5 Surefire Ways to Build Confidence as a Photographer

It happens to all of us at some time or another.

We feel somehow lacking as a photographer, that we aren't creative enough, or our images are boring, or that we will never be in the same league as the "big guys" we admire. In short, our confidence is in short supply .

And in response you will have heard the same stuff as me, about how "there is only one you" and "no-one else sees the world quite like you" and "embrace your unique perspective!"

Now, don't get get me wrong, all of that is definitely 100% true, and we SHOULD keep that in mind, but for me, I need something a little more practical than simply being told I shouldn't feel that way 😃

So that's what I am here with today - some practical advice for building your confidence as a photographer.

If that sounds like something you could do with, keep on a readin'....

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnJune 12, 2018BEGINNER, TIPS & TRICKS

The Top 3 Reasons You Get Soft Images With Your 50mm Lens

Are you using a 50mm F1.8 lens but having trouble getting sharp images?

Do you wonder why others can get awesome images with this lens, but not you?

Then you'll want to check this video out!

In it I go over the top 3 reasons why your images might not be as sharp as you want...and the best thing is, they are pretty easy to fix!

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnMay 31, 2018BEGINNER, TIPS & TRICKS

Camera Lenses Explained: Understand All The Functions of Your Camera Lens!

Ever looked at your camera lenses and wonder what everything does? Then this is the blog post for you!

I’ll explain everything you can see on your lens, so what each switch does, and what that funny little window thing is meant for too 😀

Learning about the tools of your trade is important, so take five minutes to cast your eye over this, and have your camera lenses explained…..

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, GEARAudrey AnnMay 22, 2018BEGINNER

Lifestyle vs Documentary Photography: What’s the difference?

Have you ever found yourself wondering about the difference between lifestyle and documentary photography, and which one suits your style and way of photographing best?

The truth is, the line between the two can be a little bit blurred and fuzzy, as there is just a few subtle distinctions that separate them, so it is easy to confuse them with one another, or even find yourself doing both from time to time!

So this blog post, we are going to get into a high level overview of both lifestyle and documentary photography, and see what those differences are, and whether it should matter to you….

CHILD & LIFESTYLE, PHOTOGRAPHY TIPSAudrey AnnMay 1, 2018

6 Tips for Beautiful Everyday Life Photography

The main reason I pick up my camera is for everyday life photography - in other words, to capture those beautiful, everyday, mundane moments that make up my day to day life. I want to document “real” life, all the little things that happen in between birthdays and vacations and holidays, that many people don’t take the time to capture (but then wish they did)

If you feel the same way, then you are going to love this post, because I’m going to go through 6 different tips that will help you beautifully capture your own everyday moments.

CHILD & LIFESTYLEAudrey AnnApril 17, 2018

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

Welcome to the Live Snap Love Blog!

Ready to fall in love with your photos?