1) Golden mean/rectangle- you should know the classic division of a rectangle because most photos (unless cropped) are in a rectangle. Where is the best line to divide the rectangle? Place an object, or stress, at that line in your photo.
2) Depth of field, remember wide depth of field is based on high number for f-stop. Narrow depth of field limited by your lowest number for f-stop.
3) “Fronting” your subjects. Always give space in front of the face of your subject, even if the subject is a flower.
4) Bracketing compositions. Don’t worry about exposure so much, bracket the angle that you’re shooting, go high, go low, go left, and go right.
5) Photography= Draw with light, freezing a moment in time, telling a story, forcing people to see what you see.
6) Have “one-ear” portraits, 3/4 pose, cheating both sides, watch for eye-flash.
7) Photographers are allowed to be crazy, lay down, climb up, stand where most people wouldn’t stand. Get the shot!
8) Learn to see, mostly we walk around hypnotized, learn to see, then, always carry your camera, then, capture your vision by having the tools that make it possible. Best body, best lens, best mount, best artificial light. Best attitude.
9) Cameras capture light, photographers make photographs. Photographers draw with light.
10) Do not “bull’s eye” your photographs. Measure light and focus, then recompose and take the shot. Before pressing the shutter, take the time to check the edges, look for poles coming out of heads, branches coming out of ears, trash in the foreground or background. Readjust and take the shot.
11) Faster lens is almost always a better lens and increases in value over time. (Lower f-stop limit)
12) New bodies are almost always better, not just because of more megapixels, but because of better light sensitivity (higher ISO numbers) and less noise. Emphasis on LESS noise.
