I am live blogging for the very first time from CyberMummy11. Please don’t judge if this goes terribly awry. As a blogger who is keen on photography, I am very excited about this one!
@cosmicgirlie has just been told not to swear… Let’s see if she can do it.

CosmicGirlie takes the stage

You just have to take a good photo the first time. Editing later to make it look good is not necessary.

When taking photos, you need to think about angles. Composition is really important. Framing can enhance any photo. Composition is setting up the picture.

Before

Make your subject more interesting by either tilting the camera, stepping back or crouching down to a different angle. These can help make the photos “quirky”.After

Composition: think about where the angle is going. If you crouch down, you instantly make your subject matter taller – pointing to the sky. Focus on a point of reference for interest. Frame the face, drop down and tilt, this brings out the character and detail in the subject matter.

Action

Don’t just stick the camera in front of faces and snap. Think about the composition.

Do a quick assessment of your subject. Don’t focus on features they may be self conscious of; perspective can change the image into something possibly unflattering into a beautiful portrait.

Sian portrait

Photographing children:

Most often the best photos of children are candid. Begging a child to smile never works and usually comes out unnatural.

Capture the moment. Catch the child doing what they are interested in. Be patient, these photos take time to capture, but are worth the wait. The photos will look natural and not forced or posed. Children’s photography = be natural.

Photographing food:

Food photography is very difficult and is a profession in itself. Food photos take a lot of time to set up to look good. Lighting, sprays, gels and even fake food are all keys to making food photography look good.

Before cupcake

After cupcake

DISCLAIMER: **Cupcakesandotherstuff does not use any of these methods when photographing food, as you can probably tell.**

Using reflection and different angles can help add interest to a simple subject.
Glasses far

Make the viewer question: “What is it?” Crop images when taking the photo not in editing. Create abstract view to make the viewer question what it is and create intrigue. Using techniques like these is quirky, artistic, interesting and makes people think.

Glasses near

Editing can’t make a rubbish photo look good. Start with good composition, lighting, focus. If you don’t have a good photo from the camera, you will have a difficult time making it look good using editing programs. Within reason, you can create better photos in editing if the photo is a bit too dark.

A more expensive camera doesn’t necessarily make your photos better. Learn to use the camera you have before moving to on a more expensive camera with fancy bells and whistles.

Using DSLR, think about aperture and ISO. These are more advanced terms, but will assist in taking photos in low lighting.

If you have any questions for @cosmicgirlie for photography, you can check out her blog.

@ericawhiteman live blogging from @cybermummy – out.