How to Take Creative Couples Portraits

Whatever their skill level, most photographers do everything they can to avoid cheesy, awkward and generic couples portraits. But there are a few creative elements to think about while you’re at the location and also when editing your images that will make them a bit more special. Now let’s learn from Alice Laidlaw, a young award-winning photographer.

LOCATIONS

Locations don’t have to be iconic or super amazing. Integrating texture, form and pattern can lend in telling a story about the couple, and create a narrative in your images.

Trees and Foliage:

Framing couples in the branch formations or space around the tree allows it to be important in the composition without distracting from the couple. This is particularly effective if you stand far back from your subjects. Bushy, full foliage with pattern and texture makes a great background.

Buildings:

Doorways, archways and windows are great to position couple in and give the composition a dynamic aspect. It can often give the image balance, and can be applied to both indoor and outdoor sessions. Carefully positioning yourself and your couple in front of these elements can produce great graphic compositions.

EDITING

If you struggle to think of creative ways to present your images to make them stand out, there are a few things to consider which can make a good image a great image.

Cropping:

If you have a great shot of your couple with the expressions you want, don’t be afraid to crop in really tight. This is also an opportunity to create some alternative formats. Cropping to a square format can also lend to an artistic result.

Combining images:

Pair appropriate images together side by side on the canvas. A good option is placing a close-up portrait orientation next to a wider landscape orientation.

Filters:

A very faint colored filter can change so much in your image and alters the mood dramatically. Warming the tone can instantly romanticize a couple’s portrait. To create an even softer effect, reduce the overall saturation of the original image.

Noise:

Once you’ve done your overall adjustments, applying some noise over the image is a great way to add subtle texture and gives your image an “arty” look.

Add a Border:

Adding a border can make such a different in the overall look of the final image and raises the bar in presentation. It certainly makes your image look more like an art photograph, and also acts as a frame. 

How to Photograph the Stars on the Night

national geographic

Yesterday, it was reported that there would be a meteor shooting across the sky on that night. But it’s pity that most of people didn’t catch a glimpse of any trail. Don’t be regretful. There will be two successive meteors tomorrow, which leave opportunities to feast your eyes. Therefore, how about studying some star photographic skills from how-to wiki? It will help to freeze the brightest “diamonds”.   

Pick a spot

The first thing is pick a prime location. City lights, airports and other brightly lit areas on the ground cause light pollution. Pick a spot far away from the city, preferably in the mountains, in the desert or in a rural area.

Mount your camera to a telescope

You don't need to attach your camera to a telescope to take star photos. Wide-field sky images work just fine with your camera's lens. But if you want to photograph the moon or planets, you'll need to mount your camera to a telescope.

Take your best shot

national geographic

Mount your camera, set the aperture to open all the way, set the focus to infinity and hold the shutter open for several minutes. Brighter objects only require 2 to 10 minutes while distant galaxies may require 20-30 minutes. Don't touch your rig while the shutter is open. You can hold a piece of cardboard in front of the lens when you trip the shutter. Then, pull it away when the camera "settles".

How to shoot meteors

Pick your target based on the meteor shower. Make sure the moon isn't in your shot, since it's so bright it will drown out the stars and meteors.

You should set your lens for a wide field of view. Keep the shutter open for 2 to 10 minutes. If you're lucky, one or more meteors will cross the camera's field of view during that time. If not, try again!

More practice

Keep a log of the objects you shoot along with notes on cloud cover, light pollution.

Start with the moon. It's big and it's bright, making it easy to photograph, even in areas with moderate light pollution.

Rule of Thirds: Better Photographic Composition

Yesterday, our department had organized a photographic training to improve our photographing skill and I used to think it might be filled with boring theory. In fact, the class was very interesting for the host had presented a lot of pictures to make it vivid. I got benefit from the training and now I wanna share with you about the Rules of Third, an effective way to better composition.

To keep balance of the picture, the Rules of Third is a basic but efficient principle to place the subjects. Before snapping, image your picture are broken down into thirds and place the subject on one of the intersections. Here’s how it works: 

 

You can also apply the rule of thirds guidelines to the placement of the horizon in your photos. Here the center position of the boat and horizon results in a static feeling.

 

Let's move the horizon to the upper third and the sailboat to the left. This time, we focus on the sailboat and emphasize the sea. Remember, these are the only guidelines. So if you don't like this subject placement, try another.

 

Like this. We've moved the horizon line to the lower third. Now, we focus on the sailboat and emphasize the sky. In general, place the horizon high or low in your scenic, but rarely in the middle.

Using the Rule of Thirds comes naturally to some photographers but for many of us takes a little time and practice for it to become second nature.

(photos are quoted from Photo Composition Articles)