Hello & happy middle of March. I know the month is only halfway through, but I wanted to go ahead and share my favorite things of the moment. I’ve decided to switch things up and start shooting some of my blog posts in film because I’m trying to practice. Let me know what you think!
To get through these depressing, lingering winter months, I’ve really been leaning into old hobbies and comforts.
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Unconventional (adj): not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.
I have watched my fair share of photography YouTube videos along with reading probably a hundred of posts and forums about photography advice. Things start to get repetitive and predictable, and you hear the same few ‘rules’ over and over. Though everybody has their own unique photography style, it seems like most photographers tend to have the same processes and the same conventional standards (i.e. “You can’t get great photos without shooting on RAW“, “You need to get on your computer and use lightroom“, “You need these 5 lenses to be a paid photographer“). The more I started to read and watch, the more I realized a few things I practice and believe aren’t exactly conventional when it comes to being a photographer. I am so incredibly fascinated about learning what other people do and what processes work for them. While I think it’s important to constantly seek growth and learn new things, I think it is also important to stay true to yourself and to not be fearful of breaking a few rules. Try different things, listen to different opinions, and find what works best for you!
I wanted to share three of my unconventional photography habits and my three things I believe you don’t need to produce beautiful photographs to be proud of. I hope you can find my tips insightful or interesting at the very least:
Hey guys! During this past summer, I started a photography series here on my blog, but never really continued it. This past week, I decided that I want to create photography posts in the future, so today I wanted to share a few tips I’ve learned recently!
Last week, I had the opportunity to shoot some group photos for my sorority’s website. I typically only shoot solo portraits, so shooting more than one person was definitely a challenge for me at first. It’s definitely all about trial and error, but it was so much fun to try something different last Wednesday!
Here are a few tips I learned during that day for shooting group photos:
This is something I have had to learn the hard way! During our photoshoot last week, we shot two different outfits in two different locations. For the first location, the models were wearing t-shirts. I had them stand in the Grove (where we shot all the photos) by a picnic table. If I would have scouted at the location ahead of time, I would have realized that the specific place that I placed them was way too dark. I sadly noticed this after we shot all the photos, and they were too difficult to retouch. Luckily, I found a fantastic spot with great lighting for the second outfits (pictured below). Walk around the area where you will be taking the photos and practice shooting from all different directions. This will help you feel more confident and prepared when you take the actual photos of the subjects. It will also help you find the best place to shoot the photos!
When shooting friends and family, it can be difficult for them to come up with poses naturally. I always look on Pinterest and Instagram for ‘pose-inspiration’. For both individual and pair/group shots, I can find it helpful to have the subjects walk away from me and then walk towards me. I find that it looks natural and can really help them loosen up. I think this is an especially great suggestion for fashion shots! For group shots in general, I think it can be really helpful to have the group ‘fake laugh’. It sounds silly, but I personally think fake-laughing pictures can be adorable, especially for a group of girls!
I love shooting at a very low f-stop because I love the gorgeous bokeh it creates. For the first set of photos (that we ended up not using), I shot at a 4.0 f-stop. I wasn’t happy with the photos not only because of the lighting, but because the high f-stop created a not so dreamy effect. However, if I would have used an f-stop that was too low (like a 1.8, for example), some of the members of the group would have been completely blurry! For the best set of photos (pictured below), I used a 2.5 f-stop, which I was really happy with! There was the perfect amount of bokeh, but the subjects were still all in focus. Score!
Definitely be aware of spacing when shooting a group! Sometimes the subjects don’t realize if they are standing too close or too far apart from the others next to them. Let them know if they need to stand a little closer or a little farther away, and also be observant about the lighting on the subjects.
Another error with the first set of photos was that all the outfits clashed. I told the subjects to wear whatever they wanted to, and the outfits ended up clashing together, which was entirely my fault. I should have had the girls send me photos of their outfits ahead of time, but I didn’t do that. Luckily for the second set of photos, all of the models’ dresses looked gorgeous together and really complimented each other. I think it can be very helpful to have the subjects wear solids and similar color palettes. For example, for a spring time shoot it can look lovely to have everyone in pastels. For family portraits, you can’t go wrong with white shirts and jeans. In addition, it can also be helpful when picking a location if you know the color palette you are working with!
All in all, last week’s shoot was an amazing learning experience for me! Photography is totally trial and error, and I always love learning new tips. This fall semester, I will be shooting portraits/group photos just for fun to gain experience. I hope you can find these tips helpful as well! To see more photos from the shoot, check out my sorority’s website & our updated ‘what to wear for recruitment‘ page.
xoxo,
Mackenzie
Happy Wednesday! When you were in middle school, did you ever take photoshoots for fun with your friends? I definitely did. No shame, no shame at all. We always had a blast [and now as a college student, I love to look back at the photos from my awkward middle school stage and LOL]. Fast forward nine years… definitely still having photoshoots for fun. My excuse this time? I got a new lens! After saving for months and months, I finally splurged on my dream Canon lens. So of course after leaving Best Buy, I had to play around with my new lens right away. My sister, friends, and I headed to the city to snap a few fun pictures in the heart of Dallas. Our favorite location to shoot? Trinity Groves. SO cute. My kind of perfect, summer afternoon.
I hope you’re having a fantastic morning!
xoxo,
Mackenzie
Velvet Dress (c/0) | Necklace | Platforms (c/0) | Tights | Booties (linked similar)
Happy New Year everyone!! It is officially 2016! To celebrate the New Year, I decided to break out my new favorite velvet dress. I thought it would be fun to style it two different ways. For the first look, I paired this gorgeous blue dress with these super fun (and super comfy) platforms and a glam necklace. For the second look, I went with black tights and black Prada booties. The second look is great for super chilly days or a more conservative occasion like church. I think the first look would be perfect for any party, nice event, or a wedding.
I want to give a huge thank you to Taylor Nicole Photography for taking these stunning pictures. She is so incredible talented and creative, and we had so much fun shooting these. If you need senior pictures or any other types of photos done – definitely, definitely check out Taylor Nicole.
[https://www.facebook.com/taylornicolephotog/?fref=ts]
[http://taylornicolephoto.smugmug.com]
I also want to give another huge thank you to ShopStyle & Boohoo for sponsoring this post!
We have some other pictures/outfits coming this week, and I am so excited to share them with you all. I hope y’all had an awesome & safe NYE!
Dress | Earrings | Wedges | Bracelets
Hey y’all! This dress is seriously fun. Okay, and a little wild too. Pom poms have a way of making any outfit a little extra special. I love how colorful and bold the pom poms on this dress are. It feels very ‘peruvian’ to me. One of my favorite things about this dress is that it is great for the beginning of fall. It’s a nice transition piece because it has long sleeves, but it still has a fun, bright aspect of summer with the pom poms and embroidery. It’s actually an off the shoulder dress, but I didn’t realize that until today! You can definitely wear it either way. I paired this statement piece with white tassel earrings and nude wedges. I think this dress would be really cute with neutral sandals and stud earrings for a casual daytime look. This dress also comes in pink as well, which is another one of my favorite colors to wear!
I have something super exciting to share with y’all…
Y’all will be seeing lots of Layne over the next few weeks! She will also be my model sometimes as well, which is super exciting. If y’all have any specific things you would like to see, just comment and let us know! Check out Layne on insta & twitter and check out Southern Tide!
Hope you all are having a wonderful Monday!
