I've been working on improving my photography skills for a while now. Besides help from my husband Joe, I've found a few blog posts that have been immensely helpful, in thinking and rethinking about how and what I shoot and what I can do to improve. I thought I'd share links to those posts today for all you other aspiring photographers out there!
Here's a couple of my own "before" and "after" pictures using some of the tips and tricks from the articles below. And when you really break it down, lighting is huge. So recently, I've been focusing on different techniques to get that right, it sure is difficult in the winter!
Helpful Articles and Posts:
Tips on Using Your Point & Shoot by Ashley Ann Campbell from Under the Sycamore. I read this a long time ago before I got my new camera and it has really helpful basic tips to get the most out of a point and shoot camera, like changing your angle or paying attention to where you focus.
This post by Stars for Streetlights is focused on how to shoot in manual mode for beginners and talks about different camera settings in addition to basics like composition and lighting.
A Beautiful Mess has a ton of posts on photography, the three that I found the most helpful are "10 Things Not To Do", "5 Tips for Lifestyle Photography" and "5 Tips for Great Indoor Photos". One thing I realized is that I was ending up taking a lot of pictures at night when there is no natural light. So now I have made a concentrated effort to wait and take pictures in daylight instead. Granted this does take a bit more planning sometimes, especially when planning blog posts but it has been totally worth it, I can tell a huge difference! Also, with the lack of good light in these winter months, I have been more cognoscente of setting my white balance properly and I've noticed that can make a huge difference as well.
This post is about product photography, by Ann-Marie Morris from Ann-Marie Loves Paper. After reading her post, I ran out to Staples and bought a piece of foam core that I use all the time now. I find that I tend to use it more as a light reflector than as a backdrop for products though.
The last one I'd like to share today is a post on Enjoy It by Elise Blaha Cripe about Tips for Fun Everyday Photos. I like this for ideas about different ways and viewpoints to capture day to day life on camera.
