Over Shoot
It is easy to work a shot to death. With digital photography you are only limited by the amount of memory cards you carry. If you just take a moment to pre-visualize your shot, you have a better chance of getting your shot faster. Time is money and when you spend too much time on a shot, you become wasteful.
When Creating The Image, Remember It’s There To Be Seen
Your images are meant to be seen, not stored do a hard drive or left in a filling cabinet. Photography is a visual medium. Share your images. You are going to create many over time. Few artists make tons of money, but they had to show their early stuff to be discovered. The photographers I admire all had to show their work for me to discover them.