Taking Novel Photos
of Common Subjects

Have you ever had this experience? You’re standing in front of a classic landmark or maybe a mountain. Excited, you whip out your trusty digital camera and snap an oh-so-boring photo of the landmark. Later, when friends and family look at the photo, they’re not too impressed. Not very encouraging. This article will teach you how to take unique shots of common subjects. This is a core photography skill which we all should pick up.

For example, if you’re trying to shoot a classic landmark, how can you get a different and more creative perspective on the photo? Well, read on and find out.
 

Shooting Classic Landmarks

Let’s say you’re out in nature taking a picture of a classic landmark, say a famous mountain. One good way of jazzing up the photo is to take a portrait of someone standing in front of the land. Doing this immediately shows the viewer of the photo that ‘you were there’. I’m surprised at how many beginners forget about this. I’ve seen many photos where all you have is a picture of the Eiffel Tower, or the Statue of Liberty – but no human subject.
 

Picture of the Eiffel Tower
 

If you’re taking portraits in this manner, also try to take the picture with the sun behind you. It does wonders for lighting and usually the photos will turn out nice.
 

Using Symmetry

Another trick to introduce novelty in your photos is to use symmetry. If you look at professional photos, they usually apply this trick here and there. If you’re taking a picture of a mountain, try taking in the reflection of the mountain in water as well. Alternatively, you can just shoot the reflection of the mountain in the water itself – which produces another good perspective.
 

A mountain photo with good symmetry
 

Other Ideas

Here are other ideas for taking unique shots of your subjects. Think about applying them the next time you’re out taking photos:

• Shoot your subject up close. This is one of my favorites techniques, especially when shooting flowers, insects or products. Make use of the macro mode on your camera to achieve the best results.
   

• Shoot a series of pictures and create a panorama. Many digital cameras allow you to stitch photos together in a panorama. What you do is snap many pictures of a wide scene and stitch them together in software – the result is a vast expanse of scenery that’s simply breathtaking to behold.
   

• Shoot your subject via a mirror reflection. This is similar to using a subject’s reflection in water as a means to jazz up the photo. Instead of directly shooting a subject, shoot the subject via a mirror. It can create an interesting and more professional effect.
   

Learning To See Creatively
 

If you’re interested in learning about creative photography and getting new perspectives on photos, try reading the book Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson. This book is a bestseller among the photographic community. It shows you how professional photographers visualize their work and the techniques they use to shooting creative photos.
 

Conclusion

I hope the above tips will help you achieve new perspectives of otherwise standard and boring shots. Frankly, most of us don’t think too much about introducing new angles on standard photos. Learning to do this is what divides a good photographer from a newbie, or the men from the boys, so to speak.

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A list of tips for shooting landscape photos
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