Editor’s note: I am so excited to introduce you to Courtney, from Sweet C’s Designs, who’s joining me here at Snap as a regular contributor. Courtney’s site is full of amazing crafts and DIY projects and recipes, but around here she will be sharing her AMAZING photography skills! Please show her your love. xoxo Tauni
Hi everyone! I’m Courtney, from Sweet C’s Designs. I am so glad to be sharing photography tips here on SNAP! I love how Tauni wants to help support other bloggers and share great information.
I know one of the most popular topics that comes up time and time again is how to get great, beautiful blog photos. Today I am focusing on Easy Ways to Improve Your Blog Photography.
The tips I am sharing today are great for new photographers and experienced bloggers alike. Bonus: you can use them with a point and shoot or DSLR camera!
*all photos in this post were taken with a Canon T2i and Canon 50mm 1.4 lens- all also have apertures less than 4.
First off, you want to get the right light. No matter whether you are photographing people, food, crafts or decor- natural light will ALWAYS be best.
I try to move my subjects as close to an open window as possible. If that means moving a frying pan off my stove and onto our kitchen table (on a trivet) so it can be right next to the beautiful, natural light, I do it! If it means I have to wait for the exact time of day to get a part of a room when the light hits it just right, it is worth it! Fifty percent of the problems with photography can be fixed with lighting.
Here are some easy tips to be sure you have the best light:
On a day you aren’t very busy, take a photo of a simple subject (like a plant, or mug, etc) next to a window every few hours. Try for morning, noon, night – anytime you usually take photos (or could conceivably – like when kids are at school,or the time you make dinner everyday). At the end of the day, go over the photos and note which ones have the best natural light. This can help you plan to take photos at the “magic hour” and spend less time editing. It isn’t always practical, but if you can know what areas are good for photographing subjects at certain times, you can cut down your time taking tons of photos or editing them to death.
If possible, turn off your overhead lights! Most indoor lights either give a yellow or blue hue to subjects, and can make them look flat. Natural light is ALWAYS the most flattering- so turn off those lights and open a window!
Take note of your decor. This will also sound crazy, but a lot of my pictures had harsh yellowish tones, even after I had correctly adjusted white balance (you can read more about white balance here). I spent hours editing photos, which was completely draining- until I figured out that it was my DRAPES that were giving my photos weird colors! I had bright yellow drapes in my kitchen, and shiny gold-ish drapes in my dining room that were giving off yellow hues.
Since switching out with white drapes, I have been getting beautiful photos with much less work. Things that could give off colors in your photos could be your color walls, curtains, carpet- even outdoor fences! Try to shoot your pictures in fairly neutral areas, or setup some neutral backgrounds like white poster board to bounce light off of.
If you want more ideas on light and how it works in your posts, please reference a detailed post all about light I have on Sweet C’s Designs.
Next, we will talk about angles.
While it can be really hard to find the absolute right angle to shoot your subject with, there are three basic angles I ALWAYS try first when shooting a subject:
Straight On,
Straight Above,
and at a 90 degree angle.
I personally usually prefer photos that are taken straight on as level to the subject as possible (I often place my camera on the table my subject is sitting on and click away)- but that doesn’t always work well with your subject.
In the photo above, the stuffed pepper looks kind of funky straight on, and you can’t see any of the filling (which is kind of the point of a stuffed pepper, no?). From straight up above, the pepper looks delicious, and from the 90 degree angle you can see the background props, which you couldn’t in the other photos.
Finally, let’s go over composition.
I try to keep my blog photos simple and have a clear and defined focus. I love styled shots with lots of props- but I’ve found a lot of my super simple shots really pull readers in, so I try to focus on those (and accent with beautiful props when I can fit them in).
I try to get as close as I can to my subject and still get it fully in the frame and in focus. I primarily shoot blog photos with a 50mm lens, which does require you to be a little further away from your subject than a macro lens. From there I try the three angles I listed above, and will then move around if I think a slightly different angle or side of the subject will look better.
The most important part of composition is telling a story. You want your reader to see a pretty place setting and imagine themselves sitting down to the table. To see a craft in process and imagine themselves gluing, sewing, painting… so your photos should be as clear as possible and free of excess clutter. A few props can give your photos a realistic feel, but you want to be sure your recipe/craft/DIY project is always the star!
PHEW! So… that was a ton of information, but hopefully you got some great ideas on how to take your photos to the next level. Just remember Lighting, Angles and Composition!
And be sure to tune in for more photography tips and tricks here on SNAP! I am so thrilled to be here, and would love to know some of your biggest challenges if you’d like to see it in a post. Comment below, or shoot me an email at sweetcsdesigns {at} gmail {dot} com! You can also find other posts I have written that cover various photography topics at Sweet C’s Designs.
Lolly Jane says
Great tips, Courtney!!
katie says
Love all these tips! Such a useful post! Thanks Courtney!
Liz @ Lizzie Jane Baby says
Thanks for the tips Courtney!
Jenn says
Great tips Courtney! This is definitely something that I need to work on. Pinned!
Tauni says
Jenn, Thanks so much for sharing! Courtney’s the best and I am really excited to be working with her. xoxo Tauni
Kelly @ Thelilypadcottage says
Great tips! Love the angles one especially, sometimes I forget to try it from different directions.
Tauni says
Kelly, that was a great reminder for me too. I need to capture these angles a bit more purposefully! xoxo Tauni
Sarah @ Bombshell Bling says
Great tips! Love it! Pinning and definitely implementing!
Tauni says
Thanks for sharing Sarah. I am so excited to have Courtney on board. She’s the best! xoxo Tauni
nest of posies says
amazing post! Courtney is the best when it comes to explaining techniques! Plus her photography rocks!
Tauni says
K, You hit the nail on the head. I feel so luck to be working with Courtney! xoxo Tauni
Nicole says
Great Tips! I’m always on the lookout for little nuggets of photography wisdom 😀
Tauni says
Nicole, I couldn’t agree more. I am so excited to have Courtney on board. I can’t wait to see all of the fun posts she shares! xoxo Tauni
Emily says
What an awesome and detailed tutorial. Thanks!
Tauni says
Em, I am so happy to have Courtney working with us. I have a feeling I will learn a lot from her over the next couple of months! xoxo Tauni
Marty Walden says
Love this post! Thank you so much! I tend to shoot simply and feel a little “less than” when I don’t have tons of props for the food especially. My best shots do tend to be more simpler. I also have yellow kitchen walls, which I absolutely adore but destroys my food shots! I love your tip about testing the light out throughout the day. Really my only natural light that I can use is at my front door, which usually requires me to be hanging out said door trying to find a good angle!
So excited to read your tips!
Tauni says
Marty, I have yellow kitchen walls too! The worst part? It’s the only room that has a decent number of windows! Gah! Repainting the wall is one of the items on my to do list 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! xoxo Tauni
Laura @ Laura's Crafty Life says
These are all great tips Courtney! My photography is getting better, but it can always use improvement!
Tauni says
Laura, isn’t Courtney great?! I adore her. xoxo Tauni
Vickie says
Great tips! Thanks for your insight!
E.S. Ivy says
Those are great tips! I’m going to try the different angles next time I shoot photos.
Tauni says
I just shot a project today and made a much more conscious effort to take photos from all three angles mentioned. It’s such a simple tip, but it goes a long way. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. xoxo Tauni
Tauni says
Thanks Amber!
georgie horn says
Thank you for your tips, I’ll be sending a followup email because I am struggling with blog photos and really, really want to improve and hopefully keep the point and shoot camera(for now)
Crystal says
My problem is that I can hardly blog during the day, so I’m going to have to get some kind of tabletop lighting.
Renee says
Thank you! These are great tips that I will definitely try to use while shooting photos for my blog. I’ve got to remember to shoot from several angles!