Tips to Help You to Take Better Photos

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Did any of you set goals this year? One of my goals is to take better photographs. I love capturing special moments. It is so nice to have the memory to look back on. It also works well for this blog. Good photos on a blog are a must. At the moment, though, I’m just not impressed with what I take. I have been doing a little research and want to share what I have learnt about making my photos look better. Hope these tips are useful for you too.

Get to Know Your Camera

Some of you may be using the camera on your phone. Some of you will be using a ‘point and shoot’ style camera or a DSLR. Whatever type of camera you are using, it is important to get to know your camera. There will be a lot of features that you should play around with an practice with. The better you know your camera and what it is capable of, the better your photos will turn out.

Lighting

It is important to take photos under natural light. The best place is by a window on a cloudy day. You can brighten photos afterwards but it is tricky to edit out the glare from sunshine. You should avoid using the built-in flash as much as possible. This can make things rather awkward but when I want styled photos for the blog, I need to time it all just right and take them in daylight. 

You should also move around to find the best light. If you are photographing food, you don’t need to feel like you can only take photos in the kitchen. Think about your home and which rooms are naturally brighter or get the sun. Using some tablecloths or props, you can get great photos taken in a bedroom and no one will be able to tell.

Look Around for Inspiration

There are some amazing photographers out there. The great thing for us is that their work is online, and we can look at their websites. Take Darren Howe Photo for example. Find some photographers that you like and then browse their work. If there is a style that they go for or a look with their editing, try to emulate it. Imitation is the best form of flattery! 

Editing

Try to take it easy with the editing. Less can certainly be more. If you have a decent camera, and you got the lighting right for the photo, it shouldn’t need too much editing. Try to brighten the pictures slightly and sharpen a little. This can be a trial and error thing, but practice makes perfect.

Snap Away!

You just need to take a lot of photos! You will be bound to get a few that you like out of them. I think lifestyle shots are best when they aren’t too styled so just snap away at your family when they are doing their normal things or out for a walk. It captures real emotions, and they will make great memories.