The Live Snap Love Blog
YOUR SPOT FOR PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS, TECHNIQUES, INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION!
Fall Photo Ideas (Perfect for Fall Mini Sessions!)
Fall is almost upon us, which means it’s time for some fall photo ideas! These fall photo prompts will give you a great jumping off point to inspire you own ideas for fall mini sessions or photoshoots, whether that’s capturing your own family, or photographing someone else’s, or just capturing the elements that make up fall (In other words, not a person in sight)
So without further ado, let’s jump into our 10 fun fall photo ideas and see if we can’t spark some ideas for you…
Guest Post: Introduction to Lensball Photography
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 Simon from Refractique on the blog to give you an introduction to lensball photography. Over to you Simon!
I came across lensball photography when I was perusing Instagram. As a landscape photographer and someone who loves to travel I came remember seeing some beautiful landscape photos from all around the world featuring the lensball. I was filled with wonder and have been hooked since! I even started a business to share this joyful hobby and distribute it!
It adds another dimension to virtually any type of photography however I most like using it in landscape photos because the wide angle lens the crystal ball provides. Check out the tips below if you’d like to learn more about lensball photography!
Stop Using Lightroom Presets Until You've Learnt How To Edit!
Ahhhh, Lightroom presets. One thing that divides many photographers is on the use of presets, and whether you should or shouldn’t use them.
I sit firmly in the middle - I think presets are amazingly wonderful, when they are used the way that they were intended: to speed up your workflow, so you can edit quicker, or share a particular workflow with others. There’s no way I could get as much done is as little time as I do, without the use of presets! I use them all the time, and can’t imagine editing hundreds of photos without them.
Unfortunately, many people see presets as a substitute for learning how to edit, and that is NOT what I believe presets should be used for. I strongly believe that you should learn how to edit FIRST, get to know Lightroom inside out, then use presets as a way of getting more done in less time.
I’ve also bought a few preset packs over the years (when I was first starting out with editing and didn’t really know what I was doing) and some have been great, and others have been awful and a huge waste of money. Spending your money on learning how to edit rather than on yet another set of presets will give you much more bang for your buck, because you’ll then be able to edit any photo, exactly how you want it, without relying on presets.
But let’s take a look at exactly WHY I think you should learn how to edit before using presets!
3 Time Saving Hacks That Will Help You Learn Photography Even When You're Busy
This blog post had been on my “brain dump” list (where everything single idea I’ve ever had for a blog post goes!) for a while. I figured now, when the challenges of homeschooling, working with home AND looking after your family means you probably have less time to yourself than normal. (Not that you probably had a ton of free time before!)
As I strongly believe that it is SO important that we continue to find time for ourselves and our hobbies (even if it may feel frivolous for some right now) during this lockdown period, I wanted to give you some tips on how you can continue to practice and learn photography, and make the most of the time you DO have, even if it’s not as much as you would like!
How to Get Past The Fear Of Sharing Your Photos
Do you feel nervous about sharing your photos with others? Do you worry that others will judge you, your skills and your creativity, and find you lacking? Do you fear that they’ll think “who does she think she is - Annie Lebowitz?!” and that somehow you’re not yet a “real” photographer, so you shouldn’t be sharing your work? 😬😬😬
If you are frantically nodding your head then you’re most definitely not alone - because I feel the same way too!
You might not know this because I share my photos every single week here on the blog, and again throughout the week on Facebook and Instagram, but that doesn’t mean that I actually enjoy doing it - it just means that I’ve gotten over the fear of sharing over the years, and feel confident that at least I love what I’m doing, even if no-one else does!
How to Get Catchlights in Photography (with Natural Light)
Catchlights are SO important in photography, as they add life and depth to the eyes in your portraits.
Eyes that look full of life and that sparkle are those that have catchlights in them, so for successful portraits, you’re definitely going to want to get catchlights in the eyes!
You can get catchlights in all sorts of lighting situations, from window light, to sunny days to studio lighting, but for today’s tutorial, I’m going to stick to using wonderful natural light, and how you can get catchlights in your portraits, both indoors and out.
Macro Photography Settings, Tips & Ideas!
Today we are diving into macro photography settings, tips and ideas! If you have been meaning to try out macro photography for a while, or you’re just curious about which settings to use, then you will love today’s post!
10 Photography Ideas at Home
Looking for some photography ideas at home? Then I have you covered!
I know it’s tempting to think that we need to leave our home and go to some interesting or far flung location to get great photos, but there is a wealth of opportunity to practice your skills, AND get great photos, all without leaving the house.
In this video, I’m going to share 10 different photography ideas you can do at home.
These will kick start your creativity, give you some suggestions of photos to take, and give you some mini projects you can do to improve your skills!
Photographer Case Study: Misty Schuler Photography
I have another photography case study for you today: the amazingly creative Misty Schuler!
Misty is a student of all THREE of our courses, and it’s just incredible how quickly she has gone from complete novice to creative genius! I’m so delighted to have her here, because she is an absolutely amazing photographer who has totally rocked her own unique style and path.
I started doing these case studies to show you the different journeys people take to get to where they are, and to shed some light on the ways you can grow your photography skills too! If you want to read more photography journeys, there's links to more at the bottom of this post. Hope you enjoy them.......Audrey x
What NOT to wear for Photos - The 3 Colours to Avoid
Have you ever wondered about what colours you should have your subject wear for photos…..or if there’s any colours that you should AVOID?
Although you can use any damn colours you wish, there are three colours (or actually, “sets” of colours!) that will simply make your job harder as the photographer, because they tend to “clip” easily - which is simply a way of saying that you’ll lose all detail in that particular area.
Wondering what they are….?!
Indoor Photography Settings And Tips!
Would you like to know which indoor photography settings to use to get the best results when shooting indoors, even in low light?
Yes?
Perfect!
Because today, I’m going to give you walk you through, step by step, how I approach shooting indoors, and what indoor photography settings I’m most likely to use.
8 Child Photography Poses For Stunning Kid Photography!
Want some child photography poses that are quick, easy and downright cute? Then I have 8 pose ideas for you, along with example photos for each one, that are tried and tested and will give you great photos of kids.
You can use these poses on your OWN kids, or if you’re business, you can use these for ideas during a paid kids photoshoot too.
You can also vary these standard poses greatly, so you’ll never run out of ideas again!
As usual, we have two ways to enjoy this - either watch the video below, or scroll down to read the blog post and see all the child photography poses in action!
Silhouette Photography: How to Take Pictures of Silhouettes
Silhouette Photography - so do you want to learn how to take pictures of silhouettes? Then I have the perfect tutorial for you :)
We're going to talk about how to set up your camera, which camera settings to use, where to place your subject along with some bonus tips and tricks to help you get awesome silhouette photos.
The Exposure Triangle in Photography
So if you'd been wondering what the exposure triangle in photography is, then you're in the perfect place!
Because in this video / blog post I'm going to explain what exposure is, the three elements that control it, and how they all work together in something called the exposure triangle, to help you get perfect photographs!
And as a bonus, I'll be showing you how you can put all this together in practice to take better photos, so be sure to read or watch right to the end :)
As usual, you can choose to watch the video below, or keep scrolling to read a transcript….
Best Lens for Child Photography? My 3 Fave lenses revealed!
What’s the best lens for child photography? That’s one of the questions I’m asked all the time, so today I'm going to go over my personal three favourite lenses for child photography!
I'm going to tell you what I like about them, what I use them for and what I don't like about them too.