The 7 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS that TRANSFORMED my photos

These 7 tips are simple to follow, but will have a huge impact on the quality of your photography.

NIKON GEAR (Main STILLS camera)

FILM GEAR

OTHER PHOTO GEAR

0:00 Introduction
0:51 Spacing is so important
2:58 Lead the eye
4:43 You don't need wide angle for foreground
5:22 Matching shapes in images
8:01 Balance is really important
9:08 Light changes
7. Simplicity always wins - 10:35

[wm]

1. Spacing is so important - 0:51
2. Lead the eye - 2:58
3. You don't need wide angle for foreground - 4:43
4. Matching shapes in images - 5:22
5. Balance is really important - 8:01
6. Light changes - 9:08
7. Simplicity always wins - 10:35

[OmNixJ]

Nigel, you are quickly turning into one of my favorite photographers. I absolutely love your ability to look at one of your own photos and say "yeah that really wasn't the best".

[patrickmorgan]

Good stuff. I appreciate seeing images from the same location where we can see what works and what does not. Shows that simple is better. Also, I thought your image was 50mm and not 35mm. I like that you had us guessing. “Normal” focal lengths are underrated and I’m glad you mentioned that this was not ultra wide, or zoom.

[MichaelShainblum]

Great shots throughout the video, but loving those two images at 10:05. Really gorgeous simplicity. Same with 11:01 as well.

[cinavik]

my #1 tip that leveled me up beyond anything else was spending a lot of time studying and practicing composition - as you said balance is key, repeating patterns, leading lines, all of those things together to make an image pop

[rcen]

I've been following your youtube for a long time, and the "simplicity" tip has really resonated with me. I've tried to consciously think about that in all my photos. It also pairs nicely with removing distracting elements around the edges.

[PeterWigenBjarnoe]

Both you, Mads and Thomas have made lots of videos with tips, but luckily this one stands out in a positive way. It's not just about repetition (it must also be difficult to constantly have to come up with new topics), but good useful tips that can be taken with you out into the countryside, the forest or into the city if you're into architecture photography. All in all a really good video.

[TheNorthernExplorer]

As someone that’s relatively new to landscape photography I’d like to say thanks for the tips! It gives me an idea of what to look for when composing an image.

[schmidt]

I'm a big fan of how you either orient more portrait shots or crop to a non-standard aspect ratio. Your eye for the best view is excellent, as seen with the 3 iceberg shots early in the video. It will certainly help me in taking that few extra moments in framing and organizing my photos. Thanks again for you viedos.

[KaosK]

As with all things photography, it’s amazing how as individuals, we perceive things differently in the moment. At 11:30, the side by side images of The Roaches, is a perfect example for me. While I find the left side image overall more pleasing, during my initial observation of right side image, my eye was immediately grabbed by the strength of the wall entering from the left, that I didn’t even take notice of the heather in the foreground. The framing of the image on the left, overall, has as much to do with its pleasing composition as its leading line. The spacing of the outcropping relative to the horizon line gives it slightly more room and a less cluttered feel, and the additional sky (which also creates implied lines entering from the upper corners) bring so much to the image, in addition to the path. As always, your videos are thought provoking, and I come away with additional perspective and insight on how to improve my composition. If I could only apply it in the field… Many thanks Mr. Danson

[adventurecoalition]

Great useful tips, appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us

[williampetersen]

Although not technically a "tip", I think inspiration is one of the greatest tools to use in improving your photography. Your new composition e-book is a great example. I don't shoot a lot of landscapes where I live but do more intimate landscapes and macro. The tips and ideas in your e-book can equally apply to the photography I love doing plus the photos are damn inspirational!

[nicolasguillenc]

Thank you Nigel, you are one of my biggest mentors when it comes to composition! This is really good

[wendyrosedavis]

Greetings :
Great tips Nigel !
Im still learning , photography never gets boring .
I love listening and watching your channel !
Ive learned a lot from you .
You're a positive teacher !

[mateusnicolau]

Love your videos Nigel it helps me a lot, and I'm also always amazed how the same design principles also applies to photography.

[timrosenburgh]

Interesting video Nigel.
I think a lot of us see a shot and take it without balancing it out, i know I do. I think it's called slow down and take your time lol.
Look forward to the next one.

[HR-wdcw]

I get the feeling that many beginners will struggle with space initially. First, they don't zoom enough, and when they're told to fill the frame, they go in too far and things are near the edge or worse yet, cropped off (like tree branches, although there are some commpositon, particularly in a forest with a lot of trees, where you may intentionally crop off parts of trees to have a more simplified or intimate forest/woodland scene).

2:47 Vastness, emptiness, or even isolation....

I agree on the wide angle shots... where you don't need a WA lens to get foregrounds. In fact, I used to do that a lot, and while it works for some compositions, a lot of what I was shooting, like mountains, with a lake in front perhaps with some rocks or grass in the immedaite foreground (lake would be in the mid-ground) I found that shooting ultra wide lost the scene a bit, and that I really like the compression, even what you can get a 35mm versus say 14mm or 16mm. And I think this is a bit misconception especially for new beginner photographers, that you have to go wide if you want to include a foreground element. IN some respects, I don't like the ultra-wide look for some foreground elements because it can distort them a bit too much. Some of this has to do with shooting low versus higher-up obviously, but it's gotten to a point where I am sort of bored with ultra-wide landscape photography myself, and find myself often times shooting between 30mm upwards of 100mm in most cases (100mm when I want to really isolate something, like a tree or part of a scene- like the Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon NP). I actually am somewhat glad that Ie settled more on the 30mm to 100mm range for most of my recent shooting because while I do bring my Z 14-30 with me, I find that most of the time, I'm using my 24-120 lens instead as it's so versatile and I really don't have to worry about changing lenses and can focus on finding compositions and shooting. Of course I will use the 14-30 from time to time, but less now than I used to.

The best advice I can give new photographers would to be to just go out (learn about basic composition and then go out and shoot). Take a lot of pictures, try different angles. Be thoughtful about your compositions but try different angles. If you're using a tripod, resist the temptation to put it down and use it right away. Compose some compositions without even bothering with the tripd, because that will dictate where the tripod needs to go (the tripod is only a support tool). Take a lot of photos (different angles, perspectives, focal lengths, apertures, etc). If you're shooting digital, this is easy as practically free. Don't delete in camera (review on the computer first; and I say this for multiple reasons -- partially because the LCD?EVF is hard to judge things like critical sharpness, although it's good enough to check composition and overall exposure, and also because I've found that deleting a lot from the card can lead to card issues -- nothing permanent but possible corruption -- over time).

[jremi]

Your enthusiasm is contagious and your photos are amazing. I just subscribed. Thanks!

[julioamaral]

Many thanks!
It's important to pay attention to the Hipergocal distance when using a foreground element. At looking an gorgeous photo, what is closer must be sharp.

[DaniloMartinelli]

I purchased your ebook on composition. I can't wait to read it. Thanks for your great videos.