Flash & Lighting Practice

After Christmas, I got a super cheap radio flash trigger and an umbrella and light stand kit to start playing with off-camera flash lighting. It’s blast to play with, but I’ve got a long way to go.

Lessons Learned From Family Photos

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to take some photos of one a friend’s family. They are expecting their second child in August and wanted to get some photos of the prego belly and the family together. And they asked me to do it for them. I was flattered and scared.

My wife and I scouted the location before the family arrived and we were able to get some pretty decent pictures. By the end of the relatively short shoot, I was extremely exhausted and learned a few lessons.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. I need to take extra care to hit the focus right on. That may mean stopping down a bit to help. Especially when shooting a 2.5 year old.
2. Don’t forget to pay attention to exposure AND composition. At a certain point in the shoot, I forgot to double check my exposure settings when I was worried about getting my composition right. Both are equally important.
3. Posing people is hard. And I need to learn how to pose subjects and clearly communicate to subjects what to do.
4. Eat before a shoot. I should have had dinner before, but got too busy. Having a better blood sugar level would have helped calm me down and have a clearer head about me.

All in all, it was a fun to experience my first family photo session. Here is a little peak at a few of the photos.

52 Weeks of Sophia

Since we had Sophia we’ve been doing a little project. Every week from the day she was born, we take a picture to show how much she is growing. We put Sophia in a plain white onesie and place her on a different fabric each week. After we get our shot, we photoshop the week onto her onesie.

It’s been a blast to do and fun to really watch her growth. I gotta give a shout out to Young House Love for inspiring this awesome project.

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21 Settings, Techniques, and Rules New Camera Owners Should Know

Over at Digital Photography School, Darren Rowse posted an article that is a great roundup of posts for the new DSLR camera owner. Even if you are not new to your camera or photography, they are a good reminder.

Topics include things like explaining the modes on your camera, white balance, basic operation, and composition tips. If you have 5-10 minutes, it’s a great read.

Article Link : Digital Photography School

Why Shoot RAW: A Practical Example

This is my first post since becoming a dad! Yay! I have the most beautiful daughter, Sophia, who you will see showing up quite frequently. And today she will make her debut.

A couple days ago, my wife was sitting outside with our daughter—who was probably 5 days old at the time—and she folded her little hands and started smiling. It was the cutest thing ever. So, Rachelle quickly ran inside and grabbed the camera and snapped a shot just before Sophia’s little expression had changed. Her face was priceless.

Unfortunately, the photo was incredibly overexposed. The camera had been left on manual mode and set for our inside lighting. Luckily, we shoot RAW format instead of JPEG. This made it possible to save the photo and edit it into something decent.

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Photographer’s Rights: What You Need To Know

I am one of those individuals that walks into a situation and always figures out what to do if there is a confrontation. Yet, I don’t think I’ve ever really had a “confrontation” (aside from a pushing match in junior high).

As a photographer shooting in various locations, it is always good to know what your rights are for taking photos. I found this downloadable PDF that clearly explains what you would need to know if confronted. This is something that I’ll be keeping in my camera bag!

Source: The Photographer’s Rights
Via: ProLost

Gracie & Brandon

For those of you who haven’t met her yet, Gracie is my super cuddly dog. There is nothing she loves to do more than snuggle with a person. And it doesn’t really matter who. The picture below is with one of the high school guys in my small group.

This was my picture of the day yesterday. One of the cool things is that it was literally my only photo I took yesterday. It shows that I am getting better at composition, making artistic decisions (like depth of field), and getting the camera setting correct the first time.

That’s the power of setting up a photo project. You begin to notice how you are growing and you force yourself to grow. For those who are taking up photography (or anything for a hobby) and want to grow, I’d encourage you to do it everyday.