We have all done this. You stumble upon an incredible vista, your arms reach up, and *click*. You’ve taken a photo of it.

Only once you’re home and have downloaded the photo do you realize it is utterly boring. What was that even supposed to be a photo of?

You show your friends and you swear that it was just the most incredible view and oh my God, I could not believe my eyes. No, trust me, in person, it was breathtaking. But, your photo looks meh, and it will end up deep somewhere in your external hard drive, never to see the light of day again.

Let’s back up and do this over again.

So, go ahead and take that instinctual first photo. Get it out of your system.

 

 

 

That is the Amazon canopy. Life does not get more interesting. Except the photo is totally boring.

Now, back it up, and find a tree/rock/fence/sign/anything. Include it in the photo. Feel free to use the rule of thirds.

 

 

Isn’t that better. The foreground gives the canopy context and texture, and provides a very nice frame for what you actually want to capture.

Want to see it again? Here we go, now in the Arizona desert.

 

 

Now, let’s look for ANYTHING that might add some interest. It’s a desert, there’s not much around. So, I found a boring sign post.

 

 

 

This can also be a problem at the beach. You really want to take a photo of those beautiful waves.

 

 

 

I took the next photo seconds later.

 

 

Sometimes, the beach is completely empty. No drift wood, no cliffs, no picturesque overhanging trees. Given this is Northern California, it’s only a matter of minutes before a dog or surfer wanders by. Use that to your advantage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It even works when it’s kind of a terrible photo.

 

 

 

It was stunning, I’m telling you. I swear. Jaw-dropping. This photo doesn’t do it justice. Really. Then some tourists showed up.

 

 

I still had no idea how to use my camera’s settings back then, but at least the photo is more interesting.

Fellow tourists are some of my favorite props. I assure you that if you ever see me out on a hike and proceed to pass me, I’ve already whipped around and taken your photo. It makes for a much more interesting image.

 

 

 

One last image, in case I haven’t convinced you yet.