That’s right – watch out for leopards in your pictures. What am I talking about? Splotchy and uneven lighting can cause the subject of your photograph to appear spotted. Other lighting problems that might make a photograph unsuccessful are harsh light and shadows, improper white balance, and unnecessary flash.

First, let’s tackle how to avoid those pesky leopards. (more…)

We all remember from English class the rule of Subject — Verb Agreement, which means you wouldn’t say “That book are great…” but rather “That book is great.” The same rule can be applied to photography, if we look at how the subject of the photo relates to the framing of the picture, what I call Subject — Frame Agreement.

The most common incident where we find this error is in distance. Being too far away from the subject does not make a good photograph. This does not mean that every picture has to be a real close headshot, it just means you have to pay attention to the background. Usually it is nice to include some of the surroundings, to give the image context, but you have to make a conscious decision that the background you are including is important. (more…)