Photography and cinematography are two of the most exciting ways to create art. Capturing the moments that excite us, fill us with joy, sadden us, or otherwise bring us emotion as they happen in real time is unlike anything else. As should be evident from many examples, however, it takes a lot more than just pointing a camera at something to make good art. If you want to be the next Oscar-winning filmmaker or International Photography Awards prize winner, here are three tips for creating stunning photos and film you can try out right now.

Use Filters

Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Instagram should be aware of filters. Surprisingly, there are uses for them beyond altering your selfies, though. Sepia tone, black and white, age, and more all allow you to change the photo simply by adjusting a few tones and adding a bit of noise. This can be used to give your photos some extra flair or to change the feeling and meaning behind what you've captured. Most photo and video editor programs can give you some good filters, but using different physical filters for your camera lens will give you the best effect.

Use Trick Shots

Trick shots refer to the various camera tricks an experienced photographer or cinematographer can do to get a certain effect out of their shots. Altering the perspective, using different lenses, and green screening are all examples of how this can be achieved. One of the most popular movie tricks is the time lapse, and it also happens to be one of the easiest to try out for the first time. You can find ways to do motion time lapse trick shots for some amazing film shots, especially if you are wanting to incorporate light trails into your project. It's so simple that a lot of cameras even include the option as a standard feature.

Account for Lighting

It's amazing how just a small adjustment of lighting can change the entire look and feel of a picture. For many novice photographers, lighting is accounted for with little more regard than, "Does this look clear?" To improve at your craft, keeping this majorly important aspect of photos and film in mind as you set up shots elevates your work above that of a dad filming a kid's birthday party.

Photography and film are two extremely intriguing and exciting ways to create art. They allow us to create unique views of reality through a lens. Like all art, photography and film require practice, so try out these three tips for stunning photos and film to really make your work pop. 

If you’re looking for a place to inspire your film or photography endeavors, read more about these three cities!