editing tips for making your family photos frameable (part 4 of 4)

{mandy and her family}

Guest post by Mandy Chiappini, author of A Sorta Fairytale




We all have different cameras, editing programs, and skill levels. But there are some simple editing techniques we can do to make a photo just that much better.


Before you start editing photos, make sure you are familiar with your editing program. Whether it be a basic or a little more complex. Once you understand a little bit about the program you are using, the easier it will be edit your photos. Spend time reading about the different functions/tools/features your program has to offer and make sure to play around a lot in your program!


The easiest edits in the world are sometimes the best.

Cropping.
The very first thing you should do, is crop your photo. You are going to want to eliminate all of that extra area of clutter & color that will not be there in the end.


If your looking to create the most visually appealing photograph, most photographers will tell you about the rule of thirds. (it is explained very well in this website)


In addition to this, there are a ton of other cropping "rules" out there. You can throw those out the window, if you'd like. Crop the photo to what is pleasing to your eye. If you are going to be focusing on the scenery, crop it a little less. If someones smile is the focal point for you, crop it in a little tighter. But you can still use the rule of thirds, if you choose.

{here is my example of cropping, i just wanted to eliminate the extra clutter in the background, still sort of using the "rule of thirds"}


Brightness/Contrast.
A lot of times a photo can either be over-exposed or under-exposed. In the example below, that image is over-exposed. In other words, too bright. So I tweaked the brightness just a little bit to my liking.


Also, if you notice the image on the left is a bit "flat". There is no depth to it. So, by changing the contrast - it will add that depth to the photo and will really make him pop out.



Red-Eye.
This is the worst. Red-eye is often caused by using flash on your camera. And sometimes that is unavoidable. But the good thing is, most simple editing programs have a tool that can remove the red from your eye. Usually it is as simple as choosing the tool and clicking on the red and Viola! The red is gone.

{here is an example of removing red-eye. much better, right?}



Simple Black & White.
As well as the other tools mentioned above, you will usually find a tool that will convert your color photo to black & white. This give your photo a classic feel to it. If your program does not have a b&w tool, you can also accomplish this look by using your hue/saturation tools. If you completely de-saturate a photo, it will take all of the color out.



Another thing you can do if you change your photo to black and white is adjust the brightness/contrast some more. A lot of time when you take the color out of a photo, you also take the depth out of it. So by brightening a little and turning the contrast up, we can put the depth back in!

{very minimal change, but it definitely helps the subject to pop out, doesn't it?}


If you do not have any editing software and are on a tight budget, there is a free program for download called Picasa. This will give you all the tools you will need for your basic editing.


I hope that you found this helpful and can put it to use next time you are editing your photos!


Happy snapping! :-)

Bio: Mandy Chiappini is wife to a wonderful man, mother to a beautiful 8 month old boy, and a Lifestyle Photographer. She strays from studio photography and focuses on capturing the real person behind the photo in a natural setting. You can find her at A Sorta Fairytale, Mandy Chiappini Photography and as a contributor on Paper Heart Camera.


Dear friends, I still have a lot to learn about editing my own photos to take them from good to great. What about you? Did you find Mandy's editing tips and tricks helpful? Feel free to share a link of your favorite shot below and tell us how you edited your photo to improve it. What are you most excited to try next time?

practicing my editing,

Other posts in this mini-series:

• Part 1: Lighting - How to use light to take the best photos possible. 
• Part 2: Composition - How background, framing, and placement of your subject effects your photos.
• Part 3: Settings - How adjusting your camera settings can create different effects and feelings in your photos.
• Part 4: Editing - How using simple editing tools can help your photos go from good to great. (A guest post by Mandy from A Sorta Fairytale.)

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

hey moms, do you want to improve your photography? (part 2 of 4)

I'm convinced that anyone who wants to learn can dramatically improve their photos. Yesterday I gave four simple tips about lighting and how it effects your photos. Today I want to give you five easy tips about composition.

Today's focus: Composition

1. Consider your background. Think about what you want to communicate through the background you use. Also make sure there aren't things that can cause a distraction. Often we are so focused on how cute our child is that we don’t notice the background. We can easily ruin a great picture by having a plant growing out the back of your child’s head, or an arm growing out of their neck, or a car “sitting” on their shoulder. When taking a photo, have a quick look beyond your subject and make sure nothing is “growing” out of it. Usually it only takes a half step to the side or to bend down a few inches enough to change your angle and solve your problem. Your background should always add to your photo, not distract from your subject.

{for this photo i made sure that the background wasn't cluttered, but
i did purposely leave the couch in the shot... i wanted it to be obvious
that we were at home in our living room. this works because the colors
of the couch blend in nicely and don't draw focus away from the child.}

{the photo on the left is cropped for no background distractions...
whereas the one on the right  is taken purposefully with the tent showing
in order to give context and show that we were camping.}

2. Fill your frame. Especially for portrait photography, an easy tip to take a better photo is to let your child fill up your frame. Instead of having a bunch of “wasted” space around it, crop out that television, dining room table, and playpen and let the child fill the frame. You can either take it this way or edit it later... I tend to try and shoot this way for two reasons: 1) being deliberate helps train me as a better photographer; and 2) it saves on editing time later.

{fill your frame carefully - either when you
take the photo or when you edit it later.}

{fill as much of the frame as possible
to cut out any other distractions.}

3. Try different angles. Experiment with shooting from different angles. I love getting on the floor to photograph my son from his level. One of the ways I will sometimes highlight his big eyes is to stand straight above him with him looking up at me. Get creative and see what you come up with.

{although it's cute, there's nothing special about this photo.}

{a different angle makes it a little more fun/interesting.}

{a different angle and filling the frame makes it even better.}

4. Use the law of thirds. This is commonly—both deliberately and instinctively—used by artists in all mediums to add interest to a piece. Imagine your “canvas” divided into thirds horizontally and vertically. Then try to place your main point of interest (say your child’s head, or if very close up, your child’s eyes) in one of the thirds – the top third, the left third, etc. or close to one of the intersections. 

{imagine lines dividing your frame into thirds vertically and horizontally
and then place your focal point near one of the intersections.}

{after a while you will use the law of thirds
often, without even thinking about it.}

5. Use symmetry. Personally I don't use symmetry in photos all that often because I think it can get boring. But experiment with it - sometimes it will make for an incredible shot, especially if you are not going for detail in a photo but rather the over-all look and feel. There's something really satisfying about nice symmetry used every once and a while.

{using symmetry creates a great focal point if done deliberately. this is one of my faves!}

Other posts in this mini-series:

• Part 1: Lighting - How to use light to take the best photos possible. 
• Part 2: Composition - How background, framing, and placement of your subject effects your photos.
• Part 3: Settings - How adjusting your camera settings can create different effects and feelings in your photos.
• Part 4: Editing - How using simple editing tools can help your photos go from good to great. (A guest post by Mandy from A Sorta Fairytale.)

Dear friends, do you have any photography tips related to composition to add? Have you learned something today and taken a great photo because of it? If so, leave us a link in the comments so we can come and check it out! I hope you're inspired to fill up those hard drives! No doubt your kids will thank you later.

from one happy-snappy mom to another,

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission