How to Take Bright & Crisp Photos

One of the most asked questions I get on Instagram is how to take bright photos and what I use to take my pictures.

So today I wanted to share with you guys tips and tricks that have helped me over the past 2 years.

For a full blog post on how to edit photos, please see my best Vsco Filters post!

How to take bright interior photos

When I first started taking pictures of my home with my Nikon, I watched a ton of Youtube videos and read a bunch of blogs. Still, I couldn’t figure it out how to take pictures in manual mode.

It was always too dark or too bright. After playing around with my camera, I found an effect on the presets that it’s called “High Key”, I took a couple of pictures and love it!

It was very bright, however, it was too bright and the quality of the picture wasn’t as good.

Still, I used that setting for quite a while. When I did the shoot for TheEverygirl home tour, I was talking to the photographer, Emily Jane. I showed her what I used and she told me that I really should learn how to shoot manual.

How To Take Bright Pictures With Nikon Camera

Every time I was taking pictures I would try the manual mode and go back to the effects because I couldn’t really adjust to get the bright pics I wanted.

That is when I had this idea to use the “High Key” effect as a base and adjust it from there. This is what I do: I point the camera to what I want to shoot and take a mental note of the ISO, Aperture and shutter speed looks like using the High Key setting.

Then, I turn to manual mode, and adjust the ISO, Aperture and shutter speed to mimic the high key settings.

This gives me a base to work with, which is a lot brighter than what I like. I start off by lowering the shutter speed, adjusting the aperture or ISO to what I want. This is much easier than figuring it out what to do with these three variables at once.

Step 1:

Find the “Effects” settings and set to “High Key”

Step 2:

Take note of the Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO settings

Step 3:

Change to “Manual” settings

Step 4:

Adjust to mimic the High Key settings

Step 5:

Adjust accordingly:

And here it is, after applying the C2 filter from VSCO cam:

And for perspective, here is how dark the room was. Notice the window as my light source (don’t mind the dead flowers, is what I had lmao!!!):

Now, I shoot with the highest ISO possible without sacrificing crispness. Some people don’t like to shoot with the high ISO due to the graininess, I actually like a little bit of grain.

I suggest that you test a couple of times and see what works with the natural light that you have in your place.

After some practice shooting like this, back and forth between the effect and manual, I’m comfortable enough to use the manual mode and rarely use the pre-set effects. 

Always, if possible, opt for natural light. When I’m taking pictures of my home I usually turn off every single light. Unless of course, I need a table lamp on or something.

The Best Beginners Nikon Lenses

I use a Nikon, I’m not really sure if it is better than the Canon. Everyone seems to have a favorite. I have the Nikon D5200.

Lenses- if you are really thinking about uping you photos you need to invest in a good lens. Unfortunately, the standard lens that comes with the camera will not give you that crisp/sharp photo or the bokeh effect (the blurry background).

I recommend the Nikon 35mm. It was my first lens (also, gift from hubby!) and I really like it. I also have the Nikon 50mm that I use for more close up photos.

The 50mm will give you crispier photos, however, what you can fit in the photo is a lot less than the 35mm.

Both of these lenses don’t have a zoom feature, which means that you have to step back or closer depending on what you are shooting, but they are great options and don’t cost a ton of money.

Tripod- I just got this tripod and I love it as the pictures come out a lot sharper when using. I should have bought it a little sooner.

I also have the remote, so when I use the tripod I use the remote to get a very still picture which equals sharper pictures.