Digital Photography – Fast Food Memories
I have always loved taking pictures, and this article is all about how I go about editing them. It’s pretty easy, so you should try it out if you’re not already doing it! You don’t have to be a professional photographer in order to take great pictures. Most people know that the best time to take photos is early morning or late afternoon because of the natural light.
In my opinion, every picture we take should tell a story – especially for your own children or grandchildren when they grow up and reminisce on old family memories. That’s why I make sure there are stories from my childhood embedded in my pictures that give people a sense of who I am as an individual.
I hope you enjoy this article and hope you will try adding a little more meaning and memory to your photos with the tips I will be sharing.
INTERVIEW AFTER THE JUMP…
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“This is the most important thing you can do to get better pictures, even if you want postcard quality. You need to have good light – preferably early morning or late afternoon light. You also need to have a steady tripod or one that’s easy for you to use in order for your pictures not to be blurry. This means, no handheld camera because it will shake, blur, etc.
I use a tripod. It’s a travel tripod that my husband and I got for our honeymoon to Europe. I love it because it collapses down to be small enough to carry around in its case. It has a bubble level on the side that is so helpful so you can tell if your frame is perfectly horizontal or vertical. This way you can have your horizon straight and not have your picture crooked! You also need a camera with a timer or self-timer so you can get yourself out of the picture, which will result in more “real” pictures instead of just self-portraits.
If you have a long lens, don’t use it! Get in close to your subject and shoot from the waist up. This way you can see the facial expressions of those you are taking pictures of. When dealing with people, especially kids, remember their attention span is five minutes–if that. If they are easily distracted or won’t stop moving around for more than five minutes straight, you may have to use the snack-and-smile technique :). I also always ask if it’s okay for me to take a picture as I am about to take it. This way if something happens they won’t be upset. If they are still not cooperating by the time I actually take the picture, I try to take it from behind or move a little towards them so that they still get some part of themselves in the photo. Then I ask them to smile and say “cheese” or “smile!” This way your child will have a chance to get used to posing for pictures.
I always shoot in RAW mode when taking pictures! In RAW, you can alter your photos after printing them for contrast, saturation for color, vignetting (black borders) etc. This way you can really bring out the true colors in your pictures.
I take my photos all the time–whenever I am traveling, eating out with friends, going on a family vacation, when I’m shopping for clothes, and even after my kids have gone to bed. The most important thing is that you are having fun and enjoying your stuff! It doesn’t matter if you spend an hour taking pictures or 20 minutes – what matters is your memories. That’s what it’s all about! To make sure I don’t forget anything that happened and to ensure I have great pictures of everything that happens, I take notes of events or things that happened throughout the day with me. For example, if I went shopping I would take a picture of the store we were in, or a note of what I bought.
I am always looking for new techniques to use when editing pictures. One thing that I have been trying to do is add depth and texture through tinting (adding a layer of color). I added this photo into Photoshop and added different shades of purple-blue to create some sort of aura around the picture.
I also like adding texture in my pictures by using vignetting. When you add vignetting, you have the option to blur your image by using the Gaussian Blur filter on Photoshop. The Gaussian Blur filter is a very useful tool as it allows you to add artistic effects and blur without affecting the actual picture.
I also like to add sepia tones in my pictures to create depth and give a feel of nostalgia. I had this special frame that my mom gave me, which I used in one of my childhood photos. It’s the same type of frame I used when I was a little girl, so it has special memories attached to it now in my old age.
With these tips, you can create more personalized, wonderful pictures. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that it really helped with your picture-taking skills!”
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P.S. Please feel free to share your own stories of family memories and family pictures taken on the blog comments section! :)
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I am excited to announce that the winners of the Grand Prize of Klick2Learn's giveaway contest are The Photo Contemplator and Jessica! Congrats girls! For those who didn't win, don't worry, because you still have a chance to win something. Just leave me a comment below or go check out this post for more chances to win.
Conclusion
I hope that you enjoyed the tutorial! It was interesting to learn about the steps that I take to get the perfect picture. I hope you will try taking some pictures on your phone and see how it's different when you're not looking through a viewfinder or hanging it on a tripod.
Be sure to check out my other smartphone photography posts!
Part Two: Taking Pictures with Your Phone: Camera Settings and Techniques for Beginners with Nokia Lumia 1020 (Windows Phone) by DaFtwdy You should follow me on twitter here . For more tips on photography, you can follow me on facebook here .