Learn how to create shaped bokeh in this step by step tutorial, where you'll learn how create your own bokeh filter with just some black paper, scissors and sellotape!

Shaped bokeh is where you change the circles of light you would normally see background to shapes, such as heart shaped bokeh, or star shapes bokeh or even festive Christmas tree bokeh! Basically you can create any shape that your little heart desires, and all you need for this is to make your own DIY bokeh filter.

Learn Christmas light photography with these 3 ways to photograph Christmas lights in and around your home!

So we're getting into the holiday spirit here at Live Snap Love, because today I'm going to teach you how to photograph Christmas lights, by showing you three different ways that you can capture Christmas lights in and around your home.

Hello there! Today, I'm going to show you how to install Lightroom presets in Lightroom Classic CC.

And the good news is it's never been easier to install Lightroom presets!

We’ll cover three different ways to do this, depending on whether you have the latest XMP style of presets, or the older, legacy presets - and whether you just want to install one or two presets or a whole bunch!

So this video is all about how to get that blurry background in your photos so that your images look more professional, and so your subject just seems to kind of pop off the screen!

Regardless of what camera you have, what lens you're using, if you follow the steps laid out in this video, then you are going to get images that have an amazing blurry background.

So I'm going to break this down into four simple steps, but be sure to stay right until the end of the video because I got an extra bonus tip for you that's going to give you more dramatic looking blur.

The holiday season can be an incredibly busy time, and it’s easy to get so wrapped in our “to-do” lists that we can forget to capture the season.

Which is exactly why we’re going to do a December Photo Challenge!

I’ve created a list with 38 December photo prompts, all with a Christmas / Holiday / Winter vibe, to help you capture the spirit, beauty and traditions of the season.  

Of course, the photo prompts will also help you improve your photo skills, so it’s a win-win!

Read down to see how to take part in this challenge with others in our blog community Facebook Group, and how to get your hands on the checklist!

In this week’s blog post and video, I’m going to show you how to use an expodisc to set both your exposure and your white balance.

For those of you that might not know what I’m talking about, an expodisc is a handy little tool that makes it really easy to set a custom white balance, so you get the best and most accurate colour in your images.  

One of the biggest problems I hear from new photographers is that they are struggling to understand why their photos are so grainy - and what they can do about it!

I totally get how frustrating it is, believe me. Back when I was using my Canon Rebel, a lot of the time my photos would look grainy, and simply wouldn’t have that same sharpness that I could see from other photographers, which to put it mildly, is freaking annoying.

So that’s the problem we’re going to address today - why your photos are grainy, and most importantly, what you can do to avoid or fix the problem!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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…

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….

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!

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.