Corona Virus got you down? Use this time at home to improve your everyday images. Free yourself from boredom and get creating!

Whether you have access to a nice camera or would just like to improve your phone photos for this blog post is for you!

1- PERSPECTIVE:

The biggest improvement in your images will come with a change of perspective. Photography is about capturing the moment in a way that the is unique to the viewer. If you are photographing a child, get down on the child's level and photograph them straight on. How might this first photo of been different if I had photographed her standing up? Changing your angles will turn a quick snapshot into a story. It will capture the emotion and all of the details in a new and interesting way. Think about the story you would like to tell, and use different perspectives to tell it. What story are you trying to tell?

GET ON THEIR LEVEL

This second image I chose to capture the family moment by laying on my stomach to capture the kids on their level. I'm so glad I did, this shot would have been totally different had I stayed standing up.

Photography is about changing the way the world sees something and showing the world through another set of eyes.

2- LIGHT AND SHADOWS:

Light is one of the most important aspects to know to improve your everyday photography.

Color of light type of light and type of light aspects that will drastically change an image.

Color:

In the morning as the sun is rising the color starts off a more blue tone and then changes throughout the day to a very bright and yellow mid-day to a golden color an hour before the sun sets. When is the best time to take photos outdoors? The golden hours are the first hour after the sun rises and the last hour before the sunsets. These are referred to as golden hours because the light is more of a golden color. During the time the shadows on faces are also less harsh. If you are unable to photograph during these hours another way to drastically improve your images is to photograph in dense shade. Dense shade will reduce sun spots and improve harsh shadows.

Type of light:

Type of light is another important key part of improving your images. There are two key types of lights, natural light (sun) and artificial light. Different types of lighting will change your images. Using the sun for natural lighting may add more contrast to your images (darker shadows and lighter highlights). The lights indoors may make your images more on the orange side and if you have no lights on in the house at all they may be dark and grainy. You can improve your images indoors drastically by avoiding using overhead lights, a side lamp will make a big difference on the types of shadows you will have. Another way to improve your images indoors is to open the curtains to let in some beautiful natural light.

Natural Light:

This image was shot at golden hour with natural light. I love yellow and love that she wore a bold beautiful red gown. Also, my personally I am a huge fan of a good sun flare!

Just opening a window drastically improved this image of my daughter Macie last year! We love beautiful natural light!

3- CAPTURE THE DETAILS TO TELL THE STORY:

One of the most important things you can do to improve your images is to capture the details! Life is full of fleeting moments, you're going to want to remember the pudgy feet and dirty faces. You're going to want to remember that garden you spent all year weeding and the beautiful vegetables it produced. The details of a photo tell the story. When you look back at an image you're going to want to remember the circumstances surrounding an image. How old was your little one, where were you at? What did she say after you found her covered in mud? If you're not taking pictures of what's important to you how will you be able to remember the moment when it has passed?

Capture the tiny details. Capture the moments that are important to you. Jump in for a few pictures. It's important to be in them with your kids and family!

Capture the Details:

I love the tiny lines and the flaky skin on this newborns little feet. This is a detail mom will love to look back on when he is grown.

I love this photo of my son and his missing tooth. I'm so glad I took this photo and love the story it tells. Just from one photo I can see it was fall (with those beautiful orange colors in the background, it was chilly and that he is around 5 or 6.

Capture your life. Find your joy in it. Create and have fun!

xoxox

Mandi