February is the shortest month of the year, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a photogenic month!  As a month of spring, the weather can be frosty and you may not see much wildlife or plant life about but you can still work with themes.  What is a major occasion in the month of February?  Valentines Day!

Love it or hate it Valentines day is a major occasion all around the world for couples.  Of course – when it comes to the actual day there isn’t anything in particular going on that is so specific that you couldn’t shoot it another day of the year.

However, if you want to create love themed images to add to your portfolio, to sell on an image library, to turn into cards or other kinds of crafts, here are some ideas on how to get the ‘love’ look.

1.    Use Props

Valentines Day can easily be converted with the right props.  Flowers, chocolates, sweets, wine, love notes, people together all convey the sense of love and St Valentines.  Roses for example, are a common symbol of valentines – you could shoot this in a conventional manner or place it in interesting settings, like a colorful background or even choose a different colored rose on a traditional background for something a bit different.

2.    Use Shapes

What is the most popular shape for Valentine’s Day? Why, the heart!  There are lots of hear shaped items you can buy, not just chocolates – things like buttons or sweets, or you can buy a heart shaped cutter and make things like cookies or cut of shapes from fruit and vegetables.

You can scatter the hearts of just focus on one.  Keeping it simple is usually a good idea even if it is only one small thing on a plain background.

3.    Colors

Colors are important – red and pink are the most commonly used shades and you can play with these conventions or if you choose to use them, pick something from the other side of the color wheel as a background to draw some contrast.

You can also remove color altogether – you can use black and white to bring out some amazing effect or use Photoshop to keep some of the color (like a red heart on a black and white background).

4.    Use Photoshop

If you are taking Valentines themed images for yourself why not play with Photoshop to create some nice effects. Even if you aren’t skilled at Photoshop, look at the ready made filters (like a soft focus filter) to add a creative, soft look that’s popular with romantic themed images.  You can add graphics and fonts too if it’s relevant – on your own projects you can go crazy but if you are producing the images for sale then be wary of going over the top.

5.    Valentines is about…

Everyone.  Don’t just be limited to couples, Valentines is supposed to be about love for people you care about – family, friends, pets – so try not to limit your images. Think creatively!  If you have cute pets, think about how you can incorporate them into your shots!

• What to photograph in February – Chinese New Year Part 2 (0)
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• Taking Photographs at a Theme Park: Part 1 (0)