Produce professional photos yourself - that's how it works

In times of Instagram and Co., a good photo is worth more than ever.

The problem: Not everyone has the necessary equipment or the corresponding image experience to take professional photos themselves.

In this article we show you how you can still easily achieve professional results.

The A&O: light and perspective

to take professional photos yourself , you have to consider a few things in advance. The most important question is: what do you want to take pictures? However, as a rule of thumb: the more light, the better! Always make sure that your object is sufficiently illuminated - either with artificial light or by using natural light sources such as windows. If you want to take really professional photos, rent one of the Berlin photo studio .

If possible, avoid direct sunlight , as this can quickly lead Mirrors However, it looks very different with sunlight in sunrise or down- here the light is particularly warm and creates a very special atmosphere.

Another important point is the perspective . For example, if you want to photograph food, it often looks best from above. This gives the viewer an overview and can see all the ingredients at a glance. The same applies to photos of people: If you take the picture from below, your motif looks stronger.

From above, on the other hand, your model looks childish and vulnerable. But be careful: Extreme perspectives are quickly unnatural and should therefore be avoided in most cases.

If you have found the perfect perspective

The next step is to set the camera correctly. If you don't have a professional camera, don't worry-even with a smartphone camera you can achieve great results if you know a few things. First and foremost, it is important that you find the right attitude for your motif.

For example, if you to photograph a landscape "Panorama" mode is usually the best choice. On the other hand, if you take pictures of people, the "Portrait" mode ensures that the background is out of focus and your model is sharply mapped.

If you want to have even more control over your photos, you should put your smartphone camera into manual mode. In most cases, this happens by selecting the "Pro" option in the settings menu . Then you can set things like exposure time, ISO value and aperture yourself. However, this requires a little practice - if you do not know exactly what all of these settings mean, it is best to put them on automatic.

Now that you know how to set up your camera, you can take the perfect photo. Just make sure that your motif is sharp and the background is nicely fuzzy. If you want to achieve this effect with your smartphone camera, simply position your model a few meters from the background and use a large aperture setting.

The perfect photo editing: This is how it works

Now you have taken the perfect photo - but your work has not yet been done. In order to get the best out of your pictures, a few small steps in picture processing necessary.

It works best with a professional program like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. However, these programs are usually very complex and therefore not suitable for beginners. Fortunately, there are now many simpler alternatives that are just as effective. Of course, you can also use the processing functions of your smartphone or tablet.

Most devices now have an integrated photo editor that offers all basic functions such as cutting, turning and changing size and there are numerous apps that offer a wide variety of filters.

If you want to take professional photos yourself, you don't necessarily need expensive equipment. With a few simple tips and the right settings, photo beginners can also achieve great results.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www. kunstplaza .de/