I've always been amazed by photography. The fact that you can literally capture a moment in time and have it forever is so amazing to me. And while I've slowly learned a little bit about lighting and camera angles, I am so far from being a pro it's not even funny.
I don't have a real camera so I call myself an Iphotographer, but really I'm just a momtographer, trying to snap all the fun and happy times of Fallon's childhood in the prettiest way that I can. The iphone 7 plus has a pretty great camera so that's half the battle, but paying attention to backgrounds, shooting in the most natural light available and learning just a few ways to edit photos can make a huge difference in your pictures. Mostly I've figured out what I know through trial and error, a few pointers from pros and a YouTube video or two. I'm honestly shocked that people ask me how I edit my photos because mostly I'm just winging it and trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about. But if you still want advice from me, here it is.
Taking a good photo is the first step. Editing can only do so much so if your picture is good to begin with, you don't have to worry as much about edits. Try to get straight lines by using something in the shot as your guide. The grid overlay is a great way to do this! Pay attention to your background. If you want your pictures to have that light + bright look to them don't take pictures inside dark rooms of your house! Natural light is always best so just see which rooms of your house have the best lighting at different times of day and try shooting near a window or glass door. And of course, getting outside gives you lots of natural light. Cloudy days are your friend!
After you've deleted 500 outtakes and have chosen the picture you want to edit, use the same apps every time for a cohesive feel. My favorites are Lightroom, Snapseed, VSCO and Facetune but I also like A Color Story and AfterLight. These are not all free to download and may not be available to Android users but you don't need to use them all! Instagram has editing tools you can work with as well, I just typically choose to edit with these apps.
Lighroom and Afterlight are great for brightening (exposure), adjusting contrast and saturation levels. Lightroom allows you to decrease or increase saturation of specific colors as well as the picture as a whole. This is great for neutralizing skin tone as sometimes we can look slightly orange, green or purple in photos. Or just softening a very bright color that you'd like to tone down. Snapseed has a healing tool that allows you to erase imperfections like a bruise or scratch or a stain on the carpet! There is also a brush tool to adjust only a portion of the photo as well as a selective tool (for a wider area). VSCO has my very favorite filter F2 as well as other great options and I like to sharpen photos in this app as well to give a crisp finish. Facetune has a smooth tool to even out pixelated skin and a details tool to really highlight certain points of the photo that you want to stand out. Most of the apps including Instagram have a shadows tool to lift them off faces and a fade tool that's fun for a bit of soft blurred edges look.
It sounds like a lot and it is very overwhelming at first, I know! But just jump in and start practicing. Seeing how you can transform your photos from good to amazing can be so rewarding and fun! You will see improvement over time and the best thing you can do is to find people whose photos you admire and just ask them questions! I have yet to be "laughed at" or turned away and usually people are beyond flattered.
Happy snapping!
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