Picture Perfect
Summer has begun, yes! Photographer Muruelle Oldenburger gives you 10 tips to take the most beautiful pictures.
Let’s meet Muruelle
Muruelle is a photographer and ambassador for Modulari. Many of Muruelle’s customers already have the beautiful wall decoration of ours in the house. Muruelle takes the most beautiful snapshots and is the person to address when it comes to providing you with tips for taking the perfect photo!
“Hi, I'm Muruelle Oldenburger. Mum of Milan, Ysa and Liv. Epicurean and full-time photographer. I love little adventures with our family. Get out and into nature. We like to explore during holidays abroad, but also just close to home every day. Like we haven't been able to do otherwise lately. Fortunately, there are enough moments of happiness in and around the house to experience and to capture. I would like to share 10 tips with you for taking nice summer photos in and around your own (holiday) home with your family.”
TIP 1 Bright sunlight
In summer, the light with a clear blue sky is very bright and far from ideal for taking beautiful pictures. If there is not a cloud in sight that can dim the light a bit, it is better to go seek the shadow behind the house or, for example, under a tree. But you can also use the hard light and get creative with it. By catching the light through blinds or through a lace rug and using the light / shadow patterns as an eye-catcher in your photo. In the example below, the light fell as spots over our playing Liv, which gave an extra effect to the splashing drops.
TIP 2 Golden hour
The golden light early in the morning or late in the evening provides wonderful moments to take pictures. You can use this beautiful, warm soft light one to two hours after sunrise or before sunset. Play with the light. Get creative with the low sun. Check how the light falls and change perspective. Drop on your knees / lie down for a low position or climb on top of something. A small change of position of yourself, your camera or your photo motif can make a huge difference. I like to wait until the sun is about to set and play with silhouette photos. Take into account possible light spots on your photos because of the sun shining in your lens. Sometimes it adds something, sometimes they are disturbing.
TIP 3 (Inter)active photos
Since I am allergic to those “Say cheese” photos, I especially like (inter)active photos. Run, play, dance, cuddle, walk, whatever, as long as you all really have fun and enjoy yourselves! Real contact, interaction and chemistry. Amongst people in front of the lens, but also between them and yourself. It is nice to capture those happy moments but also the less happy moments.
TIP 4 Rituals
Taking a bath together is our favorite at home. But doing the dishes together can bring about at least equally nice pictures. Immortalise everyday rituals, at home, at the campsite or anywhere else. Capture memories to cherish forever. I am all for it!
TIP 5 Create extra depth in your photo
By taking the photo "through", in between or along something, as in the example below. By including the clothes on the clothesline in the image along the lens while focusing on our daughter Ysa, the clothes on the clothesline become blurry. This way you simply create more depth in your photo.
TIP 6 Perspective and position
It makes a lot of difference from where you take your photo. From below, from the so-called frog perspective. Or from above, from the so-called bird's eye view. Most people are inclined to take pictures at eye level, but by changing your own position you quickly achieve nice and surprising results. Nice to experiment with and try variations.
TIP 7 Composition and background
Imagine those gridlines you see when you want to edit your photo, where your photo is divided into nine areas, 3 high and 3 broad. This allows you to apply the rule of thirds. Placing your subject on one of the intersections instead of in the middle immediately makes your image a lot more interesting to look at.
And if you are already busy creating a beautiful composition: Try to avoid distracting elements in the background. By moving myself a little to the left for the photo below, the bathers further away are no longer visible, but hidden behind the bushes.
TIP 8 Get out and about!
When you are surrounded by beautiful nature / landscape, it is not only soothing for yourself, but also for your photo collage, as well as for close-ups.
TIP 9 Edit photos
You make your photos even more beautiful by editing them. You can do this extensively yourself using, for example, Lightroom (this is a free app). But you can also buy useful filters with which you can add extras to your photos in a quick and easy way. Make sure you choose the right package. There are some for JPG photos but they are also some for RAW files.
TIP 10 Last but not least
Do not forget to enjoy these moments while capturing them.
After we decorated our top floor with beautiful collages last year, we recently printed our “favorite Corona memories”. Two beautiful collages on the wall showing a bizarre time that we will never forget. Every day I am grateful for our health and all the beauty that is within reach. Take great joy in savouring even the smallest moments of happiness. And the great quality of Modulari tops it of!
Have a happy summer and have fun taking pictures!
Love Muruelle
Do you like to see more of Muruelle's work? Check out her website muruelleoldenburger.com or follow her on Instagram @muruellefotografie.
After reading this blog, aren‘t you really excited to get started taking great photos? What are you waiting for! Click here to design your photo collage.
