The Importance of Good Lighting 

So today’s post is very impromptu! I was planning my flat lay (yes, that’s a thing) of my new Nike Air Max Thea’s #inlove and snapped a few photos inside to test it out while waiting for the gardener to leave the backyard so I could go take my photo outside. Looking at the two photos next to each other, I realized it was a perfect opportunity to share with you all about the importance of good lighting! I almost ALWAYS do my flat lays or photos of my shoes or things you would normally think might be inside photos OUTSIDE. There’s a way to still give the illusion that you are inside without actually being inside! I usually find something that can be used as a background and then go from there building my photo. Today, I used a white pillow case! In the photo taken inside (second photo above), you can see all the wrinkles in the pillow case, and it doesn’t look very polished. While a quick ironing job could take care of that, ain’t nobody got time for that. 😛 But step outside, lay your pillow case on the ground and voila, the wrinkles mostly disappear in the presence of sunlight (first photo above). (Note: If you DO have good natural lighting indoors, you can probably get away with inside photos more often.) Also, as you can see in the inside photo, I had added a sunflower to my flat lay. I wanted the photo to have some extra interest in it. BUT the sunflower did not fill the space and look as visually appealing to me as the other purple flowers did (I don’t know what they’re called! Any florists out there?! 😛 ) so I swapped them. Creating balance in your photo while still maintaining creativity is very important. To me, changing the flowers did just that.

Another thing I must stress is taking your outside photos in the SHADE. This eliminates any unwanted shadows that might affect the quality of your photo. I also apply this rule to my outfit photos I take myself too. I often use my camera to take self timer photos of my outfits of the day. Before even considering a location, I make sure the spot is fully shaded. Unless you are a seasoned photographer, photos in the sun can be tricky. So for all of us just trying to make things work, shade is of the utmost importance. It prevents there being any shadows distracting from what you really want people to see, your outfit! I know for myself I will pay more attention to a photo that looks crisp and clean than one full of distracting shadows, no matter how cute the outfit is! (Note: There is definitely a time and place for photos in the sunlight and wanting shadows in your photo for an artistic look so I’m not saying to never take photos in the sunlight! It’s just a good rule of thumb for all of us non-photographers trying to produce good quality photos!)

Below you can see both photos side by side and really tell the difference! I hope you all enjoyed this post! If you did, let me know! And let me know if you’d like to see more like it about tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way!

                                   Inside Flatlay                                                            Outside Flatlay

Note: Both photos were edited EXACTLY the same and taken on my Canon Rebel T3i.

Love you all! Thanks for reading! xoxoxo

Top: Ali Express here (The one I’m wearing in the photo. Comes from China so be prepared to wait a while!); more expensive (probably higher quality 😛 ) here Skirt: HM here (on sale)