Photo Tips for the “mom-tographer”

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught

on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." --Aaron Siskind

“The best camera is the one that’s with you”

-- Chase Jarvis

Topics for Today✦ Composition

✦ Light

✦ Camera Controls

✦ Break-out Sessions / Q&A / Practice!

Composition

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good

photographs." --Ansel Adams

Use Rule of Thirds

Look for leading lines

Use Negative Space

Frame your subject

Change your viewpoint

Keep straight horizons

Find special little details

Watch for distracting itemsin the background

Keep it simple & reduce background clutter

Be careful where you crop

Get at their level

Focus on the eyes& look for catchlights

Look for sweetunscripted moments

Wait for real connections

"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography. " --George Eastman

"Wherever there is light, one can photograph. " -- Alfred Stieglitz

Finding light

✦ Let natural light in

✦ Be all natural - turn off lamps & overhead lights

✦ Look for catchlights in the eyes

Indoor Lighting

✦ Time of Day Matters

✦ 1-2 hours after/before sunrise and sunset = warm tones, even illumination, softer shadows

✦ Mid-day = hard light, harsh shadows, unattractive shadows under eyes/nose/chin

✦ Look for shade or diffused light, avoid dappled light

✦ Position subject with back to sun if no shade

✦ Use reflectors to bounce light back onto subject

✦ Consider using your flash outdoors for fill light

Outdoor Lighting

outdoor lighting

problems

makingmid-daysun work

"You don't take a photograph, you make it." -- Ansel Adams

CAMERA CONTROLS

Aperture (Av or A)

The aperture value you set (f-stop) determines how large or small the opening in the lens becomes when you snap a photo.

“Bokeh”

Shutter Speed (Tv or S)

The length of time the shutter is open measured in seconds.

For Active Subjets - do you want to

show motion blur or freeze the action?

Photographing water - a great way to practice with

different shutter speeds

ISO

The measure of a camera’s sensitivity to light.

Exposure

SETTING OUR CAMERA

Canon Nikon

CHECKING THE EXPOSURE

Scenario: low light, lots of action, artifical light sources

Scenario: fast-moving subjects, full sun

Scenario: cluttered background, hard to tell what is the subject

Scenario: group shot,need everyone to be in focus

Scenario: sunlight behind subject, camera wants to underexpose for the scene

Printing your Photos

mpix.com

other favorites

CG Canvaswww.cgcanvasprints.com

canvas

Pinhole Presswww.pinholepress.com

Artifact Uprisingwww.artifactuprising.com

My Publisherwww.mypublisher.com

albums

cards & stationaryTiny Printswww.tinyprints.com

Mintedwww.minted.com

GIFTSPinhole Presswww.pinholepress.com

MPIXwww.mpix.com

additional resources

Clickin Momswww.clickinmoms.com

Click it Up a Notchwww.clickitupanotch.com

i heart faceswww.iheartfaces.com

Photography Concentratewww.photographyconcentrate.com

Let the Kidswww.letthekids.com

learning mobile appsInstagramPicTapGoAfterlightVSCOcamSnapseed

misc.SunCalcwww.suncalc.net

editingAdobe ElementsPicassa

Andrea Gillmanwww.redacesphoto.fotomerchant.com

Melissa Hanleywww.melissahanleyphotography.com

Lori Sampleswww.samplesphotography.zenfolio.com

Jen Sanerwww.jensaner.com