Sometimes an awesome photography moment can happen in an instant. If you are not ready, you will miss a shot. If you are ready and you do get the shot, the question is, “Do you share it or do you polish it up first?” As technology progresses, it’s becoming much easier to share your images quickly. Sometimes getting your photos out fast is a necessity of work. Other times, it’s just sharing on the web. The thing is, when sharing your images so quickly, are you showing your best work? It’s okay to put images out often, but you have to balance the quick images with the polished.
Here are a few tips how to slow down your workflow to produce better images.
Make Sure Your Gear is Set Correctly
There are times when we just run and gun, and we don’t take that one moment to make sure our cameras are set correctly. We could have been shooting something specific and had our camera set at a particular ISO or focal length that is not good for quick photography. We then have to fiddle, possibly missing another shot.
What you can do to make sure you don’t miss shots is to come up with default settings for yourself. After every shoot take a moment and put your camera back in that setting. This ensures that if you have to grab your camera and go, you can just hit your shutter right away. Another important thing to remember is to keep a clean memory card. Take a moment to clean off your card after every shoot. This keeps your photos safe and allows you to format your card when you need to.
Editor’s note: On this topic, also check out our Useful Photography Tip on taking your time to get prepared.
Don’t Share so Fast
With technologies like Eye-Fi cards, it’s easy to upload your images to the internet right away. This can be a good thing at times. It’s great to share your photos quickly on networks like Instagram and Flickr, but are you always showing your best work? As a photographer, you want to show good work as much as possible. Everything you put up on the web reflects you and your skill set. I’m not saying every image you place on the web has to be a masterpiece–but it shouldn’t be crap either. Even if you are just using a phone, use your knowledge of photography to put something decent I front of people’s eyes.
Composition is Everything
When you’re taking a photo, you may only have that one chance to capture a moment in this big world. As a photographer, you should always take a moment to compose your shot. You don’t have to pose people or make sure the back ground is absolutely perfect. The important thing to do is to always keep the basic rule of thirds in mind. This may seem trivial, but it will improve every image you create. Slowing down to make sure your shot is composed could lead to people noticing your photography more. Taking a second to compose your shot can make a world of difference in the quality of your photography.
Edit Your Photos
It’s so easy just to put your images out there unedited. It can be better though if you do. Yes, for the most part the goal is to get it right in the camera, but nothing’s wrong with a little polish. Sometimes a little tweak on the contrast or an adjustment of the saturation can do wonders. The little details do matter. Spending a little time with your images can mean the difference between a mediocre image and a great one. With all the editing software available on phones and tablets, you can do this almost anywhere nowadays. If you slow down, you can make that one frozen moment in time is an epic one.
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