All My Tips, Tools & Secrets for Everyday Lifestyle Photography, Photo Editing & Instagram
I was inspired to write this post because I wanted to de-mystify some of the behind the scenes that go into content creation, specifically photography. It’s a huge passion of mine because it’s art and it’s storytelling all wrapped into one. Photography has become so accessible thanks to camera phones, which I absolutely love. The old adage goes “the best camera is the one you have on you.” I couldn’t agree more.
My goal with this post is to share some of the best principles, tips, tools, and hacks to everyday lifestyle photography, photo editing and content creation for instagram.
Lighting
In real estate it’s “location, location, location” in photography it’s “lighting, lighting, lighting”
No matter what camera you’re using whether it’s a DSLR, a point and shoot or your phone’s camera, lighting is always the most important part of a photo.
What’s good light? What’s Bad Light?
Good light is bright, consistent and ideally diffused. Think a bright yet cloudy day. That is a dream for photographers. Why? Clouds help diffuse light so it lands on a subject evenly rather than cast a strong shadow.
When you’re shooting indoors, say at a coffee shop, always try to find the table nearest to the window – more light = better photo. I find it’s really helpful to learn through action. So next time you’re taking photos indoors test a couple of spots. See which photos look best. My guess is it will have a lot to do with the light.
And yup, if I’m taking a selfie in my cottage you bet it’s right near a window to get the best light.
I shot this near a window
Good light = glowy skin.
You really can’t get around bad light. A photo in a dark restaurant will never look great unless you have professional flashes, and even then that will create a very specific look.
Another harsh light situation you want to avoid is shooting on a bright day around noon. That’s a recipe for a lot of unflattering shadows. If you can’t avoid that time, then try to look for shade coverage under an awning or tree. You’re looking for consistent light that won’t cast intense shadows.
When you’re working on your lifestyle photography, always be mindful of your light. Work on planning your shoots on days and times where the light isn’t extreme.
What time of day is best for outdoor photography?
You might have heard of the “golden hour” which for photographers is an hour before sunset or an hour after sunrise. This is widely considered one of the best times of day (when it’s clear skies) to shoot, especially for people. However, you can definitely stretch that to 2-3 hours before sunset for most situations. Again, if it’s a cloudy or overcast day you can pretty much shoot all day.
this was taken mid-day so there were lots of shadows and harsh light
taken during the golden hour
Can I take good Nighttime photos on my phone?
There’s no magic trick for this. A photo you take on your phone at night will always be low quality and pretty grainy. (more light for both phones and cameras equals more data/better quality). One way to get around this is to edit the photo into black and white. It won’t bring back any quality but it at least gives it a style. Once you learn the importance of light you’ll start to tailor your content around it.
Editing Tools & Design Apps
Free Editing Apps:
VSCO
I love this app. It has tons of great filters and makes editing super easy and fun. You can buy their premium filters (which I do recommend) to make your photos more unique and versatile. Especially if you’re using this app to edit your instagram photos I definitely recommend finding one filter and sticking with it.
Snapseed
This app is great for specific tone adjustments. If you want to brighten, sharpen or adjust the tones of your photo then I recommend Snapseed. It also is great for adjusting specific brightness of whites without overexposure. The filters are really bad so definitely use Snapseed first then bring it into an app like VSCO or ASC to apply a filter.
A Color Story
This app is wonderful for quality filters and cool effects. What a sunburst or glitter? ACS as so many cool effects. The app is free to download and pay for the different filters and effects. It’s not my favorite app for the specific editing tools light exposure, saturation etc. I would recommend using something like Snapseed or lightroom first then apply filters via ACS after.
Lightroom Mobile
Lightroom is the king of all editing apps. The Lightroom desktop is what most professional photographers use to edit their photos. The mobile app is great for on the go editing or editing your smartphone photos. I love it because you can really control all the aspects of your photo. It has the most customizable edits. You can adjust each color’s temperature and hue. For example, when you see photos where all their blues look warm and teal without the whole image looking warm then they probably used an app like Lightroom.
Presets
Lightroom also lets you create or use other people’s presets. Presets are custom filters that you can apply to any photo. You can buy them from other photographers or you can make them yourself. Presets are great because they help your photos look consistent.
These are the Lightroomm mobile presets I created and use on all my photos: @init4thelongrunblog Presets
How To Create a Unique Aesthetic
Creating a unique aesthetic is such an important part of building your brand on Instagram. Why? Creating a consistent visual look helps you stand out from the competition. You know those people whose photos you can spot from a mile? That’s the result of strong branding and a consistent photography and editing style.
Examples of visually consistent feeds
To create a unique look it’s important to choose your primary colors. Choose 2-4 colors that represent your brand and choose 2-3 that you actively try to avoid. Then choose an editing style and preset or filter that you use consistently. I also recommend using a scheduling tool to plan out your instagram feed so you can see how all the photos fit together.
I love the app Later. I’ve also heard good things about Planoly
Apps for creating graphics in Instagram Stories:
Props, Tools, What to Invest in & Product Photography
Photo boards & backgrounds
If you’re someone who is planning to take a lot of flat lays, food photos or product photography I would totally recommend investing in some photo backdrops. You can start with something as simple as 2 pieces of white foam board, and when you’re ready invest in something custom like these boards from
Erickson Surfaces: https://ericksonsurfaces.com/
Replica Surfaces: https://www.replicasurfaces.com/
(this is a photo I took using an Erickson wooden photo board)
Do I Need a Lightbox?
It depends. I can’t say a blanket no, but I do believe unless you know exactly why you want it and how you’ll use it, then it’s probably not worth it right away. Use things like white foam board to create a white backdrop and shoot near the window to get enough light.
Photo Props
If you’re doing product or food photography props are an important and super fun part of the game. You don’t have to spend tons of money, however. Look for simple pieces that you can repurpose over and over again. For example a pair of white plates. My eyes are always open whenever I’m at a yard sale or thrift store because there are gems just waiting to get scooped up.
glasses, crystals & coffee make great props
Product Photography
Have an Etsy shop and want to show off your hard work? For product photography, share a mix of simple shots showing the size of your product, details and then have the product in a daily context. If you’re making earrings show a pair being worn so people can picture themselves with your goods.
Instagram Work Flow
A big question I get asked often, especially when I’m teaching instagram workshops for businesses, is how do you manage to post consistently. My answer is always batching content. What does this mean? It means taking the time each week to plan out what you want to share, then make a plan for creating it. This also means that you’ll most likely want to use a tool like Later or Plannily to schedule the photos you’ve shot and plan out your captions. This way you’re not always worried about what you’ll be posting each day.
Once you get used to the flow of creating content on a regular basis it will become easier and easier. Now I have way too many photos and thoughts to choose from. You get used to looking for ideas everywhere you go.
The most important thing is to start, to do it. If you’re always thinking about it and never executing you’ll never get better.
iPhone versus Camera
When should you use your phone and when should you use your camera? I think it depends on the kind of work you’re doing. If you are promoting your photography then you’ll probably want to primarily stick to your camera. Otherwise, I believe (quality, edited) smartphone photos perform really well on instagram. A lot of popular accounts have a mix of both. The important thing is to weave them in seamlessly and to edit them in a similar style. Say you’re always sharing photos with warm colors like oranges, reds, and pinks that you take on your phone when you share photos you’ve shot on a professional camera make sure they stick to your color theme and editing style so they don’t stick out in a bad way.
How do I get comfortable taking pictures in public?
I love this question because I can totally relate. I used to be mortified taking photos in front of people. It can feel so silly or attention-grabbing. However, I’ve learned that a little embarrassment is totally worth a great photo.
I would suggest that you get comfortable asking friends and family to take your photo every once and a while when you’re out. Most people are happy to do it if you don’t get suuuper picky. Again this gets easier with practice. Once you identify a specific friend or family member who seems to be pretty good with the good ‘ol smartphone rely on them when you’re looking for content.
The more you practice the easier it gets. Practice a couple of go-to poses in the mirror (I know it sounds silly). Also, look at the photos of yourself that you like, is there anything you notice that’s similar in all of them or most of them? I realized that I liked the left side of my face better so I usually tilt my head when I’m being photographed.
If you’re all alone and no one is around to take your photo don’t be afraid to use the self-timer. Prop your phone up on a surface at the angle you’re looking for then shoot away. I usually save this for when I’m home but if I was out somewhere and no one was around I’d go for it!
Before I write a novel, I’ll wrap it up there for now…
For all the photos below, I used my self-timer
Processed with VSCO with a6 preset
Got more questions? Follow me on the ‘gram and shoot me a direct message.
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