Over the many years of my career as an art director, I have learned a lot about photo styling. There are numerous tips I could give you to help you take better photos, but here are three simple photography tips that I think will help anyone.
Just taking a little time to think about your photo before snapping can make a world of difference! Use these photo styling tips for blogging, an online shop, Instagram, vacations, your kid’s birthday parties or just playing around with your photography at home.
1. Include Something Living in Your Photo
Remember the three P’s…. People, Pets & Plants when taking your next photo.
If you have kids, they are perfect to make a photo look more interesting and to tell a story with your photo.
I use my kids and their friends all of the time, even when they don’t even realize it. A lot of times, they are just somewhere in the background or I use their hands. This makes the photo feel more real and in the moment.
Having a pool and children in the background of this photo definitely tells the story that these designs and food ideas are for a pool party!
Instead of taking photos of my Lego Party Piñata alone, I waited until the kids were hitting it and got some action shots. Having the children in the photo makes for a much more interesting and fun image.
Flowers can also make a photo more appealing and perfect props for home and craft photos!
Fresh flowers are great, but not always available when you need to snap a photo of a project. I often use silk flowers because they make easy props to keep on hand.
If you have a cute pet, they make a photo so much fun!
I had a cat for 13 years and tried to put him in the background of photos when I could. Cats aren’t always the most cooperative:-) There was an adorable cat that we loved on our Jamaica vacation and I used him in the background of a lot of my photos to give the photos some personality.
2. Use Small Plates for Food
Salad plates work great for food photography. You can’t tell by the photos what size the plate actually is, and the food easily fills the plate! It’s a great illusion and photography secret:-)
3. Don’t Use the Same Props Over and Over Again
As well as changing your background, don’t forget to change out your props when styling photos. Your photos will all start looking the same if you keep using that same plate, flower arrangement, napkin, etc. It’s great to keep a consistent style, but having different options for props is a must!
Shopping for photography props doesn’t have to be expensive! Check out garage sales, thrift shops and grab things from different rooms of your home.
I made a fun “behind the scenes” video of us shopping for props. See the props I found for only $10 and how I use them. I can’t wait to show you photos of my new studio! It’s getting there a little at a time:-)
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Watch the video on YouTube here and subscribe to my Channel for more how to videos.
I’m always on the lookout for inexpensive props, especially now that I am moving into a studio! When I find a deal on cool props, I try to give a shout out about it on Instagram. Last week, I scored on some great cakes stands for 75% off. Yay!
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I hope these three simple tips help you take better photos.
Want to learn more about your camera, editing and taking better photos? Get great photography tutorials over on my other blog, I Heart Faces!
You might also like these tips for taking amazing family vacation photos too!
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