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We’ve all heard the line before. Some of you may even have uttered these words: “I’d love to get into photography but it’s just too expensive”. Yes, I can’t deny it. Photography can be an expensive hobby. A kind of expensive. And yes, there are certain kinds of photography that often require some expensive gear such as astrophotography. But we shouldn’t think about these as limitations. There’s no reason why you can’t excel at photography with a single camera and lens.

If you are thinking of getting into photography, you may not know yet which discipline you want to specialise in. But whichever discipline it is, you’ll need to hone the primary elements that all photographers must learn such as composition and lighting. And it honestly doesn’t matter which camera you use to hone these skills; dare I say, even a disposable camera will do. That’s because the camera is merely a tool; the power of an image comes from your eye (sorry about the cheese) and your ability to get the camera to behave how you want it to. This why it’s often said that the best camera is the one you feel most comfortable with.

This ability to spot an image when so many things flash by us is one of the defining aspects of a successful photographer. Where someone might see a bunch of mundane escalators, a photographer will see beauty in the leading lines. In this article, we’ll go through three key elements of photography that don’t require you to buy expensive gear.

Three key elements of photography

Composition

This is probably the number one priority for every photographer. Traditionalists may lament the power of photo manipulation but no amount of post-production can fix a badly composed image. Composition is the single biggest contributing factor to how an image feels and the narrative it tells. When we talk about composition, we’re talking about how the scene has been arranged and framed.

The skill behind good composition is vast and complex so we won’t be able to go through them all here and it’s something that many photographers spend their entire lives refining. But why is composition so important?

Composition often dictates the way our eye moves through an image. By structuring the image in a certain way, we are trying to control how it is being experienced – what is the focal point and what should I look at first? The most common composition theory you’ve probably heard is the rule of thirds. It’s a tried and tested theory and has been used across all visual arts – it was originally developed by renaissance painters.

To understand why this deceptively simple compositional convention works, we have to ask ourselves the opposing question: “why does placing the subject in the middle not work?”

When you place something in the middle of the frame, it often feels static as if the subject has nowhere to go as there is little space around it to move into. Whereas when the rule of thirds is applied, there’s a clear trajectory that our eye takes as the motion in the image is implied. To really maximise this impact of motion, your subject should be placed a third to the side and facing towards the space. You’ll notice that your subject suddenly has to breathe and move into.

Of course, all rules can be and should be broken from time to time. Anyone who is a fan of Wes Anderson movies will instantly recognise his cinematic style that relies heavily on symmetry and centrally composed subjects.

Another important aspect of composition is the use of lines. It’s perhaps something that most people take for granted but photographers notice lines everywhere. Lines are often incorporated into the composition of an image as a way of holding the image together visually as well as directing the viewer’s gaze.

However, the lines within your picture can also convey certain emotions too. Horizontal lines typically convey a sense of tranquillity while vertical lines can convey stature and power. These lines can then be accentuated by the orientation of your image – horizontal crop for horizontal lines and vertical crop for vertical lines.

If there’s a particular type of line that’s more common than any other, it’s leading lines. This is when multiple lines converge to a point, this technique is one of the easiest ways to dictate the way your image is viewed. And in most cases, you’d place the focal point of the image at the end of the leading lines.

Lines are such a powerful facet of visual arts that they can even be implied. Implied lines cannot physically be seen but are suggested through composition. Notice how the below image of impalas doesn’t have any distinct lines but the way their heads cascade across the image provides a guideline for your eyes move from bottom-left to top-right.

Lighting

Photography, by definition, is the art of capturing light. It’s no surprise then that lighting plays a crucial role in photography. But much like composition, it’s a vast aspect of photography so we’ll only go through a few principles. I also won’t be talking about studio lights as they can be really expensive.

So everyone has heard of the golden hour and the wonderful spectacle of colours that sunrise and sunset produces. But have you heard of blue hour? This is the time just before sunrise and just after sunset (called civil twilight) with the geometric centre of the sun at around -5° elevation. It’s a wonderful time of the day where you can get a soothing gradient of colours in the sky and is much less challenging to capture in terms of the dynamic range.

But it’s not just useful for landscapes. In more urban environments, you’ll get a striking contrast between a lit-up building and the cold blue of the sky leaving you with a colour profile that’s quite difficult to achieve at other times of day.

After civil light (or before for mornings), we move into astronomical light which is when you can start seeing stars if your area doesn’t suffer too much from light pollution. However, my favourite thing about this time of day is the possibility of noctilucent clouds. The cloud-like structures are actually idea crystals formed in the upper atmosphere. Even though the sun is below the horizon, the clouds’ height means that they are still lit up and you’re left with an ethereal display.

Although lighting plays a crucial role in photography, the lack of light can also be a great source of creative inspiration. This is perhaps most prevalent in street photography where the use of shadows is common.

In this particular image, the Shard in London is lit up while the foreground is draped in shadows giving the glass skyscraper a powerful and prominent position in the frame. There’s no mistaking what the subject of the image here is. The foreground buildings also act as a frame for the Shard which help direct our eyes – this technique is called subframing.

But what about when there is no nice light at all like on an overcast day? Many photographers feel that they are at the mercy of the weather and the lighting conditions it brings. That’s how important lighting is. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t shoot in bad light. Overcast conditions are typically some of the worst conditions to shoot in but there are times when it can be utilised.

When the sun is being smothered by a never-ending stream of clouds, it’s actually acting like a giant softbox. That midday sun that’s too harsh to shoot in? It’s not so bad when the clouds are helping out. It can be great for outdoor portraits if you’re after less contrast and soft, muted colours.

Narrative

So now we move on the final aspect of photography we’re talking about today. And probably the most difficult to explain (yay me!). While composition and light form some of the technical skills that you’ll be honing, the narrative of your images are more conceptual and is conveyed by bringing all the technical aspects of your photo together.

But what exactly is narrative? It is the story and how that story flows. However, stories are deeply personal. We all relate to narratives in our own way and in literature, this is called . As a content creator, I very much believe in this school of thought. Every time we create something and release it into the world, it no longer belongs to the author. For me, it’s perhaps the most sacred aspect of the Arts – we all bring our own experiences to a piece of work and thus, their meaning to us is personal and in a way, a secret mystery.

Therefore, when we create anything, whether it’s a book or a photograph, we try very hard to ensure the narrative goes in a certain direction that is pertinent to the original intention. It’s not that a book or photography should be interpreted in a certain way, but at the same time, it shouldn’t produce a kaleidoscopic variety of interpretations either – the message should be relatively clear or intentionally ambiguous.

Let’s take a look at this image of a young girl in a cotton mill taken in 1908. At the time, child labour was still prominent in America. By comparison, the UK had passed many legislations to give children a better quality of life. So there are a few narratives here depending on your perspective. For Americans at the time, child labour was still widely accepted and this image was seen as a catalyst for change. The size of the machine against the diminutive girl is stark and in the background, a supposed supervisor is stood watching over her shoulder – quite literally!

But today’s viewer may see something different. Whilst American parents may have been outraged at the time of seeing Hines’ image for the first time, today we’re left with a reminder of the progress we’ve made. For me, it’s a reminder the secret social injustices that occur all around the world.

Narratives aren’t just restricted to having people in frame though. Even landscape photography can carry a narrative. What message does the below image convey?

Funnily enough, this image was keyworded as “danger, emergency, disaster concept”. I was actually looking for a landscape scene that conveys a sense of hope with blown-out sunlight bursting from clouds. I feel like the colour profile of this really accentuates that sense of optimism. And that’s the curious thing about narrative. It’s very subjective and all we can do as photographers is guide the eye, set the tone and hope, after you’ve got all your various elements in place, that your intention behind the image is strong enough for the viewer to pick up on.

These three elements will provide a really great foundation for your photography and are aspects that every photographer will continue honing. But above all else, please remember to have fun and be brave.

And don’t be afraid to share something that you don’t think is perfect. I’m sure many content creators will relate to this but when I first started out, I felt like everything needed to be flawless because I was new and still learning. But the truth is, you’re always learning and you should celebrate any flaws that you find because you can use them to figure out what you could have done better.

Besides, like we said when we’re talking about narratives, someone might see your image differently and not see the flaw at all. That’s why at Alamy, you can submit practically any image because we let our customers use their own interpretations to decide whether the image is right for them and their experiences. You’d be amazed at the kind of images that have been sold!