While a polished, posed photograph can impress viewers with its elegant composition, there’s no denying the somewhat indescribable attraction of candid photography.  When it comes to photographing friends and family, candid photos can capture authentic, special moments that make them more appealing than a staged photo shoot. And while a lot of your success will rely on having your camera ready at the right time, there are some tips you can use to help you capture some incredible candid photos. I’ve partnered with the experts at Ted’s Cameras to round up lifestyle photography tips to capture perfect candid photos. Take a look at the following tips to learn how to take good candid photos of friends and family. 1. Shoot from the hip  While your natural instinct may be to shoot photos by holding a camera to your eye, you risk spoiling the moment by trying to find the perfect...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later.” – Richard Branson When I was starting out as a photographer, I imagined opportunity would arrive at my front door accompanied by an epic movie score and beautiful lighting. I pictured myself shoot ready – I had all the gear and knew how to use it, and was wearing my best “this is how I get my big break outfit.” In my dream photoshoot scenario, the people I photographed were confident, relaxed and looked authentic in front of my lens. The available light was gorgeous and abundant. The location was exactly what I pictured in my mind’s eye and I had plenty of space to move around and ample time to nail the shot. My ideal “this is your big...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “The one thing you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. The moment that you feel that just possibly you are walking down the street naked… that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.” – Neil Gaiman, Make Good Art

This simple little tip will make a big impact on how you view your images. When working in the Develop Module in Lightroom tap “L” on your keyboard once to dim the filmstrip and tool panels around your image. Lights out mode (Dimmed) removes distractions but still lets you view filmstrip and tools. Tap on “L” again to completely black out the area around your image. Blacking out the area around your image removes distractions and makes it much easier to judge brightness, contrast and colour tones.

Above: Image by Gina Milicia The difference between average and great – the thing that sets the Nutellas apart from the regular chocolate spreads – is hard work.  Ask any champion athlete, billionaire businessman or brilliant artist what they do every day to reach that elite level and you will never hear “Errr dunno, I woke up one morning after spending most of my waking moments on the couch watching re-runs of One Tree Hill and eating Cheetos.” The only exception to this rule is the supermodel. They are formed by a rare genetic mutation where all the cells miraculously line up to create physical beauty. They literally wake up one day and are drop-dead gorgeous. So even if you missed out on the supermodel genes when they were handed out at birth, there is still hope for you to achieve greatness. But first things first, put down the Cheetos and step...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at the picture for a second and think of it all your life.”  – Joan Miro

Above: Image by Gina Milicia, Cartagena, Colombia shot on iPhone and processed in Lightroom  Have you ever felt intimidated to share your work because you thought everyone else in your photography group, online community or class was better than you?  Are you frustrated by the fact that you are not grasping photography concepts or your work isn’t developing as fast everyone else seems to be? “Comparison is the thief of joy.” When I was seven, my dad bought me a bike. It was the most beautiful bike I’d ever seen. It was powder blue with a white seat and white grips on the handlebars. I rode that bike everywhere. On the weekends I’d clean and polish the chrome and grease the chain.  Riding that bike was my happy place, then one day one of my best friends got a bike for his birthday. His bike was a beautiful red racing bike...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia I’ve spent most of my life believing I was an extrovert. As a child, I was the class clown, always the first to volunteer to read out loud in class. I love people and will happily talk anyone’s ear off at a party. Classic extrovert right? Ahhh nooo, the truth is I’ve got this definition totally wrong my whole life.  I’m an introvert.  I always believed the definition of an introvert was someone who was painfully shy, socially awkward and hated to leave the house, and while this may be true for some, there are many, many introverts who, just like me, have the following preferences: 1.  They prefer to work in solitude  I spent the first 15 years of my career working in a shared office in a busy studio. I was very easily distracted by other people and found I got the bulk...

Iceland Above: Image by Gina Milicia All of us are on borrowed time. There are no refunds and there are no guarantees. At some point, the only time you’ll have to worry about is the time you’ve wasted. – Seth Godin