A Little Photography... Taking Great Photos of Kids

Some tips from Photo By Emilie 

One of the more difficult challenges when photographing little one is keeping them in one place long enough to snap your shutter.  Do you have a busy busy little one? No matter what you do you can't snap quick enough to get a good photo!?! I've got some tricks for you.

Here are a few of my best trick and tips to get great images
of challenging little ones.

1. Bribe Them. There's nothing that gets results like a good old fashioned bribe. My favorite bribing tool are Smarties. Smarties are great for several reasons, there are lots of them per package for a maximum bribe time, they dissolve quickly & don't stain or color little mouths.

Another fun bribe trick are Pez dispensers. If your trim off their little feet they slide right into your camera flash hub. This is an excellent way to keep little ones focused on the camera. Again, lots of them per package for a maximum bride time.

2. For those little runners out there. Kids that won't sit still is one of my most common challenges. My best solution is to put your little ones on a chair. Little legs can't run away if they are sitting on chair. Use the Smarties as a reward for not dashing away.

Here are some examples...

The chair also adds some fun vintage style to this image.

A Little Photography...Aperture

If you can master aperture you gain real creative control over your camera. In my opinion – aperture is where a lot of the magic happens in photography and as we’ll see below, changes in it can mean the difference between one dimensional and multi dimensional shots.

Aperture is the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is taken.  Aperture is a function of the lens.  Lenses contain a diaphragm, a thin light-blocking plate or interlocking set of adjustable plates. The diaphragm contains a small hole, called the aperture. This hole is adjustable in size and allows the photographer to determine and control the amount of light entering the camera.  Below is an image of a 50mm lens with the diaphragm or aperture wide open and the aperture closed tight. 

One thing that causes a lot of new photographers confusion is that large apertures  (lots of light gets through) have smaller f-stop numbers. Smaller apertures (less light gets through) have larger f-stop numbers.  So f/2.8 is in fact a much larger aperture than f/22.  It seems the wrong way around when you first hear it but you’ll get the hang of it.  Here's a diagram to help...

Lower f-stops (wider aperture) give a shallow depth of field (DOF). This allows you to isolate the subject from the background. Shallow focus typically is used to emphasize one part of the image over the other.  

Here are some examples...

Shot at 2.8f

Shot at 2.8f

Shot at 2.8f

Shot at 1.8f

 

Shot at 2.8f

Shot at 2.8f

Shot at 2.8f

Shot at 2.8f

 

Shot at 2.8f

Higher f-stops (narrow aperture) gives a deep DOF. In deep focus the foreground, middle-ground, and background are all in focus. Deep focus requires more light to achieve than shallow focus because the aperture is narrower letting in a smaller amount of light. 

Here are some examples...

 

Shot at 9f

Shot at 5.6f

Shot at 4.3f

Shot at 8f

Shot at 10f

Shot at 8f

Shot at 4.3f

Shot at 6f

I hope you enjoyed my tip. 

This is just one of the tricks you'll learn during my Photo By You Workshop.

My next Workshop will be held Saturday, May 21st.

Cost $225

With Discount $189

Discount offered until Friday, May 13th.

Discount code: springfever

A Little Hilarious... Photofunia

It was my husband's birthday recently and my brother gave him the funniest card.  It was a photo of a man reading a magazine and on the cover of the magazine was my husband's face.  When I asked him how he did it, he directed me to Photofunia.

All you need is a well-lit frontal photo of your face (and a few minutes to spare).

My photo:

My photos after Photofunia:

Hilarious!  I don't really the resemblance between the Spinx and myself... but oh well.

A Little...Halloween Photography

Every Halloween I attempt to take professional looking photographs of my kids in their Halloween costumes. I have the fancy Nikon, the pumpkin backdrop, and the cute kiddos in cute costumes. But, every year I end up giving up and heading to my favorite photographer, Kathryn Michaels Photography.

Kathryn Michaels Photography is not just a "little great"...she's "a lot great"! Kathryn has an amazing ability to capture "you", even when your wee little ones are in costume!! Capturing the precious moments of our lives can be challenging. First you have to have the outfit and hair just right. Then you have to make sure they have had naps, are fed, and in good moods. If your kids are anything like mine, you know this can be a challenge at home or at the photographer's studio. What I've learned, is that no matter how chaotic life is, paying a professional photographer for professional pictures is worth it. I always walk away with fantastic photographs of my kiddos!! And I am so grateful for a Halloween keepsake of my kiddos in costume. (Unfortunately I am mid-move and don't have access to them right now to show them off.)

So when do I get these Halloween photographs? Ever year, I join Kathryn for her annual Halloween Charity Bash. Here's the scoop. You bring them 2 cans of food (or a $5 donation) to benefit the Utah Food Bank and they'll pose your kiddo in their custom-designed pumpkin patch and give you a FREE print! You heard me right... you get a FREE professional portrait of your little ones in their Halloween Costume in return for a Food Bank Donation!! Don't miss this fabulous event to benefit the Utah Food Bank on October 30th 2-6pm.

Kathryn has been photographing my family for 3 years and has been a dear friend for even longer. Our family treasures the photos she has taken and love being a part of this fun family Halloween tradition!!

Check out her website for more information at http://www.kathryn-michaels.com/

A Little Photography... Displaying Your Work

Photography tip by Photo By Emilie

(BTW One week from today we will be posting a giveaway for a Halloween photo sitting with Emilie... start working on your kid's costumes ladies.  Thanks Em!)

My name is Emilie. I am a professional photographer out of Salt Lake City.  I can't decide which I enjoy more, creating images with my camera or teaching others to create images in their camera.  I've
written a little tip and I hope it helps on your journey towards improvingyour photography skills.  Lots more education on my Blog.

Too many aspiring photographers spend hours on end fiddling with images on the computer without ever committing them to print. Perhaps it¹s because of the sheer volume of shots, or the amazing tools available to share photos online, but over the years I¹ve learned that one of the best ways to improve my skills is to enlarge and display my favorite photos.  When you print a photo, particularly when you go larger than 8x10, it magnifies the imperfections. I know what you¹re thinkingŠwhy would I want to
show off an imperfect piece?  Well, enlarging and displaying your photos, even the slightly flawed ones, will improve your focus in three ways:
1) Printing and displaying your photos ensures that you will put more time into planning for your photo. You are more particular about quality of the images you shoot if you know you will be published.
2) Once your photos have been taken, you will have multiple opportunities ­ from loading and editing to selecting frames for printing ­ to evaluate.  This is where you are going to develop a better eye for shooting and consistency.
3) Planning and evaluating your shots will make you a better photojournalist. You will learn to daydream about and visualize the best shots, ask yourself what is great about an event  and identify the
details.

Of course, I can¹t leave you without a few fantastic ideas for displaying the plethora of images you are going to create.

How fantastic would this great Lisa Bengtsson Family Wallpaper look hung from clips or papered on a piece of plywood? Add some photos and you¹ve got a darling display no one will be able to resist!

Learning to reduce, reuse and recycle is pretty hot right now. How about using old CD jewel cases to develop changeable, rearrangeable  casual art for the big blank wall in your home? Check out the tutorial here.

I absolutely adore vintage windows. I picked up my first set nearly a decade ago. What can I say? I was ahead of the times. And, a vintage window makes for a great photo display. Don¹t have time to go thrifting for one? You can pick up this one (or one like it) on ETSY.

Gallery photos are always a classic. Learn how to install one like Martha¹s or check out the variety of options posted here.

Go big or go home with this incredible personalized wallpaper!  You could also pursue a less expensive option, like do-it-yourself poster making.

Love her or hate her, Martha sure has some good ideas. Isn¹t this photo screen so elegant?! And, it¹s easy to recreate to. Read more about it here.

I love this idea for a child¹s room or play area.

Feeling a bit more creative? Check out these darling frames over at the Creative Crate. Perfect for displaying photos of your little ones!
I think it goes without saying that there are numerous photo book and canvas shops online. You might try out Blurb, Shutterfly, SnapFish and Picaboo.

CLICK HERE 

TO READ MORE PHOTO BY EMILIE TIPS

CLICK HERE

TO READ ABOUT PHOTO BY EMILIE WORKSHOPS (DRAPER, UT and ONLINE)

A Little Photography... Using Actions to Enhance Photos

Have you been looking for a way to give your photos a little something extra?  Maybe you want to boost the colors in your photos before adding them to your scrapbooks or home decor?  I do this using Photoshop Actions and I always love the results.  Actions are super simple to use and (the ones I use) are completely free!  All you need is Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and a photo to get started!

First, download (the wonderfully talented) Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Actions.
Second, load them into Photoshop.  If you have never done this before search your Help Menu for "load actions."  This will be different for different versions of Photoshop.

Finally, open your photo and apply some actions by selecting the Action you would like and pushing the 'play' button at the bottom of the Actions toolbar.

I sometimes use Photoshop's Auto Levels command before applying any Actions, depending on the photo.  I then start off with the Boost Action and go from there.  It's easy to revert back to the original photo using the built in "Start All Over!" Action. (Makes playing around so easy!)

Here are some examples of photos I have enhanced using Pioneer Woman's Actions:

Actions used on this photo: Boost, Warmer, Quick Edge Burn

Actions used on this photo: Boost, Cooler, Lovely and Ethereal

 Actions used on this photo: Boost, Cooler, Lovely and Ethereal

Photo credits: My friend Kristen took these while she was visiting me this Spring. :-)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note on software: Adobe Photoshop itself is fairly expensive (around $700) and meant for some pretty intense (and professional) graphic design and photo editing.  Photoshop Elements is a much less expensive option ($80) and perfect for scrapbookers or people like you who just want to have fun with the photos you take.  The Actions I linked to above are for Photoshop, however you can find the version for Photoshop Elements here.

A Little Tip... Taking Great Photos

by Guest Contributor... Emilie (of Photo by Emilie)

{Emilie is an amazing lifestyle photographer based in SLC (also available in Southern Utah sometimes).  She is so generously giving away a free mini session!  She also teaches photography workshops.  Here is a little tip on lighting...}

One of my favorite topics during my workshop is lighting.  I teach you how I look at light, how I determine where I will place my subject according to my available light.  Then how I enhance my available light to get warm gorgeous soft light on my subject.

One trick to creating a great photo with warm light is knowing how to use Fill Light to eliminate shadow & illuminate eyes.  In this photo I used a reflector. I placed the reflector at his waist & pointed it up into his face, this eliminated the shadow cased by his cap illuminated his eyes.

One of my favorite photography tools is my reflector.  I use the 32" Soft Gold/White.

For more information on Emilie's workshop & workbooks visit http://photobyemilieimprove.blogspot.com/