CHEEEESE!

Selfies and scenic shots are part and parcel of riding bikes today, and why shouldn’t you share your joy? Just don’t be the wobbly guy fiddling with his phone at 40km/h…

Make your cycling shots better like this:

HAVE YOUR LIGHT SOURCE (the sun, in this case) behind you. Unless you’re taking a selfie, in which case have the phone between you and the light source, so you’re well-lit rather than a dark blob.

POSING IS FOR POSERS. Candid shots, where the subject is unaware of your presence (or at least pretending convincingly), are far more appealing than the in-your-face influencer pics.

TILT THE PHONE, NOT YOUR HEAD, for an added ounce of drama.

DON’T DUMP YOUR SUBJECT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOT. If you put it in the left third, the top third (very occasionally), the bottom third or the right third – or even better, where two of these intersect – you’ll draw the eye to it, and the breathing space you leave will look totally pro.

SCENIC SHOTS WORK BEST with a point of focus in the foreground – a rock, or a bike, or a wave, or a tree.

LEADING LINES DRAW THE VIEWER INTO YOUR IMAGE – the curve of a road or a line of trees running at an angle away from you will create life where there might not be otherwise.