Hey friends! Happy Earth Day! It’s pouring rain here today so my plans to get outside have been thwarted, but I’m enjoying nature from a distance by looking out the window.

Today I thought I’d share some of my tips for taking pictures of tarot cards, whether it’s for Instagram, your blog, or just for your own personal reference! I was thinking about it when taking some Instagram pictures the other day and about how much I’ve improved since I first started blogging.

I just want to clarify that I’m not in any way a photography expert – just someone who’s had a lot of trial and error since I first started! This article is certainly not meant to be “learn how to take FABULOUS AND INCREDIBLE photos just like ME, THE EXPERT.” They’re just some tips I picked up along the way, and I hope they can help you too! (Some of them are weirdly specific so bear with me.)

I also realize that some of you might really hate the way my photos look and that’s okay!! I love the really washed-out foggy look, so that’s how I like to edit them. But you can edit your pics however you want: this is more about dealing with the struggles of trying to photograph your tiny cardboard loves! Without further ado, here are my best tips:

1. avoid direct lighting if possible

This is especially important for shiny decks – try not to have your lighting source shine directly on the cards when you’re taking pictures. There’s often a glare, and even with mostly-matte cards you can sometimes see the light reflecting weirdly off the cards. I try to take my pictures in a sunny space so there’s natural light, but I take the pictures themselves in the shade, if that makes sense.

Natural light is my favorite kind of lighting for photos, but if you’re inside and your lighting ends up being too yellow-looking, don’t worry: you can adjust the warmth of your photos in Instagram! I like cooler-toned, almost gloomy pictures, so I end up doing that a lot.

2. for card back pictures, don’t use the whole deck

Have you ever wanted to take a picture of a card next to the rest of the deck so people can see the pretty backs, or maybe the edging on the sides of the cards? If you have, you’ve probably found it’s really hard to keep the deck in a neat stack. Mine always slip all over the place and look really messy.

My solution? Only use part of the deck for pictures like these! You really can’t tell from pictures how many cards are present, so if you just want a neat little stack next to your daily draw, using half or 3/4 of the deck makes it much more manageable to work with. As long as you angle the camera/your phone so you aren’t showing the full side of the deck, no one will notice it’s a little shorter than usual.

3. be really careful with outside pictures

A lot can go wrong with an outdoor photoshoot: your cards could get wet, get muddy, get bent, or blow away. I would recommend keeping as much of the deck in the box as possible so you don’t end up losing anything important. If you have a glass plate or tray, you can lay that down first so you’ll still be able to see the grass/whatever through it without your cards actually touching any outside surfaces.

4. accessorize!

I feel like my Instagram feed looks really boring if all I do is take pictures of the cards on their own. One way I mix it up is by playing with props! Sometimes I’ll include the deck’s guidebook in the picture, sometimes I’ll lay the cards on top of my tarot journal, sometimes I’ll include crystals or candles or other witchy tools, or sometimes the cards themselves are a prop in a picture of a book I’m reading. I feel like this is a really easy way to give your photos a little more visual interest (but then again, I like the slightly-cluttered look.)

5. play with angles

This is more for if you have an Instagram account, but honestly sometimes I feel like my feed gets really boring if I’m just posting pictures of my cards all the time. One way I change it up is to play with taking the pictures from different angles – some slanted one way, some slanted another, some dead on, and stuff like that. This way even if I have two pictures of the same deck next to each other, there will be some contrast going on and it won’t all look the same! (Unless uniformity is your thing, in which case heck yeah, you do you!)

6. background matters

Since your tarot cards are going to be the focus of your picture, I’ve found it’s usually best to find a simple background to photograph them on. In the past, I’ve used hardwood floors, marble countertops, and even a white poster board as a background (I seriously just bought one from the store and pulled it out for pictures.) I’ve used my comforter before as well, but the wrinkles stand out too much for my liking – just something to consider if you’re going to be using a cloth of some kind as your background.

Try to clear away any dust or clutter that might be in the pic before taking it. I can’t even tell you how many times I thought I had a great picture only to notice that I accidentally got part of something else like a book or paper in the photo, as well, or that there was a spill or mark on the background that ended up being distracting. Always look at your picture after you take it to make sure it looks the way you want it to!

7. don’t worry about being perfect

Taking pictures is something you get better at with time, but there’s no pressure to be perfect – just be yourself! This should be something you do because it’s fun and you enjoy sharing about your tarot journey in a visual way, not something you feel like you have to do in order to build an Instagram following or anything like that. Don’t stress about having un-straight lines or dust on your floor or not getting it just right. You’re your own harshest critic, and taking pictures you don’t like will help you grow and learn how to take pictures you DO like.

So those are my tips! Do you have any special techniques you use when you take pictures of your cards for Instagram? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear all about it!