Compelling Pictures Can Make or Break Any Design
Compelling Pictures
Posted by Adam Hayes
Great pictures can add spice to any design and bad pictures can ruin even the best design.
There is a great difference between taking pictures and capturing that perfect moment that will forever be cherished thanks to your foresight. All great images play on our emotions. Hopefully this blog will help you learn to identify how to create the greatest emotional impact through your photographs and designs and how to tell what stock image is the "best" shot.
8 tips to never forget
- Steady as she goes - Avoid "camera shake" by resting your elbows on your chest or using a wall to balance yourself. If you have a big problem, consider a tripod.
- Never shoot into the Sun - Place the sun behind you and off to one side. This will give you subtle shadows for depth and brighter colors.
- Keep it Simple - Minimize the clutter in your pictures. Focus on the object you want to shoot and frame the shot around that object. Zoom in to get just what you want.
- Vantage Point - Carefully choose the position of your shot. The optimal height isn't always eye level. Scout out the area. Take a different prospective. Photographers see the world in a different way. Why not show other people a perspective they've never seen before? If it is worth the time to take one picture, it is worth the time to take three.
- Include People - Many people like the "human" aspect of many photographs. It helps us pick up on the emotion the picture is trying to produce.
- Variety is the Spice of Life - Shoot many different "types" of shots: close-ups, landscapes, macro shots, portraits, etc. You can still keep the same "look and feel" to your shots and not have them look all exactly the same.
- Add Depth - Although printed in 2D, give the viewers cues to the relative size of things to add depth. Place people, trees, etc. in the foreground to give the viewer an idea of the size of the subject.
- Rule of Thirds - How many pictures have you seen where the subject is smack dab in the middle of the picture. Try splitting the image into thirds vertically and horizontally. Now place your subject on one of those thirds lines.
People are very visual animals. Everyone knows that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I would disagree. I believe that a good picture is worth a thousand words and a great picture is worth a million words and one powerful emotion.
Designers should always be very picky when it comes to images. They not only help portray an idea; they convey an emotional link between the design the the client's heart and mind.
Oh, and if you didn't know a great little royalty free stock photography site just opened, and we built their website.