My Boys

Kristen + Brandon Sneak Peek!

Saturday we shot this gorgeous wedding in Gilbert, here is a quick sneak peek!  More to come!

Diane - Mesquite High School Senior

Check out this cutie!  Diane was so stinkin' fun!  What a beautiful girl, both outside and in!  

Take Great Photos of Your Kids [And Live to Blog About It!] :: Tip #3

How is it that we are only on Tip #3?  Sorry about that!  Ok here we go...

I have tons of friends that are moms of young kids, just like me.  We all post photos of our kids on our blogs, facebook, or wherever.  But sometimes, they could use a little help, am I right?  For everyday, we can't afford to have a professional photographer in our homes 24/7 to capture all the great moments! But, our everyday images can be great, too!  Everyone deserves to have great photos of their kids! Knowing a few basic skills can take your images from blah to wow, and these skills don't have to be a secret!  Each post will cover a different tip, and then I will link to my facebook page for you to post photos that show off your new skillz!  ;)  

The first two tips were basically about composition, or how to get good angles and make the structure of your image pleasing to the eye.   Click here for Tip #1 and here for Tip #2.

This next tip has to do with lighting.  Lighting is HUGE in getting great images, so we will spend a couple of tips in this area and try to simplify as much as possible.  

Tip #3: Don't ever use the flash! [Unless it is absolutely necessary! And I mean ABSOLUTELY!]

This may seem a little crazy to some, but I'm serious!  The only time I ever use the on-camera flash is... NEVER.  That's right.  And you may say, "But, Erin, you have one of those fancy-schmancy external flashes that makes your camera look super tall and awesome.  I don't have one of those."  And I would say...I rarely ever use that flash in every-day life.  With the exception of total darkness, or a wedding reception, I use natural light.  Even indoors.  Now, granted, I do use lenses that allow me to shoot in pretty low light, but that's not an excuse!  

I realize that using all natural light isn't always practical, but if you make a point to seek it out rather than just resorting to the flash, I promise your photos will turn out better.  Ok, so here are some quick tips on how to both find the right kind of light and how to use it to your advantage:

1. Open the windows!!  If you are taking photos indoors, just take a second and pull back the curtains and open the blinds.  I would suggest either toally pulling the blinds all the way up, or angling them so the light is point up to the ceiling, where it will bounce around the room.  If you open them straight on, you will probably end up with lines of light and shadow created by the slats.  Not really flattering.  :)  I usually point the light toward the ceiling so it fills the room.

2.  Point your kids toward the light.  If you're inside, have them face the window, so that the light illuminates their faces.  You could also have the window be to their sides, so that there is a little depth on their faces.  Looks great, and adds a little variety.

3.  Head outside!  This is easy this time of year, and kids love playing outside.  I would suggest that if you are taking pictures outside in the middle of the day (well, really from about 10am until about 5pm) to seek out some solid shade.  I say solid, because you don't want speckled shaddows either.  :)  

4.  If you're outside, try putting the light behind your subject.  Yep, that's right, the opposite of #2.  If you point them toward the sun (a common mistake) they will get funky shadows on their faces and will be sqinting.  Not cute.  Don't be afraid to shoot into the sun, but be aware that if the actual sun is in your shot, you may have some blow-out.  That's why shooting early in the morning or later into the evening will give the best results.  

Ok, so like I said, I never use the flash, so I couldn't find any photos that were good "don't-do" shots.  So here are some examples of naturally-lit images and how I got them.

Ooooh how I love this squishy little face.  :)  This was taken in my hospital room 5 1/2 months ago (can it really be that long already?!).  The light was actually pretty good in there.  There was only one window, and it was to my right, so the light was illuminating Sawyer's sweet face really well.  I think we had the blinds all the way open.  If I had been holding him in my right arm, the top of his head would have been lit, but his face would have had shadows.  Make sense?

This one was taken inside also.  This was last summer of Greyson eating his birthday cake.  Can we all just pause for a minute and remember how little he was?  Oh man, the days fly.  In this shot, he is facing a big window in our dining room and I was standing between the window and him.

This one was taken about a month ago, when we went to the snow for the weekend.  So, it was taken in the middle of the day in bright sunlight with white  (reflective) snow all around.  It was BRIGHT out there.  We used the trees to shade a bit.  (Another side tip - make sure to have someone take pictures of you with your kids every once in awhile.  You'll be glad you did.)

This last one was also taken that weekend.  We were in a super dark train car at an outdoor museum.  Granted, the nice lens I use helped us out a bit, but the light of that window and the darkness of the car create a really cool effect.  If I had used the flash, his face would have been super blown-out and look really artificial.  I love how perfectly imperfect this turned out.

Ok, go try it out!  Turn your Auto-flash O-F-F!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

A Random 101 in 1001 Update

So, waaaay back, a long time ago, I posted a list of 101 things I wanted to accomplish in 1001 days.  And I was really gung-ho about the list and started checkin things off.  Then, well, I guess life got in the way.  And I stopped looking at the list and stopped checking things off.  I even forgot about most of the stuff on there.  So, I decided to check back with it and see how I've been doing without really even trying.  Let's take a look, shall we?

#2 - Have baby #2.  He was born Nov 1st, 2011!

#11 - Shoot 3 weddings.  This happened awhile ago.  I think I forgot I put it on my list.  :)

#12 - Add a regular blog segment with a theme.  I think the recent "Take Great Photos of Your Kids" series covers this one.

#21 - Replace the lighting in the dining room, hallways, and entry.  We've moved, but I did get this done before we left.

#26 - Become a coupon user.  I tried this for quite awhile.  It just doesn't jive with how I shop.  I should try it again sometime.  Maybe there's a better way.

#29 - Go through my closet and donate clothes I no longer wear.  I did this before we moved.

#30 - Furnish our front room.  This was in progress.  Then we moved.  Boo.  I'm still counting it as complete, though.

#38 - Host a girls' night with my friends.  Did this around Christmas time.

#48 - Read a book about marriage with Dan.  Our small group read through Love That Lasts by Gary & Betsy Ricucci.  It was a good read.

#59 - Find a new way to market my products.  I opened my Etsy shop!

#69 - Sew some throw pillows for the house.  Done.  :)

#80 - Sell something on Etsy.  See number 59.

#92 - Buy a smart phone.  I've had my iPhone for over a year.  Not sure what I ever did without it.

Not too shabby for not even trying!  My 1001 days ends this October.  These make a grand total of 34 completed.  Yikes.  Maybe I should really work on this list over the next several months!!