Six Ways to Spice Up Your Influencer Photo Game

I’ve been in a bit of rut lately thanks to the move, COVID, just everything has been stressful and haven’t felt motivated when it comes to photography (or being photographed!) Here are a few tips to get out of that slump as an influencer:

Try a New Location

Not sure about you, but I get stuck on the same locations, especially while being at home, but taking a short drive to a new spot and getting those creative juices flowing may be just what you need! In Michigan, I love to find cool farms, sunflower fields, lavender fields, varying beaches, parks, different cities with cool downtowns and more.

Challenge Yourself with Styling an Outfit Outside Your Comfort Zone

I’ve been in a style rut lately too, living in jean shorts and t-shirts, but have fun with whatever is already in your closet and maybe you haven’t worn in a while. I bought this romper last summer, wore it one and forgot about it–and it was something super cute and functional for a busy day while still looking pulled together. Challenge yourself to pull together a different look than normal or restyling pieces already in your close in a fresh way.

Play around with different edits and style aesthetics

In the past, I’ve played with different lighting and presets to refresh my aesthetic. For example, I usually prefer a soft overcast light and will plan photos around a cloudy day or early morning/late evening to get that soft light–but mixing it up with full sun gave me a new challenge and new look in the photo above from last weekend. So I challenge you to try different lighting or shadows, different time of the day, a new edit or preset. This always gets me motivated again!

Change up the Composition

If you’re an influencer, chances are, there’s angle you prefer and a composition you prefer–maybe it’s waist up and you’re centered or for me, full outfit shot but far away! This can get old for you and people following and this is a great way to get more creative easily by just shooting different angles and trying out different composition. I love the rule of thirds, leading lines and framing (like this picture here, I’m framed by the flowers), you can learn more here.

Try Different Tools

I generally shoot a lot of my exciting-cool-new-backdrop photos with my professional camera. I love how I can play with depth of field and sometimes I think I look better with that portrait lens, BUT its fun and you get a different look by using your phone, shooting in a different style than usual.

I also changed things up over quarantine by buying a cheap tripod so that I could snap my own iPhone photos at home in a pinch–and I loved how it was so much easier rather than asking someone for their help. Highly recommend! You don’t have to feel like an asshole taking all these pics while someone tries to help you–you just do it yourself!

Be Okay with Candid and The Imperfect Photo

One of the things I struggle most with photography and my own blog shots is translating what I imagine in my head to what I actually get and the more laidback I am about it, the easier these photos are and the more fun they turn out to be. Take the photos below for example. I love that a butterfly fluttered through unexpectedly and the last photo I’m blinking and it just is what it is! People relate more to these natural moments more and would rather see a photo of perhaps you with your kids and it’s completely out of focus rather than some perfectly styled editorial shot. Photography by Susan Hamilton