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