One thing that I am known for is my colour-organised Instagram feed. (@lydia.rich) I am often asked, "How do you make everything in your feed match?" Well, in this post, I'll explain how I am able to maintain a theme that flows from not only one colour to another, but each post to the others.

The first step is to determine which colour or filter will be the easiest for you to continuously use and shoot. Depending on where you live and the kinds of photos you take, this could mean that a certain colour is more prevalent in your surroundings, or that a certain filter tends to work best for your photos. 

If you want to assemble a theme based on a certain filter, all you have to do is make sure that each of your photos is being edited through the same process with the same effects applied to each.

If you want to assemble a theme based on a certain colour, you must keep this theme in mind when shooting. For me, the colour of my theme typically depends on the season, as I predominantly shoot outside. During the summer, my theme is typically blue, yellow during autumn, white during winter, and green during spring.

The key to getting a balanced, flowing feed is having a separate account where you predetermine what your feed is going to look like. This account can either be public for the opinion of friends, or private as to avoid spoiling the photos you are planning to post. This both allows you to easily see if a photo matches your feed before actually posting it, and to establish a queue of photos to post in the days to come.

If you want to change your theme, don't just post a photo that is completely different from the one before it. Make sure that the colours or filters slowly transition into another, such as from blue to green or black and white to colour. Shoot or edit so that there is a larger piece of the new theme colour in each colour you post. I achieved this when switching themes by taking horizon pictures where the ground is green and the sky is blue. This allowed me to eventually post photos that are completely instead of partially blue.

My final tip for keeping an organised and coordinated colour theme is to pay attention to how you edit your photos. Similarly to how you'd watch your editing habits with a filtered theme, you must make sure that the way you are editing your photos doesn't make the tone or temperature of the colour contrast with your other photos. 

Organising and curating a theme is much like putting a puzzle together; you must observe and make sure it fits in place with the surrounding pieces. Sure, it's a little more work than just posting your desired photo; but not only is it aesthetically pleasing, it is also rewarding to see all of your work form a body of art that can be shared with the world.

This past Wednesday, a large group of art students from my school went on a day trip to New York City to visit the Met and MoMA.

The original plan was to leave early in the morning and visit the Metropolitan Museum first, but due to miscommunications with the bus, we ended up only having time for lunch and taking pictures. Myself and four of my friends who are also photo students went to Three Guys Diner for lunch.

After lunch, we walked into Central Park to take pictures for our upcoming shutter speed assignment. We saw everything from an incredible music group under Bethesda Terrace to a man making bubbles the size of elephants. We witnessed photoshoots of all kinds, whether they were maternity, marriage, or engagement photos. We were only in New York City for a short period of time, but made the most of it by exploring what we could and taking as many pictures as possible.

Can't Miss:

• Cherry blossom trees in Central Park
• Bethesda Terrace and Fountain
• Model sailboats at Conservatory Water
• Peach Industry a capella singers under Bethesda Terrace
• Three Guys Diner on Madison Street

For the last week of my spring break, my family and I went down to Florida to visit with grandparents and friends.

For the first few days, we spent time in Palm Beach and Delray with family. The Thursday after we arrived, we headed to the Surfside Diner on the island of Palm Beach for lunch and delicious milkshakes. 

On Friday, we went to the Everglades for an airboat tour with Captain Mike, who had given us tours in the past. We saw many alligators, waterlilies, and a wide variety of birds. 

On Saturday, we drove down for 4 hours to Key West to meet friends. Saturday night, we walked down to Mallory Square to watch the amazing street performers. On Mallory Square at sunset, you can find everything from crazy frenchmen with cats jumping through fire to guys simultaneously juggling torches and daggers on unicycles. From Mallory Square, we walked to the Rooftop Café where we enjoyed our dinner watching the end of the sunset.

Sunday was spent biking around the streets of Key West, exploring some of our favourite stores from past trips and discovering new places to visit in the future. We had lunch at Turtle Kraals and stopped at La Crêperie for dessert. On the way home, we biked and piked up dinner from Eaton Street Seafood Market and the island's best, meringue-overloaded key lime pie from the bakery at Blue Heaven.

On this trip I found these great places/ways to compose photos:

• Small garden on the corner of Florida A1A and Chilean Avenue in Palm Beach
• Duval Street in Key West
• Everglades National Park
• Mallory Square at sunset

Can't Miss:

• Exploring Key West by bike
• Mallory Square's street performers
• Pretzel bites at Turtle Kraals
• La Divine chocolate, banana, and strawberry crêpe at La Crêperie
• Shopping for curios at Besame Mucho and Petronia Island Store

For 2 days, my mum and I drove through the highlands with our very close friends, or as we call them, our "grandparents."

On the first day, we drove through the hills for a few hours before reaching a small ski lodge café for some tea. As we set off on our drive again, we saw 3 rainbows caused by the intermittent rain showers as we drove through them. Halfway through our drive, we stopped for soup and sandwiches at a café in a small town. When we finally reached our hotel, a small little place called The Rowan Tree in Aviemore, we had a lovely dinner and went to bed. 

The morning of the second day, we woke up early to continue our journey. We drove to The Potting Shed at Inshriach Gardens to eat cakes and watch for the rare red squirrels. We saw 2 red squirrels as we sat by the window and drank our tea. We drove on to the House of Bruar shopping centre where we had a hearty lunch and did a bit of shopping. We carried on to Killiecrankie to walk along the gorge and see the site of the Soldier's Leap. According to legend, a soldier was being chased down the gorge during a battle and made a great leap of 18 feet across the gorge to escape unharmed. After a long day of driving, we finally arrived back to my grandparent's town and had dinner before returning home to rest for tomorrow's activities.

Can't Miss:

• The Potting Shed's Cakes
• Crocuses in Inschriach Gardens
• Scenic drives through the highlands
• The River Dee at Sunset

Today in Edinburgh, we had a late start to the morning and ran over to Ryan's Bar for coffee and a light breakfast. From there, we ventured to hike up Arthur's Seat, a hill famous for its view of the city. From the top, which takes about fourty-five minutes to reach, you can see all of the Firth of Fourth and across to the hills on the far side of the city. As we walked back down from Arthur's Seat, we decided to go on a tour of Holyrood Palace which is right next to the hill. Inside we took an audio tour and learned a lot about the history of the Palace, the Royal Family, and Scotland. We then walked on and explored the Royal Mile, a street full of gift shops, pubs, and cute little stores, all with the old Edinburgh charm. Once we reached the end of the Royal Mile, we headed to Waverley station to pick up our train tickets for the next day. We finished off the evening by eating pizza at an Italian restaurant named La Favorita, and then headed back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

Today I found these great places/ways to compose photos:

• Top of Arthur's Seat
• Park Fence on Princes Street
• Ruins of the Holyrood Palace

Can't Miss:

• Hiking Arthur's Seat
• La Favorita Italian Restaurant
• Shopping on the Royal Mile
• Toasted Bagels and Hot Chocolate at Ryan's Bar
• Princes Street at Sunset

After a long day of travelling, my mum and I finally arrived in Edinburgh. We got here with just enough time remaining to explore Princes Street and Calton Hill before sundown. It was a very busy Saturday on the streets of Edinburgh, with sidewalks full of shoppers and pubs full of rugby fans watching the big game. We made our way to Calton Hill, while window shopping on the way. On top of Calton hill are the Scottish National Monument, the Douglas Stewart Monument, and the Nelson Monument. Gorse bushes adorn the hilltop, their yellow tones complimentary to the green of the hills. On the Southeast side of the hill, there is a gorgeous view of Arthur's Seat, a popular hiking spot for a great view of the city. Although I've only been here for one day, I've already fallen in love with the old charm of Edinburgh and can't wait to see what the next few days have in store.

Today I found these great places/ways to compose photos:

• Monuments/Arthur's Seat through Gorse bushes
• Looking down Princes Street
• Princes Street from the top of Calton Hill
• Edinburgh Castle and St. John's Episcopal Church from Lothian Road

Can't Miss:

• Walking around Calton Hill
• Pizza at La Piazza
• Exploring the shops and boutiques of Princes Street

Shutter speed, the amount of time that the shutter is left open when taking a photo, is a crucial key to good photography and composition. Stop-action shutter speeds (1/500" and faster) help to freeze time in full-focus, typically used for sports photography, animal photography, occasionally portraits, and practically all action photos. Mid-range shutter speeds (Between 1/4" and 1/400") allow for blurred backgrounds, subject panning, and little hints of movement within a photo. Long-exposure shutter speeds (1" and slower) are often used for capturing the movement of water or creative portraits. With long exposure, you can create a translucent effect with your subject, focus on certain points in the photo, and use light to highlight only the parts of the photo that you want to show. Before taking a photo, always take into account the shutter speed and how you can use it to contribute to the end result that you're looking for.

• First photo: 1/2000" (Stop-Action)
• Second photo: 1/4" (Mid-Range)
• Third photo: 30" (Long Exposure)

Imagine watching an intense football match from the stands of the Red Bull Arena, freezing in the wind, with a $9 slice of pizza. The cold was miserable and the pizza wasn't that great, but it was so much fun. A group of 25 of us went to go watch the England and USA's national women's football teams play a match in the She Believes Cup. We watched with anticipation as each team made shots at the goal and missed, constantly switching from one side of the field to the other. No matter where you were in the stadium, it felt as though you were right on the field. Everyone huddled under their blankets, screaming the names of their favourite players until they'd give them a wave from the field. The open and cheerful atmosphere of the arena and game entranced everyone in the stands. It wasn't until the very last few minutes of the game that England scored and, at the matches end, won 1-0. 

Despite the chilly weather, today my family and I took a trip to Longwood Gardens. They are currently exhibiting their "Orchid Extravaganza," a stunning display of easily hundreds of species of orchids. We try to get to Longwood gardens every year, and it's always a treat when we do! 

My favourite place to photograph is easily the Greenhouse Conservatory, not only because it's heated but because of the widely variating exotic flora found within. More specifically:

• Orchid Archway
• Succulent Room

New York City is always bustling during the holiday season. Today, my friend and I took on the city as she showed me around all of her favourite spots across the burrows. First, we walked around Rockefeller Centre and admired the Christmas tree and ice skaters below. We then headed to Sephora on 5th avenue, a converted old train station that has beautiful, intricate ironwork throughout the inside. From there took a cab over to Union Square. We had excellent french fries and açai bowls at VBurger and browsed the collection of books at The Strand. After looking through art supplies at Blick and freezing to the point that we had to buy gloves, we took a cab back to Rockefeller Centre to meet with friends and drive home in the snowfall.

On this trip, I discovered these places to photograph:

• Rockefeller Centre's silver and gold flags
• The 2nd floor landing of The Strand
• St. Patrick's Cathedral
• Christmas Angels at Rockefeller Centre