HELLO!

My name is Lindsey O, and i’m writing a guest post especially for Drop the Spotlight readers today! I have some special freebies and discount codes for you, as well as a few tips for those of you that are into creating and / or traveling like I am! I am a Photographer, an avid Traveler, and a business coach for Creatives.

Image caption: By Taylor Rae Photography

FREE STUFF

Today, I’m going to give you some tips for photography, photographing your travels, social media and starting your creative side business! So first, go check out my Freebies! They include a guide to perfecting your instagram, a daily planner, and a morning motivation set.

TIPS + ADVICE FOR PHOTOGRAPHING WHILE TRAVELING

Traveling is such an amazing way to inspire creativity. Getting out of your comfort zone and being around people who are different forces you to think differently. When we think differently, we are more creative. If you’re interested in traveling and want help or want to share your images, I’d love to have you over at my facebook group, The Creative Wanderers.

When I take photos while traveling, I try to capture a few things: Colors that I personally love (teals and pinks) and people in their element. When I see teal waters contrasted with a cliffside or boats, or anything else to give it some substance, I jump all over that. To me, that’s the kind of images that I enjoy hanging in my home afterwards, as I appreciate their aesthetic.

Try to think of the photos you would want to see hung in your home. What do they all have in common, what do you like about them? Learn this about yourself and shoot more of that next time you travel.

See more photos from my Print Shop.

TIMING

If you want that soft even light in landscape photos that brings out the deepest colors, then shooting when the sun is bright is not optimal. Intense sun can drown out colors, and make pieces of your image too dark, and others too bright.

So when is the best time to shoot? If it’s overcast, you’re good to go most of the day! When the sky is overcast, it acts like a giant lightbox and provides a nice even lighting on everything.

If it’s a sunny day, shoot when the sun is low in the sky. This would be the first hour or so after sunrise and before sunset. I usually scout out my favorite locations and try to return to those places, or stick around until sunset.

WHAT APERTURE TO USE

If you have a DSLR, one of the three tools you can adjust when shooting in manual mode is aperture. For portraits, you may want to use a larger aperture (a lower f/#). For landscape however, you likely want as much of the image as possible to be in focus. For this, you will want to use a smaller aperture (a higher f/#).

Take a look at the below examples taken at a large aperture (f1/.4), a mid aperture (f/4) and a small aperture (f/16). See how the subject (the flower pot) is always in focus, but that the background changes in focus. As the aperture gets smaller (a larger f/#), more of the background comes into focus.

f/1.4 This image was taken using aperture priority mode, with ISO 100 and f/1.4.

f/4 This image was taken using aperture priority mode, with ISO 100 and f/4.

f/16 This image was taken using aperture priority mode, with ISO 500 and f/16.

© Lo Photo, LLC

TIPS FOR TAKING SHARPER PHOTOS

A SPECIAL GIFT

Thanks for reading my post, and I hope you enjoyed my tips and freebies! I have written a few e-books and guides on Starting your own Blog and Taking Better Photos. My Taking better photos guide includes 6 years of learning through owning my own photography business and is made for beginners. I will teach you how to choose camera gear that’s right for you, what all those numbers mean, how to shoot in manual mode or select the appropriate settings, and how to edit your photos. I’m handing out 50% off my Taking Better Photos guide to all you readers today when you use the coupon code TAKE50 at checkout.