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"There's still [time to vote](http://blogger-awards.allure.com/) for the best video in the *Allure* Beauty Blogger Awards! The contest is open all long-weekend long\u2014until midnight on Monday, May 28\\\\. Make your voice heard by voting in the very last challenge, and you just might win a three-day, two-night spa trip to Miami Beach for yourself and a friend.\\n\\n\\n\\n                   \\n\\nOne of the things our amazing competitors have proven in this contest is that the best beauty blogs have truly great photography\u2014artful arrangements and shots of bloggers wearing their makeup in natural light. Since you may find yourself snapping some photos this long weekend, we thought you could use a few tips for when you're behind the lens. Photographer Michael Thompson, [who has shot so many *Allure covers*](http://www.allure.com/beauty/michael-thompson)\u2014Beyonc\u00E9, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, and Kim Kardashian to name a few\u2014gave his advice to* Allure* for taking the perfect vacation photos. Here's what he had to say:\\n\\n\\n\\n__Make a composition.__ \\\"Photographers talk about making sure an image is well-balanced. That means your eye isn't drawn to one corner only and there are interesting things in all parts of the picture. If you're taking a group shot, for instance, divide the people so they are spread evenly around the camera's screen and the tallest people are either in the center or on the edges of the group, not clustered to one side. Get the adults in position first, and just before you're ready to shoot, bring in the kids.\\\"\\n\\n\\n\\n__Work with nature.__ \\\"If the background is dull, fill the frame with people, but if you're trying to capture a scenic background, put friends to the left or to the right of the vista. The scenery will balance out the people.\\\"\\n\\n\\n\\n__Crop with caution.__ \\\"If you're taking full-body shots, make sure you're at the same level as your subjects\u2014not higher (they'll look small) or lower (they'll look like giants). If you're not going to get someone's whole body in the frame, crop it evenly between the subject's joints: between the elbow and wrist or between the knee and hip, not at the knee. That just looks better.\\\"\\n\\n\\n\\n__Be guided by the light.__ \\\"The best time of day to shoot outdoors is from late afternoon until dusk. High noon is the trickiest because the light is brightest and can cast weird shadows. Always stand with the sun behind you so that it lights your subject directly.\\\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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