before i jump into my post, did you happen to catch the little blip blurb did on my template? what a fun surprise {well, not an ACTUAL surprise…i guess they did interview me…} but still fun! i’m honestly just feeling so blessed.

{it’s really well written. truth be told, i’m not in love with the title. honestly, i’m not as money driven as it makes me sound!}

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i’ve always been in love with posts on other blogs that give quick little photography tips. whether it’s something i already know or it’s brand new, i always enjoy someone elses perspective and advice. sooooo, i thought i would give you a teeny-tiny tip today. a very basic, but very easy way to make your pictures better without a fancy camera OR photoshop.

i was photographing sweet pea out in the backyard last night {5 o’clock-ish. the sun was low, but not too low since it’s summer} and as a photographer often does, i found myself paying close attention to the light. light can make or break your picture whether you’re shooting with a fancy DSLR, a point-and-shoot or even your phone.

sweet pea was being uber cute climbing on and off her brother’s car. a kodak moment for sure. here’s what i got my first time around because i didn’t feel like moving out of my chair :

{SOOC f2.5, 1/250, ISO 100}

you can see the lighting is horrific. coming in from the side, the majority of her body is in the shadows. to accommodate for the shadows, i had to shoot with a slower shutter speed to let in more light so i could see her features {shutter speed helps control the amount of light your camera lets in. it can only be controlled if you’re shooting in manual or S-priority. if you shoot on AUTO, don’t worry about this part} AND she’s a yucky grayish blue color to boot. ugh.

let’s see what happens when i get my lazy bootie out of my seat and try a different angle :

{SOOC f2.5, 1/800, ISO 100}

MUCH better! simply by getting out of my seat and changing my angle, i’m now able to see her cute face, evenly lit and a healthier looking skin tone {bonus :)} and check out my shutter speed! 1/800, WAY faster because there was more light available for my camera to pick up…and a faster shutter, means less chance for blur. and blur me-no-likey!

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so next time you’re taking a picture, and you’re not getting the results you’d like. try a simple angle change. think about your light source and adjust you or your subject accordingly. you’ll be surprised at the results, i promise!

and just for fun, here’s sweet pea with some minor tweakage in photoshop. warmed it up, boosted the contrast, and sharpened…oh, and got rid of that darn hose…it was driving me crazy! 🙂

if you liked this post or are interested in more like it, would you please, please {pretty please}, leave a comment below so that i know. i would really love your input!

happy shooting!