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Home » Photography Tips » The Upside-Down Trick – a Photography Hack to Help You Make Better Images
The Upside-Down Trick – a Photography Hack to Help You Make Better Images

The Upside-Down Trick – a Photography Hack to Help You Make Better Images

by Darlene Hildebrandt | Last Updated: September 29, 2022

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In this article and video tutorial, you’ll learn my secret upside-down photography hack and how it can help you make better images.

Your first reaction may be that you think I’ve gone off the deep end but bear with me. Have an open mind and learn from my over 34 years of experience as a professional photographer.

Upside-down photography hack

What is the upside-down trick?

It’s exactly what it sounds like. Flip your image upside-down and review it – BUT by looking for and keeping certain things in mind. You’ll learn how to do exactly that in the video.

Can you relate to any of the following issues?

  • You don’t know where to start editing your images
  • You’re not sure which parts of your image to adjust and what to do to it
  • You aren’t sure how far to go with editing
  • You want to take your images to the next level but aren’t sure what you’re missing
  • You sometimes miss things when you’re photographing and wish you had more of an eagle eye

If you said YES to any of the statements above, then you will benefit from this lesson.

Watch the video now

Watch the video below to see how turning your images upside-down can provide valuable information in terms of photo editing.

I recommend watching it full screen without any other distractions on your screen. If you have a big monitor, even better. That way you will get the full impact of this trick and see why it works!

https://youtu.be/CUDzTM4NiWY

Here’s a little trivia question for you – if you watched the entire video, you’ll know the answer to this one!

How did I develop or invent this upside-down trick? Tell me in the comment area below.

Example images

These are a few of the images used in the video above. Have a look at them both the right way around and upside-down.

Can you see what I see?

Does reviewing the image upside-down help you to see things you may miss right side up?

Use this trick when you’re editing AND when you’re out doing photography and I guarantee your images will improve. Take your photos from good to great!

Before
Before upside-down
After
Before
Before upside-down
After
Before
Before upside-down
After
Before
Before upside-down
After
Before
Before upside-down
After

This photography hack is all about tricking your eyes. As the photographer, you know grabbed your attention and caused you the take the photo. But viewers of your image see it differently.

The human eye is drawn to certain elements in an image naturally. There are:

  1. Areas of high contrast
  2. The brightest areas of the image
  3. Bright or intense colors, especially warm colors like yellow, orange, and red
  4. Sharpness – so anything that is sharp, or in reasonably sharp focus

So this will help you train your eyes to look more critically at your images, especially looking for those things anywhere other than where the subject is located.

I wrote another article about this in terms of watching the background, you can read that here: How to Quickly Improve Your Images by Checking the Background

Read also: 6 Things You Need To Stop Doing That Are Ruining Your Photos

Your turn to go upside-down

Okay, now it’s your turn to try this technique. Find a few of your images and look at them upside-down, focusing on the four things listed above. Look for the brightest spot, areas of high contrast, bright colors, and sharp focus.

Now, using what you learned edit the image to bring out the subject more. Tone down any of those things if they appear in the background or the foreground of your image.

Then share with us. Post both the before image and the after image in the comment area below. Tell me if this trick helped you to make the image better.

Hopefully, by now you don’t think I’m losing my marbles and that there is a method to my madness. 🙂

Cheers,

Darlene Hildebrandt photographer DPM

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About Darlene Hildebrandt

Darlene is an educator who teaches aspiring amateurs and hobbyists how to improve their skills through her articles here on Digital Photo Mentor, her beginner photography course, and private tutoring lessons. To help you at whatever level you're at she has two email mini-courses. Sign up for her free beginner OR portrait photography email mini-course. Or get both, no charge!

Digital Photo Mentor is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate Digital Photo Mentor earns from qualifying purchases.
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