Blogger Husband 101: How to Coach Him to Take Your Photos

A question that many of us ask ourselves is, “how can I teach my husband to take blog photos for me?” As much as we’d like to be on both sides of the camera or constantly outsource a photographer to capture professional images, having a spouse, friend or family member take your photos is more accessible and helps you save money along the way. Keep reading for my tips on how to coach someone (a husband in my case) to take high-quality photos of you for your blog and Instagram!

First and foremost, my husband Justin is the biggest supporter of my blog and I’m so blessed to have him by my side. 99% of the photos of me here on my blog are taken by him (notice him yawning in the example photo I had him pose for above). Although he’s a math teacher and not the stereotypical “creative-type,” he’s proven to be the opposite and I always find myself impressed with how much knowledge and talent he’s picked up along the way. He takes amazing photos and has great ideas, and I’m so incredibly grateful to have him around (plus he’s cute and gives great foot massages, which are also perks). This post includes tips that I’ve directly used and have had success with when coaching my husband on how to take photos of me. Let’s dive in.

How do you teach someone
to take photos of you for
your blog and Instagram?

Here’s how:

Show example photos… lots of them.
This seems to be a common trick among bloggers. Search for example photos on Pinterest, reference previous photos of yours or have him jump in front of the camera to demonstrate how you want the image to be captured. This is the best way to help him understand what it is you’re wanting, which is almost always better than winging it, especially in the beginning. Be very clear on what you want, breaking it down by poses, facial expressions and image content. Point out the details of the image before getting in front of the camera yourself — you’ll be surprised to see how well this method works!

Emphasize the importance of focus, framing and lighting.
These are the three components I’ve found to be the most important to note when coaching someone on how to take photos of you. Have him play around with the camera a bit to figure out how to put things in focus, the differences between good and bad framing, as well as good and bad lighting. Be descriptive on what’s good and what’s bad including awkward shadows, unflattering angles, etc.

Less zoom is better than too much.
If you’re afraid of him cutting out your feet or the top of your head in every photo (yes, this does happen), have him take photos at a further distance to ensure everything you want is in the picture. You can always crop the images to your liking, so having too much in the photo is so much better than not enough! If your camera is great quality, images taken at a further distance, within reason, allow you to create a variety of images cropped in different ways from only one photo — so keep that in mind.

Encourage creativity.
Make the experience fun by encouraging him to try new things! If he has a vision of something he thinks will look great, give it a try. You can’t see yourself from the camera lens, so chances are he may know of some additional poses and background options that will make your images pop. After you’re done taking photos, flip through them with him and be sure to give him props for a job well done so he knows what he needs to continue doing in the future. After all, if you’re particular like me (“critical” as my Virgo description claims), it’s not always easy being a blogger husband! Don’t forget to share your appreciation.

Be patient.
He’s not in your head and can’t see exactly what you see, so be patient and treat every photo shoot as a learning experience for both of you. Keep in mind that it may take you a few tries, especially in the beginning, to get the photos you want. Have him take a ton so you have plenty to choose from. If you find yourself unsuccessful, show him the images that didn’t turn out and point out the elements you don’t like so he can learn what not to do moving forward. Justin was pretty easy to coach on this and got the hang of it really quick, so I’ve been very lucky! Before long, creating content together can become a hobby you both share, which has been the case for us. As you may know, this passion of ours has sparked our new aerial videography and photography business: Bruster & Co Productions!

__________

I hope you all find these tips to be helpful next time you head out for a photo shoot for your blog or Instagram. Who takes your photos and how have you coached them to do so? Leave me a comment and let me know! 🙂 If you’re in need of additional photography or blogging tips, read my previous posts here and feel free to contact me with any questions you have — I’d be happy to chat with you!

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave