How to take the best St. Patrick’s Day photos

Get your leprechaun on this St. Patrick's Day: here's how to take the most St. Paddy-riffic photographs possible!

St. Patrick's Day is today (YAY!) and that means lots of green stuff, lots of drinking, and lots of hanging out with buddies at your local pub.

Regardless of what your plans are for St. Paddy's, it's worth getting festive and fun in one way or another and posting your pics on social media for all your other fellow green beer drinkers to see!

Here's how to take the best possible St. Patrick's Day photos out there.

• Green green green
• Top of the Boomerang, to ya'
• Leprechaun style inspo
• #GoodTimesWithPals
• Lens up yo' St. Paddy's style

Green green green

One of the simplest ways you can take an epic St. Paddy's Day photo is by incorporating as much green into it as humanly possible!

Adding a dash of green here and a dash of green there with clothing, makeup, props, editing, accessories, environment, etc., can make or break a St. Patrick's Day social media post, so it's worth it to snap pictures in front of as many green things as humanly possible!

Keep a lookout for St. Patrick-friendly shapes and slogans too, including 4-leaf clovers, leprechauns, pots of gold, "Kiss me I'm Irish!" shirts, dudes with giant red beards, and, of course, lots and lots of green beer.

One of my favorite editing apps to use is VSCO (the app is free, but I think it's worth it to pay extra for more filters — you do you, though), and there are plenty of green-friendly filters and editing options that can tint your picture in a modern, stylish way without being too overpowering and tacky.

Top of the Boomerang to ya

If you know me personally, you probably know how big of a Boomerang advocate I am, and if you don't know me, hi, my name is Cella, and I'm obsessed with shooting Boomerang GIF/videos.

Boomerang works by taking a super short, super fast burst of photos and stitching them together into a mini video that plays forward and backward and forward and backward and—well, you get the idea. (What the heck is Boomerang?)

Boomerangs are great for capturing movement and motion without the full weight of an entire video. You can easily snap a Boomerang this St. Patrick's Day of someone chugging their drink, doing a little jig in your local pub, kissing someone because their Irish, and so, so much more.

Just be sure to keep your phone as steady as possible when shooting your Boomerang: you want your subject's motions to be the highlight, not your iPhone shakin' about like a leprechaun running away with his Lucky Charms...

Leprechaun-style inspo

Speaking of leprechauns, one way you can always snap a stellar St. Paddy's selfie is by dressing the part!

Maybe you're not super down to brave the crowded beer halls of your local city this St. Patrick's Day and you just want to dress up at home and take a few appropriate selfies. Going for "Kiss me, I'm Irish!" shirts, a big green bowtie, some bright green lipstick, or even some striped stockings can really make or break your St. Paddy's selfie, so it's worth it to dress the part!

Don't forget to use appropriate hashtags and filters while posting online too, and don't forget to check out Snapchat or Instagram for their festive holiday filters that'll have you thinkin', "Huh. I kiiiiinda look good in a giant red beard..."

#GoodTimesWithPals

What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song and I'll try not to sing out of key! Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends... going to try with a little help from my friends (The Beatles, With a Little Help from My Friends)

Sometimes all you need for a successful St. Patrick's Day photo shoot is a bunch of your buds in one place, a whole 'lot of green, and some great laughs and memories!

While selfie sticks aren't exactly all the rage anymore, it's worth noting that there are a few models and designs out there that are perfect for bringing around when you're out with friends. My personal favorite is the Cliquefie selfie stick that combines a remote shutter, a tripod, and a selfie stick all into one fabulous package.

Simply set up your shot with friends, get the timer going or your selfie stick ready, and start snapping your perfect Paddy pictures! Bonus points if you're able to coordinate a (near) flawless group Boomerang.

Lens up yo' St. Paddy's style

Sure, that shot of you and your friends chugging green beer at the bar is cool and everything, but what about the tiny bubble in the green beer waiting to be photographed with a macro lens?

Yeah, that group photo of all of you drunkenly singing Irish folk-songs on the street is neat and whatever, but what about shooting it through a fisheye lens to really make it look like you have beer goggles?

Using external lenses with your iPhone is an incredible way to document your St. Patrick's partying from a whole new perspective.

Not only do you have to shoot photos and Boomerangs with external lenses, but I like to shoot my Instagram Stories with different lenses when I go out, as it keeps my audience always wondering what new creative things I'll be playing around with on my daily shenanagins!

If you're not too sure which lens to use and when to use it, check out my article: Lenses a'plenty: Breaking down which mobile lenses work best for what you're shooting!

How do you capture your St. Paddy's memories?

Are you someone who loves to record memories of fun drunken nights (only to delete them in the morning…)? Are you excited to snap some fun and festive pics this St. Patrick's Day?

Let me know how you're capturing your St. Paddy's memories in the comments below (and don't forget to share your shenanigans on social media!)