Photo Tips for Scrapbooking ~ By Jayne Loughlin

                              Taking photos to Scrapbook ~ By Jayne Loughlin

Summertime! The weather is warmer (sometimes), the sun is shining a little more (hopefully) and you’ve suddenly got lots of fabulous photo-taking opportunities from Holidays to Day Trips ,Outdoor parties to picnics. Grab your sunscreen and your camera—I’ve got tips and tricks to help your take scrapbook worthy photos this summer! I have added some of my own photos of my trip to Prague (a family wedding) for examples  but I’m not a professional I just have a few tips that I try & practise too ! I’ve got a Bridge Camera but this isn’t showing you to take photos it’s giving you some things to think about when you take them

TIP 1 :Zoom in: Sometimes I feel a need to fit the persons entire body into the photo. While there are times you want to capture them from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes, don’t forget to zoom in every now and then! Fill the frame with your subject’s face and you’ll end up with a beautiful shot full of personality—it avoids having photos with busy backgrounds. **Above is a photo of Keira pretending to be asleep !!! {See photo above}

Tip 2 : Experiment: I’ve noticed a really cool trend in photography: Take a picture of just the lower body of your subject…i.e: their Shoes. Another look I love is positioning the subject to either the extreme right or left of the centre. **The above photo is taken to show my FIL’s shoes as they were new for the wedding & he went out to buy them on his own (not a women in sight to help out) My MIL hated them but I liked them They are the ones in the middle lol !

Tip 3: Try to take photos in the morning & afternoon or early eve. The bright sunshine means you can easily end up with harsh light and unflattering shadows. If you’re photographing people, you’ll want to do it when the sun isn’t directly overhead. Overcast days are the best for photography, but stand (and shoot) in the shade if you can’t avoid the sunlight. The skys can paint a rainbow of colours whilst the sun is setting. **The above photo wasn’t taken by me it was the professional photographer…I think i need a lot more tips & equipment to get this good

Tip 4: Photograph the symbols of Summer: Not going on a holiday this year? You can still capture the symbols of summer. Take close-ups of that favorite pair of sandals, a fresh-from-the-freezer ice lolly, sunscreen bottle or a working sprinkler.** I’ve taken a photo of the wedding bouquet next to two cold Beers

Tip 5: Change colour photos to B&W: Summer wardrobes generally include bright flowered tops, citrus colours and bold patterns. Since people rarely colour-coordinate their clothing before coming to visit, it’s likely a few of your group shots will result in some crazy colour combinations. My solution is to turn them into black and white photos—not only do you have an easier time choosing background papers, but B&W photos are flattering and really put the focus on the subjects’ faces or focus on the dark parts.** I’ve taken a photo of the view but the Lamp post is like a sillouette & less ugly in B&W, It would look out of place in colour.

Tip 6: Water Reflections: Playing in Pools or dashing through Sprinklers, maybe a boat trip, These are just some  typical summertime activities. How to take great water photos? First of all, don’t mind the reflection. You want reflections from the water! Second, try to get down on the subject’s level: Crouch down to take a pool side picture rather than standing over the water, for example. Experiment with perspective to minimize overly-bright water reflection. And don’t forget—be careful with your camera around water! **My photo was of Charles bridge at night with the flash turned off and a steady hand you can get a photo like this’Spooky’ x

Tip 7: Pass the Camera
In every family, there’s usually one official photographer. In our family, that person is me…so I have to be sure to share control of the camera every now and then.  If you have a spare camera you could take it along but it’s best to pass your camera to someone you trust so you are not hiding behind it when photos are taken with another camera, You’ll still be in charge of editing if it’s your camera so don’t fret ! ** A Rare photo of me & i’m smiling

Tip 8: Talk to strangers: Whenever you travel, Try to get all your family in at least one shot together. A great way to do this is ask someone to take a photo for you. I’ve never had anyone say no. Can’t find a passer-by? Ask the waiter, the hotel staff etc.** Ok this isn’t that flattering but I dressed for comfort as Prague was really all about walking..we took a tour in this vintage car & the driver took this photo (i’ve just jumped out to take a photo previously)

Tip 9: Take photos of signs:
 I always make sure to take photos of signs: Road signs, landmark signs, historical plaques, street signs, the sign for the hotel…Signs make great scrapbook photos because they not only tell exactly where you were. **This was a photo we took as we wanted to show my daughter a shop but we didn’t have a map on us…taking this photo we could look for the place on the map back at the Hotel to find the street again !

Tip 9: Shooting people and backgrounds together. Say you want a photo of your family member standing in front of an old church. The trick? You want to see the whole church, and you want to be able to see your family member.  If you shoot the person standing directly in front of the church, you’ll end up with a close-up photo of that person with just a little of the church showing. Step back and you’ll have a photo of a very small person standing in front of a huge building. An option is for both you and the person to go across the street from the church. You can take a close up, focused shot of the person with the church in the background.** This is my daughter Azaria posing in the evening. I like this, The view looks like a painting.

Tip #10: Don’t forget the scenic shots.
Lots of us do this—no matter where we are or what the occaision, someone has to be in the photo. While I love those family pictures, I also try to take plenty of non-people shots…either scenic photos or close-ups. Some of my favourite photos don’t have people in them! ** I love the old church framed by the red roofs.

A few more photos of my trip to beautiful Prague ( I do recommend) There are lots of pieces of modern art in amongst lots of History & beautiful buildings.

   ** My last piece of advice? Don’t forget to take a small notebook along with you, especially on longer holidays where you’ll be taking lots and lots of photos. It makes a great place to record why you took a certain photo—and makes it easier to do your journaling later!