Photography Love + Tips from Little Miss Spy

I met April through a Blogging Your Way course led by Holly at decor8. April helped me nurse an addiction for photography & note cards. She does both really well.

April can be stalked at Everything Little Miss and on Twitter @littlemissspy.
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Hello! I'm so excited to be writing a guest post for Jamie. She asked me to write about photography because it's something she loves.

When I was a sophomore in college, my boyfriend got a digital point-and-shoot camera. My world changed. Before, I'd been careful to conserve film and I was always worried I'd run out and miss capturing the best picture. Suddenly, I didn't have to be so cautious. Sure, the disc could fill up before I got "the best picture," but at least I wouldn't have to pay to print the bad ones. In fact, I could delete bad ones right away to make room for better ones!

Holy cow.

I commandeered his camera and started taking a lot of pictures. Most of them weren't very good, but I was having so much fun. Eventually, we got a digital SLR, and my obsession with digital photography grew.


I started my blog, Objects of Communication, in 2008 as a way to nurture my interest in my photography hobby. It gave me a reason to take pictures and I started to be more careful about composition and content because I wanted to share (mostly) photos, not snapshots.

I got into the habit of taking photos with a purpose, and I think my photography has improved tremendously since I started the blog. Now instead of 1 in 50 photos being good, I take far fewer photos with better results. I've taken the time to learn about the settings on my camera and now I have more control over the outcome (as opposed to automatic settings, where the camera makes the decisions for you).

Photography is my hobby, not my job, and I'd like to keep it that way because it's something fun I do for myself.


A Few Tips + Tricks

• Natural light is your friend. It's so much better than the flash. Play around in different types of light and see what you like.
• Think about backgrounds. You don't want a great portrait to be ruined by a restroom sign in the background!
• Editing. Get a free editing program that will allow you to adjust brightness + contrast, crop, and play with colors. There are free programs available: Picasa and Picnik are popular.
• Move around to get a better shot. You can totally zoom in by walking closer or get down on the ground if that's what will improve the composition.
• Fill the frame!
• Think about the rule of thirds. (Learn about it here.)
• Don't be afraid to delete photos. There's really no point in keeping most blurry or boring pictures. That said, feel free to snap away and experiment. You'll learn what works and can throw away what doesn't.
• Organize. If you take a lot of photos, they can get unorganized really quickly. Keep your sanity by marking everything clearly. I use a date + a description of the pictures in each folder (eg, 23-Jun-2010 photo walk in Brookline).
• Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Print out your favorite photos and hang them up for all of your friends to admire. That's what I do!

I wish you the best of luck in your photo adventures.

Now bust out your camera and start snapping away!

{images: April @ Little Miss Spy}

P.S. April is sponsoring a snazzy blogiversary giveaway later this week...stay tuned...