The Art of Reduction

Most people, when shooting there first pictures, try to get as much into them as possible.

Before starting seriously, have a look at some photo books, magazines and websites.

You will find that many photographers are masters of reduction.
Instead of showing a complete person, they may concentrate on the face or even only parts of it.
They may only show small architectural details and very simple landscapes with few objects in the foreground.

Usually, simplicity is the key to a good photo.
Rather than showing “everything”, you can emphasise certain aspects of what you see and draw other people’s attention to it.

It’s a good idea to consciously try this. If you have a digital camera or scans of your photos, you may also try what your pictures look like after cropping off everything that you feel is unnecessary (Better work on a copy than the original file, of course). It may be that you end up with only a small part of the initial picture. If you have a zoom lens, try what a photo looks like if you “zoom in” concentrating on specific details.

Consciously looking at ones photos may help to develop a “photographic eye”.
Even more reduction: 1.) Colours 2.) Depth Of Field

How to take good travel photos