Use Natural Light
It might sound obvious but I believe the secret to taking great photos is using natural light. The more light you have the sharper and better quality your photos will be (and less work editing for you). When shooting indoors choose a room that lets lots of natural light in. Finlay’s nursery doesn’t have big windows so I tend to take indoor photos of him in our bedroom or in the living room. It makes such a difference!
When outdoors obviously you don’t have to worry, but I find the best time to take pictures is when the sun isn’t too bright, so in the morning or alternatively you can find a shaded spot - if you’re living in the UK this probably won’t be a problem ;)
Don’t Force It
Some of my favorite family photos are the ones that capture a real genuine moment. Of course I love photos where we’re all smiling at the camera, but my favourites are the ones that aren’t forced or posed for. I take my camera everywhere with me as you never know what you’re going to stumble on or when your kiddo is going to choose to be ridiculously adorable. These natural photos are so precious.
Click, Click, Click
I always take several photos whenever taking pics of Finlay. His little hands are always moving, he blinks a lot (he’s inherited that from Dad, my husband is the king of blinking in photos) and of course he can topple over without warning. So click away until you get, what I like to call, “The money shot!”
This is also a great way to experiment with different angles/positions. Play around and try some zoomed up close, off centre, whilst making sure your shot is always well proportioned (rule of thirds). I love photos that are a bit different and not your typical pretty picture!
By taking a few shots of one moment or scene you’ll get more creative photos, for example I love the shot above where Finlay accidentally fell backwards (always choose a soft surface people!!) and his little hands are still clutching his toy. It's so cute!
Try Manual & Use The Right Lens
Most cameras have lots of great auto settings, which is perfect when you’re getting to know your camera. When you’re more confident you can start to experiment with the manual settings, which gives you more control of how much light you let in (aperture) and how much of the person is in focus (depth of field). But that’s a whole other post in itself! I recommend watching Youtube tutorials, as they’re free and great for teaching you the basics of what you need to know.
There’s a lot to be said for choosing the right lens too. My favorite lens to use is my 35mm, I use this to take most of Finlay’s photos as it gives you great depth of field and works well indoors. If you’re out shooting anything fancy (nature shots, couple photos) you can use a 55-300mm, which is pretty big and heavy but I’m always pleased with the incredible results it produces.
I hope these tips and tricks help, most importantly have fun with it! Big thanks to Alex for having us over on her lovely blog :)
*Thank you to the absolutely lovely Steph of Influence Blog for these awesome tips. Her photos are always perfect and her blog is amazing so when she agreed to guest post for me on this topic I was absolutely thrilled. If you haven't yet subscribed to her blog, I urge you to head on over and check it out.
