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Still Life Photography, Styling, and Basic Photo Editing
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Transcript of Still Life Photography, Styling, and Basic Photo Editing
Welcome to S*ll Life Photography, Styling, and Basic
Photo Edi*ng
with Mel Lockcuff @MamaBuzz
MamaBuzz – mamabzz.com
Basic Photo Skills
• Photography in Everyday Life, Travel, Blogging, and Working with Brands
• Posi*oning and Ligh*ng • Handy Tools • Photo Styling & Props • Mobile Apps • Basic Photoshop & PicMonkey Skills
Photography in Everyday Life
Great photos allow the memories of life to live on. Remember siLing through your grandma’s photo albums when you were a kid? Photos of family (both near and far), family pets, farm animals, babies, kids, vaca*ons or trips to distant places, trees, flowers, school days, the family car, trips to town….
Photos are a window into the past. Photos allow us to visually share our story with the next genera*on. It’s important to think about the moments you want to capture, the message you want to convey.
Example: WhiteOnRiceCouple.com (@WhiteOnRice) – Your eyes are your lens, your heart is your shu0er. You want to come back to your photo and remember the amazing dinner or ;me you had. There is a story within the moment. The more imperfect it is, the more meaningful it is.
Photos in Travel
Travel photos not only allow you to re-‐live beau*ful, fascina*ng moments; they allow you to story tell and possibly explore even more aLer the trip.
Photos in Blogging
Photos make your content even more visual for your readers. Photos bring an added measure of beauty to your wri*ng. Good photos draw the eyes in and make readers want to click on that Pin or want to read more.
Photos in Working with Brands
Photos allow you to more visually promote a brand, but in a relevant way that also connects with your readers.
Posi*oning and Ligh*ng
Where do you take your photos? Posi*oning and ligh*ng play an important role in how a photo turns out, no maZer what type of camera you’re using.
• Take advantage of natural light. Posi*on yourself next to a window or door, or even outdoors. A back deck, a porch, a concrete sidewalk can all add character to the backdrop of your photo.
• Make sure light is either to your back or side. • Move! Don’t just stay in the same posi*on when taking a photo. Move around the
side, get down on all fours, sit, stand, get up on a chair if you need to, capture the photo “from above”. Just move around and capture the object from different points.
• Take photos from different angles, meaning move, *lt, and angle your camera. Experiment with this step, and you’ll be amazed at the beau*ful shots you’ll capture.
• If photographing kids, get down on their level, see what they see. • Get inspira*on for photo posi*oning (and styling) on sites like Pinterest,
FoodGawker, and more. Personally, Pinterest is one of my faves for inspira*on. • Use the Rule of Thirds. (Resource:
hZp://digital-‐photography-‐school.com/rule-‐of-‐thirds/)
Handy Photo Tools • GorillaPod -‐ hZp://joby.com/ • ASHUTB Wireless Remote ShuZer – hZp://amazon.com (for Smartphone) • Remote ShuZer for Camera – hZp://amazon.com • Tripod with Pan/Tilt Head or Ball Head • Reflector – helps light up your photo. Pocket Reflector on
hZp://photojojo.com or larger sizes on hZp://amazon.com • Reflector Stand – hZp://amazon.com • Olloclip 4-‐in-‐1 Lens – hZp://photojojo.com • Light Box or light box tent – photograph small objects, even ligh*ng,
portable, change background colors, liZle to no glare, etc. • Backgrounds or Backdrops – Find vinyl backdrops on hZp://etsy.com,
hZp://amazon.com, etc. We’ll talk more about backgrounds in Props & Styling.
• Resources for Photo Tools include Photojojo, JOBY, Amazon, B&H Photo, etc.
Photo Styling & Props
• Great photo backgrounds include wood (especially aged wood), an old door, concrete, a table, aged paint, the right vinyl backdrop, etc. Even if you don’t have an old door or wood to fall back on, you can always purchase or create a vinyl backdrop that looks like what you want.
• Use every day objects and different textures as photo props – fabric, scrapbook paper, tea towels, wood, dishes, kitchen utensils or baking pans/racks, vintage items, baskets or crates, books, frames, etc.
• Find props at an*que stores, thriL shops, clearance aisles, etc. • Less can be more, especially when it comes to food photography. • Messy can be good at *mes. It depends on the photo. If you think
it will connect with your readers/followers, capture the moment! In thinking about food, keep a few crumbs, let the ingredients meld into the side of your dish some*mes.
Photo Styling & Props
Stay away from items that will make your photo look yellow. Certain colors just don’t go well together. Make sure you’re contras*ng your items well enough, as to have a really well blended photo. Find your own style, and s*ck with it.
Mobile Apps • Of course, Instagram • Snapseed -‐ Allows you to crop, brighten, sharpen, add center focus, add a
drama*c look, and more. • Camera+ -‐ All sorts of filters and scenes you can use to enhance your
photos. The Lab por*on of the app allows you to rotate, flip, straighten, *nt, soLen, sharpen, blur, adjust the temperature and satura*on, brighten, adjust shadows, and more. Amazing app.
• Camera Plus • VSCOcam • Whitagram • moreBeaute2 • PSExpress – Photoshop for mobile. • WordSwag – Add text to your photo with all kinds of different fonts. • TypoInsta – Add text and frames to your photos. • Dip*c – Great app for crea*ng collages. • Pic S*tch – collages • Flipagram – Take your photos and create a video, music and all.
Basic Photoshop & PicMonkey Skills
Taking a bit of *me to edit photos can definitely improve the clarity, look, and feel of those photos. Photoshop and PicMonkey are two of the most widely used photo edi*ng tools amongst bloggers. Just a few basic steps can lead to a major difference.
Basic Photoshop Ac*ons
• Crop • Re-‐size • Shadows/Highlights • Brightness/Contrast • Vibrance/Satura*on • Exposure • Sharpen
PicMonkey
Easily add text or frills to photos to make them more Pin-‐worthy.
Simple Photo Tips to Remember • Ver*cal photos do tend to be more Pin-‐worthy. You might
think about crea*ng a ver*cal collage with 3-‐4 large, horizontal photos the width of your content space. Serious Pinners love these types of photos. They especially come in handy when showing the steps to a recipe or a craL. (Example: Damn Delicious on Pinterest -‐ hZp://www.pinterest.com/pin/6544361933992358/)
• When using horizontal photos, make them the width of your content. Large and beau*ful!
• Name your photos with descrip*ve, relevant keywords. Add the Alt text and a short descrip*on for SEO purposes.
Resources
• David Molnar’s iPHONEONLY Photography eBook -‐ hZp://iphoneonlyphoto.com/get/
• Tasty Food Photography from Pinch of Yum -‐ hZp://pinchofyum.com/tasty-‐food-‐photography
• I Heart Faces -‐ hZp://www.ihearraces.com/
Let’s Connect!
Blog – MamaBuzz {mamabzz.com} TwiZer -‐ @MamaBuzz Facebook -‐ facebook.com/mamabuzz Instagram and Pinterest -‐ @mellockcuff Google+ -‐ Mel Lockcuff
Ques*ons?
More *ps and tricks can be found in my eBook – Blog Design Elements of Success: How to Make Your Blog Stand Out. hZp://www.mamabzz.com/blog-‐design-‐elements-‐of-‐success