I recently had a lovely mentoring session with Mathew Boudreaux of Mister Domestic. He is a really sweet guy. I asked for tips on how I can improve my Instagram feed. One piece of advice he gave me is to work on my photography. I like concise advice.
Do you feel like you struggle with photography? I’m always amazed at the photos I see online, compared with the ones I take. I think some of these Instagrammers have designed their homes just to use as photo backdrops.
One of my instincts is to take quick shots as I’m working on projects and tease what I’m doing, with no thought to photo quality. I mean, it isn’t blurry, but it also isn’t interesting. Mathew says I shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to set up a shot. For now, I will take at least five minutes. A little thought goes a long way.
Here are some of my “throwaway” photos I’ve taken recently. Boring, right?
Mathew has a great video on YouTube called 5 Pro Tips to Great Photos for Instagram. Watch and learn. It’s 14 minutes long, and well worth it if you want to improve your photography.
These are my most recent photos.
I’ve taken these with my Samsung Galaxy S8 phone. You can definitely get similar quality on whatever phone you are using, within reason. I have zero special knowledge.
One tool I picked up that makes this a lot easier are these great backdrops. They are 2 feet square and feel like wallpaper. I get them from Ink and Elm on Etsy. I picked up 4 last year, and I just ordered four new ones. I buy ones that are predominantly white – I love how they look in my photos.
I will have to give a little bit more thought on how to make “action shots” more appealing. You know, using the iron, or piecing. Longarm photos can be boring too, and I don’t want to throw a lot of props onto the quilt while I’m working.
My photo editing abilities end at cropping and maybe clicking on one of the alternative lighting options on Instagram. That is it. I don’t have an Adobe account, and I don’t want to spend the time it would take to learn the software yet. Maybe next year.
And just so you can see how much effort I have put into this, here is my photography studio. My dining room has a nice Eastern facing window. I can raise the blind up for full light, and it is usually bright enough. I don’t bother with nighttime photos – I don’t have the energy to drag my full light kit up from the studio. The table is a good place to keep the backdrops flat, too. They are just there in a stack when I need them. We eat in here like, three times per year. The rest of the time it is a mess.
I am considering packing up my collection of china, which I never use and doesn’t excite me, and using all of my shelves for interesting photo props. That would give Mom and I an excuse to haunt the antique and junk stores around town. I might have to design a project around the ferris wheel they are selling at Flying Tiger.
How about you? Do you struggle with photography?
Hi Jen! I really DO struggle with photography. I’ll check out the video you shared as I have plenty of room for improvement. Great idea, those backdrop mats. Happy Friday! ~smile~ Roseanne
It take a lot of work. I tell you, I never realized that having a fun blog would lead to so much work!
I use fabric for my backgrounds. I also wait for either morning light or early evening light.
I am very inconsistent with my photography. I am tempted to get a lighting setup. I have very little light in the winter time, so daylight doesn’t help much. Thanks for the tips!!
This is super helpful, thank you! I am watching Mr. Domestic’s video now and have saved it to find again later. I’ve been trying to get better at photos.
He is super helpful, and makes it understandable.
I struggle with some photos more than others. My cottage is Maine is just dark except for the kitchen so it makes shots touch in my studio. I think I need to pick up a few light sources, that may help. I have found a few spots that with some extra effort work better. How fun that you got to be a mentee of Mr Domestic!