Take Aww-Inspiring Photos

Whether on a road trip, a camping weekend, cruising on a boat, flying off to a dream destination—or a Seattle staycation—we humans tend to take a lot of photos when we’re out and about. Here are three tips for taking better ones. 

Whether you use your phone or pack your high-tech gear, these will help you capture the heart of your great summertime experiences.

Tip 1: Perspective. One of the easiest and most impactful ways to make your photos better is to look at things from a new point of view. Get out of your typical standing or sitting position and see what changes. Your iPhone is particularly great for taking low-angle or super-close-up shots.

Tip 2: Simplicity. There are lots of compositional tools that you can use in your photos, like the lines, colors and shapes of or near your subject. Keep distractions at bay by picking one thing to emphasize and let the rest go. Your photos will be better when you do more with less.

Tip 3: Overshoot and cull. I suggest taking lots of pictures of one thing (from several perspectives, perhaps) so you have options to choose from later. Make it your new habit to move the camera around, press the capture button freely, and follow up with a quick review and delete session. The whole “overshoot” process can be done in less than a minute, and you’ll rarely end up with a missed moment.

Not only do these approaches create more eye-catching photos, they help widen your vision of whatever it is you’re capturing. And it’s fun!