225 photography tips to inspire you

Patrick Fraser
Portrait Photographer

Born in Norwich, Fraser studied fine art and then worked as a photography assistant in London for four years. Keen for a change, he relocated to LA in 1997 and made his name by shooting interesting characters on Venice Beach. Now a sought-after portrait photographer, Fraser works for a roster of top-flight magazines and advertising clients.
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43. Help your subject by finding out a little about them and having some conversation starters. Or bring along a prop – they might grab it and make a great shot!

44. Be prepared and know your gear. Also, time permitting, don’t be afraid to try a new lighting set-up during the shoot.

45. Keep the set-up simple and start with one light. If that looks good, shoot it.

46. Don’t be afraid to go in tight with a wide-angle lens.

47. Try shooting with a tripod – it’s easier to talk to your subject when you’re not holding a camera.

Joe & Mary Ann McDonald
Nature Photographers

Joe and Mary Ann McDonald’s work has been published in a host of leading magazines, including Audubon, National Wildlife and Natural History and Smithsonian. Joe is the principal photographer in the team and author of seven books, including The Complete Guide to Wildlife Photography and Photographing on Safari. Mary Ann has written numerous children’s books on natural history subjects. The McDonalds run seminars and workshops across the US.
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48. Make time to develop your skills – try to get a job that still gives you time for your photography and doesn’t stress you out! With faith and self-belief you can achieve your goals.

49. While it helps to have the cash to travel to great locations, you must be dedicated and work hard.

50. Know the craft of photography like a professional.

51. Find your niche, whether it’s a specific location, specific species or certain style.

52. Know your subjects well. The best wildlife photographers are also the best naturalists.

53. Be business-like – marketing is the other half of the story. Or hire someone to do the hustling!

Steven Tee
Formula One Photographer

Steven Tee is a world-renowned motorsports photography and director of the LAT (London Art Technical) photo agency. His father was also an F1 photographer; his grandfather pioneered motorsports publishing in the UK. Tee and his LAT agency cover WRC, F3000, BTCC, IRL, Champ Car and NASCAR events. Tee is a die-hard Canon fan and LAT agency went 100% digital after the release of the EOS 1Ds Mk2.
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54. Know your kit – you don’t want to be sitting there trying to figure out how your camera works just as the drivers roar past.

55. Know your capabilities.

56. Choose subjects you’re passionate about. I decided I wanted to shoot motorsports when I was a teenager.

57. Don’t be afraid to experiment in order to stand out from the crowd. Your work has to stand out.

58. Try to look at each shoot from a lateral perspective.

David Noton
Landscape Photographer

David Noton was born in Bedfordshire in 1957, grew up in Canada, and travelled in the Merchant Navy. He turned pro in 1985 after studying photography as a mature student. Noton has won three BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards and is now a prolific writer and trainer. His latest book is Waiting for the Light (David and Charles).
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59. Follow your passion. You’ll do best shooting what you love, and I see this with my students.

60. Learn from your mistakes. Apply what you have learned, go back to a place and get it right.

61. If an image still isn’t working, really think about why this is happening. Retaking the shot in different circumstances could work.

62. Never stop learning about the endless subtleties of light.

Cameron Davidson
Aerial Photographer

Cameron Davidson was born in North Virginia, USA in 1952 and got into photography after finding a camera in a cupboard. He got his first assignment for National Geographic when he was 23, shooting herons from the air. In the 1980s he diversified and began working on annual reports and books, including works on Florida from the air.
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63. Don’t follow trends or copy other people’s work.

64. Focus on the image and the emotion, and focus less on digital trickery.

65. Think about creating images that look fantastic straight out of the camera, without relying on post-processing Photoshop enhancements.

66. Concentrate on your unique vision and learn to listen to yourself.

67. Finally, shoot what you love. Then keep shooting, keep shooting and keep shooting.

Tim Fitzharris
Nature Photographer

Born in 1948, Tim Fitzharris is a leading US nature photographer and columnist for Popular Photography and Imaging magazine. He trained as a biologist and school teacher before turning professional in 1979. Fitzharris’ first book, The Adventure of Nature Photography was published in 1983 and he’s been widely published since.
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68. Always use a tripod – it will help you to be more deliberate and thoughtful.

69. By tightly framing the subject the intent of the image comes through strong and clear.

70. Always look for colour and how best to capture it.

71. Allow enough time for wildlife subjects to relax to your presence and react with their surroundings and/or other animals in a natural way.

72. Choose your times – photograph at  first and last light.

Morgan Silk
Advertising Photographer

Morgan Silk is a well-known British advertising photographer and post-production specialist. His images have won several AOP awards and his aerial work has been exhibited in international photography exhibitions. Advertising clients include Sony, Harley Davidson and 02.
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73. Mistakes do not necessarily mean failures... they’re a key part of learning so don’t be discouraged when things don’t work first time.

74. Always test your gear before a shoot and have a backup for when something goes wrong.

75. Try to travel light. This will encourage you to always take a camera out and about with you..

76. Take lots of breaks when retouching for long periods and invest in a good chair – this saved my life!

77. Listen to your inner voice... it’s usually right about everything.

Tim Flach
Advertising Photographer

Born in 1958, Tim Flach is a sought-after advertising photographer specialising in animals. His most famous collection is Equus, commissioned by PQ Publishing. Flach began his career as an artist and discovered photography at St Martin’s College of Art in the early ’80s. His photographs have received numerous awards, including Photographer of the Year at the International Photography Awards in 2006.
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78. If you want to make it as an advertising photographer, try to find a way of reflecting your passion for a subject that’s also relevant to a client.

79. There’s no quick formula to success in advertising and certainly no correlation between success and photographic quality! You need to embrace changing trends, so you stay relevant.

80. For photographing animals, ask yourself what you want to achieve. What’s your vision? Then you’ll find your craft.

Brutus Ostling
Bird Photographer

Brutus Östling wanted to be a photographer at the age of 15, but didn’t really get to use a camera for over 20 years. His first book, Life on the Wing, won the WWF Panda Prize 2006 for the best nature book in Sweden. In November 2007, Östling was named Nordisk Naturfotograf (Nature Photographer of the Nordic countries), in a competition held every two years. Up until 2000 he only shot underwater.
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81. Use a manually pre-set exposure to capture flying birds. Autoexposure systems can be  fooled as birds pass across different backgrounds – from bright sky to dark forest, for instance.

82. Don’t overlook the small details – look for a change in a bird’s expression to lift a shot.

83. Don’t forget the non-photographic essentials. Sometimes I take binoculars, an easy-to-carry tent hide and an iPod loaded with sounds of specific birds, in order to attract them.

84. Do something different – most birds have been photographed many times before. Don’t feel that you have to chase ‘perfection’.

Clive Nichols
Garden Photographer

UK-based Nichols is one of the world’s most successful flower and garden photographers. He’s won many awards for his work and in 2005 was voted ‘Garden Photographer of the Year’ by the Garden Writers Guild. Nichols’ work has appeared in many publications around the world and he’s in demand as a lecturer.
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85. Try to find a really beautiful garden near to you that you can get to know really well. That way you can return when the weather and lighting conditions are at their best.

86. Learn to shoot against the light because this will give you the most atmospheric shots.

87. Look at the way that great photographers shoot flowers.Study the work of people such as Karl Blossfeldt, Ron Van Dongen, Jerry Harpur and Andrew Lawson, and try and gain some inspiration from their work.

88. Pay attention to the background, and get up early in order to get the best possible light.