On my photography workshops and holidays, one of the main tips I give (alongside getting up at sunrise, which always receives a mixed response!), is the importance of practice practice practice. I realise this concept is nothing revolutionary, but to make the step from ‘happy snapper’ to ‘photographer’, you will need to dedicate time specifically to improving and developing your photography. Being in a photography frame of mind is crucial, as it requires looking at the world in a different way. Simply taking photos of situations that happen to present themselves to you just won’t cut it!
![Bolivia Travel Landscape Photography Copacabana Cathedral aka Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana sunset Copacabana Bolivia South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Bolivia/Bolivia-Travel-Landscape-Photography_Copacabana-Cathedral-aka-Basilica-of-Our-Lady-of-Copacabana-sunset-Copacabana-Bolivia-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=1abca6343fa4910c097765a2e2536a93)
Shots like this require patience and taking the time to visualise a shot before it takes place.
![Peru Travel Photography Worker at Salt pans Salinas de Maras Maras near Cusco Cuzco Peru South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Peru/Peru-Travel-Photography_Worker-at-Salt-pans-Salinas-de-Maras-Maras-near-Cusco-Cuzco-Peru-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=22835ed7d94b48b23611d8db013a1a48)
Using scale as a compositional tool to enhance a scene.
One of my recommended exercises, prior to even coming on a photography workshop, is to try as many of these suggestions as possible. Walk around a city, visit a park or explore a market and force yourself to take photos in a way that you are not used to. These are unlikely to be winning images first time, but by experimenting with these techniques and compositional ideas in a comfortable environment, you then have them in your repertoire for when it matters most in the future.
So… stop reading this blog, print off the list and go for a walk!
1. Frame your subject/scene
- Arches
- Windows
- Door frames
- Anything!!
![Peru Travel Photography Blue cloisters Santa Catalina Monastery Convento de Santa Catalina aka Saint Catherine a convent in Arequipa Peru South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Peru/Peru-Travel-Photography_Blue-cloisters-Santa-Catalina-Monastery-Convento-de-Santa-Catalina-aka-Saint-Catherine-a-convent-in-Arequipa-Peru-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=5103ad39c0704af23595de061ca8ffcf)
Example of using frames as a compositional tool in photography
2. Perfect reflections
- Glass
- Water
3. Imperfect reflections e.g. abstract reflections from shiny surface
4. Double exposure effect where something interesting on both sides of a window
![Myanmar Burma Travel Photography Buddhist Monks praying at Golden Rock Temple Kyaiktiyo Pagoda at sunset Mon State Myanmar Burma](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Myanmar-Burma/Myanmar-Burma-Travel-Photography_Buddhist-Monks-praying-at-Golden-Rock-Temple-Kyaiktiyo-Pagoda-at-sunset-Mon-State-Myanmar-Burma.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=c1f03d44b6752137a3febc11662ad6db)
Example of photographing reflections in a window
5. Find highest viewpoint in area for aerial/elevated view
6. Photograph from directly above – while at ground level
![Myanmar Burma Portrait Travel Photography Documentary Portraiture Oh Bo Pottery Shed Twante near Yangon Myanmar Burma](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Myanmar-Burma/Myanmar-Burma-Portrait-Travel-Photography-Documentary-Portraiture_Oh-Bo-Pottery-Shed-Twante-near-Yangon-Myanmar-Burma.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=bba43e542c23ea335ecddd53a2b049ff)
Example of photographing from directly above at ground level
7. Look up at subject
![Ecuador Travel Photography Misty Jungle Mashpi Cloud Forest in the Choco Rainforest Ecuador South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Ecuador/Ecuador-Travel-Photography_Misty-Jungle-Mashpi-Cloud-Forest-in-the-Choco-Rainforest-Ecuador-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=eaa9d5e87297c2bb2f2df3226be4a48c)
Example of looking directly up, taken in the rainforest in Ecuador
8. Photograph from ground level – i.e. 1 inch from the ground
9. Focus on colours – 1 colour or complimentary colours or subtle shades
10. Look for repeating patterns/subjects
![Peru Travel Photography Salt pans Salinas de Maras Maras near Cusco Cuzco Peru South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Peru/Peru-Travel-Photography_Salt-pans-Salinas-de-Maras-Maras-near-Cusco-Cuzco-Peru-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=8d55634334e7ab3d9603da1b7df5817c)
Patterns make great subjects, especially when you will the frame with them
11. Shapes
12. Symmetry
13. Textures
14. Fill the frame – still needs shape/composition
15. Scale – small subject in large landscape
16. Silhouettes
![Iceland Travel Photography Tourists walking on Breidamerkurjokull Glacier Vatnajokull Ice Cap Iceland](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Iceland/Iceland-Travel-Photography_Tourists-walking-on-Breidamerkurjokull-Glacier-Vatnajokull-Ice-Cap-Iceland.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=6b454d90cd415506294709b7dbcdc57c)
Photographing into the sun can create dramatic silhouettes
17. Leading lines into the frame
![England Landscape Photography Photographer Pier at Derwent Water Derwentwater at sunset Lake District Cumbria England UK Europe](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/England/England-Landscape-Photography-Photographer_Pier-at-Derwent-Water-Derwentwater-at-sunset-Lake-District-Cumbria-England-UK-Europe.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=499ff6b6061ab16da0506c762071197b)
Leading lines are a great compositional technique for creating depth in photos
18. Get closer….closer….closer
![Ecuador Travel Photography Owl Butterfly wing macro of wing pattern details Mashpi Cloud Forest Choco Rainforest Ecuador South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Ecuador/Ecuador-Travel-Photography_Owl-Butterfly-wing-macro-of-wing-pattern-details-Mashpi-Cloud-Forest-Choco-Rainforest-Ecuador-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=40f9443c77c8355109aac999fa235e86)
Getting as close as possible opens up interesting shapes, textures and patterns that you don't see when standing further back.
19. Really wide angle close up with something contextual in the background
20. Shadows
21. Photograph into the sun
- Sun stars by placing on edge of item in the scene
- Flare – different feel by placing sun…
- Just out of the frame
- On edge of the frame
- Just in the frame
- Place sun directly behind subject – silhouettes
![Sri Lanka Travel Photography Kandy Lake and the island which houses the Royal Summer House at sunrise Kandy Central Province Sri Lanka Asia](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Sri-Lanka/Sri-Lanka-Travel-Photography_Kandy-Lake-and-the-island-which-houses-the-Royal-Summer-House-at-sunrise-Kandy-Central-Province-Sri-Lanka-Asia.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=829ad623960d773835110469bab4a8d2)
Photographing into the sun can add great atmosphere to a photo
22. Hands
- Holding something
- Doing something
23. Motion using slow shutter speed
- Panning from side on
- Panning from behind
- Subject blurred, scene sharp
- Photograph from transport with motion in foreground
![Bolivia Travel Landscape Photography Miners mining inside Potosi silver mines Department of Potosi Bolivia South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Bolivia/Bolivia-Travel-Landscape-Photography_Miners-mining-inside-Potosi-silver-mines-Department-of-Potosi-Bolivia-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=2584397c164c881f2ef2475541dbdf61)
Example of panning from the side to add motion and energy to a photo
![Argentina Travel Landscape Photography Driving through Talampaya National Park La Rioja Province North Argentina South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Argentina/Argentina-Travel-Landscape-Photography_Driving-through-Talampaya-National-Park-La-Rioja-Province-North-Argentina-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=af8d58746d00c1f1d8068a8528ef4bba)
Photographing from a car using a slow shutter speed offers a blurry foreground
24. Get close to action
- People – feels much more intimate and makes the viewer feel like they are part of the scene
- Water in landscape – creates energy
![Peru Travel Portrait Photography Documentary Portraiture Portrait of an old Peruvian woman Cusco Region Peru South America](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Peru/Peru-Travel-Portrait-Photography-Documentary-Portraiture_Portrait-of-an-old-Peruvian-woman-Cusco-Region-Peru-South-America.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=f76694ec4190780e044b2c813c646de8)
Getting close for portraits creates a much more intimate feel
25. Look for pairs or threes
26. Stars
- Star trails
- Behind silhouette of very distinct shape
- As part of landscape – focus doesn’t have to be the stars
27. Very long exposure during day – 5 minutes+
![London Travel Photography St Pauls Cathedral seen across Millennium Bridge City of London London England United Kingdom](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/London/London-Travel-Photography_St-Pauls-Cathedral-seen-across-Millennium-Bridge-City-of-London-London-England-United-Kingdom.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=d7ffb9580093a42a23e9ad25e3ac954d)
Use filters during the day to capture long exposures for a fine art feel
28. Long exposure/slow shutter speed with water – suggested shutter speeds are very vague as it is very dependent on the scene, type/quantity of water and how quickly it is moving.
- Very long (4s+) – milky effect
- Medium (1s to 4s) – more directional motion/patterns in rivers and as waves go in and out
- Slow-ish shutter speed (1/4s to 1s) – burst/splash from crashing waves visible
![Iceland Landscape Photography Icebergs at sunrise on Jokulsarlon Beach a black volcanic sand beach in South East Iceland 2](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Iceland/Iceland-Landscape-Photography_Icebergs-at-sunrise-on-Jokulsarlon-Beach-a-black-volcanic-sand-beach-in-South-East-Iceland-2.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=6bcab052fdfde8a0d2703aa45f5fc221)
Long exposures with water adds motion to a photo
29. Tell the story of a person
- Shot 1 - Set the scene
- Shot 2 - Portrait of person
- Shot 3 - Detail of action/context
- Shot 4 - Focus on element of scene with person in background
![Myanmar Burma Portrait Travel Photography Documentary Portraiture Novice Monk at a Buddhist Monastery between Inle Lake and Kalaw a popular 2 day trek in Shan State Myanmar Burma](https://matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net/uploads/photos/Best-of-Galleries/Myanmar-Burma/Myanmar-Burma-Portrait-Travel-Photography-Documentary-Portraiture_Novice-Monk-at-a-Buddhist-Monastery-between-Inle-Lake-and-Kalaw-a-popular-2-day-trek-in-Shan-State-Myanmar-Burma.jpg?auto=format&domain=matthewwilliams-ellis.imgix.net&fit=clip&h=1280&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1920&s=2d522d47a4436daf655fd1f34cc5f4a0)
Portrait of a novice monk in Myanmar
30. Look up the times of sunrise, sunset and moonrise
Have you got any suggestions to add to the list? Feel free to get in touch!