Creativity Exercise: Photograph A Day In Your Life

Want a creativity exercise that not only helps improve your photography skills but also helps you capture memories that you'll treasure? Then you'll love doing a "Day in Your Life" Project!

Before I get into how to carry out this creativity exercise, I want to let you know that this is the first of a series of "challenges" that I'll be sharing right here on the blog, every month for 2017. So, if you like the idea of a monthly short project, make sure you come back at the start of every month for your assignment. (Read on the end of the post to see what to do for this one for January!)

PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTSAudrey AnnJanuary 2, 2017TIPS & TRICKS

How to Make Time for Learning Photography

A few days ago I asked a question in my Facebook group about what was the number one thing that was holding them back from learning photography. Several of the answers that came up said an issue was they simply did not have enough time.

Now, that is something I can totally relate to!

Time is definitely my most precious commodity these days, so I have to try to work smarter in the hours that I've got. I can't add any more hours into the day (although that would be nice!) - all I can do is make sure that I am being productive in the hours that I do have, and that I using the time to get the things that matter most done.

That's what I am going to at least attempt to help you with today - make more time for learning photography, and how to work smarter with the limited time that you do have.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnDecember 28, 2016TIPS & TRICKS, BEGINNER, INSPIRATIONAL

8 Reasons to Love Lightroom (even as a hobbyist)

I have to say, it took me a looonnnng time to wake up to the benefits of using LIghtroom, but now it's an integral part of my workflow and I freakin' love it. It is one of those programs that you don't really appreciate until you have been using it for a while and get to know all of the features, but once you do, you are golden!

I know many people think of Lightroom as only being useful for professional photographers, but I can tell you that it is just as useful for a hobbyist. Today we are going to have a little chat about the eight reasons to love Lightroom, even if you only take pictures for yourself.

Oh, and you can also snag yourself a free Lightroom editing checklist!

EDITING TUTORIALSAudrey AnnDecember 13, 2016LIGHTROOM

How to Choose A DSLR Camera (+ FREE worksheet!)

There are a few questions I see time and time again, and one of these is about which camera to buy. It doesn't matter whether it is for buying your first DSLR, or you are looking to upgrade and getting the next "step up" up: buying a new camera is a big commitment so it can get a little nerve wrecking to know which one to get! It's also damned confusing out there, with so many options, and all having different prices and benefits, to know which is going to be best for YOU.

GEARAudrey AnnDecember 6, 2016TIPS & TRICKS

A 10 Minute Aperture Exercise

It can be hard sometimes to make enough time for ourselves in our daily life to improve our photography skills, but one of THE best things you can do is simply practice - getting into the habit of picking up your camera every day for even just ten minutes can have an big affect on how well you understand a particular concept, or just building in some muscle memory so you start to instinctively know where all your buttons and dials are on your camera. No more fumbling around for you!

With this in mind, I'm sharing an exercise today for beginners that will help you understand the affect aperture and depth of field has on your images, but one that will take you just ten minutes to complete. Short, sweet and straight to the point :)

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnNovember 15, 2016BEGINNER

8 Reasons Why the 85mm is My Favourite Lens for Child Photography

One of my absolute favourite lenses for child photography is the Canon 85mm F1.8 Lens. It's definitely my go-to lens for portraits, but what many people don't realise is that the 85mm is useful for so much more than portrait photography! I love to use this lens for capturing candid shots outdoors with my child at the park or garden, for taking detail shots, and even for indoor documentary photographs. In short, this lens can be a great all-rounder.

There are several other reasons why I love this lens, so today I want to go over WHY this lens is so freakin' awesome, and why you might want to consider it for your own camera bag!

GEAR, CHILD & LIFESTYLEAudrey AnnNovember 7, 2016TIPS & TRICKS

8 "Micro" Investments you can make for growing your photography skills (From $0 - $100)

Making an investment in yourself and your photography skills can be a key element in how successful you will be in reaching your goal of becoming a photographer. You don't even have to spend a fortune: even tiny little baby micro-investments can give you a big return, either on helping you progress your skills, or just by saving you time and headaches whilst you are learning - and beyond!

Investments in learning can be anything from a small piece of photography equipment, to getting paid software instead of relying on the free stuff, or even taking a course to improve your skills. I do appreciate that for many of us, photography is a hobby so there is not a lot of extra cash to throw down (nor can you write it off as expenses - boo!) but even if you only have a teeny tiny bit of cash to invest in yourself (or even not a bean) read on.....

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnOctober 25, 2016TIPS & TRICKS, BEGINNER

5 Tips To Help You Capture Your Everyday Beautifully

As I've said before, one of the main reasons that I got started with photography was to capture my everyday - those small mundane moments that may seem boring to others, but that mean the world to me. It's one of the main benefits of being your own family's photographer - you know exactly the moments you want to capture and why, those moments that unique to you and no-one else.

But just because you are capturing the everyday doesn't mean it has to be boring! There are loads of ways to shake it up a bit and capture your family's moments beautifully. (And if you find yourself stuck with what to photograph, or just need a little creative push, then you can also grab a free ebook with a whopping 100 prompts to get you started!)

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, CHILD & LIFESTYLEAudrey AnnOctober 18, 2016TIPS & TRICKS

5 Simple Ways to Grow Your Newborn Photography Business

Have you ever considered starting a newborn photography business, but just aren't sure how you would get enough clients? Or perhaps you already are in business but are finding it difficult to grow and get enough sales? Then today is your lucky day! I've asked Erin from the fabulous Sixth Bloom blog to give some tips on how to make your newborn photography business a successful one. Over to Erin!

PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS TIPSAudrey AnnOctober 11, 2016

Which Lens Is Best for Lifestyle / Documentary Photography?

If you are shooting Lifestyle or Documentary images - in other words capturing your everyday life - which lens is the best for you to use? Well, that is a pretty big question as there a number of options available to you, and each have their own plus and minus points, or things they are best suited for. This is one reason why many people will have two or three prime lenses, or a couple of zooms, so that they have a range of lenses that they can pull out to give a different look. That, or they have a small lens addiction 😉

GEAR, PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnOctober 4, 2016TIPS & TRICKS

5 Reasons To Learn How To Master Your Camera Today

Learning the in and outs of your camera is something we should all strive to do so - not just so we can become technically proficient, but so we can reap the benefits that comes with it! Here are 5 reasons why I think you should start learning how to master your camera TODAY.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnSeptember 25, 2016TIPS & TRICKS, BEGINNER

Photography Case Study: Briana / Northern Way of Life

There was a lot of positive feedback on the last photography case study we had on the blog (Jan Johnson) that I decided it would be fun to have another one! Briana is again another long time reader of the blog, and I love the story of her photography journey because although she started out just wanting to take photos of her kids, she has branched out many other different types of photography, with a LOT of success! Let me pass you over now to Briana to tell you more about her photography journey....

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnSeptember 19, 2016CASE STUDIES, TIPS & TRICKS, BEGINNER

Welcome to the Live Snap Love Blog!

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