Photographer Todd Bacon Shares How To Get The Perfect Shot

Photos courtesy of Todd Bacon

Have you ever tried to take a photo of a picturesque sunset, or of your kids making an adorable face? What about the waves crashing onto the shore or a moose in the distance? Chances are those photos might not be as good as you had hoped. As we jet off on our next adventure, wouldn’t it be great to fine-tune our photo skills and help capture those fleeting moments?

Enter Denver-based photographer Todd Bacon, whose passion for capturing the essence of his subject takes him from snow-filled meadows to rustic towns to lakes, beaches and beyond. After shooting for over 25 years using Kodachrome slide film and then Fuji Velvia film, Bacon finally made the freeing switch to digital photography, and that’s where his keen eye comes in to help the average photographer.

“There are people who make their living as travel photographers, flying all over the world to spectacular locations with their extensive arsenal of gear,” says Bacon. Most of us go on vacations and take hundreds of photos of our experiences, but they fall short for a variety of reasons. “Nothing is more frustrating than looking back on the photos we took on vacation and realizing, ‘These don’t come close to what I actually saw,’ but with a few tricks, your photos can come out remarkably better.”

TAKE TIME TO RESEARCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING

To get better photographs, put better subject matter in front of your lens. This sounds obvious, but do an internet search of “the best places to photograph” to learn about the landscapes, iconic architecture and special attractions where you’ll be. Many photographers are willing to share their tips, and YouTube is full of helpful videos. Learn something about the history, culture and events of where you’re going, which can help inform your photography. An app like PhotoPills can tell you when and where the sun will rise and set, and when the best time for photographers (the “blue” and “golden” hours) will occur for any location in the world.  

CREATE A SHOT LIST

Before your trip, consider making a list of photographs that you’d like to make certain you have when you get home—similar to a list that a wedding photographer would make. You could even challenge yourself with an assignment, as if you’re photographing for a magazine! Then share your best images by making a book or a magazine, creating a video slideshow with music or posting on Instagram or Facebook.

HONE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS IN ADVANCE OF YOUR TRIP

Familiarize yourself with the capabilities of your camera and phone, and then practice. That way, you’ll be ready to get that shot in a fleeting moment. Great light is obviously important, and so is composition. Think about what excites you in a scene and capture that element as simply as possible. Check the corners and edges in the viewfinder to eliminate clutter. Be mindful of the rule of thirds: cameras and phones have grid lines that divide the frame in thirds vertically and horizontally, so try placing your subject at the intersection of two of those lines. Portrait mode on a phone is great for photographing people, but be careful not to cut off the top of heads or hands and feet. Try shooting from low and high angles to get a perspective that’s different than eye-level. With practice, these principles will become automatic.

EDIT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS AFTER YOU TAKE THEM

Refining your images is a critical step that can be just as creative, fun and rewarding as the picture-taking itself. Level the horizon; crop the image to eliminate any distractions; play with the exposure, light, shadow and color. Experiment with editing; these days you can always revert to the original.

With all the wonderful outdoor scenes in Colorado, landscape photography was Bacon’s first love, but he soon turned his lenses toward small rodeos and Western architecture. His Snowbound Strength exhibit at the History Colorado Museum featured horses in the Rockies in winter last year and garnered much praise. Additionally, he was a speaker at the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Garden Club of Denver last fall, sharing insights of his visual journey photographing the landscapes, culture and people of the West along the spine of the Rockies, from White Sands National Monument in New Mexico to the Teton Mountains of Wyoming. Check Bacon’s Instagram for upcoming engagements.  

TODD BACON
@toddbaconphotography