How to Take Artistic Photographs
Artistic photography is an art form whereby the photographer applies various techniques and effects to photography in order to give it an artistic flavor. Many artistic photographers have a talent for turning images of even the most mundane things into works of art. Here are some tips to take artistic photographs that will raise your subject matter to a higher level of excellence.
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Instructions
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Choose your equipment. Expensive equipment isn't necessary, but an incredibly cheap camera won't do. You can expect to pay between $300 and $500 for a camera that gives you a good balance of quality and features.
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Be creative with your subject matter. Staged photographs are useful at times and can make extremely artistic images, but it's the unexpected, completely natural shots that tend to make the most artistic output. Keep your camera with you as much as possible. Be ready for anything. A mother and child enjoying an ice cream cone in the park or two polar bears embraced at the zoo are examples of good subject matter.
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Think about angles and lighting. Use natural lighting whenever possible. Take pictures of your subject matter from various angles. Try shooting photographs during what filmmakers and photographers like to call the "magic hour." This is the first and last hour of sunlight each day when photographers achieve beautiful photographic effects.
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Try soft focus shots. Soft focus tends to lend a more artistic quality to appropriate photographs. An example of an inappropriate photograph for soft focus might be two boxers going at one another in a ring. In a case like this, you're more likely to create a humorous photo by applying a soft focus effect. A mother holding her newborn baby, on the other hand, would be an appropriate use of the effect.
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Think about context. Photographs snapped out of context are often very interesting on an artistic level. Former President Clinton playing saxophone on "Saturday Night Live" would be a great out-of-context shot.
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Use black and white whenever possible. Color is fantastic and has its place, but black and white photography is more artistic-looking by nature. Not everyone will agree with this. It's a matter of taste, but typically speaking, this is a standard line of thought.
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Take advantage of software such as Adobe Photoshop or any of the free photo editing software programs on the market (see Resources). These programs make it easy for you to clean up and add special artistic effects to your work and can enhance your artistic photography immensely.
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Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.morguefile.com/
