Photography Tips you can start practicing today on Tempted

Photography is a fun and fascinating process. It allows you to capture your memories and moments that would otherwise be lost…. But most of all it allows you to increase your Fans on Tempted! Forget the days when you needed a professional camera and darkroom to take good pictures! Now you just need to have your smartphone handy and have a few extra tricks. We tell you all about it in our latest blog post!

Be confident!

Perhaps this may seem trivial to you but it’s really essential! You don’t have to feel uncomfortable in front of the camera because you are perfect just the way you are. Surely you have seen perfect photos on Social Media but remember that’s something you can do too! First, you need to choose the right pose. You can practice in front of the mirror and find the angle you like best! We all have one!

Hands are very important and often they are the detail that ruin the photo. To have control of arms and hands think of forming triangles with your arms… Put a hand on your side is equal to forming a triangle, put your hands in your pocket and keep your elbows wide and shoulders open, is equal to forming two triangles, bring your hands to your face is equal to forming two triangles and so on. For the legs? The same rule applies: When standing one leg more forward than the other!

Some people are born photogenic, others become so!

Use gridlines to balance your shot

Have you ever heard of the rule of thirds? Taking any image, you can split it into 9 segments by using 3 vertical and 3 horizontal lines. Place your subject on the left-third or right-third of the frame, creating a pleasing composition. Each intersection point is a potential point of interest; align your main subject along with other elements of the frame along these points to create a balanced, or visually interesting, image. Most of the new smartphones already have an option in your application to take photos with which you can display a grid that will help you improve the composition!

Follow the sun and choose the right light!

A key element in photography is light. Feel the light on your face, look for it, remember it’s the way not to have shadows on your face. The best time to be photographed is the “Golden hour”, at dawn and before sunset, this light loved by photographers and models, gives strokes of gold, making everything and everyone more beautiful. For indoor photos always better to use natural light. A window veiled by a white curtain will be the best. Sunny conditions are great for taking beautiful pictures with rich blue skies and luscious greens, but think about where the sun is when you pull out your phone. Remember to use the front camera as little as possible, because normal has a lower quality!

Nighttime photo tricks!

Most modern smartphones allow you to take great photos as long as there is light. When it comes to shooting at night, things get complicated. When you’re taking night photos with your smartphone (as well as your camera), it’s vital to have plenty of stability. Even when it seems like there is no light at night, you can find a light source that will help. It can be a streetlight behind your subject or a well-lit building that naturally illuminates the scene. For night portraits, you can even shoot in front of a brightly lit store or bar window.

On many occasions, you can use the built-in flash when taking smartphone photos at night if your subjects are in the foreground and you’re looking for an artistic effect. Alternatively, it’s a good option to illuminate the scene with an external light source like a pocket flashlight or even an external flash.

Is it better to take a picture vertically or horizontally?

This certainly depends on the type of photo you want to take. For example, if you want to take a portrait, surely the preferred format will be the vertical one: You can also choose to frame the subject and leave the background blurred to give more depth to the image. When you want to capture a full-body image, such as in fashion photography or couples portraits, you’ll use the vertical format.

The most common use for horizontal orientation is with landscape photography. The main reason for this is that a landscape environment is usually vast and expansive. Lakes, mountain ranges and interesting skies expand across the scene. To capture as much as possible and create a dramatic and exciting image, you will use horizontal orientation.

Cleaning the lens (even if it seems obvious to you)!

The first golden rule to follow: Always clean the lens of your phone before shooting. Unfortunately the lens is always exposed and unlike a normal camera it cannot be protected, this means that it gets dirty easily or worse still it gets scratched and ruined permanently. To clean it I mean simply pass a cloth over it (like the one used for glasses or simply use the cotton of a T-shirt) to remove halos and avoid taking photos with a “fogged” effect.

Extras that will help you improve your photos:

• Ring light: its main purpose is to cast an even light onto the subject. This reduces shadows in the face and minimizes blemishes, while illuminating the eyes. This is why ring lights are commonly used in portraits, glamour shots, or even videography capturing only one subject;
  
• Tripod: If you want to photograph in low light, then you absolutely, one-hundred percent need a tripod. Without a tripod, your photos will either end up horribly blurred or unpleasantly noisy. If you shoot during the day, it will help to reduce camera shake!
  
• App for retouching photos: As of today, there are numerous applications that allow you to edit photos directly from your Smartphone. Always take your photos “au naturel”. Any edits you want to make, you can do later. In short, don’t apply filters when you take a photo, because you might regret it. Having a natural image in your archive, allows you to do all the tests you want later and decide calmly which is the best filter to apply.

When will you start implementing our tips? We’re hoping right away because we can’t wait to see all of your content on Tempted!

Stay tuned for our new posts and… Have a tempting day!

Eve