Photography is one of my favorite hobbies. I like being able to capture that perfect moment, with the right angles and lighting to go along with it. In order to do this, sometimes a lot of careful thought and patience goes into the process. Here are 4 tips to help you the next time you’re trying to capture that unforgettable moment.

Tip #1: Lighting

Here’s the thing about lighting: you have to be mindful of the way the sun is hitting your subject. If it is noon and the sun is completely shining all over the place, your picture is not going to be as good as it would be in a shady spot. If you are indoors and the room is particularly dark, go ahead and turn on the flash! It’s better to be blinded by the light than for your photo to be extremely pixelated and unrecognizable.

For instance, in this photo, I made sure to pick a day that I knew there was going to be an overcast sky. The cloudy sky serves the same purpose as a shady spot does, and evens out the way the sun hits your subject.

Tip #2: Angles

A lovely tip I have found is that if you simply bend down to take a photo, it turns out considerably more appealing than if you were to take it from normal standing position. The same goes for taking a photo from a higher angle, as well as a side angle.

This photo was taken from the left side of Cinderella’s Castle, as opposed to the typical castle photos you see from your Facebook timeline that are taken from the front of the castle.

Tip #3: Close up!

You’ve probably heard people say, “I’m ready for my close up!” This is most likely because professional photographers will almost always take a photo of their subject from a closer angle just to give a different perspective than the usual iPhone photo that is taken from farther away.

As you can see, the expression on his face makes the photo more powerful. If his entire body was in the frame, the photo would still be adorable, but the fact that it was taken closer up makes the photo tug on your heart strings a little more.

Tip #4: Timing

There’s nothing better than that perfect sports action shot, or the sun setting on the clouds in just the right way. The reason professional photographers are able to capture those shots is because of their patience to capture their photo at just the right time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you have to camp out for hours and hours just to make sure you get the shot, but it never hurts take a few minutes, or seconds even, to plan out the way you want your photo to look.

See those birds on the right-hand side? Those didn’t show up on accident! I carefully awaited their arrival before capturing the photo, so that they would bring a little more character to the typical sunrise photos you see. In case that wasn’t enough for you, think about the time of day this photo was taken. It’s important for a sunrise photo to be taken while the sun is actually rising, which requires planning and patience. Most people don’t want to wake up at 6 in the morning for the perfect photo, but if you’re determined to capture greatness, sometimes that’s what it takes!