KISS stands for: Keep It Simple Stupid. Sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping for a different kinda lesson, but I did draw this to make up for it :)
Keeping your photo simple helps to bring focus to your story. If it’s complicated, your viewers’ eyes will hunt around the image. They’ll wonder what your picture is about. Let’s look at five ways to take simple photos:
Find an Uncluttered Space
When you’re out shooting (especially portraits), look for open space if possible. Trees, shrubs, poles, and other objects can make your background look too busy.
Remove Clutter
Look around and see what you can remove. You could do this while editing, but sometimes it’s not easy, so it’s best to pay attention when taking the shot.
Here’s a landscape example where I removed some clutter from the scene.
Blur the Background
Blurring your background brings attention to your subject, but also hides clutter. Here’s an example, where you have no idea what’s in the background because I blurred it.
Get Close to your Subject, or Zoom In
By closing in, you’ll have more of your subject and less of the background. You’ll fill the frame with your subject. Here’s an example with distracting trees in the background. By zooming in, I had less of the background to deal with.
One Photo, One Subject
What’s your favorite movie? How many “heroes” were in it? Just one person, or one couple, or one concept? Right? Same in photography. Feature one main thing in your photo, and craft a narrative around it.
Here’s an example. There were many people there that day, and I could have shot the scene with everyone on the dunes. But by having just one person in the shot, I was able to craft a story around this girl climbing up the difficult dunes on a hot, sunny day, working hard, and not giving up. Reminds me of the song “Climb Every Mountain” in the movie The Sound of Music. At least, that’s my narrative.
Remember, simple ≠ easy. Easy is the opposite of difficult, and simple is the opposite of complicated. We don’t want complicated. Getting to simple takes work, but it’ll take your photo from being a snapshot to a great shot. Watch the video for a more in-depth discussion.
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Recap: How to KISS
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KISS stands for: Keep It Simple Stupid. Sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping for a different kinda lesson, but I did draw this to make up for it :)
Keeping your photo simple helps to bring focus to your story. If it’s complicated, your viewers’ eyes will hunt around the image. They’ll wonder what your picture is about. Let’s look at five ways to take simple photos:
Find an Uncluttered Space
When you’re out shooting (especially portraits), look for open space if possible. Trees, shrubs, poles, and other objects can make your background look too busy.
Remove Clutter
Look around and see what you can remove. You could do this while editing, but sometimes it’s not easy, so it’s best to pay attention when taking the shot.
Here’s a landscape example where I removed some clutter from the scene.
Blur the Background
Blurring your background brings attention to your subject, but also hides clutter. Here’s an example, where you have no idea what’s in the background because I blurred it.
Get Close to your Subject, or Zoom In
By closing in, you’ll have more of your subject and less of the background. You’ll fill the frame with your subject. Here’s an example with distracting trees in the background. By zooming in, I had less of the background to deal with.
One Photo, One Subject
What’s your favorite movie? How many “heroes” were in it? Just one person, or one couple, or one concept? Right? Same in photography. Feature one main thing in your photo, and craft a narrative around it.
Here’s an example. There were many people there that day, and I could have shot the scene with everyone on the dunes. But by having just one person in the shot, I was able to craft a story around this girl climbing up the difficult dunes on a hot, sunny day, working hard, and not giving up. Reminds me of the song “Climb Every Mountain” in the movie The Sound of Music. At least, that’s my narrative.
Remember, simple ≠ easy. Easy is the opposite of difficult, and simple is the opposite of complicated. We don’t want complicated. Getting to simple takes work, but it’ll take your photo from being a snapshot to a great shot. Watch the video for a more in-depth discussion.