Bonjour lecteurs! Are you off to some beautiful locations for the summer holidays? This year, we booked a holiday to Rhodes that I am looking forward to. It’s une occasion spéciale as I am celebrating my 40th birthday. So more than ever, I want to come home with the best holiday snapshots possible. Do you also want a keepsake of your holiday? Or do you want to level up your photography skills? Here are my top tips to edit your photos like a pro. Whatever your current level, here are my 5 must-know editing tips.
Shoot & Experiment
The number one rule to achieve beautiful photos with un style personnel, is that you need to allow time and experiment.
Learning photo editing is fun, but it’s a skill you develop overtime time. Like anything else, you get better the more you do it.
So shoot non-stop as the first snap will never be the perfect one straightaway. One thing I learned over the years while shooting with my family is that it can take many snaps to get the perfect family shot.
It’s even harder with kids: they’re not always in the mood and the whole process can really test your patience.
So my first word of advice is not to expect it to work within a few hours. Be playful, test different angle, poses. Personnellement, I shoot all the time and I reckon I probably only use 1/3 of my gallery. Just take photos as you go along, follow your instincts and try new things. Sometimes, I aim to be arty or do something très différent and it’s a total miss. But that’s ok, because I tested and attempted a new tecnique.
Get Others Involved
Another trick to expand your photography skills and learn new tips along the way? Let others take photos for you.
We recently went on a press trip and I was shooting was felt comfortable to me. It was getting boring and repetitive. So instead, I gave my camera to Grumpy Boyfriend to let him take some snaps.
It was such a great experiment! Not only he took some great shots, but it was fab to have the perspective of someone else! Par exemple, he took some amazing close up shots of our locations that looked totalement différents to my style. It was so cool! I got some fab shots to use in my content, but I can also show the location with a different perspective.
Another project I am starting this summer? I gave Stanley my old phone so that he can start his own portfolio. I think that he will learn new skills. Plus, it’s une bonne idée to give him a new project to crack on with over the summer holidays. I also hope he will come up with some fun photos and I can learn new things!
The Best Group Photos
If you are shooting special occasions such as a party or a wedding, you need to shoot even more. Be in the moment and keep snapping. Capture the vibes and everyone’s moves. It will happen quick so don’t be scared to take a lot of snaps. You can select the best shots to edit later on.
Or you can level up and have extra fun with AI photography and AI photobooths. The qualité is amazing nowadays. I can’t imagine what it will be like in the future. This kind of brands tend to work with corporate clients but it’s fab if you organise a private social event. Par exemple, it’s perfect for a party!
Edit Only Your Best Shots
Another thing to bear in mind? Raw photos are rarely the ones, so you will need to get familiar with a photo-editing software.
See it as a fun hobby. I have been using Photoshop for years and I keep learning every day!
Personnellement, I hate seating in front of a full tutorial of a programme from A to B, I never retain anything. But I like watching small tutorials teaching one aspect. Le secret? Learn to master just one editing technique at a time. You might makes mistakes and have some disappointment, but enjoy the process.
Know The Basics
No need to know all the tricks. Just follow simple rules to get great results. Personnellement, I want my photos to have a natural feel.
I am not a big fan of using a lot of filter. I find them quite restrictive to work with anyway. It’s not for everyone. That’s why I always shoot with natural light as I feel it looks more réalistique. Now, your pics might look a a bit dull and flat at first. But you can fix it with the right level of brightness and contrast.
I always start by cropping my pictures before adjusting those. Some people live using a specific colour tone. But I like adjusting slightly the saturation. It works well to achieve colourful photos, especially if the first version looked a bit dull.
I love warm but bright shots. Go for what feels like you. I think the beauty of photography is that we can all experiment and achieve a personal style. I reckon most of my photos have a similar feel. It’s often lively as I want to depict what the mum life is like. We all know that it’s never still and tranquil, especially with a little boy!
Finalement, I want to remind you that the most important is to have fun when taking photos. I think this post cover all the basics to edit like a pro, but have fun and test things around. The more you do it, the more confident you will become. It’s a beautiful process and such a rewarding hobby! You are not doing it to be featured in a photography magazine; you’re doing it for yourself. Who know, you might want to start your own blog or your Instagram page…
Collaboration
