the magic of vsco cam

this is one of those posts that i'm doing for you guys. i mean, i always write about what i feel passionate about, but in this case that thing will benefit you greatly. and as you'll see, it will lift the curtain and probably leave you less impressed with my blogging and photography skills in the end. so let me just start by saying, you're welcome, and i hope it's helpful.

most people who have an online presence, like bloggers, shop owners, or professional tweeters (look it up, it's a thing) understand how critical good photos are to their content. they already know vsco, a photo taking/ editing app for smartphones, and use it with cult-like voraciousness.

much of the rest of the population has no idea what i'm talking about and their eyes are already glazing over a little bit (and be honest i know some of you can hardly work your iphone camera at all...you know who you are).

and then, somewhere in between, are the laura irions of the world. i consider myself the poor-man's blogger. i don't have a macbook; i have a chromebook. i don't have a studio; i have a kitchen counter. i don't have photoshop; i have pic-collage. and i don't have a dslr camera; i have vsco cam. (and no, i still don't know how to pronounce it).

me and vsco started with travis hickox. let me just get something out of the way. if it's in the tech realm, and travis recommends it, don't ask questions, just do it. this guy has told me about more stuff that i blow off, only to rediscover months later, beg him for a tutoring session, and then realize i can't live without. (ahem! buffer)! he has some weird cosmic instinct about what's cool...it's creepy actually. (this is a tangent, but he created a social networking site for our friends back in 2003 when social networking wasn't even a thing yet). so. obey travis. end tangent.

are we ready for some evidence to support the title of this post?

here are some of my photos, and i'll show you the original shot, and then the edited version. they're all taken from within the vsco app, and also edited in the app, on my iphone.

before:

after:

// edits: b5 filter / crop / rotate / exposure //

before:

after:

// edits: exposure / temperature / crop / fade / saturation / sharpen //

before:

after:

// edits: exposure / crop / rotate / fade / saturation //

now i am by no means suggesting that i am some photography savant, or even that i'm very good at it...only that this app makes a normal person's photos waaaaaay better than they actually are. and if i can work it, you can too.

if you want to see uh-mazing (truly astounding, incredible, and jaw-dropping) photos taken with vsco cam, go to their blog. prepare to be stunned.

before:

after:

// edits: exposure / crop / rotate / saturation //

before:

after:

// edits: exposure / temperature / contrast / crop //

before:

after:

// edits: exposure / temperature / contrast / sharpen //

i'm going to forgo posting an actual tutorial, only because apps change and update with lightning speed. (and you can get it all here), but even if you just get in there and play around, you will be able to figure it out.

for the most part, i do not use filters, and i skip straight to tools. once in the tool menu, just start adjusting everything to see what it does, and you're ready to play. you'll know when a photo looks right. or you can just email it to travis and ask him if it looks right, like i did when i first started using vsco.

before:

after:

// edits: exposure / crop / rotate / saturation //

before:

after:

// edits: exposure / crop / rotate //

well now all my secrets are yours. (except for the secret of the unedited selfie...some mysteries are better left alone). it's been on my bucket list in life to learn how to take better pictures. i've researched photography classes, but you have to own one of those doggern fancy cameras that i can't (or i should say won't) afford. this little free app has allowed me to get pretty darn close with the tools already at my disposal. i'm trying to learn something new about photography every day. if you'd like, follow along on instagram! everything there is iphone, vsco, trial and quite a bit of error. i'm enjoying the journey.