10 tips for taking compelling travel or portrait photographs

I am frequently asked to give workshops or "tips" on how to achieve better photos. If you have been following me for a while, you know that the aspect of photography that I am most passionate about is composition and storytelling. The technical stuff is plenty fascinating and important (no one likes blurry or underexposed photos!), but the art of observing is key to photography. The technical elements can be mastered with resources and practice. The passion for observation comes from within. 

If I had to give only ONE tip, it would be to practice observing - to take photos without fear or self-judgment, just for the sake of observing, experimenting and learning. This tip is a valuable one for beginners and professional photographers. It is ultimately what allows photographs to convey feeling. 
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But today, I'm not giving you just one tip. I'm giving you 10. Here are some of my "photography mantras", which I practice daily. 

1. Notice details

There is so much beauty in the ordinary. Still-life painters had the right idea to glorify the mundane! Celebrate the daily details that draw your eye. Look for patterns, lines, shadows and textures, and study how they change with the changing light. What treasure will you uncover?

2. Take several variations of the same shot

Once you pinpoint what you want to photograph, give yourself the assignment of photographing it in at least 5 different ways. Vary the composition: include and exclude different parts of the scene. Vary the ratio: Apply the rule of two-thirds, then take a symmetrical photo. Try both a horizontal and vertical version. Vary your focus and make different elements of the scene stand out. Follow your subject as they move through the frame. It will be painstaking to review and compare these variations later, but oftentimes one of them really makes you say: "A-ha!" and it may not be the one you expected. 

3. Move your body

Photography is a sport! You think inspiration will just come to you? Nope. Sometimes you have to get on your knees or risk your life on a precarious stool or circle around a spot peering into a puddle for a reflection. Jokes aside, testing out different vantage points, no matter the type of photography, will present perspectives you otherwise would have missed.

4. Look first - and keep both eyes open 

When we wanderlusters travel, we feel awe. Our senses get flooded, overwhelmed. We feel all sorts of emotions and want to bottle them up and keep them in our pocket forever. Although it seems effective to snap, snap, snap away, there is a lot of value in refraining from snapping and looking with our eyes first. What naturally draws our eye without the viewfinder? Is there an underlying story or feeling? When you do grab your camera, be sure to keep both eyes open, i.e., don't shut the one that is not looking through the viewfinder. This will keep you connected to the scene. It will also allow you to monitor anything peripheral to your frame that you may want to include, or that may intercept your shot.

5. Look behind you

​Ah, we are such go-getters. We are always so focused on looking ahead of us and moving on from where we have been, but sometimes, the best treasures lie behind us. Look over your shoulder. Anything worth pausing for?

6. Know your camera

Here's a technical tip, albeit a broad one. Whatever device you choose to work with, whether it is a phone, an entry-level camera or a pro camera, use the technical manual and get to know its features to use it at its optimal capacity. That way, you will know when you have outgrown it and are ready to upgrade. 

7. Make room for surprises

In any photographic style (travel, portrait or event photography), the most memorable shots are usually the unplanned and candid ones. Give yourself time and flexibility for the shot to come to you. Plant yourself, wait for magic and be quick to capture it. 

8. Create a sense of depth

When composing your shot, enhance the sense of depth by making sure the eye is drawn from the foreground to the background. You can achieve this by using leading lines that propel our gaze deeper into the scene, using a wider angle, or changing your perspective to emphasize some of the background elements. A greater sense of depth makes the viewer feel more connected to the photograph, as though they are in the scene itself. 

9. Focus on the eyes

Whenever we look at a portrait photograph, we look at the eyes immediately. Everything else is secondary. For that reason, make sure you focus on your subject's eyes before framing your shot. 

10. Break the rules 

You know what they say: rules are meant to be broken. Sometimes reading up on the do's and don'ts makes you feel like experimenting with all the don'ts! When you break the rules, you also break expectations, which allows you to stand out. But, most importantly: have fun with photography. Use it as a form of self-exploration and self-expression, and let the rest follow. 

Did you enjoy these tips? Got a tip of your own to share? Leave a comment and let me know!