Author: Beatrice Bisais Page 23 of 32

If you and your significant other have been together long enough, chances are you’ve taken a few selfies. Anymore, there isn’t a couple alive that hasn’t taken a selfie together at the beach, on the road, or just lying on the couch together. But if your selfies aren’t getting those likes, don’t worry—it’s not because you aren’t a cute couple. It’s because you’re taking them wrong. Probably. We know, we know—how can you take a selfie wrong? Well, let us explain, and you’ll realize that you’ve been missing out on some great tips.

Let’s start out with your extremities and work our way in, shall we? Some might say that they’re not really selfies if your face isn’t in it, but at that point it’s just semantics. You can go with a classic (read: clichéd) hand holding picture, and even though it’s been done before there’s a reason people keep doing it. It’s adorable, especially if you’re doing something special together when you take it. Maybe travelling in a bus or clasped over the stick shift on a long road trip?

Alternately you can get a photo of your feet intertwined in the sand or overlooking a scenic drop-off. Just make sure you’ve been taking care of your feet before you throw them front and center in your picture. And if you’re at home? Pop them up on the coffee table next to a couple wine glasses with some Netflix playing the background. Instant likes.

Alright, so you actually want some with your faces in the picture this time. If you’re traveling, there are always going to be great opportunities to get a selfie in front of an amazing view or a pristine beach. Just remember a couple things.

• First—the rule of thirds. Yes, it also applies to selfies. If you’ve got your phone extended far enough that there’s a lot of background (or, heaven forbid, a selfie stick), then you don’t want your faces to be exactly in the middle. The eye line should be somewhere near the top third of the photo, and space on the left and right side will make it more attractive.
• Second—Lighting. Certain times of day are better for taking pictures. Whether you’re traveling or not, the mornings and evenings offer better lighting for a great picture. And if you are on a trip, you won’t have to deal with as many tourists ruining the shot.

And now some parting ideas for selfies that you can use anywhere. At the roadside attraction or in your backyard, try a piggyback selfie. Also universal—the peck on the cheek selfie. Overdone? Possibly. Cute as can be? Absolutely. And last, but not least, put your goofy side out there and give a funny smile or make a face. You’ll look like you’re totally spontaneous and comfortable with each other. Which you totally are.

And once you’ve returned from your trip, or just gotten up off the couch, why not display those selfies in a digital frame from Nixplay. You’ll see them every day, and you can create your own fun playlist!

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Summer is the perfect time to get the family together and get a picture of everyone. School is out, so the kids are home during the day, and the weather provides plenty of natural light to help you get a great photo. But you might be wondering how everyone should dress. If you want it to stay up on your relatives’ fridge, your family photo needs to be at least somewhat coordinated. That means Dad probably can’t wear his favorite t-shirt, and Mom might have to pick something out for the kids. Here are some tips if you’re looking to get your summer photo right.

Build Off One Piece
Women’s clothing is usually better when it comes to a statement piece—they have a lot more options than guys do. But whether it’s a dress or Dad’s sweater, take one piece of clothing and build off it for the rest of the wardrobe. Also remember that if it’s you, your spouse, and a baby or a couple of small children, then the viewer is going to be drawn to your children no matter what you do. Might as well pop a cute bow on the baby and build off that, because that’s where everyone is going to be looking.

Don’t Match
Instead, coordinate. You don’t want everyone to wearing matching striped t-shirts or boat shoes, or whatever you’re imagining. Your all-white-everything beach photos—also, no. Start with a basic color palette while keeping that first piece in mind. Also, you might want to try keeping the other outfits simpler if the initial piece of clothing you chose is really flashy or different. You’ll end up looking slightly ridiculous if you have a lot of bow ties, suspenders, and zany colors all over the place.

Location, Location, Location
Know exactly where you’re going to be taking the picture—if it’s on the beach, in your backyard, or indoors in your living room. The palette you choose can help complement the surroundings. Just don’t go too far with it unless you’re making a card for a specific holiday. If you want your picture to stay up all year long, you should probably avoid putting the baby in a pumpkin outfit. Even though that’s wicked cute.

Accessories
Bringing accessories into your photo is a great way to help everyone stand out. As with every piece of advice we’ve given—don’t go overboard. The key is to let each member of the family have a little flair, without having each accessory fight the others.

Keep It Comfortable
This one is more for your small children. Adults can make it through a photo shoot in something they aren’t quite comfortable in, as long as it looks great. But if your kids are uncomfortable, it’s going to show in the photo. Try to get them into an outfit you like, but if it isn’t meant to be, it isn’t meant to be.

For more great tips on taking the perfect pictures for every occasion, visit the Nixplay blog.

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

The weather is warm, the sun is shining, and it is time to start planning a vacation. Where should you go? When it comes to the UK, we have some fantastic ideas.

Photography Destinations in the UK

Lake District

With fourteen million visitors a year, this location’s popularity speaks for itself. As the second largest national park in the UK, Lake District boasts stunning scenery that’s great for hiking, climbing, and taking pictures. The mountains, lakes, and hills are all awe-inspiring.

Stonehenge

No photography trip is complete without a visit to this massive monument. Its construction began around 2500 BC, when the enormous stones were hauled from the Marlborough Downs and Wales. Make sure to tour, admire, and snap some pics of this historical masterpiece.

Windsor Castle

Who doesn’t want to see the home of Queen Elizabeth II? Some of these buildings date back to the reign of Henry II. Visitors can marvel at many gorgeous areas of the historic castle, including the State Apartments and St. George’s Chapel.

Hadrian’s Wall

Put on your hiking boots and grab the camera. Hadrian’s Wall was a 6-year Roman construction project. Its purpose was to separate the Romans from the barbarians, and it spans from the Solway Coast in Cumbria, to Wallsend near Newcastle, crossing over crags, rivers, and miles of countryside, with a path following along the wall’s entirety. In some spots, the wall is 6 m high. Take a trip for a mix of vast landscapes, history, and hiking, with all the attractions and photo ops therein.

Big Ben

Although the name “Big Ben” is often used to refer to the clock, bell, and tower in its entirety, it actually refers to the thirteen-ton bell set inside Elizabeth Tower. Built in 1858, it was the second bell to be commissioned, after a large crack had damaged the original, sixteen-ton bell two years before. Everyone needs an exterior Elizabeth Tower shot.

Tower Bridge

Built between 1886 and 1894, the Tower Bridge is both iconic and dramatic. Walk or drive through the bridge deck or take a tour. The Tower Bridge Exhibition lets visitors meander through the Victorian-era engine room, admire the glass flooring, and learn about the history of the bridge.

York Minster

Every trip to the UK should include at least one stop at the cathedral. York Minster is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe. As a working cathedral, you can attend a service, let your youngest grab a backpack and explore, take a tour, or visit the 2,000-year-old chambers located below the cathedral. The “Great East window” is the largest piece of medieval stained glass in the entire world.

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle was first a wooden building in 1068, built by William the Conqueror. Later rebuilt with stone in the 12th century, and refortified during the Hundred Years War, it is now a brilliant example of 14th century military architecture. It frequently makes the list as one of the best historic attractions to visit in England. There are daily shows, a Horrible Histories maze, dungeon tours, and more.

Show off the Sights

When you return home, think outside the photo storage box. Relive the memories again and again with innovative Nixplay WiFi cloud frames.

From digital to WiFi, Nixplay has frames that can fit your every need. Be sure to check them out today!

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Whether you’re taking a road trip with some friends, vacationing with your family, or flying solo on a new adventure, you’re probably going to be taking quite a few photos. When you get back, you’ll want to share them with your loved ones, but what’s the best way to do that? Simply dumping all your pictures into an album on Facebook isn’t a very meaningful way to share them with family and friends. So instead, try creating a playlist on a digital wifi cloud frame from Nixplay.

You’ll find that your family and close friends enjoy getting a personalized playlist of photos a lot more than clicking through them online. Sending your photos to their wifi cloud frames means you really want them to see all the good times, and even the flat tires, that you had on your trip. So how do you create a playlist for them that’s unique, engaging, and will have them watching again and again?

Be Selective
If you took a vacation to the beach, one sunset picture is probably enough. Same goes with mountains. A couple gorgeous views are awesome to look at. Any more than that, and your viewers are going to get a little bored. So remember that just because you took twelve photos of the same roadside attraction at different angles, that doesn’t mean you need to add more than one or two to your playlist.

Change It Up
This is pretty easy to do if you’re taking a road trip. After all, your surroundings are constantly changing. But if you’re on vacation in one locale, remember to keep your playlist lively. Intersperse shots of the surroundings with candid photos of your family or friends. If you have a number of group photos, then space them out through the playlist.

Try Chronological Order
It might not work for everyone, but if your trip takes you through several different states or landscapes, then keep everything in chronological order. Your loved ones can watch as you travel, get sunburned, grow a beard, or anything else that comes along with your extended trip. Trust us, that’s a playlist that your parents will love to have playing again and again.

Add Messages
Nixplay Frames allow you to add captions to your pictures, so you can send messages to different loved ones throughout your playlist. But you can also make signs and hold them up at different points in the playlist, eventually spelling out a message for your family or friends. This works great for students studying abroad who want to give their parents a thank you for sending them across the globe.

The Nixplay app lets you send meaningful and unique playlists of photos to your loved ones’ Nixplay wifi cloud frames, meaning no matter how far you go, you’ll still be on their mind. So check out our selection of frames today.

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

The ease of uploading images to Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frames could turn most anyone into a shutterbug overnight. But, once you’ve been bitten with a love for photography, you’ll need some advice to get you started.

No one is born a photographer. It might be hard to believe, but the professionals still make mistakes every now and then (Hello, lens caps).

With a few quick tips, we want to help you take memorable photos of your family and friends, and easily freshen up your NIX Digital Frames’ display. So, without further ado, here are the worst photography mistakes you can make, and more importantly, how to fix them!

The Red-Eye Effect

Avoid using your camera’s flash. Otherwise, you run the risk of the dreaded red-eye effect! Your camera’s flash can reflect off the eye’s retina, making the red blood vessels shine through in the photos. To avoid this less than pleasant look, move to a brighter room, take the photo outside, or use the special red-eye mode on your camera.

Distractions, Distractions

Some people have a knack for taking a group shot when the sun is shining in everyone’s eyes. Others are great at taking photos that make it look like someone has a tree branch growing out the top of their head. Look around your subject before snapping the picture. Is there anything that could negatively affect the composition of your photo? After all, a cluttered background will take away from the actual focus of your picture — the people!

Too Far Away

In the words of Robert Capa, “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” Yes, we all love luscious landscapes, but sometimes you want the viewer’s attention to be on the individuals in your photo rather than what’s around them. If you can’t clearly see your friends’ faces in your viewfinder, don’t be afraid to move in, or use the zoom function on your camera. Taking a photo of blurred, far-away faces does not make for a Nixplay frame-worthy shot! Move your feet, and find the best position possible.

The More, the Merrier

When it comes to taking photos, less is not more. Digital cameras make it so easy to take multiple images. Don’t walk away from a once-in-a-lifetime shot, just because you are in a hurry. Always take multiple images, even if you think you took the perfect pic on the first try. This way, if any of your subjects blink or move when you’re taking a shot, you’ll have a backup photo that works perfectly!

Capture the Moment

With the WiFi capabilities of Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frames, like the Nixplay Seed, the whole family can join in the photo-taking fun. It’s simple, and fuss-free.

Use our Nixplay Digital Frames to instantly brighten any room with the smiling faces of your friends and family. Uploading images couldn’t be easier, and all of your favorite photos can be displayed in a single frame.

For more photography tips, and plenty of photo-sharing news,like Nixplay on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.