As many people have asked me if I always have my heavy camera with me when I make pictures, I thought I write a blog post about making great pictures without a DSLR camera. Phone Cameras have improved significantly and to be honest, I make 50% of my pictures with my phone and I only use my camera for „big“ photoshoots.

10 minute Vegan Nutella Granola made in a panI want to show you that you don’t need to invest in an expensive camera or other equipment just in order to make good pictures. I hope with my tips below I can help you improve your photography skills.

Always use your phones camera and not the Instagram camera

This might be a no-brainer but you can make significantly better quality pictures with your phone’s camera as the resolution of the IG camera is not really great. Smartphone cameras have become as great as cameras and you can easily use the pictures as well for your blog or for any other purpose.

Look for natural light

You cannot change the weather and the light situation and this should not be something that stresses you. Try to look for natural light. Just go into the room where you feel it is the brightest. Of course in winter the light might be shitty all day long. I bought a Lowel EGO light which was something around 100 dollars but a very good investment. Of course, if you have a phone with a dual lens like the Huawei P9 you can use the „pro-mode“ where you can adjust ISO and depth of focus, shutter speed, white balance and more, which makes it easier to deal with „imperfect“ light situations. (psst: I am giving away 4 Huawei P9 phones to talented photographers! find out how to win one here)

Try a new perspective

Try a new perspective! Remember when i told you that I could show you a picture where I look like a fitness superstar and another from the same day where I look like I am pregnant? It’s perspective! Be brave and (also a little athletic) and try new perspectives. I made some of my pictures while kneeling on the floor or climbing on trees. When it comes to food, some foods look better from above (we call them flat lays) while others need to be pictures from the front. I love pancakes front shoots as you can see all the nice layers and the syrup drizzling down.

Focus on the relevant and observe

I love pictures where you can see a clear focus in the picture. You should always have these „messy“ props around and in the background, but a clear focus helps the viewer recognize what really matters. When it comes to nature or people photography, try to observe the scenery. For example water or even puddles can produce great reflections and tell a wonderful story.

Use post production apps

Photography is art. I am also not a big fan of using tons of filters for a picture but I really like some Apps that just make the picture a little brighter, a little bit more appealing. I like to play with it, it’s an art.

I personally use two apps for postproduction and one is Aviary and the other is VSCO. I really like the presets and the functions of both of them. They are easy to use and I can edit my pictures in under 5 minutes, whereas with Lightroom and Photoshop it takes me more than 10 minutes. Another thing I’ve noticed is, that images change in brightness and color when I edit them on the computer and the import them to my phone. Anyone else experienced this?

I hope you got inspired by one or two of my tips and I wish that you never stop learning and try new things. It’s a creative process and you get better over time. What are your best tips for great pictures?

Love,

Lara