Change up the depth of field of your photos
One way to produce soft aesthetic pictures is to take photos with a shallower depth of field. This will give your photos a blurry background while focusing in on the subject in the foreground.
A shallow depth of field creates a dreamy effect while also placing all of the visual attention on your model.
Use lens flares in your photos
Lens flares can go a long way toward creating soft aesthetic pictures . It can take some time to get the hang of this, but once you do, you’ll be glad you figured it out.
Here’s how the experts at Skylum explain the process of achieving lens flare. “Lens flare can be instantly achieved by shooting into the sun. Just allow the sunlight to hit the lens at the right angle. What you need to do here is to redirect the light so that instead of directly reaching the sensor it reflects several times internally before hitting the sensor.”
Choose the right setting for your photos
Setting is always important for photography, but it’s especially important when you’re trying to take soft aesthetic pictures. The right location makes all the difference in creating the kind of “suspension of disbelief” that lends itself to soft, dreamlike photography.
Choosing the right location will of course heavily depend on the kind of photos you’re taking and the specific look you want. As a general rule, we recommend natural locations like forests and fields (think: an overcast day in a wildflower field). And don’t forget beautiful and tastefully decorated indoor spaces like lofts or old houses. Check out Peerspace for indoor and outdoor locations that help you capture stunning soft aesthetic pictures. You might also find a photo studio or set of some kind that you can modify to your heart’s content to maximize the dreamy vibes. Keep reading and we’ll recommend our favorite place to find great photography locations along these lines!
Use Peerspace to find photography locations
As we mentioned, location is a crucial element of taking soft aesthetic pictures. Luckily, there’s an easy way to find fabulous and unique locations of all kinds: Peerspace!
Peerspace is the internet’s largest marketplace for hourly venue rentals. This includes photo studios and other distinctive spaces with a range of aesthetics and in a range of budgets. You’ll find many thousands of spaces available for rent via Peerspace, across hundreds of cities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whatever you’re seeking, if it exists then it’s pretty likely that Peerspace has it.
The other major benefit of Peerspace is that the search tool makes the process simple. You can easily browse and narrow down the right options among this massive selection with ease. Start by entering “photo shoot” into the main search bar, as well as the city you’re planning to do your photoshoot in. This will return a bunch of listings that you can then narrow down according to numerous criteria.
These parameters include keywords in the listing descriptions, outdoor and interior spaces, production equipment and other amenities, aesthetic and style of the space, type of space (whether you’re looking for a warehouse loft, a straightforward photo studio, or a cute little apartment in the middle of downtown), and miscellaneous features including fireplaces, libraries, pianos, bathtubs, and so forth.
