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As any long-time photographer can tell you - your photographic technique can always improve. Photography is a life-long learning process and the techniques of making great images can in fact be learned.
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BOOKS, EXHIBITIONS, & GALLERIES
Page through as many fine art photography books as you can find. Attend art galleries featuring photographs. Attend photographic studios/galleries. Search the Internet for photo galleries. Examine all of these sources for images that you find striking and study those images carefully. Ask yourself: "What makes this image so powerful?" The more images studied, the more focused becomes your personal photographic vision, and the better your own images will become.
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LINES
Strong diagonal lines in an image tend to "lead" the viewers eyes along the line. Use diagonal lines to bring the viewers attention into the scene.
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SHAPES
Use geometric shapes to add interest and mystery to your images. The classic is a silhouette image. A silhouette typically is a strongly back-lit subject, where only the outline of the subject is visible. No surface detail of the subject is present, therefore it's the shape (or form) of the subject that sparks the viewers interest. The shape can be a simple geometric shape such as a circle, square, or triangle, or it can be a more complex shape such as a human figure, wildlife, or foliage found in nature.
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TEXTURE
Some subjects have a unique and discernable texture to them. Highlighting this texture can make an excellent image. Whether it's ripples in water, wrinkles in skin, or the smoothness of an ice sheet, emphasizing the texture of the subject can have an astounding effect.
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COLOUR
Many images benefit from strong, saturated colours. Likewise, many images benefit from very soft de-saturated colours. Many of the finest photographs in history are black & white. A strong "splash of colour" can focus the viewers attention on an object in the image. Likewise, de-saturating colour in the image can force the viewer to consider the image as a whole rather than focusing on colourful objects that may be present in the scene.
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PATTERNS
Repetitive patterns almost always lead to interesting images. Whether man-made geometric patterns or patterns of nature, an image containing two or more of almost any shape tends to be intriguing to the viewer.
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WATCH THE HORIZON
If you are shooting a landscape, try shooting from a higher camera angle and eliminating the horizon completely. On the other hand, if photographing an exceptional sky, shoot from a low camera angle and leave the horizon very low in (or even below) the frame.
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HORIZONTAL VS. VERTICAL
Try turning the camera 90 degrees and framing the image vertically rather than horizontally. The old "landscape vs. portrait" rule doesn't hold true in many, many cases. If you're shooting digital shoot the same scene both horizontal and vertical - pixels are free after all.
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FILL THE FRAME
This sounds obvious, but many snap-shots contain a central subject that is smaller than the surrounding objects. This causes the subject to get "lost in the clutter" and results in a poor image. Use a long lens, zoom in, or simply move closer to your subject and fill the frame with your subject.
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BE SPECIFIC
Be specific about your subject. What aspect of the subject do you want the resulting image to highlight? Is it the colour, the texture, the patterns, the form (or shape)? Try and be as specific as possible with what you intend the image to show and "minimize" the image as much as possible.
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BREAK THE RULES
"Rules are made to be broken!" This old saying is absolutely perfect for photography. In many cases a striking image can result from breaking all of the rules of lighting, focus, and composition. Sometimes a "just for fun" shot can result in an amazing image.
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AND FINALLY...
Get out of your chair and get taking pictures. Sitting and reading about taking photos is fine, but you must practise the art! If you're shooting digital, pixels are free, so take dozens of pictures every day! Assign yourself small photo projects and stick to them. Such projects can be still life, portraits, the family pet, the back yard, the zoo, the forest, the prairie, the city street, the path in the park, the river/lake/sea, the attic, the basement, and so on. Pick one subject/location per week and make images of that subject. Over time you will find your images improving. As you master your technique you may develop specific interests in one of the many aspects of photography such as portrait, wildlife, and urban photography. Whatever aspect of photography you discover, just remember that it is a life-long learning process.
