The Live Snap Love Blog

YOUR SPOT FOR PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS, TECHNIQUES, INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION!

EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann

Lightroom Export Settings for Instagram

Today I'm going to show you the exact Lightroom Export Settings for Instagram!

If you've been finding that your images look fantastic in Lightroom, but then when you upload them to Instagram, they look crunchy or pixelated, or they've just got this really weird color vibe going on, then this is definitely the video for you!

I'm going to walk you through step by step setting by setting exactly what you need to do to export your images for Instagram.

Read More
EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann

The Ultimate Guide To Cropping In Lightroom

Cropping your images in Lightroom is so important in order to make your images look more polished, more professional, and of course more engaging and dynamic through better composition.

So that is exactly what I'm going to show you in this video!

I'm going to show you how the crop tool works, and we’re going to talk about aspect ratio, changing orientation with a really in depth like at the crop tool.

Do you make sure that you watch right until the end because I'm also shading a sneaky little bonus tip for changing the crop overlay so you can get more dynamic composition. That's really important to make sure that you don't miss that!

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, GEAR Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, GEAR Audrey Ann

What do the numbers on a camera lens mean?

What do the numbers on a camera lens mean?!

If you’ve been asking yourself that question then you are in the perfect place, as today we’re going to be talking about what all the numbers on your camera lens means, and how you can use this information to decide which lens might be best for you.

So if you've been looking at lenses online, or maybe you already have your lens and you just don't understand what all these numbers actually mean, stick around. as by the end of this post, you'll know exactly what the numbers mean and you'll know how your lens is going to perform!

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, CHILD & LIFESTYLE Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, CHILD & LIFESTYLE Audrey Ann

12 Tips for Photographing Toddlers

Photographing toddlers can be really hard!

So in this post, I'm giving you my tried and tested tips for photographing toddlers that will help you put them at ease, get great expressions, and hopefully nip any tantrums in the bud so that you can capture some great photos of your toddler!

I'm also going to give you some BONUS tips for camera settings for photographing your toddler, so be sure to watch right to the end of the video (and grab your FREE aperture priority cheat sheet below the video - it’s 8 pages of pure gold.

Click play to watch the video, but if you prefer to read, scroll on down for a transcript!

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann

4 Myths That Are Stopping You Getting The Photos You Want

The number one frustration I hear from photographers is that they struggle to get the images they see in their head, or at least consistently! Sure, they may luck out from time to time and snag a great shot, but they can’t repeat it, and their photos never end up quite looking the way they wanted them to…

If that’s you too, then you are not alone! I literally spent years feeling the exact same thing, so believe me when I tell you that I totally get where you’re coming from :-)

There are usually the same key areas holding you back, and stopping you getting the photos you want - and it’s usually because you believed a certain myth around photography. One that allows you to stay in your comfort zone than take the steps you need to take to get great photos.

That’s why in this blog post, I’m going to set the record straight about what it takes (or more specifically what it doesn’t take!) to get the photos you want - and what myths might the ones holding you back…

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann

Why you need to stop using ALL the AUTO functions of your camera

When we think about AUTO mode in our cameras, we usually just think about the mode that allows us to balance our exposure, since, well, it’s the one called AUTO :-)

But your camera has lots of automatic functions that you’ll want to move away from, so in this week’s blog post, we’re talking through what they are, and most importantly, why you want to stop using them!

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are times and situations where you MIGHT want to use some of these automatic features - but honestly, those times are few and far between, so let’s check these out, so you know what to stop doing….

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann

How to Shoot in Manual Mode (+ a manual camera settings cheat sheet!)

I’ve spoken a lot about just how darn important it is to learn how to shoot in manual mode if you want to get great photos, and today I want to teach you how to do that - step by step!

Yep, that’s right, for all you AUTO (or semi-auto!) lovin’ folks out there, you’re going to take the first step in taking control of your camera, by learning how to shoot in manual mode!

So, grab your camera and let’s get started!

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann

5 Steps to Getting Great Photos

It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed when learning photography - let’s face it, there is SO much to learn, and so much information available online that you can sometimes feel like you’re drowning in information.

But the truth is, although there is definitely a lot to learn, if you can focus on just five key areas in photography, you’ll get better photos. And if you are new, they can even be done one after the other, as you want to layer on the knowledge, not take random pot shots from each area and try to fit them together (doesn’t work too well!)

So today’s blog post is what you need to focus on to become a better photographer. Do just these five things, and by the end, you’re photos will look freakin’ amazing, I’m telling you.

Read More
Audrey Ann Audrey Ann

Full Frame vs Crop Sensor - What's the difference?

Ever wondered what the difference is between a full frame and crop frame sensor?

How those differences will ACTUALLY affect you, and overall, which one is best?

Well, good news! This is exactly is what we’re going to dive into in this blog post.

Read More
EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann

How to Change the Color of Absolutely Anything in Photoshop

If you want to change the colour of something in your photo, for example, a t-shirt or a pair of shoes, lip colour or even a background, it's pretty darn easy to do in Photoshop!

The video below shows you a simple technique you can use to change an item’s colour.

In the video, I show you how you could change the colour of the background, and use the exact same steps to make her lips pinker, just to show a couple of the different things you could use this for - but remember, you can use this on ANYTHING.

(One caveat though, please note that this works best with solid colours - anything that has a pattern or graduation won’t work nearly as well)

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS Audrey Ann

Must Use Camera Settings for Portraits

Although I’m a big fan of unposed “lifestyle” or documentary images, I can’t deny that i love a good portrait shot too!

So this blog post, we’ll cover the best camera settings for portraits using natural light - either indoors or outdoors.

Please note that if you work with studio lighting, or use flash, your settings are going to look different from the ones below. But since I love natural light, and I’m guessing that most people who read this blog use natural light, that’s what we’re going with :-)

Read More
EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann EDITING TUTORIALS Audrey Ann

Quick Guide to Photoshop: 3 Must-Use Tools

Photoshop is seriously filled to the brim with wonderful tools and shortcuts that can make editing our images a breeze, allow us to get more creative with our images, add a little extra magic and sparkle, and make huge fixes that are simply not possible with Lightroom.

But unfortunately, because it can do so much, it’s not exactly easy to learn 😔

That said, there are tools and features that you’ll find yourself using time and time again in Photoshop, so after a while, although it’s still a beast of a program, using it does become so much easier when you have some basics down.

So in this week’s blog post, I’m going to share just 3 must-use tools in Photoshop, especially selected for those that are new to the program, because they are SO simple to use, and because you’ll use them all.the.time.

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, CHILD & LIFESTYLE Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, CHILD & LIFESTYLE Audrey Ann

Your Reading List For Getting Better Photos of Your Child This Summer

With summer officially just around the corner (at least it is if you are reading this as it goes live!) I’ve got a lazy and breezy summer themed blog post for you today 😃👙☀️🍦🍹

I noticed a definite dip in how many photos I took each year just after my son started school. No longer could I just pick up my camera at any time of day - I had to try to squeeze in photos in the morning (unlikely, since I’m never organised enough to find myself with a spare 5 minutes before school starts) or having to wait until he got home, which in winter, meant it was already getting dark.

So, for me, summer is a time when I tend to take a lot more photos since we don’t have to get anywhere in a rush, and where I can take photos all day long if I feel like it.

I also read something that resonated with me (and if you have kids I’m pretty sure it will resonate with you too) that we only get 18 summers with our kids. That’s SO crazy to think of it like that, right? It makes me just want to bottle up each and every summer. Since I can’t do that, capturing them as best I can is the next best thing.

So, in honor of aiming to capture another one of our 18 summers together, I thought it would be fun to compile a summer reading list for you, all with posts that should help you get better photos of your kids this summer.

Read More
PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS Audrey Ann PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS Audrey Ann

Document Your Kids this Summer with our Summer Photo Challenge!

With Summer officially starting soon (yay!!!) I thought it would be fun to celebrate with a little Instagram photo challenge to help you document your kids this summer!

I've created 36 photo prompts, all with a summery vibe, and all with the goal of helping you take better photos of your kids (and maybe try out one or two new ways of photographing them too!) and document the season.

All YOU need to do is go out, capture them, then share them!

I’m a big believer in both shooting regularly to improve your photography AND of capturing our time with our kids, so this challenge should be a great way of doing both. Plus, it’s a great way for everyone to share their photos and get to know one another through the hashtag!

Read More