Five Simple Photography Tips

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First things first, I’d like to start by saying that Colton nor I are experts in the photography department. I wouldn’t say we are total amateurs, but we are definitely still figuring it out as we go along. I like to say we are a true “started from the bottom now we’re here” story-lol. 

Sometimes, I look back at our old photos and I kind of cringe at what we thought look good (you can check out my very first post here), at the same time though, I also love looking back at them and seeing how far along we have come. The other day, I started going through all of my old posts and I kept thinking to myself, “Gosh, what were the thinking?! Why am I directly in the sunlight? Did we not see the shadows over my face-lol?”. So in honor of my recent reminiscing, here are five simple tips I wish I would have known in the beginning. Ones that do not require money and ones you can take into consideration for all of your photography needs, blogger or not! 

1. Natural light is the best way to go. Especially when shooting indoors. Creating overhead light causes shadows and most photos will come out with a yellow effect over them. To avoid this, turn off all lights and shoot near a window to capture the natural light. 
2. Find shade and do not shoot in direct sunlight. Colton and I like to shoot either first thing in the morningm before the sun fully comes up or in the afternoons, as the sun sets. In the beginning, we thought that we were supposed to shoot in the middle of the day and have the sunlight directly on my face. Clearly we were wrong. If we do shoot in the middle of the day, we make sure to find shade, where there is not direct sunlight nor shadows that will interfere with the photo.
3. Do not use zoom (especially if shooting with an iPhone). Instead, shoot the photo normally and crop when editing. Better yet, just move closer to the object to capture a clearer photo. When you zoom in, it causes the photos to be grainy and out of focus. 
4. Avoid Distracting Backgrounds. Try and pick a background where there are not a lot of people, cars or lots of movement. Unless you have a professional camera, that you know how to use, your object will get lost in the photo and the background will over power what you are trying to capture. 
5. Step Away From The Wall. When taking photos in front of a wall or any sort of “back drop” the misconception is to have the people or objects right up against the wall. Instead, try stepping a few feet away from the wall to create contrast. In the pictures above, I am at least 6-8 feet away from the wall. 

**Bonus Tip: Upgrade your equipment

In the beginning, Colton and I started out using his iPhone. I had just started the blog and Colton, nor I were ready to make the jump into buying a new & expensive camera that we wouldn’t know how to use. 

Five months in, we bought our first upgrade. Once again, we were not ready to spend a lot of money but knew Colton’s iPhone was no longer cutting it, so we invested in an Olympus Air. It’s an attachable digital camera for your iPhone. It’s a really cool device that connects to your phone through bluetooth and takes really great photos. This was a great purchase for us at the time because we were not sure where the blog was going to take me. We still use this when we are traveling because it is so light weight! 

A year in, we finally made our first investment. We bought a Canon EOS Rebel T6i SLR Camera, which came with a camera and a 18-55mm lens. Then along with that, we invested in a Cannon 55mm f/1.4 fixed lens. Currently, Colton and I shoot majority of all of our photos with that lens.  Investing in this camera was the best thing we ever did. It takes amazing photos and does everything we have ever wanted it too. I’m lucky that Colton is so “tech-y” because he has actually enjoyed learning how to figure out the camera. 

If you are not ready to make that big of a purchase (I understand!) try investing in the new iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone did not work for us in the beginning because we were shooting with an iPhone 6. The iPhone7 Plus though, takes amazing photos and has two cameras on it with the capability to blur the background. You can read all about it, here! Colton has it now and we use it a lot! 

If you are wanting to take your blog or your photography to the next level, then there is no doubt about it that upgrading your camera to a DSLR is the answer. 

If you have anymore questions, just shoot me an email! 

xo,

Lauren 

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