Top 5 Photography Tips

Photography has been a special interest of mine for decades so I often take what I know for granted. Many moons ago I was even a wedding photographer. 🌙

I was asked this week for my top 5 photo tips so here they are!

This is a collaborative post with Claire from Creatively Conscious born out of our connection in the depth of winter 2022 in content creation. You can check out Claire’s content on Instagram here.

1. Light is magic.

The most important thing to know about photography is the camera uses light to make an image. The root words of photography actually mean drawing with light. You can get really geeky into the science if you want to, but its basically magic. ✨

My secret tip is to use a bouncer. They don’t make this one anymore, but you could make one yourself with two pieces of foam core and white tape. I use this when there isn’t quite enough light in the studio.

You could also use this to bounce light from a lamp if you don’t have a window nearby. It’s great during the dark wintry months.

2. Let in the Light

Yes, this is a second tip about light. 😂

That’s how important it is. This tip is how to let the light in to your camera.

Most of us are shooting on our phones these days. They’re an amazing piece of tech we always have on hand. I have several expensive cameras and only fall back to them when I want to do something my phone can’t.

Here is how to let in more light using an iPhone. Apple makes it really easy.

Tap the screen and this box with a sunshine appears.

Swipe up for more light. Or swipe down for less light.

You can swipe multiple times. This is telling the camera how much light to let in.

Congrats! You’ve just learned how to change exposure. (If you’re using another phone just search for your model and “adjust exposure.” )

If you’re using a dSLR you do this by changing the aperture. Don’t let the fancy words scare you - its just another way of saying “let the light in.”

These cameras are smart. I know how to shoot on manual, but I usually prefer Aperture Priority. You set the aperture (how much light gets in) and the camera computer chooses the best shutter speed.

If you want to give it a go turn your camera dial to A. Then have play with the aperture and take some test photos. The smaller the aperture number the more light you let in. Try taking the same photo with 3 different aperture settings and compare them afterwards.

With practice this becomes muscle memory just like swiping the sunshine on your phone.

3. The Power of Three

Sneaking in a Charmed reference as I continue the magic theme here. ✨

This tip is about composition. It may seem obvious to center the subject in the frame. Square cropping on Instagram grids especially lend to this. It’s not wrong - I even do it myself sometimes.But using an off centered composition can add interest.

The rule of thirds is a great way to play with this.

Imagine a landscape. You could run the horizon through the center of the image. Or to make it more interesting you could make it 2:3 sky. Or 2:3 ground.

Here’s an example from my feed. For this image I chose 2:3 sky to really highlight the morning mist. You can also see how the tree has landed on one of the cross points. This comes intuitively after a while. Its not the only way to compose a photo, but it can help you break away from center.

4. Less is more

A lot can be done to help a dark or dull photo in editing. Everyone has a different editing style. I like to brighten photos, but keep them looking natural.

So my tip is to play with editing filters, but bring them down from 100% so they are more subtle. You can do this on Instagram by tapping the filter and then tapping it again to bring down the slider.

Then tap edit to adjust exposure, contrast, and warmth. And these tools are right there in Instagram.

I also use the VSCO app to edit photos. You can see some of my favorite filters below. The AL series are great for balancing skin tones. I tend to use the same set of filters for a consistent style.

5. Get in the Frame

Lets face it… I became a photographer because I’d rather be behind the camera than in front of it. (Who’s with me?)

But people like to connect to the human behind the social media account.

If you’re feeling awkward you can build confidence by photographing just your hands or feet. Then try a pose looking away from the camera or photograph yourself from behind. Hide your face or peek around something. This is how I started (see my university “self portrait” below) .

Over time I’ve become more and more comfortable in front of the lens.

Need some inspiration?

Scroll the hashtag #selfiesforintroverts or @me_and_orla’s gorgeous feed for ideas. ✨

I hope these help you out!

Now hop over to Creatively Conscious to find Claire’s tips. 💕