Never sit with a plain wall behind you, show your environment

People who see your photo have no idea what the space around you actually looks like. If you are sitting against a blank wall, they assume you are in some small, unremarkable room nobody wants to be in. But if you angle the shot to reveal the full scene, like a packed restaurant with nice lighting, they think it is somewhere impressive and worth being. Fabrizio Rausa used this principle directly: one angle of the restaurant showed a lively crowd and good light, while the other direction was nearly empty. Choosing the right angle completely changed the story the picture told. Always ask yourself what the background communicates to someone who cannot see what you are seeing.