Photos are fast becoming the most popular way to communicate and share ideas, emotions, and memories. With Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, photos are being shared at a rate never seen before. But how do you make your photos stand out against the crowd? Today, most photography is done on mobile phones, but with its ease of use, and low cost, comes a sacrifice in quality. Let’s find out how to take awesome photos possible, so your photos look great, and stand out.

1. Start with a Good Camera

Although your mobile phone may have a ‘good camera’, nothing beats the quality of a good point-and-shoot camera, or even a mirrorless or DSLR camera. Even the best mobile phone cameras won’t rival the image quality of a DSLR. The reason for this is simple – the larger sensor on a DSLR lets in much more light than a tiny mobile phone sensor. In addition to having a clearer photo, DSLR’s also let you experiment with a “blurred background” effect, otherwise known as a shallow depth of field, or bokeh. Smartphone makers like Apple have tried to imitate this effect with software, but nothing beats the blurred effect of a real DSLR with a high aperture. If you shop around, it’s easy to find the best cameras for the money, no matter your price range.

2. Learn How to Use it

Too often, users of a brand new camera, or those using their mobile phones, will simply point at the subject and click the shutter. While this may produce a nice picture, it’s important to learn how to use a camera. Doing so will enhance the quality of your photos, giving you more artistic freedom, as well as giving you more power over the look of your photos. In addition, learning how to use a camera, and how a camera works, can be vital to understanding the principles behind editing a photo, which is equally as important.

3. Edit Your Photos

Everybody wishes their cameras would create the perfect image right from a click. Sure, a photo might look nice, but to make it really pop, you’ll have to open a photo editing suite. Don’t be afraid – there’s no stigma around edited photos. If Adobe’s suite is too much for you, I’d recommend using either Pixelmator, or even Photoshop Express on an iPhone. Editing can be as simple as cropping the photo, or changing the white balance. Often, you’ll find that the camera (or you) hasn’t adjusted correctly for the light, or the white balance. This is easily corrected, and it’s extremely important for accuracy.

Conclusion

To take awesome photos, you’ll need to buy a decent camera, learn how to use it, and edit your photos with Photoshop or Lightroom. It’s extremely simple, and if you nail it, you’ll have eye-popping photos on Facebook, and your Instagram page will be the envy of all those around you. Keep the above tips in mind, and let us know how you get on in the comments.

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