5 tips for New Mexico Photographers

Whether you are a novice on a cell phone or a professional photographer with a DSLR,  there are a lot of opportunities to capture special moments in the land of enchantment.  It’s pretty awesome that we can literally step outside of our doorsteps and find a wondrous amount of inspiration.   Everything is unique here from our historical plazas, architectural buildings, cuisines, landscapes, and sunsets. Let’s capture it all!   Here are 5 tips for New Mexico Photographers.

1. Follow the Rule of Thirds (or not!)

Any regular artist or photographer may have heard the term, “Rule of Thirds.”  It’s a great rule of thumb when composing a shot. Basically, you want to align key subjects in 1(or 2-3) of the 4 imaginary cross points (shown below).  Usually, this is a pretty eye-pleasing technique and it’s proven to engage the viewer longer. You don’t always have to follow this rule if you want to emote a different feeling in your photo. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do it with thought.

You  can see here that the subject is at one of the cross hairs (or crash point) of the “rule of thirds.” Balance can be created by applying other strong visuals near or on 2-3 of the 4 points. Subjects don’t have to land perfectly on the crash point.

Here, the subject is smack-dab in the middle with a ton of negative space around him.  This creates a  very contemporary tone and opens a relationship between the background and the subject.

2. Be aware of light

Take note of the light in your surrounding!  Light (or lack of) effects your photo tremendously.

You can set your shutter speed for a longer time for more light or shorter amount of time for less light.  Having a longer exposure can produce some pretty cool effects.

Loren from Full Sail Photography composed her Green chile stew shot with natural light form behind the subject, and used an angle flash from above. She also was aware of her surrounding and used the ceiling as a reflector.

The “Golden hour,”  is an opportune time to take advantage of the perfect lighting created by our sunrises and sunsets. This is the best time to take photos with natural light.

If you are working with a cell phone, be aware of your natural light. A good note is to use the flash even when you are outside to avoid harsh shadows.

3. Be Dynamic

Take a chance and experiment.  You can get really far away from your subject and create an avant-garde kind of feel (like the white sands pic) or get in real close to showcase patterns and shapes we don’t normally encounter.  Tilt your camera a bit for a more interesting shot.  Have fun with it!

Getting up-close and personal creates an engaging shot that’s full of lush texture.

Tilting the composition makes this Loretto Chapel seem dizzyingly massive and makes an exciting photo.

4. Edit

Composing a good shot is key. If you have a great composition, editing should be easy.

Avoid over editing or oversaturating images. If you do like that look, then make sure it looks intentional. Push the colors to make them seem dreamy and other-worldly.  If you prefer a more natural photo, highlight or brighten focal points and bring depth by adding contrast in your image.  Oh! Make sure your image is in focus!   You can use photoshop or an app on your phone such as snapseed to accomplish these edits.

Rule of thirds: Check!

Golden hour: Check!

Dynamic composition: Check!

Dreamy editing: Check!

Mikey Brooks used all of our tips for his epic shot.

5. Last but not least…Share!

Now, whats’s the point of taking all of these awesome pics if the world never sees it?  Luckily, there are places like Instagram, flickr, and  SmugMug  to showcase some of your work.

Also, NewMexi.co LOVES to share images produced by New Mexicans to our 120k+ following. Feel free to send us images through our Facebook by a direct message! Keep on taking enchanting pics, ya’ll!

Know of any other tips for budding photographers? Tell us in the comments!