I love taking quick shots of well, anything. My friends know that I’m pretty much obsessed with selfies and snapping pics of anything that interests me. Since I don’t have a great camera (yet), I take most of my shots with my iPhone 6+ which takes amazing photos for a camera phone, thanks to Apple greatly improving the camera functionality.
Bedroom selfie! Questionable “great shot”
Here are some tips I always adhere to and please note that I am no pro-photographer! Did I miss anything? If so, leave your own amateur photography tips in the comments below!
- Understand your camera/phone camera! Read the instructions, take a beginner’s course, experiment, make friends with your camera!
- If you are taking pics with a smartphone, clean your lens (front and back)!! So many people neglect to do this, and you end up with grainy, unfocused pictures.
- There are several awesome apps that I use on my iPhone: Afterlight, Squaready, Color Cap, VSCOcam, Picfx, SparkMode, Facetune, etc. All of these can add awesome effects to your shots, clean them up, etc.
- Frame your shots well. Centering, off-center, whatever you do, draw attention to your focal point by framing it well (ex. taking a picture of a beautiful garden through an archway).
- Bring your camera everywhere. You never know when you’ll get that perfect, interesting shot. Your friends may think you’re crazy, but who cares? They love you!
- No blurry pics!! Unless it’s a beautiful sharp shot of your subject against a blurry background, blurry pics scream “bad, bad, bad”!
- Don’t be afraid to get low to the ground to get that perfect shot. Crouch, bend over, contort yourself to get your shot. Who cares how you look? You want an instagram/twitter-worthy picture or something to cherish for years!
- People love colour. People love black and white. People love portraits. People love sunsets. People ‘ove reflection photography. People love make-up. People love designer handbags and shoes. Take a pic of whatever you like, just make sure it’s clear and eye-catching.
- Lastly, I am going to invest in a mid-range priced DLSR camera ($350 – sky’s the limit in price). These provide much faster shutter speed (meaning you can take better action shots), colours are more vivid, and zooms are SO much better (wonderful for taking pictures of birds and wildlife – I’m a nerd).
Hope you find this helpful. Happy photo-taking!
xo,
Dominique
Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.