Looking for easy-to-follow ideas to improve the photos you take? From using simple hacks to take better couple and wedding detail photos to some extra tips, we have a list of hacks to add the wow factor to your photo assignments. Learn more about it by clicking on the link below.
Photography has to be one of the most satisfying crafts of all time. There’s something magical about taking photos of a couple, capturing their emotions and some of the best moments. But to develop your craft you’ll not only need to update your skills and get used to the trending forms of photography but also be creative. Let’s be honest, upskilling can sound redundant if you’ve been doing something for a long time. However, updating your knowledge helps you to cater to your clients better and helps you take photos that your clients will love and absolutely adore. That said, when we say creative, what we mean is simple, apart from the nitty gritty tips, you can use hacks to add more details, and charming touches to your photos.
The following blog will not only help you to add more charming qualities to engagement and wedding photos but can also be utilized with other forms of photography. So, without further ado, let’s talk about some of the best hacks for photography that will help you to improve your photography drastically!
Creative and Easy Photography Hacks to Improve Your Photography
Before we discuss photography hacks, there are a couple of things to know. The first thing is that as a photographer, no matter what the assignment is, be flexible. Things will not always go as planned, which is why it is crucial to make the most of your opportunities as they come. And secondly, be resourceful. Most would think resourcefulness is synonymous with creativity. But that’s not always the case, resourcefulness comes with being able to handle mishaps. For example, if your reflector stops working, you don’t have the correct lighting and such. And to be resourceful, you’ll need the following tips. In other words, photography is a process of connecting the dots between what you have and what you know.
1. Shadow work with a smartphone
One of the best photography hacks using a phone is to use the phone’s screen to capture the lights and shadows. Although using water bodies can prove to be interesting, sometimes the water is just too unsettled and does not offer you the perfect level to capture a photo. If you want to capture the shadows or the lights of the buildings, and the couple in front of you, then you can try using a smartphone’s screen to capture the reflection.
This hack works well for urban photos. However, you can use this hack whenever you have bright lights and you want to capture them, then this idea will help you out. But you should remember that the lights need to be bright enough to reflect on the smartphone screen. Another thing to keep in mind is that you may need to level the smartphone and test out the level to capture the composition. Remember, you can hold the smartphone in one hand and take the photo with another, or you can use a tripod to level keep the smartphone secure, and if you do not have a tripod you can use creative methods to place the smartphone and capture the photo through your camera.
One of the best photography hacks that we absolutely recommend using is a sandwich bag. If your aim is to take dreamy photos of a couple, or you’re taking some detailed photographs of a wedding or an engagement session. This photo hack is not only budget-friendly but incredibly easy to use. All you need is a sandwich bag. Once you have it, simply put it on your camera’s lens. After you put it on your camera’s lens, you can poke a hole in the bottom of the bag.
If need be, you can simply fix the sandwich bag to align the hole you poked or cut out of in the bag, so that you can shoot a photo through it. This will help you to take dreamy photos. This is one of the best creative camera hacks because you can find a sandwich bag anywhere. If you do not have a sandwich bag at your disposal, you can use a clear bag. Because of the hole in the center, you’ll have a photo with some areas of sharpness, and the areas where the plastic bag covers the lens will be somewhat blurred out. And this will create a beautiful dreamy photo.
This DIY photo hack will help you to take amazing couple portraits as well as detailed photos. This hack works best for both outdoor and indoor locations. Lastly, this hack can also be used with different colors of sheets as well. But remember these plastic bags, even more so if they’re colored, should be translucent.
3. Prisms are a perfect way to add more details
If you’re in a pickle and can’t figure out where your camera filters disappeared, then here’s a great way to use easy camera effects! You can use a prism to add a sparkling touch to your photos or add more details, the choice is yours. The remarkable thing about this is that one prism can help you use rainbow colors, flares, and blur effects. All you need to do is know how to use the prism.
Obviously, there are multiple ways to use a prism to add impressive qualities to your photos, like lighting the scene and using the right settings, there’s another way of using this. The easiest prism photography tip is to use the prism by placing it right in front of the lens of your camera. Then you can work around the light, the angle, or the distance and see what gives you the best outcome.
The only thing to remember is that prism and photography with it have much to do with physics. When the light hits the prism, the angle creates an effect, and if it hits the prism at a certain angle, the light will create a rainbow. Although most photographers would love to create a rainbow, light spills through the prism, rainbow or no rainbow, will give you an impeccable photo.
Extra Note: A thing to note is that you can use other suncatchers, toys, and other objects that allow the light to pass through.
4. Light put to better use with a box
There’s something amazing about well-lit photos. But do you know what’s even better – a photo with minimal light yet extremely sharp? In other words, lighting for your photos is always crucial. You can have a wonderful photo even without the entire photo composition lit up. And that’s where this hack for photography will come in handy.
You can use a handy box, a shoe box, or any box you have lying around to add a light source to it. The box will help you to secure the flash, and along with that, it will also help you to eliminate light flare. This hack will help you to improve your photos by giving you a chance to use under-light. This trick can help you to add drama to your photos as well.
5. Dreamy photos are as easy as “long exposure” photo shots!
If you’re taking photos of a couple outdoors, surreal photos will be on your photos. Surreal photos add the wow factor to your photos. If you are looking for a way to take a surreal photo, say you want to capture cloud movement in your photos, then this creative photography trick will help you out. One of the easiest ways to take surreal photos is to take photos in long exposures. A great way to do this is to use multi-exposure mode on your camera, you’ll find it in the settings.
And then, all you do is take your photos, and your camera will automatically up the shutter speed, which will capture more photos in the same time period. And then your camera will merge all the photos, hence giving you the surreal photos you’re looking for!
Extra tips: Another way to improve your surreal photos is to pay attention to the weather. A cloudy and windy day is the perfect day to take surreal photos. Also, use a tripod and set the ISO to 100 for best results.
6. Lights and reflections hack
A great way to add more creative touches to your photos, then you should try using more lights and reflections. Just like the first idea we discussed, let’s take the photo hacks to the next level! A great way to use cool elements in your photos is to use mirrors! You can simply use small mirrors or a large mirror to expand the lighting of the area.
If that does not sound good enough, then you can also use some string lights in a dark area to add more details to your photo composition. This will help you add a pretty touch to your photos. What’s more, this also helps you to add a dreamy touch to your photos of the couple you’re taking photos of the couple’s pet or pets as well! That said, you can also use makeshift reflectors to add more light to the scenarios as well.
A hack that is more than just a hack
A great way to add charming details to your photos is to always make note of where the light is coming from. When we talk about photography skills, we usually do not talk about how important it is to pay attention to the light. Of course, light in a room or a scenario can be fixed. However, natural light is always perfect and adds a great touch. If you can, then use natural light. Also, paying attention to light will help you to take better photos. You should position yourself against the sun, and your subject or subjects directly in front of the light.
Some things to remember: Hacks are more than some tips
Before we leave you for the day, let’s take a moment to look at some more ideas that we did not talk about.
Although there are many different ways and types of hacks to use which will make your photos amazing, we compiled a list of some of the easiest hacks that will help take gripping photos. When you’re using these ideas, remember to find your comfort level and test them out during the off-season to gain confidence in your skills. Lastly, do not be afraid to test or try something new. Feel free to experiment with these hacks to make them fit you and your style of photography better.
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