I use to be an absolutely adhorent photo taker - I mean, it was BAD. Finger over the lens, done it. Blurry and unfocused, you bet. Barely legible because of horrible lighting, yep, ruined many family photos because of that. 

But after being 'offically' designated the family photographer and resident Millenial that got thrust a phone every time someone asked my Mom "Can you take my picture?", I've picked up some tips and tricks that could help in taking your Strike photos with your iPhone (or pretty much any phone) camera! Let's start with lighting!

1. Use that Natural Light! 

Good: Natural Lighting highlighting Rosie's coloring (not bleaching her out), shadow not altering her shape.	Bad: Ella in total shadow, sun too high above and behind her that you end up losing her almost completely.  Highlights more of the cat tree than the cat.

 (Pardon the blurriness of the photos, Shopify doesn't like high resolution images) 

Natural lighting is the easiest (and free-est!) way to really give your photos umph! Of course, you can always use artifical light, especially on those gloomy-stuck-inside days, but nothing will beat natural light. 

Things to note:

If you are taking your photos indoors near a window, being closer to the window will create a softer light with darker shadows; further away from the window will give you lighter, shaper shadows. 

If you are taking your photos outdoors, finding a lightly shaded area, out of direct sunlight but with enough light that isn't overly shadow-y is ideal.

Not all light is the same, especially during different times throughout the day! Early mornings will give you a cooler, more blue-r hue to your photos; late afternoons will give you a more golden, yellow hue! Finding that sweet spot in lighting will depend on your location! 

2. It's Raining Outside :(

Good: Use of just Daylight light bulbs and navigating Thor into a spot where he isn't shadowed; also made sure that he was further away from the light to not bleach him out.	Bad: Use of the yellow-y light bulbs. Loki is a white and black cat, but beacause of the wrong type of artifical lighting, he looks creamy yellow.

As a native Washingtonian, I know a thing or two about gloomy, rainy days. Sometimes, that sunlight is just.... gone. For days. So making the trek out to my backyard to snap photos is a definite no-go and the window lighting is just as bleak. But pictures gotta be taken, so what do I do? Lug out either my photo light box or drag out my lighting setup! 

Things to note:

I would hold off making a commitment to getting an expensive inside photography setup until you are sure you have a decent amount of photos to take. There are good, cheap setups that you can purchase off of Amazon (this is what I am currently operating with at HQ) that will do just as well as high end lighting. 

Don't want to commit to a lighting setup? Daylight light bulbs are fantastic, and relatively cheap way of getting that cool light without breaking the bank! 

If your articial lighting is too harsh, difuse it easily with a white sheet! Whatever you do, be careful of too hard of light - it will make your colors look saturated and will highlight the tiniest of flaws in your photos. 

Parting Thoughts

Lighting is, in my opinion, the most important aspect of photo-taking. Poor lighting can sometimes be saved in the photo editing stage, but having great lighting right off the bat will save you tons of times later in the process! 

Feel free to share your own lighting tips and tricks in the comments!