There's more to photography than meets the eye. Every professional photographer knows that it's almost never as simple as just snapping an odd shot and then editing it in post-production. A scene and setting must be well-thought out, then there are intricacies like lighting, composition, angles, pose, and other things that make the picture pop.

The slight nuances are very subtle and hard to wrap one's head around, and it's very easy to underestimate the gap between amateur and pro photography. Luckily, there are people like Kai Böttcher who lend us a hand and reveal how the process looks behind the scenes. The pro photographer uses all the tricks available to create his own photos: from lights, improvised reflectors, to unconventional angles, and strange compositions.

More info: Instagram | kai-boettcher.com

#1

Image credits: kai.boet

Kai is a pretty well-established professional photographer, and the quality of his pictures is proof of that. His social media presence is also proof, as he has 687k followers on his Instagram and many more on other platforms. His success as a photographer and the techniques he uses go to show that these details, however insignificant they may seem at first glance, make all the difference.

#2

Image credits: kai.boet

#3

Image credits: kai.boet

It isn't the first time the photographer's sneak peeks have been shared here on Bored Panda. If you're hooked, take a look at the previous post, for which you can find a link here. And if you want to see the author's finished product, we suggest checking out his website and, of course, his Instagram.

#4

Image credits: kai.boet

#5

Image credits: kai.boet

Kai Böttcher is a talented self-taught 27-year-old photographer and retoucher. When he was twice as young, he found his passion. At only 14 years old, he began editing pictures and creating brand logos. Later he became more interested in surrealism and photo manipulation and applied at the University of Kaiserslautern, which is specialized in Digital Art and Virtual Design. There he started focusing on portraits, as he found a new passion in working with models. From that point onwards, he became what he is today.