Having good photography is important in this era, especially if you want to be a blogger os an Instagrammer. Couple years ago, pictures were a luxury, but today, they are necessity.

1. Get near a window

If you are shooting inside there's no better advice. This is the key factor in taking good photos, it does not matter whether with your phone or with a camera. There's nothing better than a natural light for pictures. It is also affordable as you don't have to buy anything. However it has some disadvantages, which I will talk about in a future article.

After all, the word photo means light. We need it in order to take pictures. Getting near window will make that for you. Of course there are some rules as well.

You shouldn't be facing your window when direct sunlight comes through, because everything will look bleached most of the times and you wouldn't even see that, only afterwards.

2. Avoid direct sunlight

This leads us to another point, which is avoiding the direct sunlight. Even with a DSLR camera, it's still hard to take nice pictures in direct light. It's way better to stay in a shadow when the lightning is diluted and less strong.

These kind of photos are way easier to edit, because most of the times highlights aren't blown out or contrast isn't in high values.

Older cameras could even be damaged as the sensor can get overloaded and then they wouldn't work properly. That means you will have splotchy photos with flares afterwards. In newer cameras the change is only temporary.

3. Use a reflector

If you have more money to invest into photography getting a reflector is very good way where to invest it. It helps with unpredictability of sunlight and can also create a space without direct sunlight.

You can even create one using a white chair or paper. It dilutes the light in a very good way which can create really nice effects (almost like in a photo studio).

You doesn't have to have a white only reflector, it can also be a black one. It only depends on which kind of photos you want to create.

3. Don't forget to adjust camera settings

This is really important as well, but since you all probably have only phones I won't address this thoroughly in this article (it would be way too long). However you can adjust settings on your phone as well, it depends on what kind of do you have. On iPhones you can't really do that though.

If you have this option, just do what you would normally do while editing. Adjust brightness, contrast, highlights and shadows. High contrast creates more saturated pictures but it can be seen as very unnatural if you overdone it. Highlights are what you can up instead of brightness. It adds really nice feel to your photos. You should definitely try that, especially when you're shooting with a flash. High shadows most of the times bleach the colours so I, always put them a bit down. Look for exposure and don't overexposed your photos.

4. White balance

This is very important factor in what feeling will the photo give. I don't think there's really a right or wrong, there's simply your preference.

Of course you can overdone it, but if you really compare the photo with what you see in reality, and they are really similar, you can't go wrong.

5. Move things around

Especially when you're doing flatlays, laying things differently can create completely different atmosphere to it. It may sound pretty obvious but some people still don't do it. Don't be afraid of ruining something, most of the times it will look way better if you change things up. Most photographers shoot for couple hours and they have professional gear. You can allow yourself shoot for couple minutes to have a desired effect.

6. Use composition techniques

Even in your phone you can add a grid to your camera so you can see where the object is. This is very good when you are doing rule of one third, when everything relevant in the picture is in one third of the picture, not in the center.

I personally love when my photos are in the center but that's just personal preference. You don't have to follow these techniques if you don't want, but they are very good if you're just starting out and know nothing about composition.

7. Leave some white space

Leaving white or solid colour space in the photo makes it feel less overdone or overfilled. If you are posting on Instagram and want to have a certain colour in your feed this is probably the best option.

8. Take both horizontal and vertical photos

If you want to change things up or you're not happy with the result just flip the camera. I sometimes forget about doing this and I'm very unhappy with a photo and miraculously if I do that, the composition would look way better.

And of course, vertical shots are better for Instagram, so...

9. Be consistent with your editing

This is was very hard for someone like me, who wanted to always try new editing styles and techniques, but it's very useful. Not only it will be easier over time, but when you are posting to your blog or Instagram, it won't look like a mess.

You should try new techniques, but the overall look should stay the same. Take it as your signature.

10. Post it and be ready for criticism

The last point, which is maybe the hardest one. Criticism is hard to take especially when you're just starting out. It's great to understand what people meant and that most of them weren't trying to be mean. However don't be discouraged, if you take other people's opinions and make your photos even better, you will get a lot of praise as well.

Hope you like these little tips for taking pictures. It was really fun to make for me, and I am definitely going to make more.

Thanks for reading,

Radka

The Christmas Eve is tomorrow and we are all very excited about that. We say that Christmas is the most beautiful holiday of them all, for Christians it symbolizes the born of Jesus, for other people it is simply a warm greeting with their whole family. However it is also a holiday when we produce the most waste. We are over catering our food, so we throw away a huge amount of leftovers.

Why it is such a problem and how to prevent that?

Build on a local dam, Amsterdam is known as "Venice of North". With so many grachts (canals) it is only fair to call it this way. However Amsterdam is so much different then Venice, that these kind of "comparisons" seem rather silly.

When I firstly entered the city by train, I knew I was finally there. People were rushing away from the station, nervously looking at their wrists. They were all dressed so typically. It has been modern, elegant and very minimalistic style. Most of the people were wearing coats even though it was late June.

I looked so different than them it was almost funny. I had my long skirt I wear while travelling, a tee with floral print and big sweater hugging my waist. Messy hair and big suitcase didn't help.

After a tourist finally finds a way out the overcrowded station, they can easily access the public transport. I mean.. I almost got lost because of unusual signs for trams. There weren't written anything you need, only the final destination. The GPS were sending me somewhere but my tram never stopped on that place. It always meandered around the tram stop I was on.

Later I found out that the stop for my tram was underground. I felt so stupid and silly. I guess we learn something new everyday.

Flower market.

Sun was up and I couldn't stop admiring the beauty of grachts. It looked the same but for me it was something new. It always is. I visited the city 3 times total and still find something I can do. (And I still haven't attended Banksy museum and Lizard Cafe).

My hotel was located near the Dam Square. It was a nice family hotel with extremely steep stairs. You opened the door and must have been terrified because they were seemingly going straight to the heaven (at least not to the hell). I've already told you something about the stay on my Instagram, so I wouldn't say much about it here (but I will do a dedicated article). The rooms were small, bathroom way smaller, but if you're only sleeping there, it's okay.

After renting a bike, I could go basically everywhere. It feels so good to be free to go anywhere, without a car and for cheap. However it wasn't easy to rent a bike in Amsterdam. I am a small person (160cm) and all of the bikes were too big for me. Fortunately we found one which wasn't. It was made for children actually! So if you're small ask for this kind.

There are many different places in Amsterdam to visit, and I will definitely make a list of them in next article.

Vondelpark near the city centre.

You can easily access a big park across the city center. There are also many different restaurants and bars all over. This quarter is very nice to spend evening in. You also won't pay as much as in city center.

Amsterdam is also city of galleries and museums. There are many famous ones like Museum of Van Gogh or house of Rembrandt. You can however still find more of hidden treasures on your way or simply by googling.

Lots of interesting pieces.

Shopping quartier is also accessible, since it is very close to the Dam square. You can buy so many things in Amsterdam. From souvenirs like wooden shoes made in China or designer minimalistic items. And I am not talking about the biggest names like Gucci or Prada. These are the things from small designers working in the city. The goods aren't even that expensive. You can pay 40€ for a really cool original lamp.

In the Hortus botanical garden.

What I am also considering interesting is a botanical garden. I also directly mentioned it on my insta feed so it might have sounded like an ad. I wish it was! I loved it there. Many cities have wonderful botanical gardens or zoos. Nowadays there are many references so you can always check it out.

I feel so relieving when I enter gardens. You know, you need a bit of rest when you see every temple, every museum and every gallery. It gets confusing with time. You mix names between some of them, you'll forget some of the cathedrals you've been to... Admiring nature for once is a good way to organize everything in your head.

You could also take some flowers home for free!

Take another ride to the city center and find a good cafeteria. Smell of a well made coffee can wake up even the most tired ones. However you need to be careful. Many cafeterias, even the big ones have the worst coffee ever. I remember drinking one, I even put stevia inside, and it was literally the worst coffee of my life. I was feeling sick 3 hours after.

I was stunned by the picturesque cafeteries, but some of them offered awful coffee.

You also need to try some cheese. The local cheese shops offer a tasting of their products for free. I loved the Amsterdam cheese company the best, but they are all good. If you want to be on a budget and want a typical "old Amsterdam" cheese, you can buy one from grocery store. They are called Gouda there.

If you are buying from specialized cheese company (Henri Willig and Amsterdam Cheese Co. are the biggest), always ask for paper so you can keep your cheese fresh in a refrigerator.

Belgian waffles in Netherlands, Why not?

After a cup of coffee you may become hungry. Trying to find a good price point meeting with good value is often impossible. We were eating lunch at a really really small family restaurant very close to the Dam. Spaghetti olio & aglio cost 4€. That's almost impossible. You could also change spaghetti for tagliatelle or farfalle. Spaghetti pomodoro or other typical Italian dishes were however double the prize. The restaurant was called "Hasta la pasta". (Also not sponsored, but I wish haha)

Getting on your bike again you might want to see a magician performing on the Dam Square. Some of them are honestly really good and entertaining. Not even with their tricks but with their talent to keep you watch.

Dam Square during the day.

It's evening and you feel hungry again. If you're on a budget you rush into a near Albert. For me the goods they sell are just amazing. They have everything fresh, made that day and even offer smoothies. You can buy ready-to-eat salad or pasta. After paying you just take a bio-degradable cutlery and you can eat something small for dinner.

If you want to spend more, go to the nearest restaurant and order something typical for Netherlands.

You can add a glass of beer, and you're good to go.

So book your flight, a hotel or airbnb and enjoy your stay! Add this article to your bookmarks to always get back to it!

Hope you liked it as much as I'd loved writing it. Have a great day!

xx, Radka