5 More Ways to Take Better Photos

1. Use lots of light.
To make skin look flawless and creamy you need lots of soft light coming from a large light source, such as the sun- I know sounds counterintuitive right! To achieve this when taking portraits shoot outside on a cloudy day or in the shade, even inside next to a window can work. This gets ride of any shadows on the face, caused by harsh lighting, that will show blemishes, wrinkles, etc. To add even more light and make skin look even better, shoot next to a light colored wall to bounce more light onto your subjects face. Expands on #4

2. Create pretty bokeh- or a blurry background.
Getting close to your subject takes the distraction away from the background and leaves you with a pretty play of light. To really get the full benefit of this effect you need to not only get close to your subject but also use a shallow depth of field or a wide aperture. This means taking the camera off the Auto setting-yikes!- and adjusting the aperture on a creative setting. The easiest way is to use the aperture setting, A or Av, which allows you to adjust aperture then does the rest of the work for you. You want to choose the widest, lowest number, possible but if you have a DSLR then your best results might be a stop or two above the lowest. Hopefully I kept it simple =-). Expands on #1

*Aperture controls the depth of field or amount of focus on a subject. The wider the aperture (low number) then less of the subject will be out of focus; the smaller the aperture (larger number) then more of the subject will be in focus.

3. No more “Cheese”- coach your subject to look more natural and relaxed.
Start by having them try out a couple of smiles while taking a few “test shots” to find what looks the most flattering on them.  Then you can coach your subject to use that smile. When you notice your subject getting tired have them look down or away, then look at you as you snap your camera. Its an easy way to get a fresh, relaxed look. Of course don’t tell them your trying to get them to look relaxed, they will probably get self conscious.

* For kids, when you are behind the camera talk to them. Tell a funny story, smile a lot, tickle them, tell them not to smile (which always works), play peek-a-boo behind the camera, etc.

　

4. Create depth.
When shooting add layers to the photo by including an object from the foreground or background to create a more interesting photograph.

5. Leading lines.
When shooting look for leading lines- or objects that draw the eye to the subject. Lets go to the photograph to really explain this one. I used the "fence" to draw the eye to the bride and groom, making the photo more dynamic.

 **Bonus: Just brighten the photo. Photos right out of the camera sometimes look “muddy” and adjusting the brightness level can clear that away. If you are able to brighten certain areas, do the eyes and inner corners of the eyes as well.