The last time you saw a timeless photograph, you probably stood still, stared in awe for a while, and chuckled as you finally returned to reality.
That’s what timeless photos do—evoke emotions and pull you into their stories.
Would you like to take a photograph that could beat the test of time?
True, you can’t always take timeless photographs every time you pull out a camera, but you can learn to be intentional about taking one when you find the right moment.
Put your mind to the following tips, and your next shot might be a timeless photograph.
Find the right moment
You know the saying; a picture tells a thousand stories? Well, that’s only true if the picture has a story to tell.
Timeless photographs are referred to as timeless because they depict a story that almost anyone can recognize. And stories live on for as long as we tell or “see them,” in this case.
Picture a kid laughing as she steps out of the garden with a butterfly leaping out from her half-closed palms.
That’s a moment with a story, and it deserves a photograph to itself.
Wouldn’t it look more authentic if she had brushes in her hair and wrinkled eye corners from laughing intensely?
Let the moment come, and be ready to capture.
Kill the background noise
A noisy photo contains too much content.
In photography, background noises are distractions that steal the attention meant for your subject matter.
A distraction could come as a host of activities in the background or unfitting colors behind your subject matter.
Whatever it is, if it isn’t part of the story you want to capture, darken it, blur it out.
Of course, you should be careful not to overdo it. A good photo should have some noise as long as your subject matter isn’t overwhelmed.
Go monochrome
Ever wondered why the most recognized timeless photographs are in black and white?
Not to imply that colored photographs can’t be timeless; there are many timeless ones. Yet, we can’t neglect that black&white photos hit our core a little deeper than colored ones.
We can attribute that fact to the ties monochrome and nostalgia share. However, it’s also a fact that colors are sometimes deflective. The human eye always finds quiet in monochrome photos.
If you think you’ve taken a timeless snapshot, that’s great! Perhaps it’s time to give life to it, get others to see the story you captured, and feel the emotions held inside it.
Get on Imagecoast today, have your photos live on forever, own your gallery and show it to the world!