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How to Make a Photo Look Like Professional Photography

Professional photographers may spend years learning and perfecting their craft until they get it just right. Professional photographers use a combination of technical knowledge about their lenses and lighting and their sense of composition in creating a picture that looks professional. While you may not have the same equipment, knowledge and experience that a professional photographer does, you can still create pictures that look like they were made by a pro.

Instructions

- 1
  Choose your background. Before a professional photographer even starts to think about his lens, cameras or poses he picks a background that will enhance the picture. When shooting outdoors, select a natural background that is evenly lit.
- 2
  Use a standard to medium telephoto lens for your picture. Lenses have different characteristics and understanding this technical aspect of photography is a big component of how a picture that looks professional was shot. An 85 mm to 135 mm lens will give you a picture that accurately replicates the proportions of an individual.
- 3
  Select the widest aperture on the lens. This creates a very shallow depth of field on lenses between 85 mm and 135 mm that you are using for your picture. This shallow depth of field means that your subject will be in focus and the background will be out of focus, directing the viewer's attention to your subject.
- 4
  Use your flash, even on bright days outside. Natural light the first thing in the morning and just before sunset are ideal to shoot in. During the rest of the day when the sun is bright and above us can result in harsh shadows. Using your camera's built-in flash or attaching an external flash and setting the flash to "Flash fill" will give you a little additional light that will brighten up your subject.

Photography