One of the things I love doing is taking photos. Now, I'm no professional photographer, however, I did take many a photography class and have been hired to shoot photos for people on occasion. I mostly take personal photos - for my blog, for Savannah's outfit posts, for Maiedae, and *of course* for Instagram . ;) So, here are 6 of my personal tips for taking quality photos for yourself, your business, or your blog.

TIP #1: TAKE PHOTOS DURING MAGIC HOUR

The best photos are always taken at "magic hour" - a term used by photographers to distinguish the special time right around sunrise and sunset. This time gives you the best photos because of the diffused, softer lighting and the fact that shadows are relatively non-existent. Download the Magic Hour app onto your phone if you want to know exactly when "magic hour" is where you live!

TIP #2: USE A DSLR IF POSSIBLE

If you have access to one, use your DSLR camera whenever you can. A DSLR is a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera. The huge bonus is that they use interchangeable lenses and you have complete control over aperture and depth of field as well as many other things. I would highly suggest taking The Study of Light e-course by Arrow & Apple if you would like to learn more about using your camera!

If you don't have a DSLR and it's not in your budget currently to purchase one, sometimes you can still take quality photos with your phone or handheld camera. For example, the photos below were all taken with my iphone during magic hour. I've found a few tricks to taking photos with my phone: 1) Try to lean up against something to stable yourself if possible. This helps prevent blurriness. 2) If your camera has an "HDR" setting, definitely turn that baby on! 3) Try to mainly use your phone camera on wide landscapes or super-close up photos. Trying to take a professional headshot or portrait will be very difficult (still possible, but difficult) with just your phone or handheld.

TIP #3: TAKE PHOTOS OUTSIDE

Even more specifically, take them at magic hour or in the shade. Being outside can cause harsh shadows, but if you're in the shade, you end up with gorgeous photos! Natural lighting is almost always going to be better than the yellow-y or fluorescent tones in our homes / work spaces. If there are certain rooms in your house that have a lot of windows, you can be sure to use that space for photos also. This is specifically important for portraits or product shots. See the difference?

TIP #4: TAKE PHOTOS OFTEN + BE INTENTIONAL

If you're struggling with wanting to be a better photographer, the best thing you can do is practice! Take your camera everywhere. Look for great photo opportunities. And eventually you'll start seeing a difference in the quality of your photos. Don't see photography as a means to an end or something you just *have* to get done. If you take your photos quickly, are impatient, or don't allow yourself enough dedicated time to taking quality photos, you won't end up with quality photos.

Savannah and I have a whole day each week dedicated to photography related projects. And, in addition to that, we each spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour each day taking photos personally. Maybe you don't have that much time, but try to come up with a few hours each week you can dedicate to practicing your photography and taking your photos. This mean a little extra planning ahead of time, but you'll be glad you did it! And then you won't be rushing around trying to figure out what photo you can use with the blog post you just wrote or searching the internet or Pinterest for a photo. You can have original, quality photos.

TIP #5: USE THE ABCD RULE

The ABCD rule is basically that, when you are putting photos together for an outfit post, collage, or webpage, you should try to have a full shot, medium shot, close-up shot, and extreme close-up shot. This gives visual interest to the viewer by giving different points of view and emotion behind each perspective.

TIP #6: PLAY WITH LIGHTING

Most of the time, you're going to want to light your subjects from the front (the light source is directly behind you) or by diffused or reflected light (if you're in the shade or a room with lots of light). However, once you are comfortable with your camera, try playing around with lighting your subject from different angles. Backlighting (or having the sun directly behind your subject) can create lovely sun flares and a beautiful golden halo effect around the subject. Side lighting helps bring out textures and shapes that might otherwise go unnoticed.





Well, I hope this has helped you get started or improve the quality of your photos! Be sure to leave your tips and tricks in the comment section below :) I look forward to seeing your photos! :)