Photography Tips and Tricks for Beginners- Part 1 {Phoenix Area Photographer}

I decided to create a “tips for beginners” series on my blog after receiving so many email and Facebook questions from clients, fans and fellow photographers. I also have many of my mom friends who were interested in learning about taking better photos of their kids.  Each week I will be focusing on one easy tip to better improve your photography skills.  This is great for beginning photographers or those people who just want to give their images that “professional” feel.  Now, with that said, there is a lot to learn in photography…I am constantly learning and refining, so do not think you will be outstanding overnight.  Creating a great image takes practice and patience…and a little bit of knowledge too.  Today, what I will be focusing on is finding the light indoors.  Look around your home and find a window that lets in light, not direct light, but a soft glow.  Now, make sure your flash is turned off.  Using only natural light will create a much more pleasing and natural image. Place your subject in front of the window.  This will create shadows and depth that you can manipulate based on where you choose to position your subject.  In the above image, the girl is placed at about 90 degrees from the window.  This creates a dramatic look, heavily shading one side of her face.  If you look at the eyes you can see what is called the “catch lights”.  Catch lights in eyes can create a captivating portrait   Look at your subject before taking the picture and try to pin point the light in their eyes.  If you can see the light, the camera will too.  Play around with this technique, positioning your subject at a 45 degree angle, or facing the window head on to see what effects the light will bring.  Please feel free to ask me any questions as you try out this technique and check back soon for another beginner tip:) Thanks for reading!

Emily

Phoenix Area Photographer