5 Tips and Tricks: Matthew Rafael

Written by Abby Power

March 27th, 2023

This week, Flashback is continuing the ‘5 Tips and Tricks’ series with our very own photographer, Matthew Rafael.

“1) Be patient. Everybody starts somewhere. If you're patient with taking photos, you will definitely learn to take really good shots.

2) Know how to frame a photo. Of course, this is all relative to what you're trying to do with your picture. But, if you can eliminate as many unnecessary objects as possible, this would be better.

3) Take as many pictures as you can. While this may sound counter-intuitive to being patient, this is also important. This gives you plenty of pictures to work with, and you might just “accidentally” capture the perfect shot.

4) Learn from yourself! It is extremely important to look back on your own photos and look at what you could have done better. Sometimes there will be aspects of a photo where you say to yourself, “I don't want this, so I'll change that next time.”

5) Pay attention to lighting! This may be obvious for some, but even subtle differences in lighting can make the difference between looking good and looking like you came from a horror movie. Think of the term ‘mood lighting’!”