How to add that Dreamy Feel to Your Photography

It seems to be what everyone wants but not everyone knows how to achieve- those hazy, glowing, dreamy, fairy vibes photographs. The ones that look like they were shot as the morning mist was rolling in but at golden hour? How do you get that look?

Through many trials, errors, hours of photography and photo editing I have some tips!

In Camera:

Shoot with an open aperture, turn the shutter speed down, and shoot through objects.

The open aperture allows for less focus and more dreamy blur. It allows for more light to get in which adds more “glowy” accents to the image as well.

Another in camera thing you could try is lowering the shutter speed. This will add a little more blur to your photos. If the motion blur is what you’re going for- turn the shutter waaaay down. Unfortunately it is difficult to have an open aperture and slow shutter without blowing out your image, so play around and see which one you like!

One more way to achieve haze in camera is to shoot through objects- be it flowers, some grasses near by, I’ve used a fan, panty hoe- having something in the foreground can achieve that hazy look too.

In Post:

Low Clarity, Low Dehaze, Up the Grain

When editing your photos, turn the clarity down. This is the number one way to add that hazy look to photos. Another is to turn down the “dehaze” slider in light room. Similarly, you could turn the contrast down too. This will lighten your photo as well, so you may need to adjust the exposure afterwards. Finally, the grain! Grain adds that vintage affect that makes the photo look like a dream!

Got any other tips? Share them! I’d love to know!