I love bright and happy photographs. Like, I LOVE them.
So! Today! I thought that it would be fun to share three tips on how to create bright and happy photographs anytime, anywhere. And to put a little classic spin on this? I’m not going to talk about the technical side of photography in any way whatsoever – I’m going to talk about digging deep and pulling happy images out of the very depths of your soul (and heart! and mind!) instead. Yes!! I am going to go all inspirational + bossy (is inspirational bossiness a thing?) on your booties and it is going to be awesome. Let’s get this blog post started!!
One: Love What You are Shooting.
I’m going to be honest: It can take a long time for a photographer to find what they love to shoot, particularly because it doesn’t always match up with expectations. For example, I love babies. I have been around babies for nearly my entire life. My brother, Noah, was born when I was 12. My youngest brother, David, was born when I was 14 and, when I left for college, they were still so young that one (or both!) of them ended up snuggled into my bed nearly every night. So! Even before I became a mom, I have always been around babies. I mean, I can swaddle a baby with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back. I know, like, five billion lullabies and it takes me less than a quarter of a second to recall what baby laundry detergent smells like. And on top of that? I am, like, the most baby hungry person in the world. Y’know that crazy friend you have who says “I can’t wait to have one more!!” as soon as their child is six months old? That is totally me and, if I didn’t have to be pregnant (or have C-sections!), I would have a baby every single year – and I’m not saying that jokingly. I just adore babies + everything that goes along with them.
So! Knowing this, it always just made sense that I would be a newborn photographer. I love photographing newborns with their families at homes – it is legit one of my favorite things to do in the entire world and I could be completely happy photographing those kinds of sessions for my entire life – but, when it came time for me to pick a speciality, I felt like a magnet was pulling me to weddings. I love photographing weddings. Now. Am I the kind of girl who loves rom-coms and always dreamed about weddings growing up? Not in the slightest. While I am definitely super girly and totally love a good love story, I would pick a mobster movie (you guys, I love mobster stories) or a historical movie or an episode of Doctor Who over a rom-com every single time. Like, this past Valentine’s Day, Andrew and I ordered pizza and watched The Godfather. On paper, I don’t look much like a wedding photographer. BUT! I LOVE photographing weddings. I think they are so amazing and so much fun and, if I hadn’t tried out every single kind of photography possible before specializing, I never would have thought that I would love wedding photography so hard. I joke sometimes about photographers (and artists!) who act like photography just magically fell into their lap one day but, honestly, wedding photography fell into mine and it is one of the most amazing aspects of my life. I love it.
But you guys!! It goes past that! I love weddings because they are fun and happy and a huge celebration tied up with a shiny package of pretty details and gorgeous flowers and beautiful clothing. I love them because they are happy and, by embracing the happiness of weddings, I have learned to sit back and find that same happiness in all of my photography work. Because I fell in love with wedding photography, I am able to bring that same passion and excitement to Senior Photography and I’m also able to bring it into Family Photography. Then! On top of that! I do not take every wedding or portrait client that comes my way. I always talk to brides before signing them (at least on the phone!), only photograph seniors who want bright and happy photographs, and only photograph families who want to be photographed in a relaxed, fun, and non-traditional fashion (bonus points if they want to be photographed in their home!). And because of this? I really and truly love every single session (and wedding!) that I shoot. And this love? It comes through in the photographs. How couldn’t it?!
You can have this in your photography work too! Just embrace what you love to shoot, even if it isn’t what you expect! If you love children, it definitely does not mean that you are meant to be a child photographer. If you loved high school, it does not mean that you are meant to photograph high school seniors. If it does, great! But! Don’t be surprised if it takes a year or two to find out what you really, truly love to shoot. And once you find it? Don’t hesitate! Run with it!!
Two: Know What You are Shooting.
I think it is so important to know what you are shooting. This goes for everything – from people to plants to skies to apples sitting on your kitchen table. If you want to create bright and happy photographs, you need to take the time to get to know what you are shooting – you can’t just point a camera in a specific direction and expect for everything to fall in place brilliantly. It won’t!
When I photograph people, I talk like a crazy person. I do this for lots of reason – the main being that I love to get to know the people I am shooting – but, the truth is, if I were closed off during a session, my photographs just would not be the same. How could they be? Having your photograph taken is a very unique, somewhat odd experience and, to create bright and happy images, you need to help your clients relax and have a good time. Having your photograph taken should be fun! It should be silly and hilarious and a celebration of your specific time in life – no matter if the photo session is of a brand new baby or a couple getting married or a family with five children. Every person’s life is worth celebrating! Their photographs should reflect them! It is so important to me that I capture happy and emotive images of my clients so that, when they look at their photographs in five or ten years, they will be overwhelmed with happiness. I photograph my clients for them as they are now, of course, but when I photograph someone, I’m also photographing them for their siblings and their closest friends and their parents and their children and grandchildren who haven’t been born yet and, most of all, I’m photographing them for their own future selves. If I don’t get to know my clients, I can’t do this!
I so think that every photograph is a celebration of life and, because of this, it is so important to take a second and really look at what you are shooting. If an apple can have a personality in a photograph (and countless years of still life paintings have taught us they can!), then every single person should have a visible personality in their photographs. If you want to create bright and happy photographs, make them full of life! The results will be incredible!
Three: Trust Yourself When You are Shooting.
If you know your camera like the back of your hand, know what you love to shoot, and get to know your photography subjects, there is only one thing left to do: Trust yourself.
To create bright and happy images – or any other kind of images that innately reflect you, your world view, and your vision – you absolutely need to trust yourself. There’s only so much you can do to prepare for a session or wedding and, once you’re there, it’s best to let go of fear, grab hold of your camera, know your settings, and trust your yourself (and your vision, too!). The world is full of photographers but, because there is only one you, you will see things happen in front of you – people mid-laugh and light hitting a bed frame a certain way and sunset in the middle of winter and detail shots of a child holding their mother’s hand and wind blowing a bride’s hair in a beautiful manner – that no one else will notice. Trust yourself and capture those things! Doing so will not only strengthen your work – they’ll strengthen you as a person as well. I wish that I could extrapolate on this point more but, because it really only boils down to two words, there’s not much else I can say besides saying those two words again: Trust Yourself. No moment or expression or flicker of a smile is too fleeting to miss – if something catches your eye, shoot it! Even if it’s a detail shot of a brick in the middle of a huge brick building. Even if it’s half an eye-roll that a senior gives her mom during her Senior Session. Even if it’s a three year old grabbing a large rock to throw in the lake when his mom only told him to throw the small ones. Even if it’s a tear from a best man after his speech is over and he thinks no one is looking. Even if it’s the way a leaf is hanging from the tree in your front yard. Nothing is too small for a photograph. The world is full of so many glorious things! So! Get out there, don’t stress, and create the kind of images you want to create (even if they are moody and dark!).
And that’s that! Creating bright and happy photographs is such a joyful experience and I hope this tutorial was helpful for y’all! Photography is the best!
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