Have you ever found yourself scrolling through someone’s Instagram feed or photography portfolio way longer than you should? There’s probably at least one page you religiously follow for photo inspiration, or just for your daily dose of aesthetically pleasing content. One particular style that has made frequent appearances on our timelines are these insanely beautiful, dreamy photos.
From fashion portraits to fun shoots, all these had us wishing we were picking grapes at someone’s vineyard in Italy (like Sophia Sanchez frequently does in her postcards from Italy; read more about it here. -Ed). And somehow, curating your own feed or trying a hand at this trendy dreamy photo style has to start somewhere. But before grabbing the dried flowers you bought at the local ship and rummaging through your wardrobe for vintage dresses, you might want to take note of these tips.
Create a Theme
While there are countless artistic styles that make it a challenge to begin, it is best to choose one that resonates with you the most. Ask yourself: “Is this something you are committed to? Are you willing to invest your time and energy into creating content with this type of style?”
Now that you have convinced your entire neighborhood that you are made for the dreamy aesthetic—complete with a sprinkle of fairy dust—it’s only fitting to apply that style into your photos. Try the Soft Glow photography style, which is associated with cottage-core chic, picture-perfect picnics with baskets and pastries, frolicking in open meadows and gardens, flowy vintage dresses, h0memade pies, and cardigans and dried flowers. How’s that for a start?
Let There Be Light
Photography is basically all about lighting, so it’s a given that you have to take this into consideration when conceptualizing your shoots. Natural light gives off an excellent radiant filter, and it doesn’t cost a dime. When starting out, use it to your advantage. Whether it’s peak mid-day light or the soft golden hour glow, the time of the day will determine the effect on your dreamy photos.
To achieve a soft tone, take photos during golden hour, when the light isn’t too harsh and instead will hit your subject in the right spots. The warm tone of the sunlight gives you a more flattering glow, casting shadows that add a more artistic touch.
Pick Your Props Wisely
Props contribute to a photo’s overall composition, but it can make or break a photo. It helps to search keywords on Pinterest, and create your own moodboard to come up with a guide and make sure every element aligns with the theme.
Ultimately, define your concept and know what elements support a perfectly unified composition. Dried flowers, old books, tea seats, vintage trinkets, and baskets all contribute to a dreamy aesthetic. What else can you add to the list?
Choose the Right Location
Location plays a significant role in achieving your aesthetic goals. Think gardens, parks, backyard gazebos, wooden corners, rooms with floral wallpapers, white spaces—the list goes on. You’ll find that there are many creative ways that location influence the composition of your photos. Finding the right place that matches your team lays the foundation.
Let Editing Apps Work Their Magic
Post-processing is the final and probably the most important part of achieving the soft glow effect, or just about any effect you want. As long as you start with the RAW format of the photo, it’s easier to apply changes to the photo, make exposure adjustments and color changes while retaining the photo’s quality.
Talking about quality, use pro-recommended applications like the reliable Lightroom for photo enhancements and filters, with a bunch of presets readily available. If you’re used to editing photos, you can go ahead and add the Soft Mist preset in the app’s free creative collection. Then again, you’ll find tons of presets offering a similar dreamy effect, and you might need to fine-tune each image applying the preset.
If you are more of the one-touch instant effect kind of person, you can always search for apps that offer a dedicated soft effect feature like the Soft Focus and Photoshop Express apps. All these applications give you endless ways to create that ideal aesthetic. The best part of it is having the freedom to explore your creativity and achieve your photography goals.