How to Take Better Pictures

Just after we moved to California from North Carolina we decided that we weren’t made to live in the city, San Francisco. Instead we looked for a quiet area, that was close enough to drive to the beach, mountains and city any time we wanted. Of course, as good hermits, we rarely actually leave our quiet area. We love the suburban feel in the parks and farmers markets near our home. But from time to time, we get to experience the beauty of San Francisco, the tall buildings and the interesting variety of personalities in the people crossing the streets. The vibe is pretty unique.I went to the city just last night to an event, a blog party workshop in the PicsArt offices to get to know more about Spot, PicsArt and PunkPost. I love these kind of events because I get to meet new bloggers and get to chat with old blogger friends from the area. I really enjoyed some tips about traveling and photography that they shared in the workshop, especially the ones about how to take better lifestyle pictures from the places we visit:

• Play with color. Look at objects and people in contrast to their surroundings.
• Frame your shot. The rule of thirds is a photo go to, but not the only option.
• Photographing interiors. Shot straight on not at an angle. Try to avoid rooms full of people. Focus on smaller vignettes: a beautiful piece of furniture or gallery art wall.

I also got to know more about these apps, PicsArt, PunkPost, Spot. They are quite helpful and fun, check them out and see if you like them.

• PicsArt. A great app for daily inspiration, photo editing tools that will give a professional look to your images and a community to nurture your creativity.
• PunkPost. is about love, connection and snail mail. You can send handwritten cards as quick as texting!
• Spot. This is great for anyone that would like to explore more about their city, restaurants, touristic attractions and get inspiration and recommendations from friends and experts you trust.

The chat from yesterday inspired me to drive farther from home and visit new places every week. I want to indulge myself with better food, indie products and good coffee from the places surrounding me. It’s something I love to do, but never make time to do. You might know about this feeling. I’ll be sharing these adventures through snapchat, so follow along at livecolorfulco. I might continue for a few months until, well, my hermit heart invades me again and I feel like staying close to home all the time again. You might know about this feeling too, am I right?