Welcome to the third installment of The Mom Blog Collective: Tips for better photography. If you're new here, here's the scoop. Every other week, our group of amazing and inspiring mamas will answer the same set of questions to do with blogging, Instagram, photography, collaborations, sponsored posts, balancing it all with motherhood, and more. We each have different perspectives and different opinions, so this is a fun way to learn from one another. We hope you'll join along! Check out the hashtag #themomblogcollective to see everyone on Instagram, and I will also link you to all of the amazing blog posts here at the bottom of my post!

So, I seriously feel like I'm the furthest person who's qualified for this weeks installment of #Themomblogcollective because I generally hide behind my lack of professional looking photos with my lengthy yet genuine and honest, raw, heartfelt captions. Yes, I do stick to a color pallet and I try and use the same few core filters in each of my images but I'm not a professional by any means. I feel like in order to get professional looking feed, you need to be a professional...right? Nope. Either hire a professional who actually knows what they are doing or marry someone and convince them to quit their day job, learn photography and follow you around all day. Haha right? And if that doesn't work for you... Here are a few tips that may help you fake it like I do. I'll be sharing a few tips, talking about what camera I use, and giving all the details on what apps I use.

Top Three Tips:

1. Make sure your images are straight

I always make sure my photos are straight. People tend to like photos that are symmetrical. My husband hates it because when I ask someone to take our photos because I always direct them to take them straight on. "Can you please stand over there and please don't cut me feet off, thanks!" Maybe it's just me but I like things to be straight vs a weird angle or from the side of a scene.

2. Add some negative space

Before you push the trigger, take three steps back. Give your audience a little glimpse into the scene you are in. It's easier for people to see the emotion behind the photograph if they actually see the scenery instead of just your face. It's so typical that you hand your friend the camera and say can you take a picture of me and they get in real close to just capture your face. Right? Trust me on this, .take three steps back! This way you get an idea of what's actually happening around you and allows the subject of the photo, which is usually you or your kids to be the main focus without being distracted by being too close. So when I take my pictures I tend to make sure that I have some sort of sky or ceiling or some sort of space above my head and that you can definitely see my shoes or the sidewalk or something below me. Here's my go to- make sure you get my shoes, even if I'm not wearing any because it helps leave some space.

3. Lighting is key

The time and space that you take your pictures in can be make all the difference. The best time to shoot is the "magic hour" which i think you've all heard before. Right after the sun sets when the suns rays aren't to bright to cause a glare. Also the best place to take a photo is out of the direct sunlight. Try taking your photos in shade but still outside in the light. When you position yourself try and get the light towards you vs behind you.

BONUS TIP:

Take numerous pics at the same time

True story, my cell phone currently has 53,000+ photos in my camera roll. The best way to get a good snap is to take lots of pictures! I know that sounds simple but the truth is for me, I probably take at least 100 photos of the same scene to get the perfect shot. Some people are effortless, but for me, I need lots of options. One way I keep my feed cohesive is to post photos from the same photo shoot on the same day with the same lighting periodically throughout my feed.

Besides what I use to take my photos, two of my most asked questions are, what do you use to take your photos? & what apps do you use to edit your photos and plan your posts?

What do you use to take most of your photos?

I have a mixture of iPhone and I recently got the Sony a6000 with a 1.8/50mm lens. It has built in wifi so I can transfer my images even when I'm not connected to the internet. It's super fast and easy. The camera itself comes with amazing features, that makes it easier to just shoot and post, however, I did spend some time watching You tube videos about the camera. If I do adjust the settings, I mostly adjust the background defocus and the brightness. It's easier to let the camera do the work and edit the images to fit my feed later.

What apps do you use for your editing?

My favorite apps for editing are Color Story & VSCO. I've downloaded so many photo editing apps but these two are by far my favorite. Easy to use, and they have the best pre set filters ready for you. Color Story has the flashes of delight bundle that is really all you need. My favorites are Carrie & Valerie. I sometimes add some brightness and a little fade depending on what the lighting was like in my original photo. For VSCO, I use the basic package, A6 filter and then use tons of exposure and a little brightness. Download those apps, and play with some of the filters to find your own aesthetic.

If there is anything to take away from me this week, it's more about the stories I tell through my images and my captions, to hopefully turn all your followers into real life friends.
As my girl @helloerinV once said, "You take the picture and you just post it." It's sometimes as simple as that.

Here are this weeks contributors:

mrsseacannon.com | @mrsseacannon

britthavens.com | @britthavens

koleimpressions.com | @steph__pollock

cultivatemotherhood.com | @cultivatemotherhood

www.ashleynoel.life | @_ashley_noel_

hellobabybrown.com | @hellobabybrown

darlingnightingale.com | @darlingnightingale

www.a-blessed-nest.com | @blessednestblog

thelovedesignedlife.com | @thelovedesignedlife

GUESTS:

http://www.helloerin.com | @helloerinv
http://www.hopefeathersphotography.com | @hopefeathers
http://www.psimfromthemidwest.com | @hollynbaron