In fine art photography, beauty, balance and aesthetics are even more important than in other types of photography. Since fine art photographs are often displayed as art pieces, one of the most important fine art photography tips is to become familiar with the rules of composition, since these will help your images look as appealing as possible to the eye. Of course, rules are made to be broken, and some of the most interesting photographs defy rules of composition such as symmetry. However, to effectively break the rules, you should first understand them.

You might get tempted to splash out on all the best equipment, lenses, and camera bodies. However, the best equipment is the equipment you already have. Focus on creating interesting, beautiful images with your current camera set up, and then you can slowly add equipment as you get a better sense of what you actually need to create the images you want to capture.

Unlike other kinds of photography where you might just start snapping and see what you come up with, fine art photography is typically more intentional and conceptual. This means that before you start shooting, taking some time to think about the concept behind your work will make your final images stronger. A good way to collect your shots is to write an artist statement for a particular project before shooting. You can always edit it later, but having a clear intention in your mind can provide valuable clarity when shooting. 

Try playing around with your shutter speed to create new, artistic effects. This is one of the best fine art tips if you’re capturing water or another rapidly moving subject, since a slower shutter speed will transform an ordinary scene into something much more captivating. One thing to keep in mind when slowing down your shutter speed is that you’ll need a tripod to avoid your whole image being wobbly. 

More than many other types of photography, fine art photography lends itself well to being printed and displayed just like any other artwork. This is a good idea if you want to make some extra passive income with your photography by offering prints for sale in the ecommerce part of your portfolio website. Also, if you dream of seeing your work on the walls of a gallery, you’ll have to get it off the screen and into the real world. By printing your works on a smaller scale first, you’ll get familiar with different paper types, printing techniques, and printers you know and trust with your work.