Do you remember when you first picked up a camera? Whether it was film or digital, it was exciting to explore the world and take pictures. We bring our cameras everywhere we go and just start snapping anything that looks even remotely interesting. Now that almost all modern smartphone has a decent camera, there is simply no reason why we shouldn’t be taking more interesting pictures more often. While we are snapping more photos than ever, the trick is to take photos that are interesting and not mundane.
But as time goes by, taking pictures become routine. We take more pictures especially when we travel, but somehow it ends up looking the same. Time after time we take pictures of our subjects in front of a tourist attraction, usually with the same pose. After awhile our holiday photos are nothing more than a photographic proof that we’ve been to a specific landmark, rather than having something interesting to convey.
Photography moved on from exciting and adventurous to becoming a mechanical routine. Then you see other people’s photographs on flickr or other photo sharing websites and they look stunning, interesting, thought-provoking, etc. How did they do it? It must’ve taken a lot of talent, time, and fancy equipment.
But the truth is, it doesn’t really take much to start taking great photographs that you can be proud to show off again. You need to re-engage the creative side of your photography skills and start having fun. When you rekindle the joy of taking photographs, you’ll invariably take better photos.
We all can take great photographs given an interesting subject, but adding some trick photography techniques into the mix can really make your pictures pop out and grab attention. All you need is just a little extra effort and preparation to get pictures that are out of the ordinary.
There are various special effects in trick photography that can definitely enhance the pictures you take in most situations. Some takes time to learn and use but if you want something immediate, you can do the following. In addition to your camera, try to bring along something fun and different that you can use to enhance the content of your photos. Some people bring dolls or soft toys and have it posed against their subject or scenery to give life to their photos.
When it comes to trick photography, most people think of forced perspective. No doubt you’ll have seen pictures of people pushing the leaning tower of pisa with their hands or holding one of their friends in the palm of their hands. These are forced perspective pictures, and add a great sense of fun and humour to any subject matter you’re trying to photograph. So toy around with different variations on this trick to get some funny pictures.
Taking photos at night is a great opportunity to get creative and play with your subject matter. You might have seen pictures of cities at night with those long light trails of cars, these are great examples of using trick photography to convey a mood or feeling through photographs. Some of the more impressive trick photos of this nature are taken with nothing more than a camera, tripod, a flashlight, and a great deal of imagination.
So stop taking pictures of people in front of bits of scenery. Use your imagination and come up with creative and fun photos using some of the trick photography techniques mentioned here. Not only will you take great pictures, but you’ll have more fun doing it!
