Photography Tip– Capturing the First Day of School

As a scrapbooker, I feel the need to photograph and document details of events. The first day of school is always one I make sure to capture.

My goal is to capture the excitement (or lack of), the newness and the “smallness” of my children as they enter a new school year.

When taking pictures of the first day of school, be sure to capture all the details. I like to capture all the little details that I know I may not remember later, but will likely want to look back on.

Like little backpacks packed and ready to go…

Capture the expression of a child excited to go to elementary school for the first time…

Capture the expression of the child that wished summer never ended…(My boys could not be more opposite than each other! )

You will want to remember the tender gesture of an older sibling holding his younger sibling’s hand as they wait for the school gates to open.

Photograph a cubby bearing your child’s name. The cubby that will no longer exist after Kindergarten.

If you’re child jumps right into class activities and does not want to say goodbye to you because he is excited to be at school, then just keep shooting – even if it is behind a camera with tear-filled eyes that can’t see clearly because you are hiding the fact that you are crying behind the camera.  (Note: the last statement may or may not be factual. I make no claims to the fact that I may or may not have cried because my son is in Kinder and was too excited to be at school to take pity upon his may or may not be crying mom.) 

If you have traditions for before or after school, be sure to photograph them as well.

For our after-school tradition, the kids come home to treats awaiting them. For the one with a sweet-tooth, a brownie.

For the one without a sweet tooth, a couple of bags of his favorite snack.

…along with any sentiments…

(I was so excited to find a Cookie Monster card (Cody is a HUGE Sesame Street fan) about starting Kinder!)

Tip Tuesday–Capturing A Newborn Baby

Before my niece was born, I made sure to study Your Baby in Pictures so that I would remember exactly what the “essential” shots were!

In the 0-3 months chapter, Me Ra not only discusses tips for photographing a newborn, but she also identifies some of the “must-have” images.

She suggests capturing images within the first 30 minutes of birth.

Because Madison was brought directly to the nursery, my only option was to take pictures from behind the nursery window. If you run into  this obstacle, don’t let it stop you. Just keep shooting and you can still capture special “just born” moments.

The newborn wrinkle…

The first pout (after they applied that gunky eye gel).

One of the first times she opens her eyes…

Don’t f0rget to capture an image to show just how small they are. Look how tiny her feet were compared to her daddy’s hands.

The relief of a new father….

After the baby is home, don’t forget to capture the cute little traits.

I followed along with the 0-3 Months chapter and captured these newborn baby essentials.

“The Tiny Yawn”

“The Fleeting Hair Swirl”

“Tiny Hands”

“Tiny Cries”

I’m BACK! and a Photography Exercise

After 3 weeks of nothing but sickness in our family, I am BACK! YAY!!! Yes, we still have the cough, cold and Cody is going through a new version of his sickness, but we are trying to make it over the hump of the February BLAHs.

I was hit with the flu last week and wow, that thing sure knocks you down! I haven’t had the flu in years and I had forgotten how “knock you down, don’t even try to get up, go to bed and sleep” the flu can be. I don’t wish that on anyone.  I have been fever free for a few days now, yet my body still aches.

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Now, on to more fun stuff!

You all know how much I adore Me Ra Koh and the amazing world of Soar!

The greatest part of Soar! is that although you may have not have won and become the OFFICIAL Soar! recipient, you have the ability to follow every exercise and mimic the steps the ladies are taking during their Soar! year. The difference is the transparency in which these women are sharing themselves through the Soar! blog.

Whether you aspire to become a photographer or simply want to improve your photography skills, I suggest you follow along on the journey. You will be amazed at the path your photography takes this year!

Part of the Soar! program that the Soar! Winners (Rachel, Charisse, and Ali)  is to complete photography exercises on different topics and subjects.

Photography exercise #2 (exercise 1 is here if you want to start there) is Defining Details.

Any great story teller provides not only the big picture, but also also the smallest details that play an integral part in the story.

I love details. Every little detail tells you something different about the overall story. It gives a true visual to the emotion, the setting, the characters.

From a “oooo” expression on the face after a collision of two wrestlers…

…to the way the pudgy fingers grasp the wrestler as he head-butts his opponent…

…to the smirk of triumph as his favorite wrestler stands a head above the opponent he just defeated.

I challenge you to complete the photography exercises this week. I will be doing them along with you.

I invite you to share your images with us. Feel free to leave a link to your blog or photo gallery to share your detail images with us.

Top 10: Make Your Christmas Family Photos Stand Out

If you have not already taken your Holiday family portraits, here are some great tips I found on www.tipjunkie.com.

Top 10: Make Your Christmas Family Photos Stand Out

I know it can be stressful for parents when they think their children are not behaving or acting appropriately during the session. I like to tell the parents before the session to try not to worry about how the children are behaving because honestly, my own kids stress me out during sessions, but each and every time the best pictures are the ones of them laughing and “misbehaving'”!

I found these tips to be great and was fun to realize that I already employ many of them during portrait sessions with families. Now, I just need to remember them for when I have my own family’s sessions!

Tip Tuesday–Take a Photo Field Trip

Although I enjoy photographing the fun of summer and all the activities that take place, nothing beats the beauty of Fall and Winter. The colors of Fall, the Pumpkin Patches and Christmas Tree Farms, and the Holiday decorations are all beautiful!

Take a photo field trip and see what you find in your city.

Here are a few tips to help guide you through your field trip:

1.  Tell a story – whether your are photographing scenery with someone in it or not, play with angles and distances to tell a story about the scene rather than capturing just the “view”.

2. Move yourself – Instead of always moving your subject and trying to pose them or trying to change your depth of focus, try moving them feet!

3. Capture the  character of a place – try to capture the location so that descriptions aren’t needed. Show your audience what it felt like to be there. Make them feel like they were there with you smelling, seeing and touching everything you experienced.

4. Capture the environment – If you are following a group of people on a field trip (it is that time after all for school field trips), capture images from behind them to show the view they are seeing. It’s okay to have backs of heads in the picture!  

5. Get close – don’t be shy! – Part of telling a story is being able to show the details of the experience. Closely photograph the boot foot print left behind in the mud by a child in a pumpkin patch, photograph the detail of a favorite ornament hung on your tree, or capture the detail of an entire bottle of glue poured onto paper to hold down the one sequin on a child’s art project.

6. Try angles – no, I didn’t misspell triangles. Instead of shooting something or someone straight on, try moving to the left or right to add depth to your image. Shoot a street or path at an angle to show distance or photograph a person with the camera at a tilt to add height.

Have fun capturing what’s around you.

If you try some of these tips, I would love to see them. You might even see them featured on here.

Tip Tuesday – 5 Tips to Grouping and Hanging Photos (as shared by Me Ra Koh)

One of my photographic idols, Me Ra Koh, shared a great post yesterday and I wanted to share it with you!

Stop by her blog for great tips on decorating your wall with your own images.

Printing – Why it Matters

Many of us use two options when it comes to printing:

1. print at home

2. get photos printed at local stores

The third option that is available that many probably aren’t using is ordering professional quality prints online.

I am a HUGE fan of www.MPIX.com and order majority of my personal prints from them. Sometimes I do last minute printing and head to my local warehouse for prints, but I am never 100% happy with the quality.

Here is a copy of an image ordered locally. The color is a bit off, but it works for scrapbooking, right?

The colors are not vibrant (though they are on my computer screen on the original print) and the paper is not of high quality.

Here is an image purchased from MPIX. I love the clarity, the vibrant colors and the paper is professional grade photo paper so it is thicker than that of the local store photo processing centers.

I used to strictly go to my local centers until I saw the difference between the two when it came to quality.

The best part is that aside from having to pay shipping (which is not expensive at all through MPIX), the print pricing is fairly the same, if not a little less expensive through MPIX as opposed to local options.

My biggest concern when families purchase CDs is that they purchase images from local stores vice having them professionally printed. I worry that the prints they have done do not accurately portray the high resolution quality of the images provided to them. That is why I strongly encourage my families to purchase their prints from companies such as MPIX.

(I am not affiliated with MPIX, nor gain anything out of sharing their information with you. I just want to ensure that you are getting the best out of your printed images. =)  Now get printing!)

Tip Tuesday – Let’s Get Technical – Camera Modes

How many of you have SLR cameras and never stray from the green box or Program mode??? It’s okay, go ahead and raise your hand. You know who you are. =)

I was stuck in P mode for quite awhile until I watched the Beyond the Green Box DVD by Me Ra Koh. It was a total AHA! moment for me when I watched the DVD. Words that were foreign and confusing made sense after Me Ra and her trusty sidekick, the Professor, explained things in regular, non-technical terms.

I was so excited that I was able to comprehend the “geeky camera terms” that I literally jumped up and did a happy dance while watching the DVD. (Sad part is, really, I did! LOL)

Understanding your camera’s modes is much easier than you may think it is. Yes, that dial of modes can be intimidating – C1, C2, P, M, AV, TV, Auto (aka the green box), the chic with the head and no body, mountains (or hills or what can appear to be a lopsided rear end), a tulip, the guy running and showing off that he is running, and a moon. 

I’m a Canon gal and this is what I see when I look at my dial. (Keep in mind that not all mode dials are created equally and have different images based on brand.)

I found these great, detailed explanations on one of my favorite sites, Digital Photography School.

Automatic Modes

Automatic Mode

I suspect no one will need any introduction to this mode (as it seems most digital camera owners use it). Auto mode tells your camera to use it’s best judgment to select shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, focus and flash to take the best shot that it can. With some cameras auto mode lets you override flash or change it to red eye reduction. This mode will give you nice results in many shooting conditions, however you need to keep in mind that you’re not telling your camera any extra information about the type of shot you’re taking so it will be ‘guessing’ as to what you want. As a result some of the following modes might be more appropriate to select as they give your camera a few more hints (without you needing to do anything more).

Portrait Mode

When you switch to portrait mode your camera will automatically select a large aperture (small number) which helps to keep your background out of focus (i.e. it sets a narrow depth of field – ensuring your subject is the only thing in focus and is therefore the centre of attention in the shot). Portrait mode works best when you’re photographing a single subject so get in close enough to your subject (either by zooming in or walking closer) so that your photographing the head and shoulders of them). Also if you’re shooting into the sun you might want to trigger your flash to add a little light onto their face.

Macro Mode

Macro mode lets you move your closer into your subject to take a close up picture. It’s great for shooting flowers, insects or other small objects. Different digital cameras will have macro modes with different capabilities including different focusing distances (usually between 2-10cm for point and shoot cameras). When you use macro mode you’ll notice that focusing is more difficult as at short distances the depth of field is very narrow (just millimeters at times). Keep your camera and the object you’re photographing parallel if possible or you’ll find a lot of it will be out of focus. You’ll probably also find that you won’t want to use your camera’s built in flash when photographing close up objects or they’ll be burnt out. Lastly – a tripod is invaluable in macro shots as the depth of field is so small that even moving towards or away from your subject slightly can make your subject out of focus. (I’ll write a full tutorial on Macro Photography in the coming weeks).

Landscape Mode

This mode is almost the exact opposite of portrait mode in that it sets the camera up with a small aperture (large number) to make sure as much of the scene you’re photographing will be in focus as possible (i.e. it give you a large depth of field). It’s therefore ideal for capturing shots of wide scenes, particularly those with points of interest at different distances from the camera. At times your camera might also select a slower shutter speed in this mode (to compensate for the small aperture) so you might want to consider a tripod or other method of ensuring your camera is still.

Sports Mode

Photographing moving objects is what sports mode (also called ‘action mode’ in some cameras) is designed for. It is ideal for photographing any moving objects including people playing sports, pets, cars, wildlife etc. Sports mode attempts to freeze the action by increasing the shutter speed. When photographing fast moving subjects you can also increase your chances of capturing them with panning of your camera along with the subject and/or by attempting to pre focus your camera on a spot where the subject will be when you want to photograph it (this takes practice).

Night Mode

This is a really fun mode to play around with and can create some wonderfully colorful and interesting shots. Night mode (a technique also called ’slow shutter sync’) is for shooting in low light situations and sets your camera to use a longer shutter speed to help capture details of the background but it also fires off a flash to illuminate the foreground (and subject). If you use this mode for a ’serious’ or well balanced shot you should use a tripod or your background will be blurred – however it’s also fun to take shots with this handheld to purposely blur your backgrounds – especially when there is a situation with lights behind your subject as it can give a fun and experimental look (great for parties and dance floors with colored lights).

Other less common modes that I’ve seen on digital cameras over the past year include:

• Panoramic/Stitch Mode – for taking shots of a panoramic scene to be joined together later as one image.
• Snow Mode – to help with tricky bright lighting at the snow
• Fireworks Mode - for shooting firework displays
• Kids and Pets Mode – fast moving objects can be tricky – this mode seems to speed up shutter speed and help reduce shutter lag with some pre focusing
• Underwater Mode – underwater photography has it’s own unique set of exposure requirements
• Beach Mode – another bright scene mode
• Indoor Mode – helps with setting shutter speed and white balance
• Foliage Mode - boosts saturation to give nice bold colors

 

Semi Automatic Modes

Aperture Priority Mode (A or AV)

This mode is really a semi-automatic (or semi-manual) mode where you choose the aperture and where your camera chooses the other settings (shutter speed, white balance, ISO etc) so as to ensure you have a well balanced exposure. Aperture priority mode is useful when you’re looking to control the depth of field in a shot (usually a stationary object where you don’t need to control shutter speed). Choosing a larger number aperture means the aperture (or the opening in your camera when shooting) is smaller and lets less light in. This means you’ll have a larger depth of field (more of the scene will be in focus) but that your camera will choose a slower shutter speed. Small numbers means the opposite (i.e. your aperture is large, depth of field will be small and your camera will probably choose a faster shutter speed).

Shutter Priority Mode (S or TV)

Shutter priority is very similar to aperture priority mode but is the mode where you select a shutter speed and the camera then chooses all of the other settings. You would use this mode where you want to control over shutter speed (obviously). For example when photographing moving subjects (like sports) you might want to choose a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion. On the flip-side of this you might want to capture the movement as a blur of a subject like a waterfall and choose a slow shutter speed. You might also choose a slow shutter speed in lower light situations.

Program Mode (P)

Some digital cameras have this priority mode in addition to auto mode (in a few cameras Program mode IS full Auto mode… confusing isn’t it!). In those cameras that have both, Program mode is similar to Auto but gives you a little more control over some other features including flash, white balance, ISO etc. Check your digital camera’s manual for how the Program mode differs from Automatic in your particular model.

 

Fully Manual Mode

Manual Mode

In this mode you have full control over your camera and need to think about all settings including shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, flash etc. It gives you the flexibility to set your shots up as you wish. Of course you also need to have some idea of what you’re doing in manual mode so most digital camera owners that I have anything to do with tend to stick to one of the priority modes.

Tip Tuesday – Keeping It Steady

Marilyn B wanted to know how to “keep a steady hand and stop shaking the camera so the picture  does not come out blurry every time”.

When I first started taking pictures with a SLR I had a hard time keeping my hand steady and  was so frustrated that my images would come out blurry and unclear.

Then Carey of Barefoot Memories helped me out by telling me to change the way I held my camera. She suggested I keep one hand steady under the lens (which was HEAVY and the bulk of my unsteady issues). That helped out quite a bit, BUT because I had bad carpal tunnel the hand not under the lens was still shaky.

Doing the following also helped me out (they are helpful for both SLR or Point and Shoot cameras):

1. Hold your breath when you snap the shot – even the steady movement of breathing can jostle your camera
2. Tuck your elbows close to your body to steady your arms
3. If a wall or something sturdy is available, lean against it to support your body
4. If all else fails and you still find yourself unsteady, prop your camera on to a level surface then snap your picture

Now get shooting…

Tip Tuesday – Keeping Kids Engaged

One of the questions from Krystal O was about how to keep kids in the mood for photo shoots.

The best advice that I can give is to keep them engaged. They may not WANT to be there for a portrait session, but kids (and some adults heehe) are easily distracted so you can almost always talk them out of not wanting to be there.

The trick is to keep them talking. Ask them about their favorite shows, games, books. Ask them to tell you jokes. If they don’t want to tell jokes then bust out some of your WORST jokes. This will usually get them to smile at you or if anything give you a courtesy laugh.

If they are still not wanting to talk about their favorites, ask them WHY they don’t want you to take their picture. They can come up with some elaborate explanations that have dramatic expressions involved. I LOVE THAT! They can get so animated when they tell you why they don’t want to be there.

Encourage play. Encourage them to jump around, run around, burn some energy.

Have them bring their favorite, smallest toy. It will be small enough that it won’t be in the pictures, but enough to keep them occupied.

Lastly, if all else fails – tell them NOT to smile. Even the best and angriest of them all end up smiling!

Tip Tuesday – Size Matters

Yes, size does matter! When you are talking about your children growing, that is!

Ever since my boys were born, they have always taken a picture with “Blue Bear”. Blue Bear is a gigantic bear that my mom and dad gave to DJ on the day he was born. 7 years later and Blue Bear is still around.

At first it was a joke for me to take pictures of them with the bear, but then I realized that by taking the pictures each year around their birthday I am also documenting how much they have grown in just a year.

So what started out as just being funny has been instrumental in demonstrating how big my boys have gotten over the years.

Sorry, boys, you will be taking pictures with this bear until you are AT LEAST 18!!!

This week’s tip is to take an annual picture of your children against an object to illustrate how much they have grown in the last year.

Even if they are not infants you can still start.

Below are a couple of quick scrapbook pages I had put together for my boys using images of them with the bear. :)

Tip Tuesday – Let Them Guide You

One of the most asked questions I get from other moms is “How do you get a toddler to stop moving and look at the camera?”

My answer is, you don’t.  ;)

From when they start walking to about 5 years old, I have learned that children would prefer to ignore that you are there than to cooperate. It is through no fault of their own. I know that I do not rank high on the priority list when there is an empty field to run in or a playground close by.

The trick is to not stress out, don’t fight them, don’t ask them to do anything and just follow them.

Speaking from mom experience, the more I ask or tell my kids to look at me or pose, the less cooperative they are and the more they give me that “are we done yet?” look.

Some of my favorite images of kids (mine and others) are those when they are not looking at the camera. They tend to be more expressive in their expression and more relaxed when not looking at me.

The next time your getting frustrated by your children running around not cooperating with you, take a step back and just observe them rather than try to direct them. You will be more relaxed and so will they!

I’d love to see some of your images if you try this technique! You can email me at mrs@mrs-photography.com or share your link for where you have shared the images online.

Now get snappin! :)

I Would Love YOUR Input!!! – And Random Drawing for a FREE Session

In lieu of Tip Tuesday, I wanted to ask you for your input on a few things.

And because I would love for you to respond to this post, I am offering a free mini-session (30 minute portrait session for up to 4 people with 5 full resolution digital images - $150 Value!) to a random commenter.

SAN DIEGO PEEPS (Whether you think you are or not, you are my peeps! heehee) you can enter, too, if you would be interested in a free session during the 4th of July weekend!

Now to qualify for the mini session, your comment will need to include responses to the following questions:

1. What tips would you like to see for Tip Tuesday?
2. Because some folks have asked, I have been throwing around the idea of a workshop for beginning photography. Would you or someone you know be interested in attending a workshop?
3. For Friday’s “Down Syndrome Fact Friday” is there anything you are curious about? Anything about Cody or our raising Cody that you want to be nosy about and ask? (I am happy to share our experience with you!)
4. How did you find out about MRS Photography?

Okay folks, now get to commenting…..

Comments must be provided by Monday, June 14th, 2010, to qualify for the drawing for the free session.

Tip Tuesday – Wall Art

After you download your images, what do you do with them?  Do you print them out and stick them in an album or scrapbook them? Do you enlarge it and frame it? Or do you keep them on your hard drive only to be seen again on your computer’s screen saver when it is on idle? (I only mention that one because I am guilty of it!)

Instead of waiting to put them in albums or scrapbook them, why not showcase them by putting them on your wall? You don’t have to go big to make it stand out.

This is what I call the boys’ “Wall of Fame”. I have 8 images (2 of each boy) displayed. They are printed at 8x10 and framed. It is a great to show them “through the years”.  

 

A recent family had this great idea to do a poster size image of her newborn. What was even cooler was her idea to have four of them printed with different words going across the center in a light pink color.

Here it is not yet up on the wall. I will have to take a picture of the completed wall display so you can see the full affect of it, but it turned out beautiful on their wall!!

Another thing that she had me create was a storyboard with images from her baby’s newborn session. I love this idea. I may need to go back and create one for each of my boys. =)

Don’t be scared to use your images as wall art. It is not only a great way to showcase your beautiful children, but you also get to cover up some of those bare walls (or dents and holes heehee).

Tip Tuesday – The View From Above

I am sure you will agree with me when I say that kids are big balls of energy. There are many times when I wish I had their energy…or even half of it!!!

One trick I like to do when kids get wiggly (especially my own) is ask them to lay down. I then stand over them and start taking pictures from above.

When they are not my children, I snap away until I am happy with the images or they are tired of laying down. (Keep reading to see what I do when they are my children.)

(This little ball of sunshine didn’t need my guidance and decided to take a break from her session by relaxing in the grass, which ended up being a great opportunity to shoot more images!).

NOW…if they are YOUR children there are even more options for capturing from above.

If you have boys like I do your house is probably a makeshift wrestling ring already. Use that to your advantage!

Do a “takedown” and get them to lay on the ground. You know, tell them you have a new wrestling move you want to try on them. :)

Once they are on their backs, stand over them and “pin” them with your ankles around their waistline. Snap a few good shots then tell them they can try to break out of your super power hold. For my boys this elicits shrieks, laughter, and funny expressions. All great, scrapbookable images. =)

Happy shooting!!!

Tip Tuesday – Using Natural Light – Look Out the Window

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – PUT THAT FLASH AWAY!!!! =)

My favorite light to use for capturing images is natural light. Window light provides a great source of light. My kids are pretty trained now to face the windows when I take their pictures inside. :)

What I like about window light compared to direct sun light is that window light is slightly diffused. It is not such a harsh light on your subject.

Here is a shot of my adorable model DJ with his back to the window..

Do you see how his edges are kind of “glowing”? But his face is so dark and shadowed?

I then moved him so he was sitting facing the window

Now his face is lit up and every freckle can be seen. =)

Isn’t this light much more flattering?

Both images were shot with a 50mm 1.8 lens with the following settings:
ISO 200
f 1.8
1/125

Without changing the settings, but moving the subject to face the window, made a tremendous difference in lighting.

My next model was not so cooperative, but he was cute so I will share his backlit and front lit images anyway. HEEHEE

Backlit -

Front lit -

 

Settings for each image were:

ISO 200
f 1.8
1/40

You can still see the difference in the tones of the image just by having him face the window.

Try this and email me what you capture. I would love to see it! (MRS@MRS-Photography.com).