Live a little: take photos
Today I am encouraging you to think photography through a new lens, literally or not. If you don’t own a good camera or a phone that takes good quality photos, add a photo-taker in your Christmas list to yourself. Skimbaco lifestyle is all about enjoying the moment, but also remembering the moment later on, and reflecting back on time. Photos are snapshots of life, and I’ve regretted so many times for not snapping the photo of a great moment in my life. Memories sometimes fade, especially when you live thousand miles an hour like I do. I also regret for not taking more video, and I am sure my children will hate me for that when they are adults and we have barely any videos of their childhood. I don’t know, we are just not video type of people, but we love photos.
Simple tips for taking photos that document your life
Break the rules of “family pictures”. Don’t try ask the stranger to take the family vacation photo, the odds are the photo is horrible tourist shot you won’t want to frame anyways. And when your kids are doing something cute, don’t ask them to stop so you can take the photo of them doing something cute, or you will just ruin the moment and your shot.
Take non-posed pictures of family members when they are in action. Don’t ask them to look at the camera, take candid, real life action shots, and look through the lens until you see the moment when your family member looks the happiest. Some of my favorite photos of my kids are when they have no idea I’m even taking a photo.
Take scenic photos with wide angles to get the entire picture, but
don’t forget the details. I still remember the time we had to “save the film” but in today’s digital era, you don’t have to save the film so snap away. Take the scenic shot, but take several small detailed shots, sometimes the small detail tells the entire story better than the scenic wide angle photo. I of course had to take the picture of the town circle in Lucca, Italy, but the photos that really tell the story better are the close-up shots of the coffee cup and the bike – they complete the story of Lucca; bicycles on cobblestone streets, lazy afternoons in the cafes with family members drinking cappucinos and eating gelato.
Take pictures into the sunlight. One of the old school rules always was not to take photos to sunlight, but silhouette photos can look amazing and when you catch the ray of light in your photo even the simplest photos get movement and life.
Take pictures on all weathers. I know it’s tempting only take photos on sunny perfect days, but sometimes the rainy day photos can make the best pictures. You will learn that when you start looking through your lens when others put their camera away, you will start seeing unexpected beauty. The wet surfaces can mirror the image nicely, or colorful clothing or umbrellas make the rainy day photos the most colorful ones of them all.
Take photos with any mood. Sort of related to the weather.. take photos also when you are not all sunshine and you are feeling a little blue. All photos don’t have to be happy ones, and taking photos can actually make you feel a little better too.
Share life through your eyes. Today if ever it is so easy to share your world with others, and it’s easiest to do it with photos. It’s OK if you don’t want to share pictures of you, or post pictures of your children online – I don’t do it often either. But snap pictures of funny things, things that inspire you and things that make you happy and share them with others. If nothing else – text them to your best friend! I personally like Instagram the best for photo sharing. Here are my latest photos:
If you are on Instagram, share with other how you enjoy life today and tag it with #skimbaco.
The latest #SKIMBACO photos:
