It's always fun having guest bloggers here at Live Snap Love, as it gives you a chance to learn something new, or just in a different way from me! So, today, we have James from Photographer Touch on the blog to give you some tips on how to take pictures around the camp fire. Over to you James!

Don’t you just wish you can freeze every chance you get to have the whole family bonding? A trip outdoors is just the perfect time to do that. These pictures will be great treasures in the long run. To get that perfect shot, here are some tips for taking photos around the fire.

How To Take Pictures Around the Camp Fire

Prepare Everything in Advance

Planning ahead of the trip helps in keeping it stress-free. It is also a great way to know that you’ll be going on the trip bringing all the essentials you need. In terms of your photography needs during a family outdoor trip, it is a must to check the following:

Check whether your camera is still functioning at its best.
Check whether your camera’s SD card can still accommodate pictures you plan to take during the trip, and don’t forget your extra battery.
Clean every camera accessory you plan to bring.
Do some research on expert recommendations on taking pictures outdoors as well as for taking photos around the fire.

Bring Your Tripod

Given the number of picturesque places you might encounter while camping or hiking, it is a must to bring your tripod. This camera accessory can come in handy when you want to take pictures using long exposures. It will also help if you have a handy wireless remote so you don’t need to rush off to the scene to be part of the picture.

Know Your Camera’s Settings

It is a must to know your camera before setting out on an outdoor trip. Especially when you plan to take some landscape pictures as well as photos of your loved ones enjoying their moment in front of a campfire. Each camera has its own strength. You should do a great deal of research to know how versatile your camera. Knowing whether you can shoot in long exposures, meddle with ISO settings, or add effects like bokeh are some of the useful tips for taking photos around the fire.

Be flexible, don’t be afraid to change and experiment

Since you are going outdoors, there is no reason not to have a great background for your photos. Using a wide-angle lens allows you to include a background of tall trees or a scenic river. You can also take advantage of the wide-open space to move around and take impressive pictures. You can squat, sit or take a picture from the ground looking up to capture that moment in front of the fire while the stars are on full display. Even simple moments can also bring an opportunity to take memorable photos. For example, a memorable photo is one of your little one torching his marshmallow on an open fire. You can also have the family gather around the campsite for an outdoor-theme family portrait. Alternatively, camping and exploring the outdoors is your chance to document your family candidly. It is a nice way to immortalize your relationships and reminisce about them in the coming years.

Play with Your Camera’s Auto Setting

Digital cameras today offer more than shooting pictures. Modern gadgets allow you greater control over how your photos will come out. You might be used to just snapping away without going through the settings on your camera. However, tinkering with the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO on your settings menu can give you a photograph that’s on a professional level. One thing you need to know though – taking photographs near the fire can be tricky. So, here are some ways to make those pictures pop when taking them in low-light conditions:

The classic way - Expose your photo a little longer (remember, you will need a tripod), start with as a shutter speed of 1/60, for example, to get the flames in the picture long and impressive.
Turn off the auto flash feature of your camera - Leaving this feature turned on might result in photographs that appear too bright that leaves the background enveloped in darkness (can be interesting in some occasions. Experiment, remember).
Use a wide-angle lens - Attaching this kind of lens on your camera will allow it to include a broader view of the background of your hiking trail or campsite.
Open your aperture - When taking photos at night, you will want to add more light to your photo, so you need to set your aperture on low values (depending on your equipment) F2.8 can do the job.
ISO setting control the sensitivity of the sensor - With this setting, you will need to adjust the aperture and shutter speed, for example, higher ISO setting will cause your photo to have more noise (grainy), low ISO values will give you better quality and less noise or grain, but you then will have to compensate with more light (slower shutter speed, or wide aperture). Your ISO will change automatically when you are in Av (Aperture Priority) or Tv (Shutter Priority) shooting modes.

Keep on Practice

The wonder with digital photography is that you can instantly view how your shoot went. It is easier for you to practice your shoot in order to get that picture-perfect moment. But how do you practice? First, you can play with your ISO settings and long exposures and shoot the campfire. You can also add some flash and adjust focus to get a nice portrait of your subject without the background goes black.

Photos are one of the best ways to reminisce moments of how your family bonded. It is a great treasure that you can pass on so that even your little one’s children can see how tight a family you are. Given that it is a must to take great shots to capture the fun and love during your outdoor escapade.

James Miller is the creator and editor of Photographer Touch. He has been photographing for the past 18 years and his mission is to simplify this misunderstood art of taking and processing photographs he loves so much, with actionable articles with lots for tips & tricks. You can also follow James on Facebook and Twitter.

KEEP ON READING...