Beginners

Guide to
Photorealistic
Images with
Midjourney.
Midjourney is a powerful tool...
But you're getting mixed results.

You want photo quality...

BUT

Everything still looks artificial.

Let's change that.

If you want photorealistic images in Midjourney.

There’s many tricks...but

Using photographic elements and principles

Can really help.

Don't believe me?

Let's look at a quick example.

Here's the base prompt:

African wild dogs, African wilderness, intense
hunt, swift chase, wild grasses, early-morning
sunlight, Ferocity, Pursuit--ar 5:4
Base Prompt.
Prompt: African Wild Dogs, African wilderness, intense hunt, swift chase, wild grasses, early-morning
sunlight, Ferocity, Pursuit --ar 5:4
Ok cool.
The image is nice, but it's definitely fake.
Now, let's simply add a camera/lens.
We won't change anything else.
And see what happens.
Photography Elements.
Prompt: African Wild Dogs, African wilderness, intense hunt, swift chase, wild grasses, Sony A9 II and
a 85mm f/1.8 GM lens, early-morning sunlight, Ferocity, Pursuit, Nature's Dance --ar 5:4 --s 500 --c 15
Are we seeing a difference?

Good.

By adding some “photography” terminology.

We get a much more “photographic” image.

Let's dive into how you can create realistic images in

Midjourney.

No Photography Elements. Photography Elements.

Why Photography Elements?
We know Midjourney was trained on a ton of
photographs.

So let’s use that to our advantage.

Here‘s the elements we‘ll cover...
Photography Type: Image Styles
Shot Type: Perspectives
Cameras/Lenses: Camera Brands / Types
Depth of Field: Subject Focus
Lighting: How it‘s lit
01. Photography Type.
Generic “photo styles” that have a pre-set look.

Meaning...the lighting/composition/style are

packaged up for you.

Think of the difference between...

“Brand photography” and “amateur photography.”

Pros: You get great images.

Cons: You have less control.

Photo Types:
Editorial Photography: Fashion and lifestyle storytelling
Documentary Photography: Raw unfiltered life moments
Street Style Photography: Urban, fashion in the wild
Landscape Photography: Capturing nature's vast beauty
Portrait Photography: Personal character snapshots
Candid Photography: Unposed, spontaneous captures
Amateur Photography: Learning, exploring, no pressure
Brand Photography: Visual identity, product showcase
Cinematic: Movie-like, dramatic storytelling
Photo Types:
Prompt: {street photography, editorial photography, documentary photography, amateur
photography, portrait photography, brand photography, cinematic still, candid photography} ,
woman exploring Angkor Watt --ar 7:3 --s 150
Street Photography. Editorial Photography.

Documentary Photography. Amateur Photography.

Portrait Photography. Brand Photography.

Cinematic Still. Candid Photography.

One word...big difference.
These are just sample tokens...there‘s a ton.
But they significantly alter the image.

Documentary Photography:
Focused on the story, emotional,
dynamic.

Brand Photography:
Super curated from a color and
composition perspective.

Street Photography:
Unstructured, creative, and
distinctive.
02. Shot Type.
Helps you tell a visual story.

From different angles or perspectives.

Midjourney has defaults here.

Default: Eye-level

So being more detailed...gives you more control.

Shot Type.
Directional Tokens:
Low Angle: Shot from low
Hero Shot: Slight low angle shot
Eye Level: Shot from eye level
Side Profile: Shot from the side
Rear: Shot from behind
High Angle: Shot from high
Drone: Shot from the air
Top Down: Shot from 90° downward
Shot Types:
Prompt: documentary photography, {low angle, hero, side profile, eye level, 30° high angle, high angle,
drone, top-down} shot, woman exploring Angkor Watt --ar 7:3 --s 150

Low Angle. Hero Shot.

Side Profile. Eye Level.

Rear Shot. High Angle.

Drone. Top Down.

Shot Type.
Depth Tokens:
Extreme Closeup: Very close
Closeup: Close
Medium Shot: Half body
Full Shot: Full body
Long Shot: Distance shot
Shot Types:
Prompt: documentary photography, {extreme closeup, closeup, medium, long} shot, woman exploring
Angkor Watt --ar 7:3 --s 150

Extreme Closeup Closeup

Medium Shot. Long Shot.

Extreme Closeup

Closeup

Medium Closeup

Medium Shot

Medium Full Shot

Full Shot
03. Camera Selection
Camera selection helps produce high-quality images.

Different cameras produce different visual outputs.

Think about how different an image looks from a Polaroid

camera vs iPhone camera.

That's the idea.

Let's take a look at some you can use...

Cameras.
High Quality + Professional Cameras:

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III: Speedy and durable flagship DSLR.

Nikon D850: High-resolution powerhouse for detailed shots.

Sony A7R IV: Compact mirrorless with remarkable clarity.

Fujifilm GFX 100: Medium format with ultra-high resolution.

Leica M10-R: Iconic rangefinder with a unique image touch.

Hasselblad H6D-100c: Elite medium format with unparalleled image

quality.
High Quality Cameras.
Prompt: flock of flamingos in the Sardinian salt flats, {Nikon D850, Hasselblad H6D-100c, Fujifilm GFX
100, Leica M10-R} --s 250 --c 15 --style raw
Nikon D850 Hasselblad H6D-100c

Fujifilm GFX 100 Leica M10-R

Cameras (cont.)
Creative Cameras:

Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide: Instant film camera with creative lens

attachments and multiple exposure capabilities.

Lensbaby Velvet 56: Unique manual-focus lens that produces soft,

glowing images with a vintage feel.

Polaroid SX-70: Vintage instant camera producing soft-toned, artistic

images unique to Polaroid film.

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6: Instant camera creating square photos with
vibrant colors and a nostalgic touch.

GoPro HERO: wide-angle, immersive footage and robust design for

adventure capture.

Infrared Cameras: Capture images in the infrared spectrum for surreal,

otherworldly scenes.
Creative Cameras.
Prompt: flock of flamingos in the Sardinian salt flats, {Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide, Polaroid SX-70,
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6, GoPro HERO } --s 250 --c 15 --style raw

Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide Polaroid SX-70

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 GoProHERO

04. Lens Selection
Lenses provide optimal focal lengths and aperture ranges
for desired effects.

And they affect the look significantly in MJ.

Lens Selection.
Lens Types:

Ultra Wide Angle Lens: Wide view, dramatic perspectives

Wide Angle Lens: Broad scenes, slightly stretched edges

Standard Lens: Natural perspective, everyday shooting

Telephoto Lens: Distant subjects, compressed scenes

Super Telephoto Lens: Extreme zoom, narrow field

Lenses.
Prompt: flock of flamingos in the Sardinian salt flats, captured on {8mm, 35mm, 70mm, 200mm} lens --
s 250 --c 15 --style raw --ar 7:3

8mm (Ultra Wide Angle) 35mm (Wide Angle)

70mm (Standard) 200mm (Telephoto)

FOR OUR VISUAL LEARNERS:

05. Depth of Field.
DoF controls focus and background blur.

Similar to "Cinematic" or "Portrait" mode on the iPhone

camera.

It allows you to control the sharpness of the background.

Depth of Field.
Standard DoF:

Shallow DoF (ex. f/1.4): Blurs the background, making the

subject pop. Great for portraits.

Moderate DoF (ex. f/5.6): Some background detail, but the

subject remains clear. Good for street photos.

Deep DoF (ex. f/16): Everything from near to far is clear.

Used for landscapes or buildings.
Depth of Field.
Prompt: {Shallow Depth-of-field, Moderate Depth-of-field, Deep Depth-of-field, Variable Depth-of-
field}, Young jubilant Pakistani girl in a city street, vibrant festival, Leica M10-R --ar 7:3 --c 15 --style raw

Shallow DoF

Moderate DoF

Deep DoF
06. Lighting.
Lighting has a major effect on the image output as well.

Use light to convey mood, texture, and depth.

Lighting.
Light Quality:
Natural Light: Outdoor light from the sun

Focused Light: Narrow and concentrated

Soft Light: Diffused light, soft glow

Hard Light: Harsh light, strong reflection

Light Quality.
Prompt: {natural, focused, soft, hard} lighting, hardworking rice farmer in Bali, covered in sweat and dirt,
Leica M10-R, shallow depth-of-field --ar 3:2 --stylize 150

Natural Light Focused Light

Soft Light Harsh Light

Lighting (cont.)
Light Direction:
Back Light: Light from behind

Side Light: Light from the side

Top Light: Light from above

Front Light: Light from the front

Light Direction.
Prompt: {back, side, top, front} light, documentary photo, New York City construction worker face,
confidence --ar 3:2 --stylize 150

Back Light Side Light

Top Light Front ight

Lighting (cont.)
Time of Day:
Golden Hour: Shortly after sunrise or before sunset.

Blue Hour: Just before sunrise and after sunset.

Midday: Sun at its peak.

Twilight: When the sun is below the horizon.

Time of Day.
Prompt: { blue hour, mid-day, golden hour, twilight} lighting, documentary photo, arctic explorers
navigating the hash antarctic landscape, 35mm --ar 3:2--stylize 150

Blue Hour Midday

Golden Hour Twilight

Lighting (cont.)
Compilations:
Ethereal Lighting: Otherworldly and dreamlike.

Cinematic Lighting: Intense and emotional.

Dramatic Lighting: Intense and moody.

Gossamer Lighting: Bright and radiant.

Compilation.
Prompt: {gossamer lighting, cinematic, dramatic, ethereal} lighting, technologically advanced futuristic
astronaut, black and lime green colors, intricate details --ar 3:2 --stylize 200

Goassamer Cinematic

Dramatic Ethereal
Now let's put all of these elements together.
Young Boy.
Prompt: editorial photography, closeup, happy young boy in a orange raincoat playing in
a rainy city street, Leica M10-R, Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH, backlight,
shallow depth-of-field,. --ar 3:2 --stylize 450
Race Car Driver.
Prompt: documentary photography, low angle shot, formula one racer standing next to
his car, pristine Monaco race track in the background, ultra wide angle lens, shallow depth
of field, bright sidelight --chaos 10 --ar 3:2 --stylize 350
Traveling Girl.
Prompt: editorial photography, rear medium shot, young girl walking on the city cliffs of
Santorini, epic landscape, Leica M10-R, Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH, mid-
day lighting, --ar 3:2 --stylize 450
Until next time...
That's it.
Thanks for reading another carousel.

@Rory Flynn