Web Photography

Great Web Photography Made Easy

While images that will be displayed on the web do present some unique challenges, the elements that make up a great photograph are the same regardless of where the image is shown. Dynamic subjects, interesting lighting, and strong composition are key elements of any photograph. Here are some tips to help your photos shine online.

Content: The online world is flooded with images and videos. Nearly everyone has a camera on them almost all the time, and thanks to mobile uploads, photos appear on the web moments after they are shot. In order for your images to stand out they have got to be special. When shooting for the web, look for unique angles and points of view. Try to tell the story in a way that other people might not think of. Composition, lighting, and exposure are all still very important elements of good photography, but online, the content of your image is what matters most.

Size: Most photo sharing sites have monthly upload limits and many even limit the size of each individual photograph. Save space on your account, and help your pictures come up faster by resizing them before uploading. Resizing is easy to do with tools like Photoshop online, GIMP, and other photo editing software. As a good rule of thumb, save a copy of your original image and then resize it to no more than 800 pixels wide or 600 pixels tall for online usage.

Sharpness: Razor-sharp images really pop online. After you've resize your photo use your editing software’s sharpen feature to make the edges of your image extra crisp. Digital cameras tend to be a little soft even when correctly focused. The sharpness filter allows you to optimize your images so that they look their very best on today's HD monitors.

Contrast: The biggest difference between online and print photographs is in the way they are displayed. When you look at a print photograph you are seeing the light bouncing off of the image and reflecting back into your eyes. When looking at an image online however the light actually comes through the image. Having a good contrast range will help your online images jump off the screen. When shooting, you can look for bright sunny scenes with plenty of primary colors to help build contrast, or use your photo editing software to create more contrast in otherwise flat images. Use the software's levels or curves filters to add contrast to your images. Experiment with the filters until you get your shot looking just the way you wanted.

Great photographs create emotion and elicit a response from the viewer. As a photographer your job is to create compelling images using all the tools at your disposal. Finding the subject and pushing the shutter is just the first step in creating a great image. With just a little extra work you can take ordinary images and turn them into stunning works of art.