London City Airport's #NoFilter Milan Competition + 'No Filter' Photography Tips!
Anyone who has visited Milan would agree that the city’s title as an “arbiter of taste in fashion and design” is whole-heartedly deserved. Just over two years ago I visited the province in a long chain of cities from a 6-week European adventure with my closest friends. What I discovered in Milan was an exciting, cultural hub of activity, including amazing shopping destinations, delicious food and some of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen.
When I was accepted to take part in London City Airport’s #NoFilter Milan competition, I was pretty excited. Not only did I want to share a few of my favourite photographs from my time in the city, but I also loved the concept behind the competition. The aim of the #NoFilter project is to “get back to the roots of photography, celebrating the fact that photos don’t need to be Instagrammed or filtered in order to show how beautiful a city is.”
Bloggers were invited to create a blog post about their experience in Milan, including the images they have taken in the city which they believe shows Milan at its most authentic. Plus, sharing a few helpful tips for #NoFilter photography or any hidden gems of Milan were encouraged!
Another very exciting part of the competition is that there is a wonderful prize up for grabs - an Apple iPad or Microsoft Surface RT tablet with 64 GB! The talented Sara Rosso from blog Ms. Adventures in Italy will be choosing one winning image of Milan to take out this huge prize.
So, let’s get to it! Below are 4 of my most favourite images (as well as a little description of each) that I captured on my humble Nikon Coolpix whilst visiting the city:
Perhaps one of the most recognisable and famous destinations of Milan - the Milan Cathedral (or Duomo di Milano). In this image I tried to capture the awe I felt standing in front of this grand cathedral and gazing up. We visited the city in Winter, but on this day the sky was beautiful and blue.
It just wouldn't be a showcase of Milan without an image of a red Vespa scooter - they're everywhere in the city! Before capturing this image I played around with the 'selective colour' function on my camera to only capture the red - Absolutely no post-processing (or application of filters) has taken place with this photograph!
Another brilliantly blue sky despite the cold weather in December! I felt as though this image really captured the city's historic side including statues that tower over you and beautiful, stone buildings containing so much detail. It was a nice change from the very modern main streets and clothing boutiques.
If there is one thing that really took my breath away in Milan (as with the other Italian cities), it is the sheer grandeur and size of the doorways - It's like walking into a castle! This pedestrian passing by really emphasises this scale.
If you’re thinking about heading to Milan in the near future, I’d recommend thoroughly researching the city to find any hidden gems or locations which aren’t necessarily the main attractions. My friends and I were lucky enough to meet up with Courtney (my boyfriend’s cousin who was residing in the city at the time) and she knew of a small Christmas-themed carnival on that very night. I felt like a kid again taking photographs with snowmen, eating Nutella crepes and riding on the carousel! In the day time, venturing down narrow laneways (and not always sticking to just the main streets) opened my eyes to florists overcrowded with the prettiest pastel roses that I had ever seen!
So what about those tips when it comes to embracing ‘no filter’ photography? Being an avid (yet amateur) photographer, this is perhaps my most favourite part!
1. Colours are important: Grey and dreary photos aren’t very nice, however capturing scenes or objects with a beautiful colour scheme will instantly give you an image worthy of a masterpiece. When you capture perfectly-lit photographs containing vibrant or even soft colours, they won’t require a filter to make them look great! This brings me to my next point…
2. Natural light is always best: While images captured in dim light may have a moody or even dreamy feel to them, natural daylight is best for snapping a photograph that contains just the right amount of brightness, saturation and contrast. It also prevents any unwanted blur.
3. Phone advice: When using your phone’s camera, there are some simple things you can do to ensure your photograph looks perfect the first time around without having to resort to editing it afterwards. If the scene on your screen looks too dark, try tapping the screen on the darkest part of the image to adjust its exposure. You can also do this if the image is over-exposed or too bright by tapping the screen on the brightest part to adjust.
4. Try different angles: When capturing an image, try taking the photograph from various angles and choosing which one you like the most. With digital photography we have the luxury of being able to delete an unwanted image in a simple click, therefore, not having to worry about wasting film!
5. Experiment with filters of a different kind: If you’ve read our eBook, ‘The Ultimate Guide to Whimsical and Dreamy Photography’ (soon to be re-launched in a 2nd edition!), you’ll be familiar with the various techniques and household items you can use to create a filter effect on your image before you even press the shutter – no post-processing involved! Our favourite suggestions include placing some lace over your lens to create a hazy effect or holding a piece of coloured cellophane over the lens to produce an eye-catching tint.
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Want to find out more about London City Airport's #NoFilter Milan Competition? Read more here. You can also keep up to date with the #NoFilter Milan photo entries (or check out previous competition entries) by clicking here. Enjoy!