How I keep Photography Fun
I recently returned from a brief, delightful trip to Rimini, Italy. Whilst I was there I experienced both sunrise and sunset along the picturesque beach.
Bathed in perfect light and surrounded by stunning colors, I found myself spontaneously capturing anything that caught my eye. This got me reflecting on two key ideas that I always keep in mind to ensure every photography session remains enjoyable.
These techniques work pretty much whenever and wherever I am. So let’s talk about it.
1. Gamifying the Process
Imagine the elements in your frame as puzzle pieces waiting to be perfectly slotted together. That's what I was doing on the beach, having a blast.
I'm not just taking photos; I'm engaging in a creative game.
It's about placing and positioning shapes, working with the environment to create the most aesthetically pleasing composition. It's simple but incredibly fun.
2. Leaning Into Your Environment
This second strategy is about embracing your surroundings.
If I'm on Oxford Street, I focus on capturing the people around me. If it's a sunrise on the beach, it's all about the aesthetics.
Why struggle against your environment? Hunting for harsh light and shadow images on a cloudy day doesn't make sense, does it?
By leaning into the environment, I remove friction from the process, making it a lot more enjoyable. This also works basically whenever, wherever I am.
These two approaches remind me that photography doesn't have to be serious.
It's about keeping it light and playful.
Whether I'm gamifying the process or adapting to my environment, these techniques ensure that I'm always having fun with my camera.
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This Authentic Streets 2.0 is the second edition of the series including 7 unique Lightroom presets.
These edits have been created mostly with street photography in mind. Each of these presets will provide a subtle but unique style that I have created over the months prior to this release. I have used these on a lot of my street photography to soften that digital look and create something a little warmer and more film like. All 7 of these presets will be useful for different situations depending on the colour and light in your original file. My personal favourites from this pack are Vintage and Nostalgia.
The presets included in this pack:
Lifted
Authentic
Monochrome
Contrast
Vintage
Nostalgia
Cinema
Inside the pack you will find both Lightroom Desktop (XMP) and Lightroom Mobile (DNG) Preset Files
Quick tips for using these presets* I don’t believe any presets are a 1 click and fix solution so use these as starting points for you to develop the edit further if needed. Since I’ve been using these presets the main few things I like to tweak is my white balance and exposure. Depending on your cameras raw files you will need to adjust accordingly. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch via info@mikechudley.com - Thanks!