OOTD Create A Hip Natural Mood In Photos By Using Sunlight As A Filter

**This post was written as part of a collaboration with Shein.com. However all opinions and reviews are based on my personal experience with the brand throughout many years.**

I wanted to shake things up a bit in this post by discussing a controversial topic in blogging land…the use of sunlight in our photos. Now before you leave me a bunch of comments telling me why that’s a taboo thing then let me remind you that I’m specifically referring to the magic hour in this case. You know the time of day I’m talking about, that intriguing time right before sunset.

Shop The Look:

Black Lace Insert Asymmetrical Cami Top

As with any other aspect of photography, you simply need to apply a few common principles of photography to get the desired result. I chose a super fun cami blouse for this photo shoot. Even though the illuminated backdrop wasn’t intentional, the result was surprisingly beautiful.

The awesome black cami top I’m wearing is from Shein.com and I can already tell you this will become one of my go to staples this summer. I chose to wear the cami top under a cropped jean jacket during the cool morning hours and out it away once the temps hit 80 that day. The frayed hem jeans have become a fave of mine so expect to see them being featured quite often. LOL

Overall, I enjoyed creating this unintentionally natural street filter, and guess what? You can get this look too. It’s easier than you think as long as you apply a few basic principles of photography.

1. Make sure the sunlight doesn’t distort your image in any way.

2. Stay focused on your outfit and make sure everything looks clear.

3. Avoid the darkest shadows (no, I don’t mean the television show…LOL). Too dark of a shadow will turn your photo editing into an impossible task. Instead, go for areas that contain a slight of sunlight and use that to highlight your outfit instead.

4. Make sure your photographer has his/her back to the sun. This should go without saying, but I’ve found myself trying to snap photos of my sons (also gearing up to start their own fashion blog) with the sun glaring in my lens. Not a good mix. Trust me.

5. Use good photo editing software to make funky sunlight effects work. I used the VSCO editor to lighten and tweak my photos. I also wanted to give the buildings in the background a slight illuminated effect so the photo looks and feels unique.

6. The sun is doing all the work in this case, so be sure and set your camera or phone to shoot in the raw.

7. Select your site beforehand, if possible. Since I wore dark clothes, I chose a part of the mall that contrasted with my dark clothes, giving this outfit a hipster street vibe kind of filtered background.

I hope these tips helped and that you choose to embrace the concept of using nature’s background, aka sunlight to bring a uniquely natural filter to your photo shoots.

Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think of this shoot.