We had known each other on Instagram for a while, I followed her posts and was inspired by her holiday photos, which are simply perfect. At some point, we started talking and she offered to give me some of her presets for my photos. I was so happy that I jumped up and down with joy…so happy because it was my first collaboration with my Instagram account and because I had long wanted to take my photography to the next level. As time went on, we started talking more, discovering that we had things in common besides travel, and so I discovered that behind the La DolceVita Lifestyle brand is a wonderful, positive and strong woman who is passionate about beauty, travel and life itself.Because Alina and everything she does with Dolce Vita Presets and One-Giraphe is a constant source of inspiration, we asked her to give us some tips on How to Take Better Travel Photos, tell us a bit about the mysteries of Instagram and the wonderful lightroom presets that she creates.
Travel & Edit on the Go – How to Take Better Travel Photos
Is there an ideal time of day for photos?
The best time of day to take portrait but also landscape photos is a few hours after sunrise and a few hours before sunset. It is best to take after the golden hour in the morning ( 7-9 ) or before the golden hour in the evening, which is an hour -two before sunset. In the morning you need to be sure you are in the ‘sunshine’, not in the shade, as the sun is strong and provides dark shadows.
Is a professional camera necessary or can we take equally good holiday photos with our mobile phone?
Because technology has advanced rapidly and brought high performance phones to the market, I say for the ‘to go’ version it’s easier with a high performance phone, than carrying around 2 kg of camera :))
It depends on the importance of the pictures, if they are for social networks or blog, of course, professional pictures look much better quality, but they need a lot of time to process (imported on the computer, opened in Photoshop or Lightroom, processed, saved, uploaded, posted).
Whereas with the phone being much more handy and easy to carry, I edit a picture in one move and post it the next second.
Tips&tricks for Instagram photos
Instagram trends are color coordinated, meaning the filters you apply and the photos look like they’re from the same ‘story’ . But behind them there’s a pre-planning of the environment, so you basically set the ‘scene’ by taking care of what colours you use or what colours you have around, what you wear, to match each photo.
It depends on what kind of picture we are talking about, in the city or at home, but my advice is to use as much natural light as possible, pictures on sunny days or even a few clouds are effective.
Don’t overexpose light in photos, it looks ugly or even loses effect and detail, even if you have photographed on cloudy days* or in dark/artificial light.
*Some specialists love them because they don’t leave shadows on your face.
Composition is very important, you can work with a grid of 9 – 3×3 (Camera offers grid from settings ) or you can imagine your screen divided into 9 equal parts. Choose to center the main subject on one of these, I usually go for the 3-4-5 line in the middle.
If you are shooting a model, try to keep the camera at eye level with the model.
Be original! Don’t try to copy other photos, positions, locations, more and more bloggers do this and it’s a bit tiring to see the same image.
Don’t photoshop to the max!
I hate everything that has to do with body shape photoshop, big lips, big butt, thin waist, too white teeth, etc.
But also photos taken at the wall, then put in a stock photo of course and checkin at the location, as if the photo was taken there. Please don’t! :)))
Tell us about your lightroom presets
- what they are and how we use them, where we find them, etc + before&after pictures
I loved photography since I was a kid, from polaroid camera to 35mm film camera.
I started to process my own pictures following the trend that was emerging, and this made people ask me where to get them. I shared the filters with some friends, but more and more people were asking, so I had to set up a small shop, which also paid for the time I spent creating them, as this is not my job 🙂
Since Adobe introduced Lightroom Mobile, the app that all professional photographers use, it’s very easy to apply filters with a simple copy – paste.
I created these lightroom presets on the holidays they are named after, playing directly with the colours and architecture I was given on the spot. Plus you combine photography, processing and an exceptional feed, all at your fingertips and in minutes. You can find them on my etsy shop.
What does a perfect holiday photo look like? (from your point of view, of course)
Honestly on my vacations I try to relax:)) Although I take my phone out a few times to unvisited locations to capture the beauty, architecture or scenery, I often find myself not taking pictures of important sights. And that’s fine!
Social media has sucked us in so much that we forget to live in the moment and spend a few hours just for a few perfect snaps. I’ve been sucked in too, but in my opinion it’s not worth it!
I’ve experienced first hand what it’s like to travel with girls who only aim for the perfect frame and spend hours on end, forgetting to enjoy what’s around, as if it doesn’t even matter. Then with their eyes in their phones, waiting for virtual likes. And if you ask them the name of the street, the bridge, the building, they have no idea :)) It seems absurd to me!
Are you boasting the perfect snap, or the experience & the journey for yourself?
I like photos that show the reality: people in photos, cars, the atmosphere and soul of the city, that shows me you’ve also lived a little, not just lived for the snap. I don’t photoshop people in pictures, we don’t live in a zombie era where all the people are gone from the earth!
So I like original photos, even if they are not perfect for certain ‘perfectionists’. Life isn’t perfect, you know? It’s real!
Try these #lightroompresets and do not forget to tag us on Instagram (@dolcevitapresets & @borntotravel.ro)
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