Improve your photography by UNDERSTANDING why a PHOTO is BAD (and GOOD)

It only really matters what you think of your photos. But do you know why a good photo is good and a bad photo is bad? Understanding this can massively help you improve your photography.

Useful photography resources:

NIKON GEAR (Main STILLS camera)

FUJI GEAR (Main FILM camera)

OTHER PHOTO GEAR

#photography #photographytips #tutorial

[cmptrman]

Honestly, it's SUPER refreshing to see a vlogger actually share his images that aren't maybe super awesome so we can learn how to improve composition. So often vloggers are afraid to show anything except their best work because they're worried they might be seen as fallible. Good job m'friend! Awesome video!

[MrCochise]

" what makes a photo good is if you like it" .... Excellent quote. Great video.

[vargavideo]

Surprised and delighted to hear you say what makes a photo good is the photographer liking it, and not necessary adherence to rigid guidelines.

[amitchattopadhyay]

Hi Nigel, your videos stands out of the crowd because you concentrate on the most difficult and ignored part of photography - composition. However this is and will be the most important aspect in this trade. Great work, hope to see more like this

[proach]

Thanks Nigel. I think I graduated as a photographer when I learned to strongly disagree with some critiques. Being able and willing to defend my images was totally liberating. Now I only look for critiques from phographers whose work I respect. The best thing about getting critiques can be to learn to critique yourself: honestly and brutally if necessary!

[Melissainsc]

This is so helpful. Not only is it good to articulate why something works well but also the act of writing it down helps with remembering each point. That in turn helps you to note these points when you are out in the field composing your shot. Simple but very effective.

[nothingrhymeswithorange]

"The only thing that makes a photo good is that you like it." I needed to hear that today. It's so easy to fall down a rabbit hole on instagram and start comparing yourself to everyone else.

[michaelhayward]

As a newcomer to photography I am so encouraged by what you said - the best photo is the one like and put on my wall - thank you

[izaklebanska]

I just started my photographic experience and I would be proud myself of the photos you criticized. I'm absolutely aware of the difference between our skills and knowledge about photography. The most important thing you said on the beginning: Good photo is when you like it. So I like all the photos you show although I understand why you prefer one of the other but I still like it. I wish to make some day such photos.

[JFW]

Your YouTube videos make Sunday mornings enjoyable and this was one of your best. So interesting to follow your thought process in analysing the photos. Love the prints too.

[ianbrowne]

I always like your videos Nigel -- simple, to point with no bs and there is always something new to consider or even reconsider .
Yes; practical and personal experience is the better teacher --- here are a few things I would like to share that have taken me 40-50 years to collect .


Get off face(less)book / you tube; take photos yourself .
Emotions are very blinding when evaluating your photos.
Don't hope to get a good picture by taking LOTS of similar photos.
We learn more from our mistakes than just getting lucky with one great image.
Learn photography and editing by photographing easy unimportant subjects so then the harder important subjects will be easier to photograph .
Think lots click once .
Identify your real subject in the overall scene -- see that tree inside the forest .




Photography is about light; the quality of that light and shadows from that light --- the gear used makes very little difference to recording that light. A phone camera and a medium format camera work the same way to record that light .


The first camera angel you decide to take a photo from is very often not the best .

A tripod will usually give you better compositions as you are free to move around away from the camera to consider a different viewpoint --- a step either way; camera higher or lower can make ALL the difference between a good or bad photo.


Before clicking: Visualise your subject as your framed picture displayed on your wall --- consider the cropping needed to make a better composition --- I often have a name for the subject in my mind and that often leads to the better composition .


No matter how much gear you have; you will never get every photo you might see.
There should not be any bad photos as cameras are so good --- I said that 30 odds years ago while shaking my head at **** photos falling out of our mini-lab!! . A lot has changed since then, yet people are still taking mostly bad photos . Yes, me too!! …... WHY??!!


Not every subject is designed to fit perfectly inside the sensor being used .
After the photography part; file cropping, and horizontal rotating is great for fine tuning your picture composition .

Dodge and burn from the earliest dark rooms is still one of the simpler and easier ways to edit a photo. The layer way is better imo. (BTW; the days of having to have Photoshop are long over)


Finally; too many “options” of anything make the final choice more confusing .
Now put those “options” as beer/ cameras/ milk/ lenses/ gear/ shoes/ subjects/ photos to sort/ editing programs /acquired presets .
More options = more confusion = more frustration = less satisfaction

Nigel; you are welcome to freely use any of those thoughts as you wish in your videos

[stephenmason]

Cartier Bresson said: " I take photos I like if you like it, it's a bonus "! Look it up.

[Bayerwaldler]

10:42 My first thought was: "It looks so painterly - I love it!" (15:42 among others surely also has this quality) You call it "overall mood" and I think this is one of the most important aspects for "grand" landscapes.

[alessiorosa]

Hi Nigel,
I’m an Italian guy who is at the beginning of his photography journey.

Even if Landscape Photography is not my favorite genre, I love your pictures and I love watching your videos.

Thanks for your tips and for your work, man. Keep it Up.
A warm greeting from Italy.

[keithpinn]

I enjoyed seeing your thought process of what makes a 'good' image and what makes a 'bad' image. It has given me a lot to think about in my own photography.


Cheers, Keith

[butterflycam]

Nigel, I do follow most of the famous landscape photographers, but you are really standing out, for many reasons. I believe I can easily say I would recognize a Nigel Photo among others, and that is quite something. I absolutely love your work and I am saving to go ona workshop with you, it is one of my must do before i leave. Amazing, thanks for sharing such great inspiration

[felixcomms]

This video has come along at just the right time for me. I have just analysed a few of my recent images and one in particular was not quite right. This has helped me pinpoint the reason why. Great Stuff Nigel.

[giselesmith]

I really like your videos where you go through the process of determining what you find good and not so good about the photos. And there's Pebbles too...

[stevemozzie]

Totally agree. Took an image today which didn't quite work out composition wise, but the idea behind it was spot on.

[nevadaxtube]

This video shows why I consider Nigel the gold standard in Youtube photography vloggers. The tips and advice were excellent. I would much rather watch Nigel analyze and discuss photography quietly and logically rather than watch a bunch of photography buddies getting together who act like immature clowns. Even photographers whose work I greatly admire, and do excellent videos on their own; somehow manage to regress to a juvenile level when they team up with other photographers for their videos. Thanks Nigel for rising above and producing top notch videos!