How to Improve Your Photography and Save Time
Make editing photos easy and create gorgeous photos with my photography tips
I know some of you found me through my series on photographing interiors from last summer (start the 5 part series here if you’re interested). It explores equipment, staging, composition, lighting, and editing… If you read that series, you know that I am passionate about photography education – I love helping people improve their skills in any area. So I’m excited to share a great new resource with you today: The Ultimate Photography Book for Bloggers.
My friend Aniko from Place of My Taste is an excellent photographer. Her images are bright, clear, and crisp, and she is sharing her secrets with you. If you’re a beginner, it has an excellent and simple explanation of the concepts of lighting and how to approach using a DSLR camera. If you are more advanced, you can still benefit from her tips and suggestions. Even more, if you are a Lightroom user, you can purchase (or win below!) her Master Package and enjoy her Lightroom presets.
If you are not a Lightroom user but would like to try, you can actually sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud; I’ve been using this for quite some time now, and I love it! For just ~$10 per month, you can use Lightroom and Photoshop on your desktop and mobile. If you’d rather purchase Lightroom outright, you can do so here.
I’m telling you, these Lightroom presets that Aniko created have been amazing. If you read my Lightroom tutorial from last summer, you know that I generally used the sliders to adjust my images. It’s an excellent process, but it can be time consuming. Who doesn’t need some time savers? Aniko’s presets allow you to transform images in Lightroom with just the click of a button.
Here, with just one click, I used her “Clean” preset and gave this image the boost it needed.
Here is another shot (an iPhone shot, nonetheless) edited with the “Clean” preset (and a touch of straightening to correct my awkward angle!).
This one needed a deeper effect, so I used “Rich” and then lightened a bit (using one of her 1-click layers).
This image needed life and vibrancy, so “Color Happy” was the perfect touch.
Can you believe all those edits were made with just one or two clicks? Such a time saver for this busy lady!
So whether you are looking for basic photography tips or more advanced tools, The Ultimate Photography Book for Bloggers could be an excellent resource for you.
Disclosure: I received the book and presets free of charge for review, and I earn a commission from affiliate links, but all opinions and love of beautiful photography and time-saving devices are entirely my own!
These look amazing!
I am new to photography as I am starting my own styling blog (www.krystlenicole.com), so right now I am a smartphone photographer!! I read your 5 part series as well and it has a lot of great tips and resources. Would love to win the Ultimate Photography book for bloggers!!!
Wow, what a difference…I know next to nothing about editing, but how convenient! The images all look clear and bright.
What a wonderful giveaway! Thanks so much for offering!
Shoot…the master package links lead me to a “page not found”. I’ll try again later. Thank you!
PS Your photography is beautiful! 🙂
My apologies, Kristine! I think I have fixed the links. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
I love your posts on photography. They have helped me so much.
I absolutely loved your series, I learned so so much! Honestly, I used to get so frustrated with my camera but after I read your series I was actually excited to take pictures. I still have lots to learn but thank you for writing those posts. I can’t wait to get this book!
What an easy way to improve photos! I have tried Lightroom before and found it much easier than Photoshop! I will have to check out this book, I need all the help I can get! 🙂
I always enjoy the beautiful photographs you show us.
Love this! Hoping to win! With a toddler and baby I’ll take all the time savers!
Lovely images! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Lightroom.
I’m a huge lover of pre-sets, but so many of them are tailored to portrait photography. It’s so great to find a bundle that works so well for still-life.
It is remarkable. The photos are so much clearer and defined.
I can’t wait to utilize your tips. I’d love to win the master package! I could definitely use some help in this area! I’ve stopped taking pics bc I don’t have simple ways to edit them and they end of living forever confined on my computer! What a sad habit!
So happy I found you!!
I have always used PSE, currently using 12. I love how easy it is to use and that it comes with an organizer. I also have saved presets from Pioneer Woman and Totally Rad that are my go to edits when I don’t just adjust the levels myself. I need these that you used though, my iPhone pictures don’t clean up like that.
I love your tutorials on photography! I feel that mine has changed dramatically because of it!
Thank you so much, Ruthie!! xx
I loved, loved, loved your 5-part photography series and it finally gave me the push to use Lightroom (that had been sitting on my desktop unused). It has been such a time-saver to use Lightroom in general and the quality is amazing, BUT now I can’t wait to save even more time with these presets. I really want to keep working on my photography, so I’m like a sponge willing to learn! Thanks for sharing!
Yay! So glad to hear that, Kristin! xx
Thank you for the opportunity to win this. I would love to learn how to improve my very rudimentary photography skills.
this is a GREAT giveaway especially for those of us who are learning!
Wow, those changes are amazing! I am still using PicMonkey, I couldn’t figure out Lightroom, LOL This might just be the boost I need to figure it out. 🙂
I got a new camera for Christmas, definitely looking for ways to improve my photography, thanks!
Shut up! I cannot believe how crazy that editing is!
Wow! I use Photoshop but I have to manually edit every single photo. These look amazing!
Beautiful photos, and how convenient to use the lightroom action!
I love photography and am pretty good now, but can always learn and improve!
Thanks so much
I am new to photography! I learn a lot from your beautiful posts!
I just started using lightroom at the beginning of the year and love how easy it is and how much time it saves! I would love to try out the presets!
Such an awesome opportunity!
Such an amazing opportunity!
I don’t even know how to to edit photos but would sure love to learn!
Just started blogging and so excited to read of this resource!!! Beautiful job.
I love Photoshop for photo editing!
Rachel… do you have a post about what tools you use? I can’t seem to find one. Also, what type of sd card do you recommend?
Hi Julie! Here is my post about my photography tools, but it is several years old, and I have since upgraded most of my equipment. I still think the ones recommended in that post are awesome, but if you have a bigger budget than that, let me know, and I can recommend what I am using now. 🙂 . And I am still using an 8 year old SD card that I purchased when I bought my first camera, so I’m no help there. Ha!
Thanks, Rachel. I did end up finding your series… it is great and VERY helpful! I definitely do not have a big budget. I was recently given my Canon Rebel tsi, a very nice heavy-duty tri-pod and a license for Photoshop/Lightroom (all given to me). The Lord is providing, and I’m going to work with what I have (it encourages me to hear that most bloggers started with basics)… I am also being given an early b-day present of the 50mm lens. :-)It’s what I’m starting off with. This photography stuff is a CRAZY challenge!
Wonderful, Julie! We all have to start somewhere. Keep practicing and I’m sure you’ll see rapid progress.