How do you get your digital photos to have that dreamy, vintage look?

I am feeling generous, so I am going to share a few ideas and creative ways to make your digital photographs look more timely. Today I am going to talk about light and finding the right subjects to shoot. In the second part, I will discuss the post processing. Make sure you subscribe to the RSS so you don’t miss it!

I am always drawn to film and the look and textures within photographs shot on film. Studying what it is about them that makes them so special is the first step. You need to know what look it is you are trying to achieve.

A lot of what I like about film photography is the way light is captured. Light is key! The best light is what is known as the “magic hour” which falls an hour or so before sunset. The sun is low in the sky but not so low that the good light is gone.

Watch for this light. When I see it, I do one of two things.

1. Get excited and grab my camera.

2. Get excited, realise I don’t have my camera and fall instantly into a ball of depression.

Lesson to be learned: Always bring a camera.

Once you find that light, figure out where would be the best angle to shoot from and see where the sun is going to bounce light to make your picture pretty. You may want to add some sun flare so you can angle your camera that little sprays of light are shooting right into your lens. Don’t point your lens right at the sun, you just want it off to the side a little, or otherwise you will end up with a completely over exposed shot.

I play around a lot with angles and setting up the composition of my photo before I shoot. Look at what is in the background. A lot of what I shoot has things going on in the foreground and/or background. I try to make this look as interesting or add something extra to the photograph. You need to see the whole picture, not just what you are focusing on. The subjects you shoot are up to you. I find getting in lots of practice is the only way you will get better, so I often practise on things around me, which often means things in my apartment. You don’t have to go very far!

Where to shoot? If you are indoors, look for that light. I know exactly what rooms and which corners of the rooms get the best photography light in my house. As I am sure you’ve read before, find a window and shoot near it, move furniture if you have to. My kitchen sink is one of the best places of light in my apartment, so my make shift studio is often a tea towel or white cloth spread across the sink!

The same applies to other places like cafes and shops. If you are cappuccino-shooting-holic like myself you will want to find a table that is right by a window and sit yourself facing either side on and with your back to the window (don’t block the light however!).

Once I have found the light, composed my shot in the best possible way I can, I shoot! I often will shoot the same shot many ways, trying to get the focus just right. After all, it is digital, shoot away. I will check the shots to see which I liked best, then re-shoot that shot to get it just right. Sometimes however, I will shoot it once and be happy with it…

So there is a little insight into my shooting ways. In the next installment, I will explain some of my secrets in how I get that “dreamy” look.

Part 2: Onto the post processing!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please leave a comment or ask me a question.

p.s. This week my Paper Cameras Print Store will be opening. I will let you know when it goes live!

Related posts:

1. How I Create Dreamy, Film Like Digital Photos Part 2
2. The Impossible Project PX100 Film
3. Lighting Experiments