Tips & Tricks for Taking Better Pictures
How to Take Better Photos
Hey guys! Today I'm sharing with you my tips, tricks, and advice for taking pictures and how you can start getting better photos asap. These tips apply to anyone using any device, it doesn't matter if you have a DSLR camera or you are using your iPhone. Whether you are reading this post because you want better pictures of yourself or you want to take better pictures of other people, these tips & tricks are simple to do.
Keep your hands busy
Not knowing what to do with your hands in pictures can make you seem so uncomfortable and then you get awkward and it shows in the photo. Playing with your hair can help a ton. You can also hold on to your clothes, a purse, any items you have.
Focus on Location's
Constantly finding new locations to take photos probably sounds a little exhausting, however doing this helps your images stand out from others, by showing a little bit of your personality which keeps people interested. I use Pinterest to save location ideas. Pinterest also helps sooo much when you are feeling uninspired.
Use a prop to be less awkward
This kind of goes with the keeping your hand's busy tip props definitely help with keeping your hands busy, but they can also add an element to your picture that makes it more interesting. A prop can be literally anything, think outside the box:
a drink/food
flowers
camera
Take photos during Golden Hour
aka the hour after sunrise/hour before sunset. It's obviously possible to get a good photo at any hour of the day, however during these time frames it's much easier, and the images look better.
Add movement
Walk a little bit, try a spin, a hair flip. Movement in photos makes the picture look more candid, natural, and add's emotion. Moving around can also help with the whole feeling awkward posing situation.
Always remember that Lighting is everything
The lighting can make or break your image, which is very annoying because we can't completely control lighting but we can try :)
I remember the first time I took a selfie in high school in front of a window and saw the best version of myself. Clearly, this was before snap chat filters. But seriously, lighting is so so so important. Here's a quick simple example. Look at the pictures below, they were taken at the same exact time/location, one was taken facing the sun and the other facing away.
If I was in the photo with my back facing the sun it would not be a very cute photo, for ME. ( I'm sure a professional photographer could take an awesome photo with a lens flare effect but not the average person) But if I stood directly facing the sun, the photo could turn out really well because the sun would be shining on me directly.
Flash can work sometimes but natural lighting is easier to shoot in and normally is more flattering for people in photos, which leads me to my next tip.
Try Different/Unique Angles
I love pictures taken from a lower angle, it makes you look much taller and thinner. My favorite pictures of myself are probably almost always taken from a low angle. Sometimes I like an angle from higher up too.
But almost always, I don't favor the head-on angle, sorry dad :)
Lastly, Edit
I could do several posts just about editing photos, probably more honestly. BUT I will sum this up and leave that for another day. The good thing about editing is that you are able to fix things that might otherwise ruin a good photo. You also can make a good picture look great after editing it. There are so many iPhone apps you can use to edit your photos such as VSCO, Lightroom CC, Afterlight, Facetune, and Snapseed. VSCO has a ton of filters that are perfect for iPhone photos!
If you want to take your photography, Instagram, online business more seriously, I would recommend using the Lightroom desktop software. I use this for all of my photos now, and I can't imagine creating content without it :)
I hope you guys enjoy these tips! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions <3