I’m by no means an influencer or a professional photographer, so I’ll add a disclaimer that I am a still an amateur when it comes to photography, but like anyone I always want those gorgeous pictures everyone always raves about!
I’m talking the beautiful, bright, crisp pictures that are also flattering. Those asks alone are already really high! But let me just say, I think I cracked the code!
Below I’ll show you the steps I take to take great photos, which don’t require a DSLR or any fancy equipment. I do recommend having Photoshop or Lightroom, but you can use the free LR version on a phone just as well, and get the same result for 0$!
To start with, I recommend having an idea board for what you want to achieve, whether via poses or places, or just general atmosphere. If unsure, look up what NOT to do, and at least avoid the bads vs. remembering all the goods.
1. Manage your Expectations
This means: find similar pictures, or scope out a location. In my case, I knew I wanted a few ‘winter photos that didn’t look like I was just in a backyard’ with my husband and our daughter. I found a park that was less than a 5 minute drive away and when we got there walked around and aimed my phone at different spots to “test for a backdrop”.
2. Coordinate Outfits
One of my biggest regrets when it comes to photos, was getting engagement photos done in the forest, while dressed in a tonne of patterns. My husband and I both stuck out like sore thumbs, and in the end I still hate looking back at them, despite planning said outfits. We chose things that matched each other, but did NOT think of how it would work for the location. So, don’t be me, choose neutrals where you can. Minimize patterns, or choose ones that are very subtle and do not do more than one person in patterns. Consider your background! Always always always!
3. Eye-level or higher is Key
As a 6′ gal, and with a husband who is 6’4″ we are almost always the first victims of horrible photos. A beautiful view of up the nostrils, triple chins, etc is almost a given, when others take pictures. It’s part of the reason I absolutely hate taking photos with others and get very camera shy. So remember when taking photos, consider your height! A severe angle down also looks bad, but anything eye-level or higher tends to hide a lot of problem areas. In our case I used a flexible tripod for the phone. This gadget makes it SO easy to clip onto a rail, a branch, a fence, etc. and best of all comes with a mini bluetooth timer which I use to take a multitude of pictures vs. just one.
4. Portrait Mode
Most smartphones nowadays have a Portrait mode, and let me just say…when you figure it out, you will NEVER use any other mode. It’s such an easy way to add that “DSLR effect” to pictures with background blur and make photos look super professional.
Look at how drastically different they feel!
(I mean, the same energy death-glare is coming from Olivia, but that’s just her).
5. Editing with Lightroom/PS
In the same realm of editing, cropping out bad use of space is important. You can see the difference between the photos below just from a simple cropping!
Now, my other rule with cropped pictures is that I resize to what prints well (standard photos are 4×6 or 5×7, I find using that ratio is best vs. what the phone uses for screens).
I am a firm believer in Presets now! If you don’t know what those are, Presets are basically a special action you can use to adjust the brightness, fix texture, and place a filter on your photos in one click. There are a bunch of absolutely stunning presets available on Etsy! Though you can make your own with no issue, there are often large packs that are sold for $2-8 which you can reuse forever.
Pardon the quality on the post, I knew it would be image heavy so I had to reduce the resolutions to make it easy to follow without chugging!
6. Nice to Haves
There’s a few key tools which I also swear by when it comes to editing, but these are by no means needed for good photos. I just think that these clean ups make for a big difference down the line.
Photoshop has a tool called “bandaid” and GAWD knows, I abuse it to no end. Stain on your shirt? Gone! Food in teeth? Gone! Weird crack in the pavement? Removed! Ugly blemish no one wants to remember? Gone! It’s perfect for easy edits without needing to know all the details of settings and etc.
So here are the final results! I hope this inspires you to get out there and make some memories! I spent so many years hiding away from a camera because of the fear of unflattering pictures, but with this guide I hope it can actually become fun for you!
Good luck!
