Advertising is likely the photographic field with the highest cashflow. Photobanks sell millions of photos of countless types each day. But in this article we won’t be discussing how to shoot for photobanks. Instead we’ll focus on the basics of composing commercial photos.

Just one snap, and I’m moving on. That’s how most photos’ stories end. Before they start, really. It’s a shame that most of us (including yours truly) don’t usually think about what we’re photographing. So I’d like inspire your thoughts on composing and more today by sharing some of mine—by telling how an idea became a photo.

There are many ways to approach photography. When something catches a beginner’s eye, they just point, and click. (What innocent bliss!) With experience, photographers start thinking about subject placement and the Golden Ratio. But have you ever thought about taking composition to the extreme, for example by shrinking the main subject until it’s almost invisible, or by practically eliminating the background? That’s minimalism. What do you get after that? Well, if you want to take a break from the sea of Christmas ornaments around you, read on.

It’s not so important what you photograph, and especially not what you use. It’s more important that you’re taking pictures. Take at least one picture daily—even if it’s with your phone. Practice composition, and watching your surroundings.

Food photography is a very specific genre. For one thing, you as the hungry photographer are mostly looking forward to the end of the shoot! But first you have to deliver quality work. And you can always see quality in food photography: if it makes you hungry or thirsty just looking at it, then it’s quality work.

Almost every photographer’s artistic development goes like this: first they take a camera and photograph everything without being aware that there are any rules, and so they break them with a clean conscience (and unconsciously). Then they dive into studying photography, start applying and following its rules, and finally reach the point where they once again start breaking them—but this time knowledgeably, and on purpose.

Fire away! Why taking too many photos may be a good thing.

This might sound crazy, but hear me out.

There are a lot of articles we could write about landscape photography. But in this one, we take a look at this genre’s major guidelines and at things to keep

The standard formats (height/width ratios, also called aspect ratios) for photographs have evolved over time. But some formats have proven over time that they’re best left untouched, and so camera makers stick with them. So let’s take a look at the most common aspect ratios for digital images—these ratios are also the ones produced by digital cameras, and photo labs and photo frame manufacturers expect them.