BEGINNER PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
/I am SO excited to host our first official guest blogger! This post is all about photography, but not anything too extravagant-just tips for beginners!
I love pretty feeds on Instagram. There's just something so magical about a perfectly curated feed that captures my attention, and that's exactly what Kaylee Crane of KayleeCrane.Co did! So we've teamed up to bring you "photography tips for Instagram + beyond for beginners!"
Hey guys! So happy to be here with you today and feeling so flattered that Amy is letting me be apart of one of my favorite blogs! I have been following along with her journey for a little while now and I flipped when I found out that she was pursuing this into a blog & shop!
One of my favorite parts about her brand is all the amazing photos so you can only imagine how I felt when she asked me to share some photography tips with you all! So here I am, I’m no pro, and I have a lot to learn but I’m excited to share the knowledge I do have!
First off, a little back story. I’ve always loved art. Whether it was finger painting as a little girl or making little cards for holidays. Fast forward to high school- I met my husband, Chase, and he was insanely talented with photography and from there it just evolved. I always followed behind him with my amateur camera he let me have and watched every move he made. I would say our styles and types of photography are definitely way different but I learned a lot about capturing stillness from him-which in my opinion is the hardest. We took photos together in the outdoors mostly and every now and again capturing some of our closest friends!
Fast forward again about 8 years and here we are with our first baby, Chester. From the second he was born we’ve barely put a camera down. We share one camera now- a mark iii and I do most of the editing on Lightroom. So lets get to the good stuff! What are some tips for capturing your little family? Check them out below-
1. My biggest go to is natural light. I’m sure you hear most people with a camera say this but it’s golden. Find the time that your home looks the dreamiest and keep that in mind. Lucky me, that’s first thing in the morning- which is also Chester’s happiest time of the day!
2. Don’t ever use the approach of “oh I want to get a picture for Instagram or my blog”. At the end of the day, that approach just doesn’t seem to work for me. I just try to capture our family in their element which seems to allow me to get multiple photos to use for multiple reasons- photo books, Instagram Posts, blog posts and so on.
3. Try to approach a shot by the whole picture not just the focal point. I pay attention to the surroundings because most of the time that somehow makes the picture.
4. Angles-- get on the ground mama, get those babies crawling straight to you.
5. Find your style and stick to it. I struggled with this for a while because truthfully, I love all styles. I love those cream-ish photos, moody dark ones, and light airy ones. But I found what works best for us and what I can see us shooting 20 years down the road- consistency is key once you find your groove!
6. Set the self timer, if you look closely in some of our photos you can see one of us holding our little remote because we can’t master moving it behind us quick enough but you know what? We have family pictures and I love that. If we are traveling and it would be risky to put our camera up on a tripod we will just ask a stranger to snap one- most are intimidated but get your settings where you want them and tell them to put the little box on one of your faces! VOILA!
7. Editing tips- for me, I love to lighten up the photo by adjusting the brightness and also adding some more contrast. It gets the colors exactly where I want them. My go to filters are by VSCO or Filmborn (Matins Labs). Either way, even once I add a filter I always knock it way down and still have to play with the settings. Make it yours!!
8. I often get asked how I get my husband to take photos of my family and also be apart of them. Truth is, he obviously has always loved it. But again don’t approach it with tip # 2 or else you all are going to get into a frenzy and that’s no fun for anyone and your husband will never want to do it again!
9. Grab other cameras- I love shooting with my iPhone and especially our insta film camera! Some of my favorite memories are on those Polaroid’s.
10. Lastly, ENJOY IT! I often hear moms saying it’s so stressful getting photos of their kids or families – embrace those grainy, blurry, and crazy shots. Those are the ones that hold the best memories. Un-staged, showing your phase of life, and ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!
I hope these little tips can bring some help to your own photography! If I didn’t answer one of the questions you were hoping to hear more about- leave it in the comments!
Thanks for letting me share with you guys today!
I mean seriously guys! How stinkin precious are Kaylee and her family! These tips are so simple but so important, and we couldn't agree with them more! What I love even more is that Kaylee's family truly does embody The Ever Co spirit. They love celebrating holidays, creating traditions and capturing memories that will last forEVER! Take a look around her blog, but be sure to check out the cutest pumpkin carving party here. Here's some pics from their family time to show you just how precious they are!
Thanks again for joining us Kaylee! We are so grateful for you!
xx, Amy
