How to Tell Powerful Stories With Your Photos
You don’t have full control over how the viewer will interpret the photo.
What you can do is create a photo where there is a lot of potential for stories (or interpretations) to develop.
How
- Create mystery in the photo (e.g., silhouette, shadows).
- Capture unique moments frozen in time.
- Include people in your photos. It makes photos more relatable. Add emotions.
Mystery is the number one story-telling tool.
How to Take Stunning iPhone Silhouette Photos
Why silhouettes work:
- Silhouettes have naturally high contrast.
- Silhouettes are inherently mysterious.
Look for the right kind of light (directional light). The light should come from behind your subject.
- Sunset, golden hour
- Find a large open space (beach, field)
- Inside (door, window, arc)
Shoot a silhouette from a low angle.
You don’t have to adjust exposure that much.
Select a subject with a strong outline (clear and easily recognizeable).
Avoid overlapping subjects.
Make silhouettes relatively small, and avoid large dark areas.
How to avoid lens flare
- Compose your photo in such a way that the sun is outside the frame.
- Avoid directly shooting at the sun.
- You can also try to cover the lens in such a way that your hand does not appear in the image.
- Hide the sun behind the main subject.
- You can leave the lens flare in if it creates a nice addition.
Look for partially cloudy sky (more texture, colors, more visual interest)
How to Capture Creative iPhone Reflection Photos
Get close to the reflective surface.
Combine the subject and the reflection in one frame.
Mix the reflection and reality.
If you can distort the reflection, the better.
Set focus on the real subject, not the reflection.
Practice in puddles.
Practice on reflections on glass buildings.
Practice on curved reflective surfaces.
When editing, sometimes you can get a more interesting photo if you invert or revert the photo.
Using Shadows to Improve Your iPhone Photos
To capture shadows you need hard light.
Shadows could be different in different times of the year.
Pay attention to light.
Set exposure correctly by locking focus on a highlight and lowering down exposure.
Use shadows as leading lines.
Put subject in a highlighted area surrounded by shadows (e.g., street photography)
Look for shadow patterns.