5 tips for taking photos at home
If you’re looking to keep your visual content flowing during the stay-at-home order, watch the video to find out how to make the most of shooting from home!
I think there’s HUGE benefits to a custom branding session - but we have to make due with the situation we’re in! I hope this helps give you some inspiration and tools for keeping motivated.
#1: Get it in Camera
Let’s start with the basics – CLEAN YOUR LENS!!! Save yourself gobs of time later by simply cleaning your lens. ESPECIALLY if you’re using your phone as a camera. Fingerprints, makeup and general dirtiness can smudge up your lens in a heartbeat. So take the time to wipe off your lens (front and back) so that you’re working with clean, clear, focused images.
Take the time to think about your composition. Slow down and set up the shot you really want. This includes composition, lighting and focal point. When you take the time to get it in camera, you have ENDLESS possibilities for editing later – rather than just taking the shot that’s easy or “good enough” and trying to fix it or force it to work later.
#2: Lighting
Lighting can make or break your image. Walk around your home or studio and notice where natural light is spilling in. Is it a big window? Your front door? A skylight? The natural light will be beautiful and soft because the light is being diffused by the window glass. Plus, natural light is really clean white light that we all love – versus indoor lights like incandescent bulbs that can appear yellow, or fluorescent bulbs that appear green. Those are called color casts, which can be VERY tricky to edit, especially if you’re working on your phone, and not from a large RAW file.
So don’t be lazy – just walk your object, or yourself, over to where the natural light is coming in for your photo. You’ll be SO glad you did!
#3: Perspective and Angles
I get it – we’re all guilty of it – we’ve all taken 20 photos of the same object, place or person in relatively the same shot. But how in the world does this help you? You have no variety in images to choose from! Shake it up! Take photos from multiple angles and perspectives to give yourself LOTS of images to choose from. Try to see the place or object in a new way – from above, down low, behind, or from the side. Don’t be afraid to move your feet! Take at least 3-5 different angles for each object or place. This will give you SO much more to work with later when posting to your social media, blog, etc.
#4: Poses
GULP – this can be a tricky one if you haven’t been in front of the camera very much. I know it can be intimidating, but my best advice is the more you do it, the easier it gets! But… one of the things that helped me get more comfortable was learning that things closer to the camera appear bigger, so I can use that to my advantage when posing to emphasize or deemphasize certain features. This trick works whether you’re standing or sitting – so don’t be afraid to try it out!
Find a rhythm for your poses. I suggest taking 5-10 images before ever looking at what you’re getting in camera. This way you can naturally flow through different movements and get a variety of poses to choose from. Just like in #3 – it’s not super helpful to have 20 images of yourself in the exact same pose, so move your feet! Try something new! Put your hand on your hip, or in your pockets, or throw your hands up in the air! Put on some good music, and get into a rhythm that feels good… and don’t forget to HAVE FUN!!!!
#5: HAVE FUN!
For real – if you don’t enjoy this process of taking photos you’re going to not enjoy posting them or editing them later either. So make this a fun experience! Be silly, be creative, be yourself! I know you can do this and am so excited to see what you create!
I know in these uncertain times it can feel overwhelming to try and adapt. But I’m here for you. There’s nothing I’d love more than to be on location with you, having a BLAST creating branding photography for your amazing business. Sadly - that’s not possible right now. So I hope these tips help you fill the gaps while we all adjust to working a bit differently.
I can’t WAIT until we can work together again! If you’d like to chat about a branding session, or event photography, for when things return to “normal,” feel free to check out my services here! And as always - I’d LOVE to chat! Give me a ring!
Stay safe. Stay amazeballs. Stay uniquely YOU!
