The 5 Essential Elements of a Great Photo

Have you ever sat and looked at your photos and wondered "Why do my photos not look like I pictured in my head?" "What am I doing wrong?" "Do I even really have a clue about what I am doing?"

I am pretty sure that you know exactly what you are doing. You understand how the exposure triangle works, you know how your camera works and you have the basics of how to put everything together, but for some reason things are not clicking together for you. I know that I have struggled with this. I still do. I feel like I am meeting all the bench marks that all of the famous photographers tell you that you should be hitting but there is something that is still missing. So I did some digging into my photos and then did some of my own research and discovered that there are five areas that are essential to making a photo great, and I noticed that I am not always hitting the mark with some of them.

LIGHT- Strange to think that this is the first element to point out, however I believe that this is SO important. I am sure that like myself you have read a ton of articles talking about the importance of light and making sure that it is right for the image that you are trying to create. I will be the first to admit that I am no expert however there are several things that I have noticed when I do not pay attention to light. For example when I am on the field shooting sports events I am always looking for the next great action shot, however I have had the light kill several amazing shots for me. I made poor judgement of the light like shooting from a shaded area into a sunny area, or there were times I was night shooting and my camera and lens just could not keep up, and therefore the epic shots were grainy and out of focus. Light can do so much for you and reduce a huge amount of work in post processing as long as you are paying attention. It can give the illusion of an increased depth of field, it can cause more drama in a photo or it can assist with drawing the eye of the viewer to a specific part of the image. All of this saves time in post processing.


IMPACT- What causes you to stop and take notice of a location, or maybe even a photo? Is it the colors, the scene, the light? Most of the time it is the IMPACT the photo has on you. It may not be something that you catch right away, but typically if something has an impact on you it draws you back time and time again. This is something that you want your photo to have. If your photo has great impact on the viewer it will draw them back time and time again. As they return to your photo in most cases they are not returning alone, especially if they are excited about it, because it is a photo that is near and dear their heart. They are more willing to share this photo and the story of the photo. Sometimes that story may not be what you were trying to portray, but because of the impact the image had on the viewer they are able to create their own story, and with that it gains even more meaning and importance to that particular individual. 

Even though there is not much going on in this photo what kind of impact does it give? For some it is a beautiful dog, for others it is much more. For example it is a beautiful dog that is in total control of her space and commands the attention of all of those around her. She protects the ones that she loves ferociously, and above all she is not afraid of what may lie ahead of her. 

COMPOSITION-  With every photo the composition is key in most cases. If in every single photo you took you placed your subject in the center, and there was not much else what good does it do for the viewer? Honestly not much. The photo could be a great one, but because of the composition the impact is lessened or the story of the photo is not told as it should and therefore the viewer becomes disinterested and more likely to move on to another image, and will also more then likely forget the image that they have just looked at. You want to have strong composition in every photo. You want to use guidelines such as the Rule of Thirds to assist you in this process. You can also use items within the photo to pull your viewer through the photo. 

For example in this shot the subject is in the center of the frame. However, because of the placement of his left knee, and right elbow, it gives the illusion that the subject is going to run right out of the photo and into your lap! This composition can draw the viewer in as they try to determine what the player is thinking as he is moving with the ball and it begins to tell its own story as the viewer makes decisions on what is happening just outside of the frame in their minds.

CREATIVITY- You want people to look at your photos right? I am sure that if you are reading this that you are looking for ways to get more people to look at your photos without you having to shove them in their face and almost beg them to look. One way to get people interested is to be creative. I mean this is one of the reasons that you picked up your camera right? Don't just take a picture of a tree, if you want the picture of the tree that is great, but find a way to make it creative.

Look at this photo. On its face there is nothing interesting about heavy machinery. However, with the colors, the composition and the light within this photo it changes. You can see more of a story here. It is almost like this is some sort monster that is coming in and destroying the forest and the homes of the animals that live there. If you see a scene that catches your eye there is a reason for it, there is something there, a story so to speak, all you have to do is find a way to creatively tell it within your photo.

COMMUNICATION-  In order for a photo to be successful it has to be able to communicate to the viewer. It has to be able to tell a story, show the emotion, and at the same time be able to draw the viewer in to that story. Does this mean that the photo has to be complex and full of different items. NO!! It can be as simple as the photos I have shown above. You do not have to over load your photo with complex thoughts or ways to try and convey the message that you are trying to get the viewer to see. Sometimes, all it takes is the ability to capture the feeling, or emotion if you will that you are feeling at the time that you take the image. For example in the construction image, There is not a lot going on, however there is a kind of sadness, fear, loss, and disappointment that can be detected due to the destruction that is documented. There is also a sense of overpowerment, and dominance with the presentation of a large machine in an area, that in most cases is out of the norm. Communication with any photo is key as the photographer is not always going to be there to explain it. Therefore when you are composing a photo keep that thought in mind and remember to not over think what you are trying to say with the shot.

What are important elements to a photo that I have not listed? I would love to hear your thoughts and comments! Please leave your comments below so I can add to this article.


Further reading and resources for this article:
5 Fundamental Elements of Great Photographs
Perfect Photography- The Ten Essential Elements
The 5 Elements of Captive Photography

The 5 Best Ways to Deal with Photographer Burnout

I am sure that each and every single one of us has dealt with burnout at some point or another in our lives. It may be happening to some right now for example.

The first time I experienced true burnout I was a nurse. I had been a nurse in a Neotatal Unit for over a year, and I was also active duty. Between the duties that I was required to do as a Soldier, and the stress load of the patients that I was caring for I finally just burned out.

Burn out for me at the time looked like this, no motivation, no will to move, no drive to go to work or be a Soldier, loss of interest in everything, lack of participation with my family. I really just wanted to lay in bed, and well... just lay there. I lived in Hawaii at the time and my favorite place to be was with my children and at the beach, and I just had no desire to be there, at all. It took roughly a month or so, and about three weeks off from work before I could move past my burnout and get back to normal.

Now I realize that photographers burnout is going to look a little bit different. I see it from time to time in different Facebook groups. I see statements such as "I don't even want to touch my camera anymore", "Photography isn't fun anymore", "I think it is time for me to get a real job. I just can't do this anymore" "Photography is the same thing over and over. I am bored". I am sure there are a number of other statements but these are just a few. It is statements like these that come from people that you would never expect. People who you know love their jobs, and LOVE making people happy with photos. This is when you know that you have hit burnout. So once you realize that you are there, what do you do?

Here are 5 of the best ways that I have seen talked about by people such as Jim Harmer from Improve Photography, Nick Page from Nick Page Photography.

1. Take a break-

    As with everything in life there are times that you just need to take a step back from what you are doing, and in some cases even walk away for a time. When you take the time to take a break you give your brain a chance to reset, and to look at situations differently versus continuing to bang your head on a wall because something is not working the way that you want it too. Taking a break can give you the chance to breath, and in taking that breath you are giving your chance to reevaluate and look for different ways to handle a situation before moving forward. Sometimes it is a change in direction, or just a simple change in method that can save you from going through burn out.

2. Do something for you-

    Have you ever thought as you were editing a session about how much you resent what you are doing? Have you ever questioned why you are doing what you are doing? This is an indication that you are burning out. Take a time out and do something for you! Create a fun project that reminds you why you fell in love with your camera and why you wanted to share your art with the world. You want to make sure that you are taking the time to do your own personal projects as well as putting food on the table. If you do not do this, well it could cause you to become resentful towards your clients or others and lash out, and in the end it could cause an end of your business, or cause you to walk away from photography altogether.

3. Try something new in photography-

    What do you normally shoot? If you shoot portraits, change it up and try and your hand at some landscapes. Are you a newborn shooter? Try shooting pets! It never hurts to change genres for a while. One it helps to build a new skill set for you, but it also gives you a chance to take a break, do something for yourself and you may find that this new genre is something that you enjoy and may want to eventually add into your arsenal of daily shoots. The human brain enjoys a challenge, changing it up and learning something new presents a new challenge. What is the worst that can happen? You realize that you are not a fan of the genre. Either way you learned something new, and you may learn some new techniques that you can still add to what you are currently doing.

4, Learn to say NO-

    No... One of the most difficult words that we may ever have to say. When it comes to your children it is super easy right? You have to learn to make it easy when it comes to clients and sometimes even family and friends when dealing with your business. As much as you want to make everyone happy and you want to take every single shoot that comes your way realize that there is a time that you just have to say no. These times can happen when you are already completely booked. You have to say no. If you over book your self you are going to be pushing on the back end to get photos edited and out to clients and you are going to have people breathing down your throat not understanding what is going on. This just adds to the stress and the more stress that you have the quicker you are going to burn out. Another reason to say no is when you know in your heart that the client that you are talking to is just not for you. It doesn't matter what the reason is, if they do not fit your business model or there is something that is telling you to say no, you need to be able to do it. Otherwise this particular client is going to be a very stressful point in your life until to commitment to them is over, and if this is a wedding client this could drag on for months. As hard as it may be to say, sometimes you just have to say no.

5. Take time to enjoy life-

     Above all take the time to enjoy life. Take a vacation from time to time. Spend time with your significant other, your children, or other family. Go to the beach, or the lake or whatever. Maybe you take your camera, maybe you don't. Either way, make some memories with the ones that you love. Don't work yourself into the ground. Enjoy every moment that you can in your life.

If you take the time to live your life to the fullest and also balance your photography career your life will be very full, however I truly believe that you prevent yourself from burning out, and you also not regret one moment in your life!


What are some suggestions that you have for preventing burnout? What would add to this? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. I would love to expand this article out to help even more people and the more suggestions I have the better!

For further articles on photography burnout here are some links

Photography Burnout what it is and how to recover
You Can Overcome Photography Burnout
5 Tips on How to Avoid Photographer Burnout
Tips to Avoid Creative Burnout

When is it time to take a break?

For my regular readers I am sure that you have noticed that I have not posted in over a month. There is a very real reason as to why I have not done so. I have honestly been overwhelmed with life. I had a death in the family of someone that was very close and that death has caused a ripple effect throughout my life, and even through my blogging and my business. I have also had some medical issues that I have had to take care of, so this has all just dropped at once.

With all of the things that have just happened back to back I felt that it was time for me to take a break from blogging and from my photography, and I will be honest, it was a struggle to even look at my computer or my camera. It was a huge weight that I just could not deal with at that moment. I am not sure that it was the best answer in regards to my blog because I am sure that I have lost traction in gaining any kind of traffic for the moment, and in regards to my business it is small so I am sure no one really noticed, but emotionally it was just to much for me.

When is the right time to take a break? I have come to the conclusion that taking a break is when you stop caring about the product that you are producing. I knew that if I forced myself to blog, or to have sessions that they would  not be the best. I am sure that they would not have been worth the time that I put into them, because it would not have been all that great. The content for the blog would have been horrible, and my photography the editing would have been horrible, if done at all. I just couldn't see myself putting out that kind of work.

I have never been in this position before, and I would love to hear some suggestions on how to handle this from all of you.

How do you handle your business when a major life event happens?

How do you determine when you need to take a break?

How do you determine how long the break needs to be?

How do you bring yourself back when the time comes?


Please share your answers in the comments. I am sure I am not the only one with these questions. Thank you all for your answers and your support.

Review of the Sigma 24-70mm F 2.8

Disclaimer

 There are affiliate links in this post, these links are used to help keep the lights on here at the home of this blog. If you choose to click on the link and make a purchase via Amazon I am humbled and appreciate all the support you are willing to give. These links do not add anything to your price. Thank you again for your support of this blog and taking the time to read this review!

I purchased this lens because I did not have a great portrait lens and I was hoping that this would be the lens that I could use for that reason. It has meant all those expectations and more. 

Here are some examples of photos taken with this lens. (Yes there are some edits, however I do not do heavy editing) 

Each image was shot with the Sigma 24-70mm with a Nikon D7100. 

As I mentioned before there is some post editing but there is not much in the way of post editing. This lens is pretty solid in my personal opinion. I love the fact that images are solid out to the edge of the frame, and the fall off is barely noticeable. It has performed well outdoors as well as indoors. I have used this lens for portraits and I have also used it to shoot basketball in some very horrible lighting situations and it has survived the struggle. The images are sharp and the color is on point.

I will admit that the lens is on the heavy side, however it can take a beating. I have had a child knock my whole bag with this lens out of the stands at a basketball game and it survived and has worked flawlessly after the fall. I do prefer to use this lens wide open versus stopping down as I have seen a change in the quality of the photos that I take, and I must admit here that I am still trying to figure out if it is me or if it is the lens. 

Overall if I had to make the choice again I would definitely purchase this lens again. It is one of my main lens and is a workhorse for me. It produces quality photos that not only I am happy with but more importantly my clients are happy with, which is the main concern for me. 

I would love to hear your experiences with this lens, or why you are looking to purchase this lens! Lets talk about it in the comments below or feel free to send me an email and we can chat via email!