By now I am sure you have seen the colorful, whimsical murals popping up all over different cities on social media. Instagram in particular is chock full of them.
I am definitely OBSESSED. I have told you numerous times before that I am a visual person and when I see these eye candies, I eat them all up!!!
Look at this totes adorable pic of Studio DIY’s Kelly Mindell at the Chris Uphues Wall in the Fairfax District, Los Angeles.
Photo credit: Studio DIY | Christ Uphues Wall in Fairfax District LA
I have been eyeing these walls for awhile now. With three kids and a busy family schedule, stealing up to LA for a photo shoot has proved cumbersome. But since it’s summer, I’m planning to take my girls on a LA wall crawl!
So a-researchin’-did-I-go! 🙂
Photo Credit: Studio DIY|Pink Wall|Paul Smith
Trekking three kids all over LA in traffic isn’t my idea of fun, but these walls have me obsessed. I wanted to get the best photos so after some research, here are a few pro tips for wall mural photography:
- Plan ahead and map out location, check weather and time of day for traffic. This may seem like a given but don’t forget to check weather and traffic times. Especially if you will be driving far to your destination wall. Traffic is all too common in LA (and so many other cities). I want to plan ahead and to give myself leeway, especially with a three year old! Sometimes you are able to find online resources for local mural walls and they may give you some specific tips. Studio DIY has a series on wall crawls that currently include cities such as LA, Denver, Nashville and even London!
- Turn on the grid feature on your phone. Whether using your phone or DSLR, use the grid feature to make sure everything is centered and not off kilter. The grid is a big godsend for me both when I am using my phone or DSLR. Make it a permanent function in your photography settings.
- Contrast with the background. Most likely you will have an idea of which wall you want to shoot. So wear contrasting colors. Like the picture above, the purple and nude colors are contrasting, Kelly wore both to play off it visually. If you are style impaired, generally speaking, white and cream work best for any wall.
- Stand back. The whole point is get capture the art and vibe of the wall. So while closer up shots with you are fun, make sure to stand back and capture the whole wall. Be sure to include some pavement too. Taking a step back gives the viewer a sense of how big the wall is and the depth of colors and patterns.
- Add movement. Posing while looking up, sideways or even facing the wall with your glamorous booty to the camera is fun. But what adds more life and whimsy to the art wall is *you* moving! So jump up and do a Footloose Kevin Bacon pose! Or twirl like you just don’t care. Whatever movement it is, SMILE and enjoy! That’s the whole point right?
Photo credit: Studio DIY|Heart Mural|Atwater Village
So there you have it, all you need to know for a successful Instagrammable wall photo op. You know you want to, so jump in your car and fill up your feed with something pretty, exciting and fun for summer!
Happy day!
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