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!

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!

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!

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.

Knowing how to price your photography business can be downright tricky at first, and it’s one of the biggest, and most common questions I get asked - both by new business owners, and those that have been charging for a while.

When you first start your photography business, you can easily find yourself at a total loss at what might be a fair price to charge, or simply feel nervous that you’re either over-priced, or not charging enough!

It’s SO important to price your photography services and products right, so on today’s episode we’re talking about 3 photography pricing mistakes you’re probably making - aaaaand most importantly, what you should do instead.

Making sure that you don’t make these mistakes will set you up on the right path to making a profit - which, after all, is the purpose of a business!

Thinking about starting a photography business but not sure what you should focus on first?

Then you are not alone! There are many different paths you can take, tasks you need to complete, and clients you need to find. And when you’re not sure what you need to focus on, it can stop you from moving forward as you feel overwhelmed and frustrated.

Which is why I think you’re going to love this week’s episode!

I’m giving you 5 key areas you should focus on when you’re starting a photography business - the ones that will help make sure that you are a success.

If you want to make this the year you start and maintain a profitable business that you love, this episode is a must watch!

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!

Organising your digital photos and wondering what the best folder structure for photos is?

Whether you are getting ready to create your first folder structure in anticipation of the many (brilliant) photos you are going to take, or you’re trying to sort out a mess of random folders and pictures from previous years, this episode is going to be a must-watch.

I’m going to walk you through two simple folder structures you can use for your photos, and help you choose the best one for you.

For the best experience, you should really watch the video, but you can also scroll down to see the written highlights if you’re short on time.

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!

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

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….?!

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.

Wondering how to use presets in Lightroom? In this post we're going to cover EVERYTHING - from where to find your Lightroom presets, how to use them, and most importantly, how to tweak them for best results.

Because whilst Lightroom presets are wonderful for speeding up your editing workflow, most of the time you're going to need to make adjustments to them. (Otherwise your images are going to look a little bit over done and overblown, and we don’t want that!)

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 - 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.