Mom Solves
Photographer Lucy Cuneo On How To Win Instagram With Your Vacation Photos
Summer is here and 'tis the season for snapping and sharing sun-kissed photos of family adventures. In an effort to up our own iPhone games, we caught up with photographer and lifestyle blogger Lucy Cuneo. From simple editing tricks to finding the perfect light, Lucy shares everything you need to turn those vacation photos into Instagram gold.
- Photography
- Lucy Cuneo
- Interview By
- Liz McDaniel
What are your tips for approaching family photography on vacation? How best to capture all of those little moments without feeling tied to your phone?
I try not to work too hard on the photograph but look for sweet or amusing moments and then snap away.
A few technical tricks: I always move closer to the subject (my child) if he is far away vs. zooming in. Similarly, kneeling down to the subject’s level tends to enhance the quality of the photo and the proportions. (The example of my son with the shovel demonstrates this: I saw that he was enjoying himself, I got closer to him, knelt down and snapped away until I caught a moment of pure delight. I do find with children that these in-the-moment, candid photos tend to reveal more personality vs. having them stand still and pose!
What are your favorite iPhone tricks for turning a so-so photo into a gem?
I never fail to “straighten” my photograph in an editing app—crooked lines in the background are subconsciously disorienting! I use VSCO to edit all of my iPhone photographs and make sure that my horizon (the sea, or whatever is behind) is straight. It will immediately ground the photograph.
I use the “A” and “C” series of filters but with the latest update, VSCO will make a friendly set of filter suggestions which would work for that particular photograph according to the lighting conditions.
If you’re already an editing pro, here are some more advanced recommendations: I tend to turn the filter down to half strength and then add brightness, a pop of contrast, a bit of warmth (yellow and magenta) and a tiny amount of saturation.
Don’t worry at all if this doesn’t make sense. The filters as is are also fantastic! I love black and white filters to tidy up a messier moment, and enhance the feeling of nostalgia.
I try not to work too hard on the photograph but look for sweet or amusing moments and then snap away.
A few technical tricks: I always move closer to the subject (my child) if he is far away vs. zooming in. Similarly, kneeling down to the subject’s level tends to enhance the quality of the photo and the proportions. (The example of my son with the shovel demonstrates this: I saw that he was enjoying himself, I got closer to him, knelt down and snapped away until I caught a moment of pure delight. I do find with children that these in-the-moment, candid photos tend to reveal more personality vs. having them stand still and pose!
What are your favorite iPhone tricks for turning a so-so photo into a gem?
I never fail to “straighten” my photograph in an editing app—crooked lines in the background are subconsciously disorienting! I use VSCO to edit all of my iPhone photographs and make sure that my horizon (the sea, or whatever is behind) is straight. It will immediately ground the photograph.
I use the “A” and “C” series of filters but with the latest update, VSCO will make a friendly set of filter suggestions which would work for that particular photograph according to the lighting conditions.
If you’re already an editing pro, here are some more advanced recommendations: I tend to turn the filter down to half strength and then add brightness, a pop of contrast, a bit of warmth (yellow and magenta) and a tiny amount of saturation.
Don’t worry at all if this doesn’t make sense. The filters as is are also fantastic! I love black and white filters to tidy up a messier moment, and enhance the feeling of nostalgia.
What are your top tips for mastering the Insta-friendly family beach shot?
Take A Million Photos!
I have a rapid fire thumb when I’m snapping and I can tidy as I go—often there will be one or two gems but I have taken 100!
Keep It Simple
The cleaner the better. Try to shoot closer to the children with less in the background. Most of the time, the background matters less than you think.
Find Your Light
The quality of the light will make for a great photograph. Shade works so much better than direct sunlight, so I would opt to totally relax in the sunshine on the beach and then snap away while you’re all under the umbrella, or grabbing ice cream under the shade of a tree.
Any tips for capturing children as they run? Or if they're playing in the water?
The best photos are when they are running toward or past you—so I would jog backwards as they charge!
And what about sun in the eyes? Any tips to avoid the squint?!
So hard! Honestly, I try to avoid shooting in direct sunlight and set us up for success by shooting earlier/later in the day—or grab a really cute pair of sunnies for your littles and voila!
Take A Million Photos!
I have a rapid fire thumb when I’m snapping and I can tidy as I go—often there will be one or two gems but I have taken 100!
Keep It Simple
The cleaner the better. Try to shoot closer to the children with less in the background. Most of the time, the background matters less than you think.
Find Your Light
The quality of the light will make for a great photograph. Shade works so much better than direct sunlight, so I would opt to totally relax in the sunshine on the beach and then snap away while you’re all under the umbrella, or grabbing ice cream under the shade of a tree.
Any tips for capturing children as they run? Or if they're playing in the water?
The best photos are when they are running toward or past you—so I would jog backwards as they charge!
And what about sun in the eyes? Any tips to avoid the squint?!
So hard! Honestly, I try to avoid shooting in direct sunlight and set us up for success by shooting earlier/later in the day—or grab a really cute pair of sunnies for your littles and voila!
What are some other vacation activities that make for great photos?
I love taking candid shots during all new experiences: a ferry or golf cart ride, trying a new type of dessert or ice cream, visiting farm animals or an open air (non crowded) market or even just exploring quiet, winding streets. It’s amazing what little children will delight in, and it’s such a joy to watch and capture.
If, however, we’re trying to grab our great family shot for the trip, it’s not as candid as it looks as we are taking a series of steps to set ourselves up for success.
Again, lighting really matters. We are a family of late risers/late to bed, so we tend to favor early evening light. If your family rises early, the morning is great too (before 10 AM but the earlier the better). I find evening light to be soft and gentle and after the sun has set but it is still light out, you can literally shoot in any direction and it’s pretty!
Next, we are all dressed and ready. Mama has her makeup on and hair pulled together, even if it looks messy, and we have FED and watered our child, preferably he has taken a nap that day, too. One thing we learned on this trip was that he is nervous about big waves, so the beach actually wasn’t a great setting for us—we were able to get him to relax after discussing the giant rocks in the water, and bringing his favorite toy, a shovel. Toys help!
And last, we shoot from a variety of angles, pick our favorite, and then take a lot of photos!
How best to weather the elements, for example a particularly hot or windy day?
Face the wind! Hair blowing in the face is distracting for everybody and hard to fix in post-production.
What are your top dos and don'ts when it comes to wardrobe? Any tricks to get reluctant children to wear what you want them to wear?
I like everyone to be relatively coordinated but not matching. Think similar hues and not too many patterns or neon colors. On the iPhone you can get away with more. If we’re taking a long drive to our photo location, I tend to change our son when we get there as he inevitably will find a way to get messy en route!
Lucy Cuneo has been named a top photographer in the world by Harpers Bazaar and Conde Nast Brides. She works as a wedding photographer with her husband and runs a lifestyle blog about young family life. Follow her on Instagram @lucycuneo.
I love taking candid shots during all new experiences: a ferry or golf cart ride, trying a new type of dessert or ice cream, visiting farm animals or an open air (non crowded) market or even just exploring quiet, winding streets. It’s amazing what little children will delight in, and it’s such a joy to watch and capture.
If, however, we’re trying to grab our great family shot for the trip, it’s not as candid as it looks as we are taking a series of steps to set ourselves up for success.
Again, lighting really matters. We are a family of late risers/late to bed, so we tend to favor early evening light. If your family rises early, the morning is great too (before 10 AM but the earlier the better). I find evening light to be soft and gentle and after the sun has set but it is still light out, you can literally shoot in any direction and it’s pretty!
Next, we are all dressed and ready. Mama has her makeup on and hair pulled together, even if it looks messy, and we have FED and watered our child, preferably he has taken a nap that day, too. One thing we learned on this trip was that he is nervous about big waves, so the beach actually wasn’t a great setting for us—we were able to get him to relax after discussing the giant rocks in the water, and bringing his favorite toy, a shovel. Toys help!
And last, we shoot from a variety of angles, pick our favorite, and then take a lot of photos!
How best to weather the elements, for example a particularly hot or windy day?
Face the wind! Hair blowing in the face is distracting for everybody and hard to fix in post-production.
What are your top dos and don'ts when it comes to wardrobe? Any tricks to get reluctant children to wear what you want them to wear?
I like everyone to be relatively coordinated but not matching. Think similar hues and not too many patterns or neon colors. On the iPhone you can get away with more. If we’re taking a long drive to our photo location, I tend to change our son when we get there as he inevitably will find a way to get messy en route!
Lucy Cuneo has been named a top photographer in the world by Harpers Bazaar and Conde Nast Brides. She works as a wedding photographer with her husband and runs a lifestyle blog about young family life. Follow her on Instagram @lucycuneo.