With the sun shining more and Summer right around the corner, we know you are going to spend as MUCH time outside as possible! And with all your fun Summer plans, you’ll be sure to bring your camera to capture all the goodness. Savoring those sweet summer memories is really what matters most, right?! So, with the help of Diva Candice {seriously, THANK you girly! I couldn’t have done it without ya!} WE want to help YOU get the most of your camera and capture every last bit of AWESOME this summer has in store! And in order to bring you the best photography tips and tricks, we’ve asked expert photographers to share with us a few golden bits of knowledge. And even if you don’t have the fanciest camera or 4 assistants to help you make sure your kids are sitting still, we know you can still get the pictures of your dreams! So with the help of the amazingly talented Shannon of Everyday Creative, Nicole from Nicole Martin Photography, Misha from Photographie J’adore, the amazing Diva Candice, and with a little help from myself {Diva Chrissy from Christine Naomi Photography} we’ve gathered together over 40 of the BEST tips and tricks for using your camera. And to make it EVEN easier for you, our tips will be broken down into 6 SUPER basic and easy categories:
LIGHT – understanding how to work with light is your BIGGEST advantage in taking great pics! PERSPECTIVE – getting creative with your perspective will make your photo’s POP! PHOTO FUN – use these tips to help you enjoy the journey of picture taking! PEOPLE – understanding your subjects and how to work with them is key! TECHNICAL TIPS – don’t let this scare you! Just a few technical tips can go a LONG way! PHOTO SUBJECT IDEAS – play around with WHAT you are shooting!
But that’s not all! With the help of the incredibly talented and AH-mazing creative genius Kristin, of CdotLove, we ALSO included a SUPER fun and inspiring summer photo bucket-list printable! Join other Dating Diva readers and capture each item on the 30-day list! You can even capture them with your phone, post them to Instagram and use the hashtag #ddsummermemories to see what other readers have posted! {not following us on Instagram yet? Find us at @datingdivas!}
Get your Summer photo bucket list HERE! Alright! Let’s jump in with our tips and tricks! First up: LIGHT
15. Make your subject/s laugh: This is the one type of photo that will ALWAYS bring a smile to your face when you view it in the future! The more goofy and without dignity you are the more your subject will genuinely laugh. To get natural laughs and smiles, one trick I often use is to ask my subjects to do something a bit out of their comfort zone like fake laugh. After I snap the awkward image they generally laugh and smile big which is when I snap the ‘real’ image. {tip & photo credit: Shannon} 16. Get in the picture, too!: Whether you’re on vacation, at your kid’s game, or just out on a date night, make sure you’re in some of the images, too. {tip credit: Misha & photo credit: Chrissy} 17. Camera Shyness: For kids who are camera shy the best thing to do is carry around a camera the entire time for 1-2 days with no expectaions of smile or do anything capturing life as it happens. It sounds like overkill, but it works to take away the pressure of a camera out with most kids. {tip credit: Shannon} 18. Never ever tell a child to say “Cheeese”. Ever. {tip credit: Nicole} 19. Natural Faces: To get the most natural of faces working with anyone of any age but especially in children one of my tricks is I just talk to them. I very rarely tell them to smile. I talk to them about their Halloween costumes, fav ice cream, going swimming, playing baseball … anything that makes them happy and then I just snap that perfect photo while they are telling me all about it. {tip credit: Nicole} 20. Posing: If you are posing for a pic as a family, read this article for Do’s and Don’ts! {tip credit: Candice} 21. Focusing: When photographing faces, make sure you focus on the subject’s eyes- you want those beauties to be crystal clear! {tip credit: Candice} TECHNICAL TIPS
24. Get in close: Get ready to take a picture like normal and take 1-5 steps forward to take the shot. It’s amazing how much more connected you will feel to your subjects. {tip & photo credit: Shannon} 25. Exposure: Be creative with your exposure in really dark places. Expose for the light and you end up with really great silhouettes! {tip & photo credit: Chrissy} 26. Bokeh: Love the bokeh that you can create from Christmas lights? Use an editing app to add bokeh to your summer pics. For Iphone users, I love the apps Lumie and LensLight Optical Effects. {tip & photo credit: Candice}
