HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR CREATIONS[:]

  Hello boys and girls, This is my first article in Lemonade Land, my name is Simoné (aka Olitax) and I'm the one behind Lisa's photos, who solemnly named me the Prince of Pictures at Make My Lemonade (I appreciate it). Taking pictures of oneself is never easy, but we love it when you share your Wear Lemonade creations on Instagram and on our Community page! So to help you out, I'm going to share some tips to improve your pictures and showcase your work. With five ideas, we're going to go over several quick tips together for a great snapshot without professional materials. Today, smartphone cameras are getting better and better and almost just as good as costly digital cameras. Therefore, we took this article's pictures with an iPhone (other smartphones do the job too).

Lighting: The most important part of a good picture is the lighting! But beware, not all light sources are good. Forget about the flash, old yellow lights and flickering fluorescents. If the weather is on your side, choose to shoot outside. Morning is best when the lighting is soft, or late in the afternoon (during the famous "Golden Hour"). Avoid noon time when the sun is high in the sky since the light is too harsh and will make put your subject into the shadows, not necessarily a bad thing but difficult to manage. If the weather is unpredictable and you have to stay in, pick someplace near a window in order to get the most light possible.

Background: Often forgotten, a picture's background is important to it's success. You have to find a balance between something pretty and not too busy. A background with too much going on will interfere with the photo, eyes will be attracted to the objects in the background instead of showingcasing the subject. Pick a light background to enhance your subject. Outside, you can quickly put together a nice corner of your apartment near a window, a colorful wall, or a pretty wallpaper.

More options are available outside, stand in front of green foliage for a textured and colorful background. A garden or park work well. For a street shot, watch out for urban items that aren't very esthetic (trash cans, parking meters, and other poles that aren't very pretty), choose rather a nice bench, lamp post, or a colorful or unusual street. Play with perspectives. To give a nice background to your picture, stand in front of a beautiful building's door.

Framing: To showcase your silhouette and enhance your creation, choose a slightly low angle. This means that the camera should be 'lower' than the subject being photographed. Remember to stand back and avoid shooting too close to your subject.

Posing: Two words: have fun! Give it your all, like in a Dior ad, to put it simply. The secret is not to overdo the poses. You can also play with the clothes you're wearing, spin around to give life to the fabric, one hand on a hip, on your tippy toes, etc... have a great time!

This really isn't about doing some sort of professional editing with Photoshop but rather just improving the picture's colors, cropping, or adding effects. These changes can completely change your picture. For example, if during the shoot the lighting wasn't strong enough, the image brightness will help you boost the luminosity. You can also use the blur tool during editing to make the background slightly fuzzy and focus even more on the subject. This tool should be used with caution. VSCOThis is what we use the most often at the Lemonade Studio, it's free and has a large selection of settings. Some filters are available for purchase, but the basic ones are really good and easily modified. AfterLight: Besides the basic settings, you can add lighting effects and unique frames. Layout: You can layout multiple pictures, with or without frames, in unique shapes.

A Color StoryColorful filters also add light and effects (Lisa is addicted to this one). Last but not least, a secret, magical app is Facetune. It can whiten your teeth, smooth out your skin, and make it look like you've had 45 hours of restful sleep (be careful not to over do these effects). If you can't get help during your shoots, don't forget that a mirror can be your best friend, or use a selfie stick, but that's a whole other story... In the pictures, Lisa is wearing the Frida dressthe pattern will be online later today! Now it's your turn! Translated by Whitney Bolin