Vibrant, colorful, fun, and informative—there are too many ways to describe the blast we had at our June meetup. Our June 8th meeting was held at STORY at Macy’s inside of Memorial City Mall. We had the privilege of learning photography tips from Maritere Rice, Houston’s very own the color queen and professional photographer.
If you don’t know Maritere, you’ll want to follow her ASAP. Maritere Rice is a contemporary portrait, travel, fashion and lifestyle photographer and content creator located in Houston. She has a passion for inspired living, travel, and color—all of which you’ll see on her vivacious Instagram page.
The morning began with members browsing STORY, dining on breakfast from New York Deli & Coffee Shop (catered by Houston Catering Concepts), and indulging their sweet tooth with themed cookies from Dessert Gallery. When the workshop kicked off, Maritere and Chapter Officer Jillian Goltzman kicked off a lively Q&A on all things photography related. Following the Q&A, Maritere gave one-on-one advice to each Blogger Union member so they could perfect their photo game. When our bloggers weren’t striking a pose or staging products at our flat lay station, they were connecting and making new relationships with local content creators.
If you missed the Q&A, here are a few great tips gathered from the meetup:
• You don’t need a professional camera to shoot great photos! Your phone is filled with apps, settings, and quality lenses.
• Strike a balance between professional photos and iPhone photos on your feed to look more natural and authentic.
• PLAN AHEAD. When going on a trip, do your research to find the best photo locations.
• When dealing with difficult lighting situations, don’t be afraid to reposition yourself until to avoid shadows.
• BE YOURSELF while posing and do what’s most natural to you. Maritere will sometimes play music for her subjects to dance to during a shoot so they can loosen up.
• Create a more flattering pose by making your arm into a figure 4 instead of laying it flat on your side.
• Instagram Stories are a way to be authentic and inspiring. Stories will help your authenticity shine and will increase your engagement.
Here are a few of Maritere’s favorite apps to try for yourself:
• A Color Story
• iPhone’s Native Photo Editing Tools (these tools are free and already available in your Photos if you’re an iPhone user)
• SKRWT for perspective correction
• Unfold and StoryLuxe for Instagram Stories
• Snapseed for editing
• VSCO for vintage and film filters
Thank you to our sponsors and to everyone who joined us for a fun-filled day!
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