 Hello hello! Welcome back to my blog! This week I want to talk to you about one of my passions, photography! When people find out that I’m a photographer, I almost always get asked, “Will you teach me how to take good photos?!” Well guess what? Today’s your lucky day! Below I have compiled a list of ten useful tips to help you create better photos!
1- Get to know your camera Regardless of whether you’re using a DSLR, a point and shoot, or your phone, learn to use the different modes and features that your camera has available. 2- Compose using the rule of thirds Imagine a tic tac toe grid (or a hashtag) laying over top of your photo. To create a composition that’s visually appealing, place the focal points of the image on one of those lines, ideally where two of the lines meet. If you're using an iPhone, you can turn the grid feature on for your camera by opening your settings, going to camera settings, and turning the grid on. * This tip also applies for selfies!  3- Blur the background A question I get a lot is how I create images with blurred backgrounds! To create a blurry background, you’ll want to create space between your subject and the background. The further away your subject is from the background, the more blurry it’ll become. Next, the easiest mode to achieve a blurry background with is Aperture Mode. This is AV on a Canon, and A on a Nikon. Next, lower your aperture (the f-stop). The lower your aperture, the blurrier your background will be! Lastly, step back and zoom in all the way. This compresses the photo and blurs the background. Fire away! To create a blurry background on your phone, many phones now have modes that will use software to blur the background. You can also use the app Airbrush and use the “blur” feature to create the illusion of depth of field. * This tip also applies for selfies!  Blurred background created using Portrait Mode on my iPhone.  Blurred background created using a low aperture on my Canon 6D. 4- Leave space around your subject Something I see a lot in photos are limbs being cut off by the frame. I’ve seen so many great photos taken, but the frame cuts the subject off at their ankles. Allow space around your subject to create a more comfortably composed shot!
5- Pay attention to lighting There’s nothing quite like trying to get a good shot smack dab in the middle of the day. The sun is glaring down creating huge shadows under the eyes, nose, and neck. YUCK! When you’re shooting outdoors, cloudy days are your friend! They will diffuse the sunlight and give you soft light instead of harsh shadows. My favorite time of day to photograph is the evening, right before sunset. This will give you great light without crazy shadows. If you have to photograph in the middle of the day, look for shade! When photographing indoors, big windows letting in natural light will give you the best lighting. Avoid fluorescent lights or bathroom lighting if possible. * This tip also applies for selfies! Another lighting issue I see often are photos that are either overexposed or underexposed. That means that they are either too light or too dark. Either one of these issues will cause you to lose details in the photo! Avoid this by making sure you have your exposure correct for the scene you’re photographing. If you’re using your phone, tap on the part of the image you want exposed properly and that will adjust your exposure. Advanced tip: One of my favorite looks to photograph are photos with soft, ethereal, glowy light. This can be achieved by placing the light source BEHIND your subject!
 6- Focus on the eyes When photographing people, you want the eyes to be in focus! Look for catchlights (the white light reflecting in the eyes) in the subject’s eyes and focus on the eye that is nearest to you.
7- Don’t over retouch This one is HUGE! When it comes to retouching, less is more. There are plenty of apps that give you the option to smooth out your skin, but avoid going overboard. Too much smoothing will make you look blurry and plastic! Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that retouching your photos is a bad thing, I am a big fan of editing out my acne in my photos. Just remember that less is more! * This tip also applies for selfies!
8- Wait for the right moment This is a tip that has come especially in handy for me when following my toddler around with a camera. It can be easy to rush a photo, but waiting for the right moment will make the difference between a good photo and an amazing photo! Have patience and wait for that picture perfect moment.  9- Change your perspective Get creative with perspective! Try taking a photo from either high up or low down, see what happens! When photographing children or animals, try crouching down and getting on their level.
10- Keep lines vertical and horizontal An important technique that will help take your photography to the next level is keeping the lines in your photos straight. For example, when you take a beautiful photo of your friend at the beach, make sure the horizon line is straight! This is an easy fix that can even be made after the photo is taken. Most photo editing softwares give you the option to adjust your image rotation in the "crop" settings.
BONUS TIP - The best camera is the one you have with you Growing up, my dad always told me that the best camera is the one you have with you. If you see an amazing moment, don’t hesitate to photograph it, even if the only camera you have on you is your phone. Lewis Carroll said that ““In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” This also applies to photos! Some of my favorite photos are ones that I took on my phone because I didn’t have my DSLR with me, yet I am so grateful to have captured the moment.  Taken on my husband's Google Pixel phone. Thank you for taking the time to read this post! I hope it helped you and that you now feel more confident with your camera! I’d love to see some of your photos that you take after reading these tips! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave them below! 
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 This cute momma is due in March! I can't wait to meet her new addition to her adorable family!     While when I was in Costa Rica I had a chance to get behind the lens again and it reminded me just how passionate I am about it! Today I've been working on editing my shots from Costa Rica, and I'm so excited to show you some of my favorites!        I was so excited to photograph my first family in California! They're such a cute group and it was a blast! 
 This was my first session back after my maternity leave! The Pacheco family decided to have their pictures done at Jolley's Ranch up Hobble Creek Canyon in Springville, Utah. I absolutely love how they turned out! 
  Krissy and Devin got married today in the Mount Timpanogos LDS temple! Here's a look at their formal session at Thanksgiving Point from last month!
  Congratulations Krissy and Devin, I wish you all the best!
For Caitlyn and Cody's first look and formal session, we decided to head up to Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City. This was my first time shooting there and I absolutely loved it! It was a beautiful setting to photograph formals.
Cody's reaction when he turned around and saw Caitlyn in her dress for the first time was adorable!
  
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