Tired of messy clicks? 10 versatile ways to avoid cliche photography like a pro!

 (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
We all want beautiful pictures, but we often put our energy in silly directions by endlessly repeated patterns and approaches. CLICHES trap us in Obsequiousness and leave us capturing moments that might look nice at first sight, but are otherwise uninteresting. What clichés are these, and how can we avoid them?' 

Selfies, weird borders, crappy sunset shots; we've all rolled our eyes at these clichés, but what's worse is that we've all been guilty of them at some time or another. There are places in this world captured so often, and a photographer should be no more interested in capturing them. Not just the Eiffel Tower, but also the Taj Mahal, London's Tower Bridge, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, photos from these and other similar places have nothing to say, but "I was here to know how to click a picture."

A truism in Photography, are sometimes way overdone and make even the most experienced photographers look non-professional. Websites such as Shotkit.com, help avoid some of the most common cliches that act as a barrier to an eye-pleasing photograph. But what could be those commonly possible cliches that could spoil your pictures? Let's have a look at ten of such cliches one by one below.

1. HDR 

High dynamic range imaging is a tried and true photography technique for producing a more excellent range of luminosity in an image than with a standard photo.

 

2. Aperture

Good lens flare gets the light to angle into your camera lens just right. Strike up a natural lens flare even more by stopping down your aperture with f/8 or higher. Capturing every image with a natural lens flare gets old quite soon, whereas adding fake lens flare to images looks even messy. If the light source falls behind the camera, the flash doesn't belong there and will look out of place.

 

3. Auto-fixing

Auto fixing a photo, black and white, neither makes a picture look beautiful nor creates an image more creative. Photo cliches, such as a man with a cigarette in hand or a woman looking out through a windowpane and then converting the image black and white, is not an efficient use of black and white. Try your use of black and white more cautiously.

 

4. Leaning Backgrounds

Purposely tilting the horizon doesn't look artsy. It just looks weird. Some photographers intentionally fall into the trap of leaning their backgrounds to fit more into the frame. If you're forcefully trying to fit everything into the frame, move backward, or choose a more extensive focal length, you can also refer to websites and enhance Photography skills.

 

5. A Learner Mindset

Have a conversation with the famous photographers, and they are acknowledging that they owe to their fellow photographers to reach where they are. Be a regular follower towards the work of great photographers and other visual artists. Ask yourself this question why you think an image works and what you like about it. It doesn't mean saying you should blindly copy a famous photograph – who needs another Mona Lisa? – You can develop an excellent work database in your head that you can refer to and draw inspiration simultaneously. Also, see the pictures that are winning competitions and read the comments of the judging panel.

 

6. Get Feedback

Getting negative and positive feedback on your images from a respected source and working on it will give you a broader perspective. Rather than relying on the local camera group, put your pictures up for scrutiny from a national photographic organization, such as the Royal Photographic Society, The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers, the Master Photographers Association, and so on. Aiming for a distinction or entering a competition is a great way to see if your images are as 'tasteful' as you think they are! Tell Us What You Think!

 

7. Flowers Photography

Capturing pretty flowers is an enchanting experience and also pretty standard. The first attraction an ab initial photographer photographs craves after unboxing their brand new DSLR is the refreshing flowers. Flowers are full of color and interesting shapes, but there are often shots of flowers that end up unattractive and uninteresting. Try working on the composition to eliminate other things and be careful towards the lighting objects or unneeded shapes.  

 

8. Beautiful Beaches 

Plan a visit to as many beaches, and it is funny how similar they all are in some or the other way. Commonly they all have sand, water, waves, sunrise, or sunset. Try to compose your imagination of beach photographs and look for something to include in your foreground like birds.

 

9. Photoshop Tutorials 

Learning a new photoshop technique, especially if it improves or adds to the story of the image, is a skill to master. Refer tutorials on websites such as shot kit.com, 

Learning photoshop does affect a beginner photographer's work as it's easy to figure out that the photographer has the upper hand in photoshop and learned how to do selective color. Taking help from websites acts as an additional boon to your bucket list.

 

10. Watermark or Signature

Some photographers waste so much time on watermarking that they should spend developing their skills as a photographer. Nothing personal or offensive, but the vast majority of photographers who plaster their nd name on their pictures don't accomplish anything except making their image even less desirable to look. Some say that it keeps people from stealing their image or that it helps in promoting their work with name recognition and branding. 

Trust me, and if someone wants to copy your picture, they will do so regardless of whether you've put your Watermark on it. If you wish to add your Watermark to your images, at least do it in a classy, non-script font, and add subtly to the photograph's bottom corner.

Creating expertise in Photography takes years of practice, experience, and patience. Cliches will be a part of the learning process, especially for beginners, but how to overcome them and create amazing pictures, is where a photographer's real skill lies.