Photo Tips
Kid’s Portraits – Pulling the Drama out of Natural Light
I photographed super cute and energetic Jude’s, Batman themed birthday this past weekend. Jude’s mom Virginia, really knocked herself out to make a great party that was fun for the kids and adults and a bumped up post processing seemed a very appropriate approach for the day.
I love photos that look other worldly and dreamy at the same time, and lean towards that approach for most of my work.
I’m often asked about how I get the photos to turn out the way they do. Two things that are vital to my work flow. Whether natural light photography or strobes, I (mostly) take all photos in “manual” mode (in Raw mode) so that I can manipulate the ISO, F-stop and speed to my liking and then I bring all of the photos into Adobe Lightroom for basic processing and cataloging and apply my custom presets for specific effects (punched color, black and white, sepia etc.). Switching to this process about two years ago has made all of the difference in the world.
Halloween = Costumes Candy and Fun
It’s that time of year when sugar is free flowing and costumes are ever-present for lively bright subjects. Most kids LOVE to vamp in their costumes. Normally shy children will often be at ease when dressed up as someone else. So go ahead and ask them to “growl like a monster” or twirl like a princess or whatever costume related pose they can do – to get an extra oomph to your pics. Happy Halloween!
The trouble (and fun) of shooting in a bounce house
Kids birthday parties are fun and challenging at the same time. The fun part – lots of kids running around make for great photo opportunities – the challenging, because there is so much activity it’s sometimes overwhelming to figure out where to shoot beyond the classic blowing out the candles and opening of the presents shots. Some tips. Try the bounce house. Remember to brace yourself in the corner (you will be moving – a lot!) hold your camera securely and shoot with the widest depth of field and fastest shutter speed that your camera will allow. Don’t be afraid to crank up the ISO as high as you can go and see your those adorable little monkey’s hair and feet fly.
