How To Improve Your Photography Even If You're Not Wealthy
Words by Scott Bourne - Platypod Pro - See My Work At ToyPhotographs.com
Edited by Eryka Bagwell
You all know the routine. Someone sees a nice photo and says "You must have a really nice camera!" We have a series of canned responses we offer when we hear that statement but we usually say something like: "Yes - we bought it at the same place Tiger Woods gets his golf clubs, Mozart bought his piano and William Shakespeare bought his pen."
The root of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is usually simple. People think they can up their photography game by buying new cameras and lenses. But those can cost an arm and a leg.
Don't worry. Combine just a little money (way under $100) and a little bit of vision. Why??? Well, gear is good, vision is better.
What do you do when you don't have a lot of money? Things are tough out there right now and not everybody has the coin to throw down in order to buy the latest model camera or lens. If you have the money to buy a small camera accessory like the Platypod, you can get results that will help your pictures look amazing and it won't break the bank.
The right accessory can help improve the way you "SEE."
Here are two quick tips that will immediately make your photos much more interesting. They sound so simple you might not believe us, but if you try them, you'll see they work.
1. Get down low. Most of the photos we critique are made from 5'8" which happens to be the height of the average tripod. You know - most tripods will get lower. There are tools cheaper than a tripod - such as the Platypod that will get you even lower.
The Platypod Ultra is only $65 and will help you stabilize your camera - even if you put it on the ground. This lower perspective and view angle will almost always give your photos a dramatic new look (especially if you can pair them with your widest - shortest focal length - lens.
The benefits of making images from a low-angle are many...
The next tip we have is - get close.
Famous photographer Robert Capa once said -
“If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”
The benefits of making images close up are many...
Edited by Eryka Bagwell
You all know the routine. Someone sees a nice photo and says "You must have a really nice camera!" We have a series of canned responses we offer when we hear that statement but we usually say something like: "Yes - we bought it at the same place Tiger Woods gets his golf clubs, Mozart bought his piano and William Shakespeare bought his pen."
The root of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is usually simple. People think they can up their photography game by buying new cameras and lenses. But those can cost an arm and a leg.
Don't worry. Combine just a little money (way under $100) and a little bit of vision. Why??? Well, gear is good, vision is better.
What do you do when you don't have a lot of money? Things are tough out there right now and not everybody has the coin to throw down in order to buy the latest model camera or lens. If you have the money to buy a small camera accessory like the Platypod, you can get results that will help your pictures look amazing and it won't break the bank.
The right accessory can help improve the way you "SEE."
Here are two quick tips that will immediately make your photos much more interesting. They sound so simple you might not believe us, but if you try them, you'll see they work.
1. Get down low. Most of the photos we critique are made from 5'8" which happens to be the height of the average tripod. You know - most tripods will get lower. There are tools cheaper than a tripod - such as the Platypod that will get you even lower.
The Platypod Ultra is only $65 and will help you stabilize your camera - even if you put it on the ground. This lower perspective and view angle will almost always give your photos a dramatic new look (especially if you can pair them with your widest - shortest focal length - lens.
The benefits of making images from a low-angle are many...
- Low-angle shots are more rare than top-down shots so they more visually interesting
- The low-angle perspective is one that shows the subject in an unfamiliar way
- The low-angle camera position allows you to change the background to something less cluttered, like a blue sky, simply by pointing the camera up
The next tip we have is - get close.
Famous photographer Robert Capa once said -
“If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”
The benefits of making images close up are many...
- It's way more intimate than images made from far away
- It gives the viewer a much stronger connection with your subject
- It helps remove extra clutter in the background allowing the viewer to concentrate exclusively on your subject
CONCLUSION
It doesn't take a lot of money to become a better photographer. It just takes vision. Look at adding inexpensive accessories like the Platypod Ultra to your kit before you spend big money on a new camera or lens and try these tips out for yourself.
If you try these suggestions please feel free to share your results with us and our readers in the comments section. We'd love to see your work.
Visit the Platypod store to check out all the new accessories to boost your creativity. Click Here
If you have a final image and BTS that you’d like to share and potentially be featured on our blog (newsletter or social media pages), please contact us via service@platypod.com.
