Day 3: A Tutorial Post
I’m not going to lie here, I would normally need a lot more time to post a tutorial. I am very visual so I like to include tons of photos for something like this. However, since I’m participating in this challenge where I’m posting something every day; AND since I’ve been on the go since literally 7AM, I just don’t have it in me! I do want to post something of quality though, so I thought it would be fun to explore photo quotes!
If you have looked at anything on my blog, you will notice I’m a huge fan of putting words, lyrics, quotes, scriptures on my photographs. I think this adds such a fun dimension to a photo; and I’m a sucker for a good quote!
Although I do most of my quotes using Photoshop, there are some really great apps out there which make it super easy to do a quick quote on your smart phone or tablet to post to your blog, Facebook, Instagram or other social network. I like to also post mine to Pinterest, which is a great way to link back to your blog 😉 I also like to post photo quotes on Facebook for my clients to share.
My first piece of advice is to give yourself some “white space” to work with when you are taking a photo to overlay with any words. NOW, this doesn’t mean it won’t work if you don’t have white space, but it’s definitely easier when you have a little place to use as a canvas!
Here is a great example of a photo from a recent engagement session that I think works well for a quote:
See that white space on the lower half of the photograph? Well, that is just begging for a good quote about love and marriage, don’t ya think?
So let’s use a nifty little app on the iphone and add some words to really add some emotion and meaning to this photo. OR, add it in your favorite editing software.
There is a plethora of apps that you can use for this purpose! I think Phonto is a nice and simple app. Did I also mention it’s free? I know there are others that can take it a little more in depth such as Over Bubble Frame and Font Candy that have features such as kerning, masking and typing text in a shaped path. I’m all about simple (and free!), but the others are definitely worth checking out.
After you have chosen a great quote, song lyric, scripture or other meaningful words that match the mood of your photo, it’s time to play with font and color! This is where the fun and creativity come into play!
Choosing a font is important for the feeling of the photo quote. I like to experiment with some different fonts but I also like to keep the “feel” of my style so there are a handful of fonts that I use depending on my photo. My favorite is Pharmacy. It is fun but very legible.
Here is what I came up with for this photo.
I love the simplicity of this photo quote and I think the font has a nice romatical feel. This font is called Sverige Script I also placed this quote so I can crop it into a square, suitable for Instagram. Now that’s using my noodle! It does not work for every photo quote but when it does it makes a nice share!
Another idea is cropping your photo quote to a ratio appropriate for a smart phone, such as 3:5 for an iPhone. You can share it with a client, family or friend so they can use it as their wallpaper. You would be so nice for doing that! 🙂
I also think there are times that you can put your quote right on top of the photo in this summer campfire example that I did back in the summer.
It’s one of my favorites from our Fourth of July outing! 🙂
I think when it comes to adding words and quotes to your photos, whether they are quick shots captured on your phone using a simple (free) app or an edited image in Photoshop; the most important takeaway from this quick tutorial is to give your photo quote a unique style that screams YOU. I also think you should give it consistency from the photo to the placement, to the actual words you choose, down to the font and color.
I would love to see YOUR photo quotes! Link me up or follow me on Instagram so we can interact. My IG username is kwhitten.