Welcome to Part 3, the final post, in my Take Better Photos of Your Children series! In Part One, I talk all about the importance of taking photos in good light. In Part Two I delve into composition and action in photography. You do NOT need a fancy DSLR to take great photos, so check out Part One and Part Two if you haven’t already.
Today I am sharing my last two pieces of advice for enhancing your photos.
4. Use a good editing app to take better photos of your children.
I have used many editing apps over the years from PicTapGo to Filmborn to VSCO. Now I pretty much just stick with Lightroom Mobile since it is most similar to the Lightroom software I use to edit my Canon photography. Most of these apps allow you to save a preset. A preset is a combination of actions to use every time you want to edit a photo. Using a preset makes editing a five second ordeal so it is not time consuming. Lightroom Mobile is probably intimidating if you are not familiar with Lightroom, but I encourage you to play with the sliders to see how they change the photo. The more you explore the sliders, you’ll get a better idea of how you want your photo to turn out. You can save the set of sliders you used as a preset and use the same ones every time.
I use the same presets every time I edit because I strive to deliver consistent images to my clients. When my clients book me for a newborn, family, or maternity session, they expect a certain style and look. It is my job to provide that style for their session. This has also carried over into my personal photos. I love editing my personal photos, and as I mentioned, it only takes a few seconds because I simply apply a preset. I will occasionally need to adjust a slider or two depending on the light, but for the most part, it’s a one or two click ordeal.
It is important to note that presets and editing cannot really fix bad lighting. That is why it is so much easier to take photos in good light! If I am taking photos at night or with a lot of artificial lighting, I will often edit them in black and white. This leads me to my next and last piece of advice…
5. Take the photo!
My last piece of advice sounds obvious, but if we only followed it more…
I make a conscious effort not to be on my phone in the company of other people because I think that it’s rude and more importantly, if I am with others, I am interacting. I am not going to develop great memories playing on my phone.
With that said, if something exciting, endearing, special, sweet, amazing, etc. happens, I am going to quickly take out my phone to take a picture. Living in the moment is important to me, so I will take a couple photos, then put my phone away. I usually do not edit my photos until later when I am by myself. I truly have not regretted taking photos if I take them in this way.
By only taking one to a few, I am still in the moment, and I have something to look back on. Even if it is something quite mundane. I love looking back on my memories of what I did one year ago today to see something that I may have forgotten about. Or I remember how little Perry was, or the way his lips looked like rose buds at this stage. Life is short; take the picture. Hope this series has helped you, friends!
Go take better photos of your children with these tips!
Marie Elizabeth Photography specializes in fine art Maternity, Newborn, and Family Photography based out of Washington, D.C. and serves the areas of Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, Falls Church, Vienna, Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Silver Spring, College Park, and Riverdale Park.
It is always an honor to serve as your DC Fine Art Photographer. I provide a custom, luxurious experience to lead you every step of the way, beginning with a planning guide to make you feel confident and prepared, a consultation to achieve your portrait goals, a client wardrobe, hair and make-up artists, and finally, artwork to adorn your walls and preserve your memories forever. Let me be a part of your story today.
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