How to Find & Use Open Shade in Photography for Better Photos

Today we are going to have tutorial on LIGHT - specifically how to find and use open shade in photography, so you can take more flattering photos.

First of all, raise your hand: how many times have you read / heard that you should shoot in the hours just before sunset or just after sunrise (a.k.a the Golden Hour), for the best light?

And how many times did you mutter under your breath that that’s freakin’ impossible to do all the time, especially if you have kids? (yes, I hear you)

The good news is, there is a way to photograph in full sun, even at midday, hat still allows you to get nice, soft even light on your subjects, AND is easy to use!

It’s called open shade, and in this photography lighting tutorial, I’m going to show examples of where you can find open shade, and how to use it for the most flattering results.

Let’s jump in!

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnApril 10, 2018BEGINNER, LIGHT

How to Make A Watermark In Photoshop in 5 Simple Steps

For any images you want to put online, you are probably going to want to add a watermark to your images. The good news is you can easily create a watermark in Photoshop, and just in a matter of minutes, and that’s what I’m going to show you today!

A watermark helps protect your images, to make it difficult for anyone to use them without your permission (and also so that everyone knows who took that gorgeous photograph!) so it’s worth taking the time to do it if you post your images publicly.

(And If you are in business, a watermark can also be a great way to help market your business for free!)

Read on for your step by step guide on how to create a watermark in Photoshop...

EDITING TUTORIALSAudrey AnnApril 3, 2018PHOTOSHOP

35mm vs 50mm lens - which one is right for you?

The two lenses that I see people deliberating over a lot is the 35mm vs 50mm prime lenses, so if you are currently having an internal debate between these two, and wondering whether the 35mm or 50mm would suit you best, read on…

GEARAudrey AnnMarch 27, 2018

3 Simple Ways to Add Depth to Your Photos

When we take an image, we flatten our three dimensional world into something two dimensional.

And as a result, our images can look a little...er... flat.

Adding depth is simply a way of bringing back that three dimensional feel - in other words, more closely mimicking how we see in the real world. It helps our viewers feel like they are in the photograph, and adds more complexity to your image, in turn making it more inviting and engaging.

Luckily for you, that complexity only exists in the resulting image, because it can be super easy to do, you just have to remember to do it 😁

So, here are three simply ways that you can start to incorporate depth into your images, that will take you only a few seconds to do.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnMarch 20, 2018TIPS & TRICKS, COMPOSITION

How to Calibrate Your Monitor

One thing that is guaranteed to cause some confusion to most emerging photographers is calibrating their monitors.

Calibrating your monitor is simply a way of making sure what you see on your screen matches what you see in print. If you have ever had images come back from the printer bearing little resemblance to what you see on screen, an uncalibrated screen is one reason why!

The big downside to calibrating your monitor is that it is yet ANOTHER expense, as you will need to purchase a tool to do it, and let’s face it, photography can be an expensive enough hobby :-)

However, you do have several options when it comes to calibration tools. The one I use is the X Rite Color Munki, which seems to strike a good balance between features and price, so for many hobbyists since is what I would recommend.

For this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to calibrate your monitor using my own tool, the X-Rite Color Munki, but the process is very similar with other brands, so this should at least give you some idea of what goes into calibrating your monitor!

EDITING TUTORIALSAudrey AnnMarch 6, 2018Lightroom

5 Myths About Lightroom That Are Holding You Back

I can’t tell you how often I hear people giving advice online about Lightroom that makes me just want to yell “wait! no! Don’t listen to that - it’s just not true!"

Things like:

“Well so and so says that you need to use Photoshop if you want to get images that look like the pros”

Or…

“oh well that person said all I need to do is watch You Tube and I can learn how to edit from there."

I don't blame them - because I used to think the exact same things!

That's why today we are diving into a few of the BIGGEST Lightroom myths that will only hold you back from getting the most out of this awesome program.

Ready? Let’s go!

EDITING TUTORIALSAudrey AnnMarch 2, 2018LIGHTROOM

How to Photograph Movement with Motion Blur

When photographing movement, you have a couple of options on how to capture it: either freeze the motion completely, or allow the subject to show a bit of motion blur.

Motion blur is simply when you get blur to just certain parts of your image - those areas that had a subject or item moving faster than the shutter speed you chose.

Although unwanted motion blur is a bad thing, it can also be a used as a creative tool! The difference is that we are using it with intent, rather than getting it when we don’t want it.

So, this week’s blog post is all about how to capture movement with motion blur, as usual, broken down step by step.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnFebruary 20, 2018BEGINNER

5 Reasons To Use Lightroom for Editing Your Photos

If I asked new photographers to name a piece of editing software, the one that pops into mind most often is probably Photoshop, or even Photoshop Elements.

Whist Photoshop is (undoubtedly!) an amazing tool for editing, it’s definitely NOT the one I recommend for new photographers.

Why on earth not, I hear you say?

I’m so glad you asked 😀…..

Here are 5 reasons why learning how to edit your images in Lightroom is MORE beneficial to you when starting out - or indeed, at any time!

EDITING TUTORIALSAudrey AnnFebruary 15, 2018LIGHTROOM

What is Lightroom CC?

A few months ago, Adobe released a brand new application into their product suite: Lightroom CC.

If you are wondering what Lightroom CC, what it can do, and whether it is the right application for you, then this is the very article for you.

In this blog post you will learn:

What Lightroom CC is
How it compares to Lightroom Classic CC
Who LIghtroom CC is for
Who Lightroom is NOT for
Why you might want to use BOTH Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC

Ready? Let’s jump right in.

EDITING TUTORIALSAudrey AnnFebruary 6, 2018LIGHTROOM

How To Keep Moving Forward With Photography When You Doubt Your Skills

Every single one of us will doubt our photography skills at one point or another - in fact, I would say it is at least a yearly occurrence for me 😀

It also doesn't seem to matter whether you are completely new to photography, or been shooting for a while, there will always come a time when we feel doubt creeping up on us, and it can be paralysing.

Understanding how to keep moving forward, even when you doubt your ability, is key to making sure that you carry on on your photography journey, and achieve your goal of becoming a photographer.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnJanuary 31, 2018BEGINNER, TIPS & TRICKS, INSPIRATIONAL

5 Tips For How to Remain Consistent When Editing

Tell me, are your photos all over the place when it comes to how you edit them? Do you like a soft and airy edit one day, and then a dark and moody one the next, and then maybe vintage with a touch of matte? When you view your images all together does it look as though they have been edited by around 30 people or someone with a serious multiple personality disorder (😁)?

Yes?

Then a) don’t worry about it too much as it happens to us all, and b) this is the blog post for you!

EDITING TUTORIALSAudrey AnnJanuary 23, 2018LIGHTROOM, PHOTOSHOP

Guest Post: How to Set and Plan Your Goals for 2018

When someone asks me if I do other forms of photography besides interiors and still life, I always respond, seemingly joking that I shoot interiors because I don't like people. As an introvert, I could never have imagined that I would be someone that inspires and encourages people to start with interior photography and give them the directions to grow their business and brand. But it turns out that I love it as long as I can keep my groups small, really small! Like five students small, at the max! Probably not the best way to grow rich but I love the interaction, the personal approach and that is my strength.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnJanuary 17, 2018

Welcome to the Live Snap Love Blog!

Ready to fall in love with your photos?