5 top tips for taking photos

Live in the moment! Well some moments are best captured as they happen. Most of the time we have our iphones on hand not our DSLR camera’s.

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I love to use my DSLR for special occasions and planned events. So how do you capture the best shot you can with your iphone?

The below image was taken with an iphone 5s and then uploaded into my app then I placed the copy on to it and then a canvas was delivered to my door, all from the tap of my iphone.

Top_tips_for_taking_photos

I stood behind a screen which was backlit at a gallery to create the silhouette of my kids and I. As a graphic designer, I like to use my design fundamentals when taking shots.

Here are some of my top tips to taking great photos:

1) Minimise your background noise

What does this mean? Try and position the phone zoomed in if you have a busy background or move yourself to a position where you have less happening in the background so it focuses on the child/children. Keeping it minimal gives it so much more impact!

2) Composition

When taking the photo, it’s always important to frame the shot. Make things more interesting by not always centering things. Mix it up a bit and have your subject to the left or right giving the shot lots of clear space around it. The rule of two thirds usually helps too. You can position the shot within two thirds of the frame.

3) Time of day

If you are out and it’s close to sunset, this is when you want to grab your iphone and start shooting, as even mundane shots can look far more impressive. When images are shot with the sun behind your subject, is creates a silhouette form and makes it more dramatic.

4) Filters

Instagram filters can really create a photo that looks for more interesting. Try adjusting the contrast and brightness, this alone can create a much better image. I find with skin tones Crema and Valencia look good and Gingham looks great with the slightly faded image. Highlights and shadows are always handy to improve photos taken with bad lighting.

5) Natural smiles

I find the best way to get a great photo of kids is to not ask them to look at you or smile! Isn’t it always the way when you say those two things that they give you the wackiest smile! Try and just shoot a number of shots of the moment and capture their natural and true feelings expressed on their faces. These are always so much better than those fake smiles.

Do you have any tips to add to this list? Please SHARE in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com

26 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 29 Oct 2021
    11:46 am
I always leave the photo taking to others as im hopeless at it.

- - curlytops said
  - 19 Feb 2016
    12:13 pm
i wonder what the best phone is for taking photos.

- - mom160421 said
  - 14 Jan 2016
    10:43 pm
Great tips. I love it when a photo is taken just at the right moment.

- - joburkey said
  - 12 Jan 2016
    11:09 am
great tips, although natural smiles don’t come easy to a 3 year old, we still get this creepy odd looking smile when we has her to smile at the camera

- - mom101628 said
  - 09 Jan 2016
    8:37 pm
I’m just pleased to find that I can finally take photos – but with the Microsoft Surface 3.
First time anything has worked for me.

- - ella12 said
  - 09 Jan 2016
    1:17 pm
Thanks for the informative article and tips.

- - mom134803 said
  - 09 Jan 2016
    7:44 am
Nice tips. In the end it comes all down on catching the moment I think. There’s not always the time ti fiddle about with composition, light, waiting for the smile and so on. When you see something nice happening, just take multiple shots. Be happy with one good shot and delete the rest. 🙂

- - aliceou said
  - 08 Jan 2016
    8:54 pm
Thank you for the helpful tips.

- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess said
  - 03 Jan 2016
    11:40 pm
I don’t have any tips but I would loooooooooooove any tips on how to get my daughter to look at the camera. I’m all for cute, natural shots but sometimes I would love a front on face shot! Little monkey she is!
- mom94125 replied
  
  06 Jan 2016 , 5:17 pm
  lol yell out “who wants chocolate!” they will look at you and be smiling! lol
- - mle00 said
  - 02 Jan 2016
    4:27 pm
Great tips, recently read the exact same tips in a well known photography blog! what a small world, you think exactly the same!

- - mom169284 said
  - 02 Jan 2016
    3:41 pm
Great tips, will try them out. If only my kids would stay in one spot long enough..

- - pakeko said
  - 02 Jan 2016
    11:56 am
Some great tips have to try them out now

- - Kasey said
  - 30 Dec 2015
    10:32 pm
great tips thanks for sharing

- - mom165744 said
  - 30 Dec 2015
    4:30 pm
I’ll have to give these tips a go!

- - aprilb1 said
  - 29 Dec 2015
    7:53 pm
Great tips thanks for this

- - taynik46 said
  - 28 Dec 2015
    10:28 am
oh these are great tips, I need to apply some of these to my photo taking skills – thank you for compiling and sharing

- - mom112217 said
  - 26 Dec 2015
    2:18 pm
I love taking photo’s and appreicate your tips,thanks!
- mom93821 replied
  
  31 Dec 2015 , 8:23 am
  I love taking photos too and love candid photos.
- - mum888 said
  - 25 Dec 2015
    8:36 pm
Who needs a camera when all of us even the kids carry our smartphones with cameras and you can shoot a pic at the spur of the moment and then past it on Facebook , or now Instagram etc . So much technology and so fast paced that it is getting ridiculous .

- - BellaB said
  - 25 Dec 2015
    7:18 pm
I’m afraid my cheap phone is partly to blame for my lousy photos.

- - Nas01 said
  - 25 Dec 2015
    11:03 am
Great tips. I usually have to take 20 Pics in order to find the perfect shot where everyone is smiling and happy.