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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!
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#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!!
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If you follow me on Pinterest you may have already seen these, but I just thought I would give a shout out to this cool website.
I think there needs to be a site like this for fashion for all ages and genders. Then we could create killer photo shoot stylings! What an awesome addition to a photo session that would be! Could someone get on that, please?? :)
Hope your week is starting off great! I'll be back in the next day or two for another installment of Take Great Photos of Your Kids. See ya then!
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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! ;)
Did you try out the first tip, getting down on their level?? If not, make sure to try it out, along with today's easy-peasy trick! Click here for Tip #1.
Tip #2: Move in close and pay attention to the background.
Usually, the best photos of kids are shots that are up close and personal. They are little, so if they look little in the middle of a big photo, then its difficult to see them and their beautiful features. So don't be afraid to get the camera in close to their little noses! And if you don't want to interrupt what they're doing, then remember to crop that image in an editing software! Getting rid of all the extra "noise" is a sure-fire way to improve your shots.
The second part of this tip is to pay attention to your subject in relation to their background. Make sure there isn't a telephone pole shooting out of the top of their head. Or a random strager trying to photo-bomb you. Shifting your angle a bit or waiting a second or two can make all the difference. Let's take a look at a couple of examples, shall we?
This first set is of Greyson while we were at a splash pad last summer. They are the same shot. The one on the left is the original. See the extra space above his head, the random couple in the background, and the giant white structure coming out of his head?? Craziness!! All of these messy distractions take away from the quality of the image, and it ended up in the "toss" pile. But, all I had to do to create the image on the right was a little strategic cropping in Photoshop. Such a better image, right? Greyson is now the focus and there is no question where your eye should go.
This next set is of Sawyer in my parents' kitchen. Again, there is a lot of space above his head (maybe that's a habit I should work on!). And, in true horror-film fashion, there is a giant group of knives ready to stab him in the neck! Too many distractions! On the right, again, all I had to do was crop that sucker down. Tons better! You can even still see the knives, but they aren't a major part of the shot anymore, so you aren't staring at them, wondering about the safety of this child or the intelligence of his mother. :)
Here are some more examples of using today's tip.
Bonus idea: For this next shot of Sawyer, I wanted to make sure I got something that looked a little more "professional" than the average everyday snapshot. So, I pushed our dining room table up against a white wall (that was facing our big sliding door...read: lots of good light) and set a flattened cardboard box on the table to create a more muted "floor." I set Sawyer right up on the table in front of the white wall, and in the midst of crying, closed eyes, and lots of drool, got this winner:
We'll talk more later about lighting and how to use it properly in upcoming tips. For now, focus on getting on their level and moving in close so their faces and shoulders take up a majority of the frame. And no poles or knives threatening their sweet heads! ;)
Don't forget to post your best shots on my Facebook wall!
]]>About a week and a half ago, Bobby received a call from their adoption agency that a baby girl had been born and was in need of a mommy and daddy to take her home! Crystal (a kindergarten teacher) was outside with the kids and then at lunch while poor Bobby was trying to get ahold of her for an hour and a half! Finally, she got his messages, and they both made the decision to go ahead and claim this sweet baby girl as their own! Crystal left work (and the afternoon of parent conferences) and they rushed over to hold their little one. THEIR baby!! They named her Ivy Rose, a named they had picked out months ago, just in case. The next few days were a whirlwind in the NICU and then at home as they began adjusting to this new life in their home.
I was so blessed to be able to photograph sweet, sweet Ivy when she was just 10 days old and oh so tiny! She is just so gorgeous with her smooth, dark skin and her full head of beautiful black curls! Congratulations, Bobby and Crystal, on your most precious gift! God has blessed Ivy with such amazing parents, and has given her an immeasurable gift of growing up in a beautiful, loving family!
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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! ;)
Tip #1: Get down on their level!
There are a lot of other tips that could have been first, but this is one of the simpliest to execute, and makes some of the biggest differences in getting great shots. One of the biggest "mistakes" I see most moms making in photographing their kiddos is taking the photo from "mom level." Most of us don't even know we're doing it! Its so easy to just grab the camera and snap a shot before the little crazy runs off onto something else, right? Well, taking the extra 1.5 seconds to crouch down to "kid level" before clicking the shutter can be huge. Exhibit A:
See how the angle of the photograph is from my height? It kind of cuts off part of his face, and really makes you feel like you are outside of the image. Like a spectator. Now lets check out Exhibit B.
Sawyer is still lying on his back, and still not smiling. But, I am down on his level, looking straight into his eyes. His hand is reaching toward you, and you feel like a part of the image. You connect. And great photography is all about connecting, right? Here are a few other examples. These are just everyday snapshots from our life, not images from any designated photoshoot time.
Ok, now for the fun part!! YOU TRY IT!! Over the next few days or so try taking some photos of your kids (or someone else's) by getting down on their level. Crouch, squat, lay in the dirt. Do whatever it takes! I promise you, you will definitely see a difference! Once you come up with a few that you like, post one or two on my facebook wall. Just do it like you're writing a wall post on my page, but click the icon to share a photo instead. Please, please don't forget to do this!!! I want to see your awesome shots!!
Let's take great photos of our kids, mmkay? Ok, now go! Go take some great shots!! YOU CAN DO IT!!
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Ashley is headed to ASU in the fall :)
