Aesthetic photography involves producing images that are distinctive and attention-grabbing. These photos are striking, vivid, and visually appealing. But what defines aesthetic pictures, and what makes them so compelling?
Let's delve into the world of aesthetic photography. We'll explore the process and significance of developing a photographer's aesthetic style. Plus, we'll provide fantastic suggestions for crafting outstanding examples!
Shot with a Canon 5D- mkiV, 50mm 1.2, Shutter 600, F4, ISO 100 - This photo is from my #everydaypeople project
What Are Aesthetic Pictures and Aesthetic Photography?
The term aesthetic pertains to the appreciation of beauty. Hence, aesthetic images possess their own beauty, standing out as examples of visually pleasing content. They possess an engaging quality that provides the viewer with a sense of satisfaction.
Photographers employ various techniques to craft visually appealing photographs. They utilize strong composition featuring symmetry and balance. They integrate leading lines to guide the viewer's gaze. Additionally, they leverage color theory to infuse their images with a sense of coherence.
Therefore, aesthetic photography involves the creation of beautiful and pleasing visuals. By utilizing artistic techniques and design principles, photographers craft these aesthetic images.
Aesthetics play a significant role in both portrait and landscape photography. Moreover, the creation of aesthetic images is a fundamental aspect of fine art photography. Fantasy photographers also utilize aesthetic visuals to narrate stories and construct imaginative realms.
Aesthetic vs Style
When discussing aesthetics in photography, we can also consider an artist's aesthetic style. However, it is important to distinguish a photographer's style from their aesthetic. A photographer's style pertains to their methods of working, including the equipment they use and their processes. On the other hand, their aesthetic refers to the visual appearance of their photos, which may feature distinctive elements that make them recognizable as the artist's work.
There is some overlap between style and aesthetic, with an artist's style influencing their aesthetic. The techniques and equipment they employ contribute to the overall look of their photos. Style represents how the photographer achieves their desired outcomes, while aesthetic encompasses visual characteristics that connect the photo to the photographer. A strong aesthetic allows viewers to easily identify the photographer behind the work.
For instance, a close look at Jovana Rikalo's work on Instagram reveals how her photography style shapes her aesthetic. Rikalo incorporates elaborate costumes and props, often focusing on a single bold color to emphasize the theme. This approach results in a distinct fantasy aesthetic that is uniquely her own.
Why You Need a Photography Aesthetic
A strong photography aesthetic is essential for making your work easily recognizable. When viewers can identify your photographs as yours, it helps in establishing your reputation and attracting admirers and clients. As a professional photographer, your photos are your primary product. Just like any other product, brand recognition plays a crucial role in solidifying your position in the market. Buyers and clients will easily recognize your photography, making your images memorable and enhancing your reputation.
Photographers with a strong aesthetic understanding their niche and embrace it. While their work may cover various types of photography, their aesthetic always makes their photos distinctive. Demonstrating a unique aesthetic style in your work showcases your artistic creativity and skill, proving to potential clients that you are consistent and dependable.
This, in turn, assures clients that you can infuse your personal touch into any project. The importance of your aesthetic also lies in attracting the right clients. When you are hired as a photographer, it is crucial to ensure that your client appreciates your work. By showcasing your photography style beforehand, clients can have a clear idea of what to expect and are less likely to be disappointed.
12 Aesthetic Photography Tips
We’ve split our tips for aesthetic photography into two sections.
Tips for Creating Aesthetic Pictures
Tips for Creating a Personal Aesthetic
Tips for Creating Aesthetic Pictures
First, we look at how you can create aesthetic pictures. We give you practical advice to make beautiful and aesthetically pleasing images.
1. Use a Simple Composition
There are various composition techniques that can enhance the aesthetic appeal of a photograph. While it is possible to employ different approaches to achieve this, a fundamental principle is to maintain simplicity. Avoid overcrowding your images with excessive details or distractions. Focus on a single composition style and allow your subject room to stand out. While a busy composition may suit certain photography genres, it does not necessarily translate into aesthetic value.
Photojournalists and street photographers often utilize dynamic compositions to evoke drama and tension. However, creating aesthetically pleasing images requires a different strategy. A simple composition enables viewers to appreciate the entire image without being overwhelmed by scattered elements. An aesthetic photo is not merely a collection of objects but a cohesive artwork where all elements harmonize. Ultimately, simplicity plays a crucial role in crafting aesthetic images.
2. Use The Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a commonly used term in photography composition, serving as a method for framing and structuring your shots effectively. By dividing your frame with two vertical and horizontal lines, you create a grid of nine even-sized squares over your frame. This grid helps you compose your image by strategically placing points of interest along the lines or at the intersecting points, promoting a balanced and simple composition. Utilizing the rule of thirds also leverages the concept of negative space,
enabling you to place details at intersections with guide lines while keeping other areas clutter-free, thus adding depth and significance to the space. Many digital cameras offer a grid setting that displays these lines on your viewfinder, aiding you in achieving a rule of thirds composition.
This approach provides a solid structural foundation for your photos to become aesthetically pleasing images, maintaining order and allowing for the addition of engaging elements without creating visual clutter.
2. Guide the Eye With Leading Lines
Leading lines are a traditional photography method employed to direct the viewer's gaze. By incorporating natural lines within your photographs, you can effectively guide the viewer's attention throughout the image. When utilized correctly, the viewer's focus will be directed as intended. These lines can take various forms, but they should be organic elements found within the surroundings, such as a handrail, footpath, columns, or a train track.
Even in macro photography, wood grain can serve as a line. To achieve an aesthetically pleasing photo, aim for smooth and uninterrupted lines. While jagged lines can also be used to guide the eye, smooth lines create a more tranquil visual journey. Long, uninterrupted lines help to slow the pace and add elegance to the composition. It's essential for the lines to lead from one part of the image to another, creating a natural flow of movement for the viewer's eye.
The journey doesn't necessarily need to have a definitive endpoint; it can extend into the distance or beyond the frame.
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3. Harness the Power of Symmetry
The human brain appreciates symmetry, finding it visually pleasing and creating a sense of harmony. Utilizing symmetry is a valuable technique for enhancing the aesthetic appeal of images. Seek out parallels in your surroundings, such as leading lines that run alongside each other or repeating patterns. Urban landscapes offer ideal settings for symmetry due to their abundance of geometric shapes and sharp angles, yet symmetry can be found in various other places where similar objects exist. Water reflections also serve as a great source of symmetry.
Both vertical and horizontal symmetry can be utilized - vertical symmetry mirrors the left and right sides of an image, while horizontal symmetry reflects the top and bottom. Horizontal symmetry is commonly used in landscape photography. When combined with leading lines and the rule of thirds, symmetry can result in compelling and well-structured images, leading to the creation of stunning aesthetic photos.
4. Complement Your Colors
Color theory provides a solid foundation of knowledge for those working in creative fields. Applying this knowledge is an excellent method for producing visually appealing photos. The color wheel serves as the starting point for understanding how different colors interact. Seeking complementary colors is key to crafting beautiful and harmonious images, as these colors enhance each other.
Complementary colors, located opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green or blue and yellow, create striking combinations. Utilizing triadic colors, which involves selecting three evenly spaced colors from the wheel, like red, blue, and yellow, is another effective way to achieve a vibrant photo aesthetic.
Analogous colors, which are adjacent on the color wheel, can also be incorporated into your photography style to create images with a cohesive and natural feel.
5. Use a Prominent Subject
The concept of having a dominant subject is related to Gestalt theory. While Gestalt theory originates from psychology, we can apply some of its principles in photography to produce visually appealing images. This particular tip centers on the "figure to ground" principle, which concerns the visual contrast between the subject and the background. Essentially, it emphasizes the need for a subject to stand out distinctly in its environment, making it easier for viewers to identify the main focus of the image.
When the subject is insignificant against a busy background, it becomes challenging to discern it clearly. Therefore, a photo with a well-defined subject devoid of distractions simplifies the viewing experience and enhances the overall aesthetic appeal. There are various methods to make a subject appear prominent, such as using a white background to eliminate distractions, choosing a subject color that contrasts with the background, or isolating shapes to emphasize the subject's dominance.
6. Use a Shallow Depth of Field
This photography technique is ideal for emphasizing your subject by directing focus to specific areas while keeping the rest of the image blurry and soft. Depth of field determines the extent of sharpness in your photograph. A large depth of field ensures a wider range of focus, while a shallow depth of field concentrates on a small area.
This technique is commonly employed in portrait photography to draw attention to the subject, with the background intentionally blurred to create a beautiful bokeh effect. Leveraging this bokeh effect allows for the creation of visually appealing images, with the soft shapes and tones produced by the selective focus lending portraits a dream-like quality, making them visually pleasing and easy to admire.
7. Look For Rhythm and Repetition
You may not typically connect photography with rhythm. However, when objects and shapes are repeated, specific photos start to exhibit a rhythm. These forms do not have to be exact replicas; they can be alike or evoke similarities.
The rhythm's pulses may consist of trees lining a pathway or hot air balloons soaring in the sky. What is crucial is the consistency in their arrangement. While repeated shapes contribute to aesthetically pleasing photos, rhythm requires a beat, which is achieved through consistent repetition.
Tips for Creating a Personal Aesthetic
Here is how you can establish a personal aesthetic in photography. It involves cultivating a unique style in your work to give your photography a distinctive signature. If you aim to have a recognizable photographic style associated with your name, we can assist you in reaching that objective.
8. Develop Your Technique
It is natural to experiment with various techniques and styles in the initial stages of your photography journey. However, as you progress, it becomes crucial to refine your processes and determine the specific type of photos you aim to capture. The camera serves as the starting point, irrespective of whether you opt for a DSLR,
mirrorless, or even a 35mm for film photography. Mastering camera settings is essential for achieving your desired photo aesthetic. It is important to identify the settings that align with your vision, enabling you to consistently produce desired results. While adjustments can be made along the way, staying on the right track once you've found it is key.
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9. Be Consistent in Your Editing Process
The degree of photo editing you decide to undertake is entirely at your discretion. However, it is crucial to maintain consistency in your editing to establish a unique style and aesthetic. It is advisable to avoid significant variations in post-processing techniques. You can opt for a minimalist approach with minimal editing or choose a more elaborate production-heavy path. Both alternatives are acceptable as long as you adhere to one. You also have the freedom to select the software that best suits your needs. Photoshop and Luminar Neo are both exceptional post-production tools offering fantastic editing features.
Additionally, Adobe Lightroom is ideal for minor touch-ups and adjustments. Regardless of the software you choose, it is essential to remain faithful to your chosen workflow. Ensure consistency with your Lightroom presets and store shortcuts and formulas in Photoshop. This will streamline the process and maintain a consistent aesthetic in your work.
10. Choose One Style of Lighting
Lighting is a crucial aspect of photography, playing a significant role in establishing a distinctive aesthetic. Discover a lighting style that suits you and achieves the desired impact. The golden hour is ideal for capturing visually appealing images. However, if you aim to develop a unique aesthetic, you must explore beyond that.
Utilizing natural light allows you to incorporate the gentle hues of daylight into your style. Rosie Matheson exemplifies this approach, with natural light greatly influencing the final look of her portraits. Working with artificial lighting can yield photographs with a cinematic aesthetic.
Shooting at night with neon signs can evoke a retro noir effect, particularly when combined with the grainy texture of a high ISO setting. Explore Louis Dazy for creative inspiration. The use of a harsh flash became a prominent trend in fashion photography during the 2010s, with its bold and vibrant aesthetic remaining popular today. This technique involves flash photography to achieve a distinctive look. Carianne Older employs this style to create a kitschy and exaggerated glamorous aesthetic.
11. Look At Your Work As A Whole
It can be tempting to focus on minor details in individual photos, spending hours examining them as standalone pieces of art. However, to establish a personal aesthetic, it's essential to view your work as a whole. Take a step back and consider your work as a collection. Organize your photos and assess them collectively. Determine if they complement each other as a cohesive unit. Do they convey a clear and consistent message?
Gaining perspective will help you maintain your focus. By doing so, you can pinpoint any deviations and make necessary adjustments. Any images that deviate from your aesthetic will stand out. You have the option to alter them to align with your aesthetic or remove them entirely.
12. Think About Your Platform
When deciding on your personal aesthetic, it is important to think about how you will present your work. If you primarily use Instagram to showcase your creations, opt for square photos to ensure they are displayed at their best on that platform. If you have your own website, you have more flexibility in terms of dimensions.
It is advisable to plan how you will exhibit and organize your work. You can create separate galleries for each project or showcase everything in a single collection. Prints may be your preferred format for displaying your work, so you need to consider the preparation and production processes, whether using traditional or modern techniques, as well as the size and space required for display.
Conclusion: Aesthetic Pictures
When it comes to aesthetics in photography, there are two main aspects to consider. The first is the ability of photography to capture visually pleasing images. The second aspect is related to a photographer's unique aesthetic style.
To produce aesthetically pleasing images, it is important to focus on simple compositions, identify key subjects and patterns in your surroundings, and utilize colors to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your photos. Developing a signature aesthetic in your work requires dedication to improving your skills and maintaining consistency in your approach. As you progress in your photography journey, your aesthetic style will naturally evolve. For those embarking on the path of aesthetic photography, we recommend trying our "Effortless Editing" course, which is designed to help you master professional editing techniques in Lightroom.
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