Vintage photography tips for 2023


Vintage aesthetics is in trend these days. People are constantly trying to recreate vintage looks with the help of retro effects. A professional camera is not essential. You can use a decent smartphone camera to get the job done.

Vintage usually refers to the ’70s, ’80s, or 90’s era. The fashion and aesthetics concerned with that time period are frequently harkened back to. Modern recreations of it, are seen to trend in recent times by fashionistas, and celebrities, and are spread over to the larger masses.

Being an active participant in this vintage tradition, we would like to share some important tips that will make your photos get that vintage aesthetic look. Go through the rest of the article for more!

1. Vignette Effects:

Photographs from the ‘80s or ‘90s often have slightly darker edges and are unsaturated. Vignette effects are a trademark for a photo to have a vintage aesthetic. This highlights the subject in the photo. In order to add the vignette effect to the pictures, darken the edges, and in the process keep the subject brighter.

vignette retro photos

2. Yellow Tint:

During the ‘90s, the photographs had an acquired yellow tint. It would provide a rugged old look to the photos. Photo papers have a tendency to deteriorate over time. It is quite easy to get the yellow tint for creating a vintage-looking photograph these days. You can adjust the color balance, by mostly selecting yellow and red tints.

yellow tint images

3. The grain effect:

It is important to use the grain or noise effect for the photographs. This is crucial in order to recreate the vintage look of the photographs. Old photos tended to have a grainy effect due to a lack of high-quality lenses. Use apps like Canva, Picsart, and Inshot, in order to bring in the grain effect to modern photographs.

grain effect photography

4. Saturation:

Reducing the saturation of pictures is important for vintage photographs. Photography during the 1900s had lighter and faint colors, due to the wash while printing. If you want to provide that extra vintage flair to your photographs, try to lower the saturation using good editing apps.

low saturation in pictures

5. Monochrome effect:

In order to achieve the perfect vintage photographs, the monochrome effect is extremely important.  Reduce the saturation level to black and white to get the ‘80s effect on your retro photos. Due to the lack of good lenses, before the 1950s, color in photographs was not available. Every photo before the year 1950, is in the monochrome effect. This has emerged as one of the most used effects in order to get the ultimate vintage aesthetic.

6. Contrast in vintage photos:

Vintage photos usually lose contrast over time. The hazy effect overwhelms the picture with time. Edges of the photographs become faded and blurred. In order for recreating a retro photograph in contemporary times, one needs to reduce the contrast and increase the brightness in the pictures. This would create the perfect vintage-inspired photograph.

contrast effect in retro photos

7. Get the perfect vintage outfit:

In order to get the perfect retro-inspired picture, dress accordingly! Do thorough research on the types of outfits worn by people, based on your ethnicity or occasion. Get sarees worn in various styles, if it is based in India, or pinned-up skirts for the West, varying from region to region. This enhances the legibility of the photographs.

Retro outfits

8. Adjust the focus:

Adjusting the focus is essential for retro photographs. Due to the vignette effect, as well as the low saturation used, the subject is at times out of focus. These might have been glitches to be avoided in the past. These days, pictures that have an out-of-focus template, are often seen as excellent vintage photographs.

out of focus image

9. Use specialized apps:

Use apps like Blend in order to create vintage photographs especially suited for product photography. Blend’s advanced AI helps in removing pre-existing backgrounds and creating the vintage effect you want for your product.

Thus, the tips provided above are to be kept in mind while getting the best vintage photographs. You can even use some classic vintage props like cars used during the 70s to the 90s, specific hairstyles, record players, and buildings, in order to add depth to the pictures.

Install the Blend app for more templates.


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