Where to start
Three techniques that open the door.
You don't need to learn everything. These three techniques do the most to expand what your work can say. Start with one — the one whose card makes you want to pick up your camera.
High Contrast
Why this one
When the difference between bright and dark in your frame becomes the subject. Often the fastest way to get a photograph to feel like it's saying something specific.
Use large differences in brightness to direct attention. Separate elements to show clearer relationships. Hide details to create mystery. Create stories of search and discovery.
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Layering
Why this one
Building depth by stacking subjects at different distances. Layering turns a flat scene into one the eye wants to walk through — a small move with a large effect.
Arranging scene elements along the depth/z-axis to increase a photo's 3-dimensionality and draw the eye from layer to layer to create spatial and narrative relationships.
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Perspective
Why this one
Where you stand changes what the photograph means. Perspective is the technique you can practice without any new gear and see results in a single shoot.
Positioning the camera and tilting or angling the lens to create a specific—often unusual—point of view that uses orientation of the viewer to emphasize elements and relationships within a scene.
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