melissa brandman photography

thanks for visiting - check out the new(er) blog!

2010-01-21T18:40:00.001-08:00

Thank you for continuing to visit Lens Flare/melissa brandman photography. Please come on over and check out the new blog:

www.brandmanphoto-blog.com

or check out my website for my portfolio:

www.brandmanphoto.com

Cheers!

Don't Forget...

2009-11-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

...to follow me over to my new blog:

melissa brandman photography - the blog

see you there!

Happy Early Anniversary...to Myself

2009-11-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Lens Flare/melissa brandman photography is almost a year old...

So, I'm celebrating with a brand new blog!! Click here to check it out. The new and improved blog gives me greater flexibility to share my photos with you, and is a nice compliment to my website (in my humble opinion, anyway). I'm still working on spicing up the new blog, but I couldn't wait to share it with you...

All new posts will be over at the new blog for melissa brandman photography, but this blog will remain up for anyone looking to search some of my previous lessons.

Come on over and check out my shoot with Alice Rose!

alice rose - sneek peek

2009-11-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

I'm DYING to edit my most recent photo shoot with this cutie, but alas - it is FRIDAY NIGHT. I need to be out living it up! Partying like a rock star! Or perhaps watching Project Runway on DVR...or possibly going to bed soon.

Don't be jealous of the glamorous life.

Happy weekend!

let there be (good) light!

2009-11-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

As a photographer that works primarily with natural, available light, I am always looking for good light. It is a chore to photograph in less than ideal lighting conditions, but sometimes it's unavoidable. I think many believe bright sunlight is the best lighting for photographs - it's not. But there are many types of light to work with, and more importantly you need to learn to "make it work" in any lighting conditions (thanks, Tim Gunn). Understanding and knowing how to work with any lighting can elevate a ok snapshot to a great photograph.

Click here to read a great intro to various lighting conditions - the golden hour is not the only light that makes for great photos...

Kauai - The Local Flavor

2009-11-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite memories from my travels are those "local flavor" moments - the times you stumble on how the locals really live, rather than hanging out with all those tourists you've been with for days. For example, when we were in Xi'an, China my husband and I accidentally found the Muslim Quarter - streets filled with food and produce and merchants selling exotic Middle Eastern and Asian trinkets. We decided to be adventurous and dine with the locals - we tried lamb and beef shish-ka-bobs - 20 ka-bobs for 2 US dollars! We thought we were pretty clever, dining on street faire in such an exotic locale, that is until we woke up the next day feeling a little funny...

So on our first full day in Kauai we decided to trek on over to Hanapepe, Kauai's "biggest little town" for their weekly art show, complete with street vendors and live music:

Main Street, Hanapepe

That's Westside Smitty - more pics of him later...

Westside Smitty on the harmonica and slide guitar.

A fun evening with the locals, indeed.

Kauai (b+w)

2009-11-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

I have to admit - I did not stay true to the assignment and shoot these in black and white - I shot in color and converted to black and white. It's hard to resist all the vibrant colors you see in Kauai...I'll be posting more photos in color later this week. We had a wonderful time, but it's good to be home.

(PS I have no idea what was up with the car-turned-scrap-metal at the beach. Gives a whole new meaning to "beach clean up day").

Aloha again (and Happy Halloween)

2009-10-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

We are home - finally. Lihue to San Francisco to Los Angeles - arrival time (with 2 kids under the age of 4): midnight. Bedtime: 2am. Random wake up by 18 month old: 5am. Officially time to get up: 9am. If I could find a way to have the caffeine from my coffee deposited directly into my veins right now, I would, even with my intense dislike of needles.

Here is where I spent the better part of last week:

And this photo sums up how we all felt about Kauai:

More to come...Happy Halloween everyone!

ALOHA!

2009-10-21T21:12:00.001-07:00

(photo by konaboy)

In about 36ish hours from now, I hope to be doing this. The family is packing up and heading to Kauai for a week of R&R. And boy do I need it! I am really fascinated and excited by melissa brandman photography and all the possibilities, but I am very overwhelmed by it all too. I don't have endless amounts of time to build this business - there is never enough hours in the day to do all that I need or want to do. Not to mention I want to be there when my daughters want to color pictures on the floor, when my husband wants to chat about his day, or when I want to just sit and read a book. Never enough time...

So I'm taking a break from the blog - no posts the entire time I'm gone. I'm sure you'll survive without me or my lessons for a week or so, right? I do have a homework assignment - remember this post on shooting in black and white? My goal is to shoot the not-so-obvious parts of Kauai in b+w. I'll be sure to post my photos when I get home.

Aloha!

A walk in the park (and a family photo shoot)

2009-10-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

How cute are these two? Park photo shoots with kids are difficult for one huge reason - the playground. It is not easy to convince a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old that it will be SO much more fun to wander around the park and sit on trees and rocks and take photos than it would be to go down the slide on your belly or to swing as high as your little legs will pump you. But Matthew and Kate (and their parents - friends of mine for many years now) - were very good sports.

A note on Matthew & Kate's mommy, Kim - we have known each other for years - went to the same college, had friends in common - but it wasn't until we worked together at "the" law firm (the one I wrote about here) that we became good friends. Misery NEEDS company, or at least that's how I felt. I believe Kim's addiction to iced chai lattes at Starbucks can be attributed to me and my desperate need to leave my office almost every day around 3pm to walk to the local Starbucks, fellow lawyers in tow.

What I appreciate about Kim is that she must have heard me whine and complain for YEARS about how much I did not enjoy the practice of law, and yet she never rolled her eyes at me, or told me to just shut up already. She had every right to - I'm sure I was pretty annoying at times. But she has been so supportive of every twist and turn in my career, and I was more than flattered when she asked if I would take her family photos. It is nice to have my "lawyer friends" be so encouraging of this massive shift in careers for me.

Enough writing - on to the photos!

I don't think Matthew stopped laughing the entire shoot, which makes my job easier...

Kate playing peek-a-boo with the tree trunk - such a cutie!

LOVE this photo - such a sweet moment between mommy and her little girl.

Such a lovely day - thanks Riker family!

Orange County, California Photography Workshops by Zach & Jody Gray of Gray Photography

2009-10-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

I have been following Zach & Jody's blog for a while now, and I am THRILLED they are coming to So Cal for a workshop! I'm all signed up - thought I'd pass along the workshop information to anyone that might be interested - note that the Light Photography Workshop on December 14 is sold out, but they added an additional class on the 15th. Click here to register.

happy weekend

2009-10-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

my silly girls...

PS - click here to see my website with the wedding galleries added. I'm currently booking weddings for 2010, so if you know anyone potentially interested (and willing to give a rookie a chance) send them this link.

how to photograph food (yummmmm)

2009-10-15T21:36:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe the holiday season is almost upon us. You know deep down in your heart that it's a little over the top that stores like Target have their Christmas displays already out, and it's not even Halloween yet. Come on, admit it. The other day when I was shopping at Target a blind guy - seriously, a blind guy - turned and said to me "Christmas stuff out already?" That's how bad it is at my local Target.

But man, do I love holiday food. I used to hate stuffing until a friend of mine gave me an outrageous recipe to make one Thanksgiving - now, I would eat an entire casserole dish full if I could. But when it comes time to document my cooking or the holiday meals we've enjoyed over the years, my photos are always kind of blah.

Never fear - Pioneer Woman to the rescue! Click here for 8 tips on how to photograph food - get a tissue just in case you drool over the tart that is featured...

Bon Appetit!

mini-sessions: at the beach

2009-10-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to the families that signed up for my first set of mini-sessions at the Seal Beach Pier - I was VERY nervous about how the day would go, but everything ran pretty smoothly. I only had a few tears to contend with, but I was armed with Halloween candy - tears are no match for chocolate, people. 20 minutes per client is not a lot of time, I found, but I had a great time catching up with friends, meeting new people, and photographing such cute kids!

Here are some of my favorites from the day:

my weekend (sneak peek)

2009-10-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Intrigued? You'll have to wait until I find some time to edit the photos from my first mini-sessions at the beach on Friday, my family shoot on Saturday, and my event photography for "The Attic" on Sunday.

You'll also have to wait until I figure out if I left my wallet at J Crew last night or if I in fact did lose my wallet and I'll have to replace all my cards and my drivers license. That is consuming my morning at the moment. UGH!

**UPDATE** Wallet was found by a kind J Crew employee and locked away until I could come and pick it up this morning. WHEW!

taking a better landscape photo

2009-10-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

I leave for my vacation in two weeks. YIPPEE! I am very excited to see melissa brandman photography start to take off, but it is exhausting - I can't seem to turn my mind off, so I spend many nights just thinking of what needs to be done, what shoots are coming up, how can I improve my blog, and so on. I can't wait to hit the beaches of Kauai and attempt to actually finish a book. And maybe get a tan, because even though we've been living in Southern California for almost a year now, my legs are ghostly white. We'll see if any rest and relaxation is possible with 2 kids running amok - dare to dream...

Anyhow, one area of photography I would love to improve is my travel/landscape photography. I tend to photograph patterns and repetition, but I would love to take a jaw-dropping landscape photo on my trip. I found this article over at Digital Photography School - click here for 11 tips on taking better landscape photos.

(PS I'm not rewriting portions of the article because (1) I'm tired and lazy, and (2) DPS posted something ominous about not reproducing their content without consent, and basically they don't consent to online reproduction by anyone. So you'll have to click over to DPS and read up without any additional commentary from me. Mostly because I'm tired. But I also don't want to get sued).

a photo shoot with Spiderman & The Flash (& their parents)

2009-10-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

I am fascinated by how little boys play. Probably because I have two little girls that are mostly about pink and Barbie and tutus and tiaras. With the occasional soccer ball and race car thrown in. During our family photo shoot this weekend, these two little superheros were all about running, jumping, climbing, swinging - pausing once in a while for a gummy worm from their photographer (my "treat" - also known as a bribe).

A bit of background for you - I went to high school with the superheros' mommy - we reconnected on Facebook and she contacted me for a family photo shoot. Brittany and I were on cheer together in high school - we even traveled with our squad to Dallas, Texas for a national cheer competition (where we had a lot of fun, but we did not do well - we California girls had NO idea what cheerleading could entail until we met up with other cheerleaders from the South. But we had fun, regardless). I simply cannot believe how much time has passed since we were at cheer practice together (more than I care to admit...) and yet during our photo shoot it was just like old times.

I enjoy spending time with any family I photograph, but it is especially sweet for me to spend time with friends I've known for so long - to see how far we've come and how our lives have developed since graduating high school. I had so much fun photographing this family - I think you will see from the photos how much they truly love and enjoy one another. We had a blast!

So without further ado I give you Spiderman & The Flash (and their parents):

Here is the happy family in a rare moment during our photo shoot - standing still! Our photo shoot took place at this incredible park with views stretching from the Pacific Ocean and Catalina all the way to Downtown Los Angeles.

We spent very little time admiring the view and most of our time HAVING FUN!

(PS I know the last one is out of focus a bit. I don't care - I love it.)

Even with all the fun of running, jumping, and playing, there were some sweet moments shared:

Thanks my little superheros for a fun day at the park!

(PPS - could those eyes be any more blue??)

(PPPS - for a slideshow from our photo session click here)

Married: Courtney + Rob

2009-10-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

I love destination weddings. The feeling of being transported to some magical, faraway place to say your vows, having your family and friends travel with you to share in the magic, and always having a special place in this world that will instantly transport you back to your amazing wedding day. Your destination doesn't have to be far - for Courtney + Rob it was just over 100 miles to Santa Barbara.

For any of you that have not had the pleasure of visiting Santa Barbara, there's a reason it's called the American Riviera. In a word - gorgeous. The location - a private villa with 180 degree views of the Pacific - nothing short of spectacular. Every detail was meticulously planned, but what can never be planned for is the joy - it was easy to see that Courtney + Rob were overjoyed to begin their marriage with their wonderful family and friends.

the gorgeous details!

the wedding party

the ceremony

just married!

first dance

party time!

Click here to see a slideshow of Courtney + Rob's wedding.

Ahhh, the weekend!

2009-10-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

One more sneek peek from Courtney + Rob's wedding:

Busy couple of weeks ahead for me - looking forward to a family photo shoot at a super cool location this weekend. Next week I have my first ever mini sessions with several really cool kids, and another family photo shoot after that. And then - VACATION.

Check back on Monday for a full report & slideshow from Courtney + Rob's wedding.

so, how's your workflow?

2009-10-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite stores on the planet is The Container Store. I could spend all day in there, scoping out the various products to organize my entire life. If money were no object (and time were plentiful, for that matter) my house would be completely decked out with The Container Store's finest. I would have no clutter. And a live in maid. And a chef....Alright, enough with the daydreaming, back to the topic at hand - digital workflow.

I know, this is not the most sexy of topics. But for anyone out there that has taken a gazillion shots of their kids, or can't figure out where the original digital file is after they edit a photo, good workflow is crucial. So get your cup of coffee and settle in.

I wish I could give you a simple plan for how to improve your workflow, but from reading several posts about it on the web, that just isn't possible. Truth is, digital workflow is very personal - you need to find a way to sort, organize, and edit your photos that works for YOU.

I figured this out very quickly after I shot my first wedding - I had over 2200 images to edit - 2200 after I deleted the shots that were clearly not going to make the cut (out of focus, way under/over exposed, etc.) I am always looking for suggestions via articles and podcasts on how to improve my workflow so I don't spend needless hours organizing and editing - time I could be spending marketing my business or meeting up with more clients.

So where to begin? Here are some articles that provide suggestions:

Digital Photography School - simple Lightroom image fixing workflow

DPhoto Journal - 7 essential steps to digital workflow

Ken Rockwell - my workflow

And, for anyone who's interested, here is my current digital workflow - a work in progress, mind you:

1) download images onto external hard drive - images are saved in subfolders by date and name/activity. I have my personal photos separated from my client photos, and my client photos are all named with the date first, for easy sorting.

2) open all images in Preview (I'm on a Mac) and delete any obviously BAD photos (this to preserve space on my hard drive).

3) import all keepers into Aperture for further editing.

4) for any shoot I try to keep my edits similar for each set - so if I adjust the white balance or the levels on one photo, chances are I will change for the entire set in that series.

5) after I do a basic edit of my photos, I will go back and play with my Nik software (like Photoshop) to add effects - more vintage looks, black and white, boost color, etc. I admit I like to play with the effects, but in the end my aesthetic is pretty clean - not a lot of editing for me.

6) export the final edited images back to my external hard drive, so I have a final copy of the images I post online for my clients to proof/order.

And there you have it - Anyone still awake??? If you have a question or a workflow tip for readers, leave a comment.

second shooter - report from the front lines

2009-09-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

"plans are useless but planning is indispensable."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

My husband says this quote all the time. I found it really annoying for a long time, but after my experience as a second shooter this weekend, I finally get it.

I had the opportunity to second shoot Courtney + Rob's wedding with Courtney Wilson, a fantastic photographer located in Lake Tahoe, California. After I photographed Meghan + Tristan's wedding (my first), the advice I got from many seasoned photographers was to second shoot weddings in order to learn all that you can. This was very good advice indeed!

Working was Courtney was very easy and comfortable - she was clear and direct about what kind of shots she wanted from me. I had the chance to stand back and watch as she directed traffic, posed shots, and generally kept things moving even when the clock was working against us (hence the need for "planning" even if the "plan" turns up worthless). She scoped out the location ahead of time and had clearly thought out the shots she wanted to get. Everything was very smooth and efficient, and the end result will be beautiful, I have no doubt (check out Courtney's blog for a sneek peek). And she was very gracious, answering every question I had and was very encouraging.

As for how I approached being a first-time second shooter, I read this post over at Jasmine Star's blog. (I love no. 2 - don't pass out your business card while you are working for the main wedding photographer. I would have thought this was a no-brainer, but I guess not. Classy...) My main concerns were: (1) being helpful to Courtney throughout the wedding, (2) to stay out of the way of her shots, and (3) to get shots that were different than hers. Of the 1100 or so shots I came home with, I would say in only about 15 or 20 shots did I have anyone looking directly at my camera. I tried really hard to concentrate on any shots Courtney wouldn't be able to get because she was responsible for so much more than I was. I focused on the details: the gorgeous location, the centerpieces, the flowers, the placecards, the dress and headpiece details, the shoes, the bouquets, candid moments, etc. All in all? A fantastic experience - I LOVED it! I would gladly second shoot for Courtney anytime.

wedding: courtney + rob (sneek peek)

2009-09-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sooooo many more photos to show you - stay tuned...

Happy Weekend!

2009-09-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

Wish me luck - I'm off to Santa Barbara to assist as photographer no. 2 at Courtney + Rob's wedding tomorrow (click here to see a slideshow of their engagement shoot I did a few weeks ago).
I'm very excited to learn from the lovely Courtney Wilson and to get some more photos for the website.

And a bit of a tangent - for anyone in the So Cal area that loves a good estate sale/flea market - take a look at this:

My sister-in-law is the one who really introduced me to flea market finds and the thrill of the hunt at estate sales. She has amassed a FANTASTIC collection of finds that simply cannot fit into her home, and she's finally selling some of it. I will be there to photograph the event - there are a few other ladies there that are promoting/launching their respective businesses, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the event. Go independent business ladies!

I'm warning you, though - if anyone gets there and tries to buy the aqua swag lamp that I've been BEGGING for for months now, we might have to throw down over it. I'm just sayin'...

TTV - a tutorial

2009-09-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

A while ago I bought a beautiful print of a ferris wheel from a photographer that has a great vintage feel, almost like the lens had been scratched up and the edges of the negative distressed (similar to the one above, by bomobob). Come to find out the photograph was taken TTV - through the viewfinder. Meaning the photographer used her camera (digital, I'm guessing) and actually shot the photographer through the viewfinder of ANOTHER camera. You following me?

For anyone intrigued on how you actually do this, click here for a tutorial on how to create TTV images. If you search for TTV images on etsy you can see about a gazillion examples of what I'm talking about. It creates a vintage, old-fashion look to your photos.

If any of you try this out be sure to send me an email and let me know how it went - I just need to find me a double lens reflex camera at the flea market...

j'adore

2009-09-23T13:55:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I featured a good ol' DIY project around here - with good reason. With the launch of my business I haven't had time for a good ol' DIY project. Unfortunately I had already purchased an old 1930s dresser that I really wanted to makeover for my daughter's room. I was at a crossroads - either donate/re-sell on craigslist, or find someone that could do the work for me. After a little searching on craigslist I found an antique furniture restorator that was local and reasonably priced.

I don't seem to have a before picture, but I purchased the dresser when it was painted a "shabby chic" white with natural wood knobs that the guy was super proud of (and I knew instantly would be coming off said dresser). My daughter's room is brightly colored, so I wanted something fun but with a bit of a shabby, romantic feel.

Behold the after:

LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I had to make sure my restoration guy wasn't too offended that I didn't want to restore to the original wood (which was a lovely dark walnut, apparently), and he said he didn't mind at all. I purchased the aqua paint from Benjamin Moore and the pulls from Anthropologie. He stripped the old paint, drilled new holes for the pulls, repaired one dresser, stripped the paint from the old keyholes, repainted the dresser, and distressed the dresser drawers and edges. These photos just don't do it justice - he did an amazing job!

Of course when I bought it I didn't think about the fact that the dresser is old, and the drawers are difficult for a 4 year old to open and close. But it doesn't matter - I j'adore it!

what's in a brand?

2009-09-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

If you've had a chance to visit my website, you've probably seen my logo, designed by the talented Sandra Busta (who I found on etsy - hooray for indie business owners making it work!) I had no idea the process of designing a logo, the most outward representation of my "brand" to date, would be so difficult. Sandra asked a lot of questions about me, my likes/dislikes, how I perceived my product, etc. She also asked about my target customer, and how I would like my customer to feel when they view my logo/brand. It took a while to wrap my head around "brand Melissa" and exactly what my style of photography is. (PS-if you read the about me section on my website you'll get a better sense of how I describe my style).

It's no secret that there are a gazillion photographers out there, all trying to make their names known. It's intimidating, to say the least. The name of the game is standing out from the rest of the pack - but how to do that? One piece of advice I've received many times over is to "know your customer" - who are they, what do they like, where do they shop, etc.

Along those lines, I ran across this article on Trader Joe's and the cult-like following it has developed (I am a cult follower of TJs, that's for sure...). It's a very interesting article on knowing your customer VERY well and how important that is to developing your brand.

I hope this helps any of you out there starting a photography business (or any business for that matter). Enjoy!

I have a confession to make...

2009-09-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

I find newborn shoots extremely difficult. I mean when you have a really really teeny one, any baby under 4 weeks old. I'm sure you've all seen newborn shots that are so serene and peaceful, with baby curled up in a basket, or hanging from a tree branch in a woven sling, or snug in a bowl or suitcase of some sort. Thankfully for baby, they are usually asleep in these shots.

I can't seem to get these shots, for a couple of reasons:

1) My oldest, dear sweet daughter was a TERRIBLE sleeper as an infant. None of this drifting off peacefully to sleep. NO WAY. She required rocking, bouncing, cuddling, swinging to the max. The only way my husband and I got any sleep at night during her first 4 months of life was to swaddle her to within an inch of her life, expose her legs so that we could strap her into the swing, and then turn the swing on to maximum power and hope the batteries didn't die. We managed to go through 3 swings before she turned 3 months old! I was exhausted and frustrated and was not a glowing mother, to say the least. So the thought of trying to cram a SLEEPING BABY into a prop to get that fantastic newborn shot? It goes against everything in my grain. Just. Can't. Do. It.

2) I like shooting older newborns, around 7-9 weeks old. Our pediatrician says that's when they finally "look like themselves" and I tend to agree. Before I get any comments that say "all babies are beautiful" please understand me - I do think all babies are beautiful. I have lovely newborn shots of my daughters that are so precious to me. BUT - I love photographing newborns when there's that hint of what's to come, that gleam in their eye, like they are finally getting the hang of living on this "planet Earth" thing. I LOVE photographing those first days of real awareness for a baby.

Confused as to what I'm talking about? Compare the following:

my baby at 5 days old (she was a much better sleeper than her big sister...)

and here she is at around 8 weeks (with a bit of grain in the photos...) In my humble opinion, I much prefer the second set of photos - I love that you can see the awareness in her eyes and there is the beginning of a personality starting to show. Obviously I love ALL of them, but the little girl I know today is more evident in the later set of photos.

That being said, I never pass up a chance for a newborn shoot, because regardless of whether you photograph a baby at 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months the time goes by so fast...you want to remember it any way you can. I love photographing all the sweet newborn details - the peachfuzz on the shoulders and back, the swirls in their newborn hair, the chubby legs and bootie. So wonderful!

I leave you with some photos of Shane at 2 weeks (click here to see Shane at 1 day old):

Shane - call me when you're two months old...

be inspired...by one another

2009-09-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Recently I've spoken to several people that have lost their jobs, or have studied for years only to remain unemployed. They are making ends meet, but they are frustrated, disappointed, disheartened. Rightfully so - it can be difficult when your life takes you in a direction you never intended.

In my twenties I had a tendency to plan my life out in stages: stage one - go to law school, stage two - get married, and so on. I needed benchmarks like these to feel sucessful. I also had a lot of anxiety in my twenties - it really wasn't the footloose and fancy free decade I was expecting. In fact, not much about my twenties turned out as "planned" and I was not happy about it.

During a family vacation a couple of years ago I could hear echos of my anxiety-ridden twenty-something self in my brother in law, who was 21 at the time. He was going to graduate college in about a year, and he had no idea what he wanted out of life. It frightened him. And I remember telling him that at 31 I was living a life I had never imagined for myself - and I was loving it.

And it was true - at 21 I would have never anticipated what my life would be like today:

That I would not be practicing law
That I would be staying home with my girls
That I would be pursuing a photography career

My 21 year old self would probably be horrified. Ah, youth!

All this to say - for anyone struggling right now to find their way, for those without jobs, without direction, without purpose - take heart. You will find your way - it may not be the way you intended to go, it may take you longer to get there, but you'll find it.

I was inspired by Zach's story - he and his wife Jody make up Gray Photography based in Nashville. I love that with every turn to his life, there was another surprise, another chapter he was never expecting. What an inspiration to know that he didn't even pick up a camera until his late twenties (take a look at their website and you'll see why this is so stunning).

There are so many photographers out there that are giving of their knowledge, their skills, and their honesty - what a blessing for those of us just starting out! I know it is quite a thrill for me to hear once in a while that someone finds this blog helpful, or even inspirational. Maybe someday my story will inspire someone - you never know, right?

One of my favorite poems (and a shout out to my English Lit heyday in college):

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost

Enjoy your weekend - be inspired.

meghan + tristan: slideshow!

2009-09-17T21:13:00.001-07:00

Allow me to introduce the latest trick up my sleeve: I was looking for a way to showcase more photos from portrait sessions, engagement sessions, and weddings without creating ridiculously long blog posts and putting people to sleep. Behold the slideshow!

You can view a slideshow of Meghan + Tristan's wedding by clicking here: meghan + tristan (I'm sure most of you have read about this by now, but just in case click here for the back story).

Yay for new toys - enjoy!

RAW versus JPEG - you be the judge

2009-09-17T06:55:00.001-07:00

I think I've made it perfectly clear over the last 9+ months of this blog that I'm not a "techie" kind of girl. I find the older I get the more technically challenged I become. It's because I made fun of my grandmother for blowing up an egg in the microwave one time, or teasing her because she was afraid of our VCR, I'm sure. Karma always gets the last laugh, people.

So when it comes to the more technical side of photography I have a tendency to shy away from anything that I find too complex. I realize that isn't logical, given that I am trying to learn MORE about photography, but it's true. Thankfully, this blog has given me a reason to push myself and my knowledge of photography, so I am learning to let go of my technical phobia.

First, a story for you. A few years ago I shot hundreds of vacation photos all in RAW format, without knowing anything about why one would shoot RAW format. Word on the street was RAW was WAY better than shooting JPEG. At the time, though, I didn't have software to process RAW formatted digital photos, so when I went to edit and print out my RAW photos, I either could not open the file, or once printed they looked terrible. That experience was enough to scare me away from shooting RAW - until now. This time I want to truly understand the difference between shooting RAW versus JPEG format, and you, my dear readers, are along for the ride.

Some of you might be thinking "what do you mean - I have a choice??" Why, yes you do - check out your owner's manual for your specific options - you might be surprised just how many options you have!

The most simple and straightforward explanation I've come across was posted over at The Lightroom Lab: picture RAW formatting as a roll of black and white film, and JPEG as a Polaroid image.

Photos shot in RAW format are the exact file the camera writes to the memory card. The camera's internal processor does not alter the original data in any way. However, this original data requires specific software to "process" the original data into files and images you can edit and print. So, if RAW format is a roll of black and white film, your editing software is the way you "develop" RAW images. Otherwise, you won't be able to view, edit, or print your RAW images.

JPEG format, on the other hand, tells the camera to convert the original data into a polished and universally acceptable file format. JPEG images can be viewed straight out of the camera, with no additional processing required - much like an image from a Polaroid camera.

So what are the benefits to shooting RAW versus JPEG, or vice versa? Depends on who you ask - and EVERYONE seems to have an opinion on it. Digital Photography School has a simple breakdown of the pros and cons of each format - click here to check it out. Any questions - leave me a comment or send an email on over!

photography 201 - bouncing flash

2009-09-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

Planet Neil has an informative tutorial on how to bounce flash. Essentially, flash produces a harsh light on your subject because it is a small source of light - by bouncing flash off the ceiling or the wall, you create a much larger light source, and more favorable lighting conditions. (NOTE - this tutorial is for those of you using an external flash unit). The article is great because it challenges photographers to think beyond the 45-degree-angle-flash-bouncing-off-of-ceiling approach. He uses some of his photos and describes the angles and settings he used in order to achieve no discernable flash shadow.

I learned a lot from this article, so I thought I'd pass it along - click here to check it out.

As for future Photo 201 lessons, I can't promise I'll get to them every other week like I'd hoped, but I do promise 1 advanced lesson a month.

Now go forth and bounce that flash!

snapshot = future family heirloom?

2009-09-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my family reunion. Sort of. It was actually the family reunion for the kids and grandkids (and great grandkids) of Dick & Alice Verhoef. And since Alice was my great aunt, my family was invited to tag along. I have some very fond memories of previous family reunions and get togethers, and it had been several years since many of us had seen one another.

Many of us brought some wonderful old photos from my grandmother's generation - simple snapshots at the time, I'm sure, but today they are treasured memories. A glimpse at another world, another time. And as we photographed one another at the various reunion activities I wondered if someday these goofy snapshots would become family heirlooms for future generations? Maybe...

I love this photo - this is family. Not the stuffy Sears portrait (no offense Sears) - this is LIFE.

This illustrates the chaos of getting a big family together for a portrait.

We worked it out, though.

A huge thanks to Heidi and her family (pictured above) for organizing every activity and pestering everyone to come - we had a wonderful time!

And now for some color photos:

Day 2 of the reunion - Seal Beach, of course! I love hitting the beach with those that are landlocked most of the time. Makes me appreciate how great it is to smell salt water year round. And it's fun to see everyone really lovin' the beach!

And no family reunion is complete without someone getting tossed in a body of water. Used to be a pool in Palm Desert, but the Pacific Ocean would have to do this time...

A wonderful time indeed.

where were you?

2009-09-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

I had the babysitter this morning to watch the little one, so I went to get a pedicure. As I sat there with my requisite trashy magazine reporting on "celebrities" I don't recognize (and, for the life of me, I can't figure out what they "did" to become "celebrities"), I looked around and saw several other women enjoying a little pampering. The hum of idle chatter, the clicking of clippers, the splashing of water, the smell of nail polish. And then I remembered where I was 8 years ago today.

My husband woke me up and told me to turn on the TV. By the time I was watching both planes had struck. I watched both towers fall. I went outside and the silence was overwhelming - no cars, no planes or helicopters. An eerie peace in the wake of that tragic day.

Thank you to the brave men and women that sacrificed everything on that day, so that we may enjoy freedom, big and small. That made it possible for me, 8 years later, to get a pedicure and a chai latte from Starbucks, just like any other day.

mini-session: SCHEDULE CHANGE!!

2009-09-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

The date for the PARK mini-session had to be rescheduled - here's the new time:

October 9, 9:00-11:00am
Park TBD (but in the Long Beach/Seal Beach area)

There are still a few spots left for both the beach and park sessions - snag 'em while you can!

basic composition - the rule of thirds (revisited)

2009-09-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

My husband's aunt is an artist - a painter primarily, but she dabbles in several forms of artistic expression. In fact, we have a painting of hers hanging in our home - click here to see it (it's on her home page).

One time we were talking about what makes good art, or specifically good photography, and she said "It's the eye of the artist - you either have it or you don't." Similar to what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote in an opinion in 1964, in reference to hard core pornography: "I know it when I see it." Touche, Justice Potter.

But I digress - Aunt Michele and Justice Potter have a point. You can ace every technical aspect of photography and still take a boring picture. That intangible factor, the je ne sais quoi if you will, is composition. And the most basic rule of composition is the rule of thirds.

I wrote about this way back when I was a newbie blogger, so I figured it's time to revisit the concept. What's great about this week's lesson is that anyone can benefit from understanding the rule of thirds - whether you use your camera phone, a point and shoot, or a fancy-schmancy SLR.

The rule itself is pretty basic - imagine dividing your image into a tic tac toe grid, like so:

(photo courtesy of Digital Photography School)

The idea is the more interesting parts of your shot should line up to the intersecting points of the tic tac toe grid (take a look at the bee's eye, for example). Also, you can break your image into three columns (vertically or horizontally, and concentrate the interesting parts of your shot in one or more of the columns (see how the bee and the flower are only in two-thirds of the frame?)

And there you have it - a nice simple rule to practice anytime you whip out your camera. Do off-centered shots drive you crazy? You do know that rules were meant to be broken...but I thought you should know the golden rule of photography before you decide to break it.

Happy composing!

melissa brandman photography announces...mini sessions!

2009-09-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

The time has come for my very first set of mini-sessions, just in time for the holidays. So what are these mini-sessions, you ask?

I will be at one park and one beach location in October, and for $35 you get:

a 20 minute portrait session with yours truly (kids only - no family portraits)
approximately 7-10 images in an online gallery for you to peruse
1 digital download to use for holiday cards, gifts - whatever your little heart desires.

Since I am just starting out, I figured this was a good way to get the word out and to meet new clients. So have I peaked your interest? Do you live in So Cal and think you would be interested? Do you know someone you think would be interested? Here are the details:

Friday, October 2, 2009 - the park (near Long Beach/Seal Beach)
times: 8:30-10:30am

Friday, October 9, 2009 - the beach (Seal Beach Pier, to be exact)
times: 4:30-6:30pm

Space is limited, so if you would like to get in on the mini-session action be sure to shoot me an email asap. It's a pretty fabulous deal, if I do say so myself...

I'm hoping to meet some new clients and spread the word about melissa brandman photography - very exciting indeed!

a very happy birthday indeed (and practicing what I preach)

2009-09-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

For her birthday, my 4 year old received a "birthday tutu" from Auntie Lisa, which she proceeded to wear the rest of the day. It is a party in a skirt - pom poms and confetti and streamers sewn into the tulle. I wanted to take some shots of my girl at the park, but she refused to wear anything other than the birthday tutu, tights (yes, even though it was 90+ degrees yesterday) a striped shirt, a yellow bow headband, and black "fancy shoes":

I have said to numerous friends and clients that I like when people wear bold colors to photo shoots, or when your kids insist on wearing whatever funky getup is the choice for the day. (Check out the "about me" page on my website). I really do - it's interesting and playful and fun to photograph. Which is funny since I personally like order and symmetry and neutral tones.

But she is 4 and loves crazy colors and mismatched outfits and tights with everything. So off we went to the park, just like this:

I'm a mom and just like any other mom, I want my kids to stand still and smile pretty for the camera. But I know that won't happen. I tell parents all the time that I don't mind when their kids won't listen and are fidgety and run around like maniacs. It's true - I don't mind. Eventually, one of my photos (I hope) will capture that play, that charm, that exuberance that truly represents your kids.

And I will say I have WAY more patience with other children than with my own - the entire time (all of 20 minutes) I just wanted her to just stop moving and smile, darnit! But no - we ran all over the park, we played peek-a-boo and hide and seek, and there were lots of bribes being offered for smiles.

Then again, if she stood perfectly still with the doll smile, I wouldn't get shots like these:

Photos that show her silliness and curiosity at this age.

Ahhh - it's good to be 4.

tomorrow

2009-09-04T12:48:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow my oldest turns four years old. Hard to believe she was ever this small...

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

back to school - Q & A session

2009-09-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially over here - my oldest went back for her last year of preschool. Hard to believe that summer is done - especially since it will probably be warm around here for another couple of months.

But here at melissa brandman photography HQ it's time for new lessons. This summer I did a lot of reviews on the basics, so this Thursday I will start with some reader questions - things people have asked me in person, via email, or by comments on this here blog. A good way to usher in the new "school" year.

Q. Where did you take photography classes?

Two places: (1) at the local golf course clubhouse through parks and recrecation, (2) at a fancy schmancy art school. Can you guess which one I found most helpful??

In fact, my experience at the art school photography class was the impetus to start this blog as a place for photographers to learn a little something each week. I paid a lot of money to have access to a fine art photography teacher and to learn about Photoshop and how to print my images at a professional lab on campus. Sounds cool right?

My "teacher" spent the first few classes showing his students which websites he thought were "awesome" - most having nothing to do with photography. Instruction on Photoshop consisted of turning it on and clicking randomly on the commands to see what happened to your photo. The only rewarding part was having a chance to print out some of my travel photos on a huge printer for a fraction of the regular cost. Needless to say, it was a waste of time.

My first photography class, way back when I was a sad, miserable lawyer, cost maybe $60 and was taught by an older gentlemen that used slides on an overhead projector to teach. He required us to bring our camera manuals to class to look up topics, we had homework and we brought our printed-out images to class. He would walk from student to student to make sure we were getting each concept.

He is the reason I know what I know about photography.

All this to say you don't need to spend a lot of money to find a good class. There are many classes through your local parks and rec center or community college that are affordable and very informative. If you are just starting out you need a class that will help you learn all the basics, such as what are my camera modes, what the heck is aperture, etc. Definitely find a class that requires you to bring your manual with you (if you are looking for an intro to digital photography class).

See if there are any camera stores in your area that offer classes. I rent my camera equipment from Samy's Camera here in So Cal, and they offer many types of classes through their stores.

Q. What equipment do you use?

I love when photographers share this info! Camera equipment is expensive, and if you are looking to break into a particular type of photography it helps to know what other photographers in that genre are using. In my camera bag is:

my Nikon D200
my Nikon Speedlight SB-800 external flash unit
my Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm lens (came with the D200 - good basic lens)
my Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm prime lens (changed my life - wonderful for portraits)
my Sigma 50-150mm 2.8 (great for long distance portraits, especially in lower light situations and if you have kids running amok).

And there you have it. I have my eye on upgrading my camera body at some point, and if my wedding work gets hot and heavy I will look for some additional lenses. I would love to learn more about lighting, too. Keep in mind that I acquired my equipment over the years - you can get started with a good basic DSLR and one lens and be very happy.

Q. How do you properly clean your lenses (ok, this is actually my question to myself, but I figured someone else out there might wonder about this...)

Check out this tutorial over at Camera Dojo on how to clean your lenses.

School is back in session - if you have any questions for me on anything (photography-related or otherwise), leave a comment or send me an email. I'll put together another lesson post answering your questions in October.

soaking up summer

2009-09-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

One of the things I missed dearly while living in Berkeley was a "real" summer. July and August in Berkeley can be dreary and cold, thanks to the fog rolling in from over the San Francisco Bay. We lived under several huge Monterrey Pine trees, and every morning - in July, mind you - I could hear water dripping off the pine needles like rain.

I'm a beach girl at heart. I grew up in Southern California, about 15 minutes from the beach. I spent summer after summer boogie boarding, eating ice cream on the pier, watching the sunset while roasting marshmallows, hanging with friends. I have no shame in admitting I have thin skin and I don't like the cold - and to me cold is 58 degrees and foggy (although I suspect that this winter my cold will be more like 68 degrees, now that we've been back in So Cal for almost a year). I found "summer" in Berkeley depressing at times - fall in Berkeley, on the other hand, is fabulous.

And with my oldest going back to preschool today, I can hardly believe summer is over. We decided to spend an afternoon at the beach - our last "official" summer day - at the beach, soaking up the sunshine and the very warm temperatures.

Love the Seal Beach Pier - one of my favorite places to shoot portraits in my neck of the woods.

Fun in the sun with my girls.

My almost 4 year old's footprints as she dashed for the water. As you can see she prefers running on her tippy-toes.

My supermodel - with sand on her face.

This could be a picture of me at this age - a lot of people tell me she looks JUST like me, and I have to admit when I look at old photos of me, we do look an awful lot alike.

I'm so glad my girls love the beach as much as I do - and I'm looking forward to many more days just like this one.

catch light for dark eyes

2009-09-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

Both of my little girls have very dark brown eyes (as you can see here). Even so, if you look closely (really really close) you can see my reflection in my little one's eyes.

Most tutorials on catch light that I've seen on the web use blue or green eyes as an example, but don't be deterred if your subject has brown eyes.

Click here for a tutorial on not only how to get catch light, but how beautiful it can be with brown eyes.

Thank You - an unlikely expression of gratitude this Monday

2009-08-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

It was 6 years ago, just around this time of year – time for my annual review. I was practicing employment law at a prestigious law firm in Orange County, and while there were some bumps in the road, I felt overall I had been performing quite well in my second year of practicing law. That is, until I heard my review.

Two partners came into my office, shut the door, and sat with me to discuss my review. Nothing strange so far – this is standard operating procedure around the office when review time came around. But the contents of the review would rock my world.

Negative. Disappointing. Underachieving. These were the words spoken to me at my review. I have to admit I wasn’t used to hearing these words. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes as I willed myself not to cry in front of my bosses. My mind was spinning – how was it possible that I thought I was doing so well when they obviously think otherwise?

And then a strange point was raised during my review – “Melissa needs to be here during normal business hours.” Wait, what? I finally snapped out of my stupor – what did THAT mean? I worked A LOT. I worked weekends, late nights, very early mornings. I worked in the office, at home, at coffee shops – any place I could will myself to spend another hour working on motions, memos, outlines that always needed to be done yesterday. They were making it sound like I was some sort of cracked-out addict that could only stumble into the office after 1pm. I assure you, this was NOT the case.

When they left my office to let me “digest” the contents of my review I finally became ANGRY. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but I had done some fabulous work for several clients, and none of that had been acknowledged or addressed at my review. Nothing positive came out of that meeting. It was horribly unfair and maddening. But I worked up the nerve to walk into one of the partner’s offices to tell him that my review was incomplete. I rattled off some of my greater accomplishments that year – items that were conspicuously missing from my review. He sheepishly agreed with me, but the dye was cast.

Shortly after that review I started looking for a way out of that place.

Little did I know – I took my first step towards melissa brandman photography that day.

I can see that now, 6 years later. Even so, the pain of that review is still incredibly raw. It was embarrassing, humiliating to sit there and listen to one negative point after another, all delivered with a half-smile. Especially after all of the times spent away from my husband, away from friends and family. All for work. All for this stinking review. It is hard to write about it, even now.

Little did I know:

· I was so miserable being in that office that I would take a photography class at night to bring some fun into my life.

· 6 months after that review I left my job to become a deputy district attorney – a job I had dreamed about since I was 12 years old.

· Later that same year we would move to the Bay Area, where I had to leave my dream job behind.

· I met many amazing people during my time in the Bay Area that inspired me to work for myself – to become the boss I always hoped for.

· That every career experience I’ve had since that day, the day of that horrible review, would give me the strength, the fortitude, and the courage to start this photography business.

So today, I say thank you to the two partners that sat me down that day for my terrible review. Thank you for giving me a reason to leave law firm life behind – I have never looked back. Thank you for showing me how ill-equipped I was to work in an office from 7-7 (if you’re working at a bigger law firm there is no 9-5 day. You’re lucky to get an 8-6 kind of day).

Because of you, I never worked in a large law firm again. I worked part-time after my older daughter was born, and I even switched practices to better accommodate my family and my life. I know to never again sacrifice my marriage or my family for my job.

Today, I have a life I never dared dream of – and I have you, dear partners, to thank (in part).

So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

The website is LIVE

2009-08-28T21:59:00.001-07:00

Alright - I know it's Friday night. It's almost 10pm. And I'm troubleshooting my website. So you can just brand my forehead with a big "L" for LOSER. I deserve it.

But I am incredibly excited (and a little nervous) to introduce you to:

melissa brandman photography (the website)

Check it out! (please...)

I did decide to take the plunge and try my hand at wedding photography in 2010. Eventually I hope to add a gallery of my engagement photos/wedding photos, but for now the site is dedicated mostly to my photos of children & families.

YAY!!!

I DID IT! (and other random thoughts)

2009-08-28T08:57:00.001-07:00

Here it is! My yellow belt. All I had to do was 15 push-ups (after an entire hard-core 45 minutes of kickboxing) and break a wood board with my knee. Breaking the board was not so hard - thankfully there were several people testing with me so I wasn't alone. And one of my classmates didn't break the board the first time, so she just repositioned herself and tried again. No biggie. So hooray - I conquered my fear of physical testing in front of others! I didn't realize I had such a fear, but I'm glad that's over with.

And in keeping with the kickboxing/karate/hapkido etc. metaphor, check out Camera Dojo for more tips and tutorials. Very cool site with lots of great information.

So, the blogging has been a tad quiet this week because...I finished my website. In fact, I am waiting for word that it is live and available for viewing - I'll be sure to share once it is. I am sooooooo anxious to see it, and even more so to share it with the world. I never realized how unnerving it is to put so much of yourself into your art and to then just put it out there for people to either love it or... not love it. But fingers crossed, the website will go live today...

Have a great weekend everyone!

what is "bokeh" - and how to get it

2009-08-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to practice photographing catch lights with my friend Nate, but when I downloaded this photo it made me think of another lesson - how to get "bokeh" in your photos.

In a nutshell, bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the out of focus areas in your image. In the photo of Nate above, the tiny circles surrounding his head? Bokeh. The word "bokeh" is derived from the Japanese word boke which means "haze" or "confusion." There are entire groups on flickr dedicated to the wonderful world of bokeh.

So how can I get me some of that bokeh, you ask? Simple - aperture and shallow depth of field. OK, so maybe it's not quite that simple:

start with a low aperture or f number as it's also known (see examples below)
if you're using a telephoto lens, zoom it out to the longest length
move in so your physically as close to the subject as your lens will allow you to be, yet still focus properly
photograph subjects where the background objects aren't too close behind
light of some sort, whether it be sunlight steaming through branches or street lights when doing a night portrait, will be helpful when shooting bokeh

(thanks to SLR Photography guide for these tips)

Need more guidance? Check out this clip from You Tube:

Once you get past the shadow puppets, the spotty grammar, and the fact that Rock Star energy drink is the focal point of choice, this video does a good job illustrating just how close you need to be to your subject and the optimal aperture setting to use to achieve some beautiful bokeh.

And for most of you, by the time you read this post I will be testing at my kickboxing class for my yellow belt. I won a month's worth of lessons at my daughter's preschool silent auction, and I became hooked. It is an awesome workout, but for some reason the thought of physical testing for a belt? FREAKS me out. I have no idea why - I've given birth twice. Once without drugs (and not by choice, but that's another post for another time). I passed the bar exam. I prosecuted 7 criminal trials all by myself. But the idea of having to try and break a skinny piece of wood with my knee in front of my classmates has me VERY nervous.

So wish me luck - or leave a comment to see how I did...

Courtney + Rob: Part Deux

2009-08-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

During my first engagement shoot with these two, the sun disappeared on us pretty quickly at the beach. I asked Courtney + Rob if they would be interested in shooting more photos at the beach, hopefully with the golden California sun providing some awesome light. Because this is Southern California, right? Where it's NEVER sad and cloudy in August, right???

WRONG.

We met up at the pier on a dreary, cloudy Saturday. So much for my golden California sunshine photos. I've learned by now, though, that you always need a plan B for photo shoots (sometimes plans C and D are necessary). So we went in search of fun, funky, colorful backgrounds to contrast the gray skies. You can see from the photo above it was not a pretty day - but I think we worked it out.

I love the outside of this Mexican restaurant - makes you want to get a taco or two, yes?

Courtney + Rob are in front of some sort of storage unit - I loved the blue doors. I love her expression in the b+w one...

I have been wanting to take some photos in front of the old Bay Theater - not sure which one I like better. The color one is soft & romantic but the b+w is so dramatic. Thoughts?

Some last shots on the pier - these should have been in the lovely afternoon sun with the big beautiful ocean in the background, but I actually dig the soft, romantic feel to them. And I LOVE the flower in her hair!

Congrats again Courtney and Rob - thanks for another chance to practice my engagement photo shoot skills. I'll see you both in September...

Courtney + Rob: Part Deux (sneek peek)

2009-08-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to shoot Courtney + Rob again yesterday. It was supposed to be a chance to shoot more beach photos with more light, but it was cloudy and dark at the beach - so we improvised. More to come next week...

AND I completely forgot to mention this last week - I am now the official assistant wedding photographer for these two - very exciting! I can't wait to watch a seasoned wedding photographer in action and to learn learn LEARN.

hello world - my name is shane

2009-08-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

Here he is - all 6 pounds 13 ounces of him. He was my very first in-hospital baby photo shoot (at least for a child that I did not give birth to).

I love photographing all the little details of a newborn's body, the tiny toes, fingers, ears, etc. I kept looking at him and thinking there is NO WAY my girls were ever that small...

Shane & daddy

Congratulations Chris & Deanne - he is just beautiful!

"vintage" flair - how I do it

2009-08-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is lesson no. 2 for the week!

Ok, I admit - I'm not going to tell you EXACTLY how I do it. I have to keep a little mystery around my photography aesthetic - it'll keep you coming back. But this is first and foremost a place to learn more about photography - that's why I started this blog. So if you ask it, I will answer.

Mary was wondering how I achieved that vintage feel to these photo:

Let me state for the record that any "vintage" editing tricks I will espouse today I learned the old fashioned way - by trial and error. For any of you well versed in Photoshop there is an entire world out there of actions and tricks and edits to create shots that are as vintage as you would like.

These tips are for those of you looking for some creativity using very basic editing skills, so here goes:

1) Play around with the white balance, color temperature, and saturation. Click here to review my lesson on color temperature and saturation. Here is an example:

Here is the original photo - a pail full of straws at the county fair. I love the bright white against the aqua of the pail.

Here is the "vintage" version, editing only the color temperature and saturation. Essentially, I bumped the color temperature WAY up and then dialed the saturation WAY down until I found that balance between the yellow-ness and the faded look of old photos.

This is the most basic way - here are a couple more options:

2) play with tint. iPhoto allows you to change the tint of an image, with a lever that moves from red to green. In Aperture there is a more advanced means of changing tint, allowing you to tint the photo to any color of the rainbow. I used this control in Aperture to change the tint of the ferris wheel photo above to have a more yellow tint.

3) check out this tutorial on how to make your digital photos look like lomo photography (click here for more info on lomography).

A few weeks ago I picked up a vintage 1960s film camera that I'm hoping to take for a spin soon. I'll be sure to post my "real" vintage images when I get a chance...

catch light - how to get it

2009-08-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

This is Jack - my adorable, chubby, maddening, sweet beagle. He has some of the biggest hound dog eyes around - don't you just want to give him something to eat? (Hence why he is chubby - that and if you don't give him something to eat, he will find a way to get it himself. Like the time he pulled down two loaves of Challah bread from the kitchen counter and ate them surreptitiously in the back yard, only to BARELY fit through his doggie door because his stomach had expanded so much. But I digress).

See that light reflection in his eyes? That's called catch light - it's the light from the sky above us that is reflected in his eyes. If you look closely enough you can see the outline of me taking a picture of Jack. Here are a couple more examples:

sweet Alice Rose - the catch lights in her eyes are from a window to the side of her.

my little one enjoying her cake on her 1st birthday - my girls' eyes are VERY dark brown, but even so you can see the reflection of blue sky in her eyes.

Why are catch lights important? They give depth and definition to the eyes, which is highly desirable in portrait photography. How big the light is and where it lands on the eyes is directly related to the light source - direct light, indirect light, flash, reflectors, strobes, etc. - each of these will create a different reflection in the subject's eyes. The catch light examples above are all natural light.

Some would say that portraits, especially close ups, are dull and lifeless without catch lights. I like catch lights, but I wouldn't go that far. It's a matter of personal taste and preference. You can even add catch lights post production - click here for a tutorial.

I don't use Photoshop personally, but I do know there are Photoshop tricks and actions used to brighten the eyes - but beware of going overboard. Click here to see what can happen if you get a little too Photoshop-happy around the eyes...

Fingers crossed...today I may have the chance to photograph a VERY newborn baby at the hospital for some dear friends - so excited!

And as promised, lesson no. 2 is on its way...

new websites to check out (and a shout out)

2009-08-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about posting at least 1 lesson every week? The fact that I have to do research, which always results in some very useful information for me.

Case in point:

1) check out photojojo - lots of cool tips and tricks, and easy to digest. You can sign up for a twice-weekly newsletter via email, or subscribe to the blog.

2) Planet Neil is a good, easy to read resource for questions on lighting. As much as I appreciate the detail of Strobist, I have to admit there are many days I'm not in the mood for a dissertation. Planet Neil provides quick, easy tips on lighting you can practice right away.

I'll add these to the sidebar of links - go check 'em out.

Thanks to Amy, Mary & Angela for your comments on the homework assignment. For Mary and anyone else looking for more information on how to "vintage" up your photos, check in tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday!

homework assignment - the fair (b+w)

2009-08-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Just in case you readers think I post these lessons/assignments and forget about them, here is my take on the b+w assignment I posted a few weeks back - these are from our family trip to the Orange County Fair:

heifer with an attitude...

doesn't it look like the enormous stuffed dog is attacking that little boy?

I admit - I couldn't shoot only b+w that day - there are SO many colorful things at the fair! Nevertheless, shooting in black and white for part of the day allowed me to focus on improving my basic composition skills - what about this image makes a good photo? Note that all of these b+w images are straight out of the camera - no editing at all. (I feel so naked!) I found I like patterns and repetition, and I sought out shadows and contrast more when shooting black and white. I looked more for a story in each image, rather than just a pretty shot.

But...I can't resist posting a few of my color shots (with some pizazz added post production):

this one is my (almost) 4 year old on the carousel - I tried to intentionally blur the photo but keep her in focus by tracking her motion. Almost worked - the bear she's riding is basically in focus. Never hurts to try something new, right?

Readers let me know if you tried the assignment and if you liked having homework - I can come up with more assignments if you'd like...

do something good this weekend!

2009-08-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Check this out - see how abstaining from your coffee addiction for one or two days can get 2 pairs of shoes to someone (or many someones) in need:

* * *
Just realized I forgot to post a lesson on Thursday! That's just the kind of week it's been. I promise two lessons next Thursday...

Happy weekend!

Engaged: Courtney + Rob

2009-08-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

My business officially launched about 2.5 months ago, and what I've learned in a very short time is that ANY experience with real live kids/families/couples is a good thing. So when Courtney asked me a few weeks ago if I would be interested in taking engagement pictures for her, I was thrilled - and a little apprehensive. I'm used to following children around and capturing moments as they happen. But an engagement shoot is more thought out, more posed. Other than Meghan + Tristan's wedding, I don't have a lot of experience with posing, but Courtney and Rob were so easygoing - they are naturals! It never hurts to photograph such a beautiful couple, either...

I've known Courtney for a while now - her older sister essentially grew up with my husband (did you follow that?) and I've spent time with her family over the years. The happy couple became engaged this year in New Orleans during Jazz Fest, and they are getting hitched in September in Santa Barbara. Courtney and Rob were the perfect couple for my first engagement shoot - easy, comfortable, and lovely with one another. They have such a sweetness about them - I think it really shows in the photos. It was fun (and complicated) trying to coordinate everything: 2 locations, 1 clothing change, 1 puppy and 2 beach cruisers. But I'm loving the results:

location no. 1 - a beautiful park near their house:

fun with Rob's aviators...

location no. 2: the beach!

At this point we were desperate for light - the sunset was very hazy yesterday, but we managed to squeeze in a couple more shots:

This is my last shot of the night - and one of my faves from the day.

Congratulations Courtney and Rob!!

Courtney + Rob (sneek peek)

2009-08-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

coming soon...

more to come from my very first engagement shoot!

photography 201 - exposure metering

2009-08-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit I didn't know what the heck exposure metering was until recently. I thought I knew most of my camera's bells and whistles by now, but since I didn't read the owner's manual cover to cover, I guess there are some (ok many) things I missed. But I can't be the only one, right? So without further ado, let's talk exposure metering.

First off, let me clarify that I'm talking about in-camera exposure metering. I am not, however, talking about your various camera modes - this is photo 201, so we're taking it to the next level. Check your owner's manual to locate where your exposure metering control is located - on my Nikon D200 it's located near the viewfinder on the right hand side (the button that says "AE-L" and "AF-L"):

Exposure metering determines how the image sensor will respond when a photo is taken. By understanding your options for exposure metering, you will get better exposure for your more challenging shots - shots with tricky lighting conditions. Generally speaking, there are 3 types of exposure modes: (1) center-weighted, (2) matrix or multi-segment mode, and (3) spot.

Center-weighted metering is just as it sounds - the metering focuses on the amount of light in the center of the frame, and sets the exposure accordingly. For example, if the center of your image is a white wedding dress, but the surrounding scene is dark foliage, center-weighted metering will exposure your shot based on the brightness of the white wedding dress. Center-weighted metering can be good for portraits, but many articles I read were not too fond of this metering setting. Take that for what's it's worth...

Matrix metering incorporates various calculations of the lighting throughout your image to achieve the proper exposure. Matrix metering is a more detailed approach to exposure than center-weighted metering. Most websites I perused for this post suggested you use matrix metering most of the time.

Spot metering is similar to center-weighted in that it focuses on the center of the image, but spot metering focuses on a very small portion of the overall image (which varies camera to camera). Spot metering is best for high contrast shots, like this one:

(photo courtesy of Planet Neil)

The lighting varies greatly in this image - spot metering will set the image sensor for the proper exposure of the men in the brightest part of the image.

Consider exposure metering an added boost to getting proper exposure in your photos. Any questions/comments - you know where to find me...

Xander & the girls (and baby brother)

2009-08-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Last week I hit the beach with Xander, his cousins Zoe and Mia, and Xander's baby brother Stone. It's been a while since I've photographed the younger set - I had my urban safari (parts one and two) with the Brown family and the wedding (check out the flickr side bar to see photos of the wedding) - so it was nice to be back in the groove of photographing children. Thankfully I came armed with lots of treats (also known as bribes) - we were dealing with a perfect storm of strong wind, large crowds, initial dislike of the sand (Xander), and initial refusal to smile at anything (Mia). No worries - nothing a little sugar and chocolate can't cure...

NOW we're getting somewhere - mind you this photo is almost 1 hour into the photo shoot. But we made up for lost time.

Zoe was a great sport - never complained about the little ones being uncooperative, and just went along with my suggestions. Isn't she beautiful?

Zoe and Stone, the newest cousin (3 months) - I'm hoping to get more photos of this little one soon...

I LOVE sister photos - I sure hope my daughters will hold hands and hug like these two.

It's my understanding that Xander is usually quite the ham in front of the camera, so it was fun for me to capture a more contemplative Xander, exploring on the beach.

LOVE this one.

Here are Xander and Mia after one huge lollipop and several pieces of chocolate.

Thank you little ones - I had a lovely day at the beach with you! (Seriously - any job that lets you hang out at the beach for a few hours and "work" is a GREAT job...)

TGIF (and a sneek peek)

2009-08-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is EXACTLY how I feel about today - HOORAY FOR FRIDAY!

Be sure to check back to see how I managed to photograph 4 cousins - a 10 year old, a 3.5 year old, a 2.5 year old and a 3 month old (I'll give you a hint - it wasn't easy...)

Have a lovely weekend!

homework assignment - shooting in b + w mode

2009-08-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

First, a big thank you to readers Sara and Becca for convincing me to give Flickr another chance. Based on their advice/suggestions, I decided to search out different groups that I found interesting, and that would compel me to experiment with different techniques. I was not disappointed (although beware - while there are many friendly folks on flickr there always seems to be a Negative Nellie lurking in the groups, waiting to pounce on a photo or two...)

One group I found was the Nikon Digital Learning Center group - since I shoot with a D200 I figured it can't hurt to be a part of a group intimately familiar with my camera. The group moderators post several assignments a month - one in particular was intriguing to me: shooting in black and white mode to improve your composition.

The "teacher" - Richard E. Aaron, an accomplished music photographer, suggests that by shooting in black and white (rather than converting to b + w later) the photographer can focus on the content of the photo - the lines, shades and composition. That way, color won't distract you from carefully crafting an image that really tells a story.

So this week, instead of a lesson per se, I have a little homework assignment/challenge for you readers. Assuming you can (and most of you with DSLRs can), change your shooting mode to black and white, and really concentrate on the composition of your photos. Click here for a review of the rule of thirds, perhaps the most basic composition rule out there. Click here to review additional composition rules - and for you naughty readers, click here for how to break said rules.

I adore black and white images - oftentimes I can "feel" more from the image than the same image in color. I hope you capture some good shots!

for you ladies looking to start their own business (sorry boys...)

2009-08-04T14:05:00.001-07:00

These past few weeks I have been OVERWHELMED with my life. My husband has been gone the better part of 3 weeks, traveling the US for his work; I photographed Meghan + Tristan's wedding; I attended a family wedding; and I have been a single parent to 2 little girls. I AM TIRED. Add to that my stress in trying to get my business officially up and running, and I came down with a nasty cold - in July. There is just something wrong with getting a cold in the summertime.

I don't mean to complain, but I have to admit my creative juices are on hiatus right now as I try and focus some time on the business side of things. I am still working away at creating my website, but what I'm really struggling with right now is the "big picture" aspect of things - how I want to "brand" myself and my style of photography.

To that end, I have been following design*sponge for a while now (recall the reading chair's appearance over at d*s) and I am loving the series on biz ladies. There are several articles and resources to help women entrepreneurs not only survive this recession, but to thrive during it. I read the article on calculating your rate, and it COMPLETELY changed my thinking. It has also delayed the official "launch" of the website and business so I can take my time really planning for my business strategy. Because at the end of the day I love love LOVE photography - I would do this for free, and I have been for many years - but if I'm going to get paid for it then let's make this a successful business venture!

So for any of you women business owners out there, or for anyone thinking of starting your own business, check out the biz ladies series over at design*sponge.

art project - sidewalk paint

2009-08-03T12:54:00.001-07:00

I'll be honest - becoming a mom was not a natural transition for me. I struggled for a long time with my oldest daughter, trying to figure out who I was as a "mom" and how I could be the best mom to her (and now her little sister) when I felt like I had no idea what I was doing.

I don't even pretend to have this all figured out, but one thing I have learned about myself is that I'm good at creating art projects for my girls. Every morning my oldest wants to do "art projects" - I LOVE this! I've been following blogs such as The Crafty Crow, seeking out age appropriate projects for us to try together.

So I read a post over at ohdeedoh on how to make sidewalk chalk paint - perfect for both my little ones! So easy, inexpensive, and easy to wash out of everything (and believe me, it gets everywhere).

Here are a few photos from our painting session:

Love the red rain boots she insisted on, even when it's 1 MILLION degrees outside...

But she worked it!

Clearly we are nearing the end of our painting session, as the lovely shades of red, yellow, green and blue have now turned into a shade of milk chocolate...

My favorite coffee mug - and one fabulous art project!

This week I'm thinking butterflies out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners...

(I experimented with another vintage-like tint in the color photos. A bit more blue, less yellow. Any thoughts on it?)

Happy Weekend!

2009-07-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."
Seneca

Enjoy your weekend!

meghan + tristan: the golden hour (taking it to the street)

2009-07-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of keeping things easy around here, I decided to combine today's lesson with some more shots from the wedding. We've reviewed some basic concepts in the last few weeks, so now let's review one of the most basic lighting concepts for photographers - the golden hour. Or, golden hours is more accurate I guess.

This is the light that occurs during the hour after sunrise and sunset. The time of the day when the shadows are long and the sun is warm and golden, without being too harsh or bright. In essence, a fantastic time to photograph almost anything. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO - each of these is important to determining how much light enters the camera, but now we're talking about the quality of light and how the golden hour casts light on your subject.

At the wedding, the golden hour corresponded with the cocktail hour - a good time for photos. Not only did I work the golden hour, I experimented with using back lighting and lens flare in these series of photos. (There is an upcoming posts on back lighting - I promise...) Since the cocktail hour was happening in the same location as the wedding & reception, it was proving to be a bit hectic, so I suggested a stroll down the street for some photos.

OK, technically speaking, this photo is at the VERY beginning of the golden hour, since the sun sets pretty late here in the summer. But you get the idea - a lovely warm light. This photo is a combination of all three: golden hour lighting, back lighting, and a bit of lens flare.

I clearly have a love affair with lens flare. This is also a vintage effect I'm trying out - more of a blue-ish tint.

this is probably my favorite photo of the bride from her wedding day - the golden hour light made for a gorgeous backdrop.

See how everyone just looks so nice? I think I will only shoot portraits in this light from now on - it just makes everyone look so fantastic!

In the interest of "keeping it real" I included 2 not so great examples of back lighting and lens flare:

A little too much flare, not enough bride...

I actually like how this turned out - a lovely silhouette portrait. But it was not intentional - not at all. Point being: never stop trying new techniques or ideas. You never know what you might get...

The first dance - and a photo taken in the "sweet spot" of the golden hour. LOVE that light!

So the next time you're out after dinner and the sun is setting, grab your camera!

someday

2009-07-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

I will have a clean house again, without legos and art supplies in every corner
I will have time to take a long bath
I will use my passport again
I will not wash dishes 20 times a day
I will be in incredible shape with a fabulous wardrobe that doesn't include "park" or "play" clothes
I will not have to break up fights, or put a kid in time out
I will have alone time again

but as for today, I will enjoy this person:

and this one:

I can live with legos, glue sticks, crayons, hitting matches, some crying, a few temper tantrums, and lots of together time. I will not worry about tomorrow - I will enjoy today.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

photography 201: distance and light

2009-07-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Last photo 201 lesson we discussed how light "sees" your subject, and how important it is to consider the lighting angle when composing your photo. This week we'll discuss (courtesy of Strobist) the relationship between lighting and distance. FYI - this is a more advanced lesson, in that it discusses off-camera lighting, such as an external flash or a strobe light of some sort.

Strobist explains this relationship using the Inverse Square Law - thankfully he does not actually provide any equations or proofs in this discussion (because I would have dozed off right then and there). Here is how he explains Inverse Square Law with respect to lighting:

"The closer you are to the light source, the more powerful the light. Get real close and it gets really powerful. Get far away, and it gets weaker."

So far, this seems logical right? For example if you use your on-camera flash and you are 2 feet from your subject, the light will be MUCH brighter than if you were 10 feet away, or 20 feet.

On to the next principle:

"The closer you get to the light source, the quicker the lighting values change as you move in. When you get farther away, small differences in distance (from the light) become meaningless."

OK, this statement made me reach for my 3rd cup of coffee. Thankfully there are several demos on flickr that help to illustrate these points, such as this one:

Looking at this photo diagram, you can see: (1) the photo on the left (light source 1 foot from The Bride, or Uma Thurman) produces a more intense light on the subject than the photo on the right (light source 5 feet from Uma). NOTE - both the camera and Uma NEVER move in this exercise - only the light source is changing. As the light source moves further from Uma, the flash output becomes stronger. Also in each photo the light source is moved further back from Uma.

You can see from this photo diagram that by moving in close to the subject (photo on the left), the wall behind Uma Thurman is almost black. The flash illuminates Uma, and very little of what's behind her. As the light source moves further back, though, the difference in the shade of the gray wall is minimal, and the photo is more evenly lit throughout.

So let's review the above statement:

"The closer you get to the light source, the quicker the lighting values change as you move in. When you get farther away, small differences in distance (from the light) become meaningless."

To paraphrase, the closer the light is to the subject, the more dramatic the lighting, however, as the light is placed further and further from the subject, the differences become less and less dramatic.

Strobist describes this concept as "lighting depth of field":

Light Placed Closer = more powerful, and control of the depth of the correct exposure.
Light Placed Further = less powerful, and a broader zone of even lighting exposure.

In other words, light placed closer to your subject is like working with shallow depth of field. Light placed further from your subject is less powerful, but provides a more evenly-lit photograph.

This is not an easy concept to grasp, but it's a pretty powerful concept once you understand it. Click here for the full lesson at Strobist - there are homework assignments to help you understand the lessons more fully. I'd like to do the "homework" for this lesson - I'll post the results as soon as I complete the homework (no promises on when that might be...)

a personal note - my flower girls

2009-07-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday my two little girls were the flower girls for their Papa's wedding (for clarification Papa = grandpa, or my father-in-law). Well, my 15 month old didn't make it to the ceremony, so I guess she was more like an honorary FG. Here is my 3.5 year old, dutifully performing her role:

After my stint as Meghan + Tristan's official wedding photographer, I realized how much more difficult it is to photograph a wedding as a guest (and as the mother of the flower girls). I was limited to photographing what I could capture from my seat, and I was more focused on making sure my 3.5 year old wasn't too disruptive during the ceremony. But I couldn't resist getting some more wedding photography practice in:

For this shot I could have used my flash. And a tripod. And perhaps a different lens. But for me, the blurriness sort of works.

I was seated in the second row, right on the aisle (to monitor my flower girl) and I had a birdseye view of the cello.

Mother of the bride - love the wood grain of the pew in this shot.

the ring bearer (and my daughter's best friend for the weekend - too bad he lives in North Carolina)

The first dance:

My little one rejoined us at the reception and got her party on!

As did my older one:

And lots of CRAZY dancing and giggles with daddy:

Good times, indeed!

meghan + tristan: the kiss (and some thank yous)

2009-07-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

First some thank yous:

A huge thank you to my friend Katie for acting as my assistant at the wedding. Katie is a fabulous photographer - thankfully she was willing to help me photograph a lot of the wedding details and more candid shots. She worked tirelessly throughout, even staying until the very end with me. Thank you Katie!

Another huge thank you to Alexis Stein, the bride's cousin and a real-life professional wedding photographer. She was so helpful and encouraging to me during the wedding, AND she had her camera with her as well. It was like having a huge safety net the entire day, and I now have a mentor to help me learn this business. Thank you Alexis!

Mostly, I would like to thank Meghan & Tristan, my lovely bride and groom, for trusting me with their big day. I realize the upside was free photos for them, but I would have NEVER trusted my wedding day to a newbie. NEVER. I am grateful for their willingness to take a chance on me - it was an incredible learning experience for me and I had a great time!

And thanks to all of you that have left comments, emails, voice mails, and in-person encouragement to me before, during and after this lovely wedding. Thank you for supporting me - I surely needed it and you all came through. You are wonderful!

Now, on to the post...

• • •

The one part of the wedding that had me the most nervous was the ceremony. There are many moments in a wedding that you cannot do over, but if we're being honest you can recreate a lot of things - have the bride & groom kiss, have everyone pose one more time, etc. I even had the bridesmaids zip the bride into her dress twice, just to make sure I got the shot.

The wedding ceremony, however, is not a "do over" in any way. All of the emotion and the anticipation wrapped up in that moment is a one shot deal. And of course, there's the kiss:

The ceremony was less than 15 minutes, so there was no time for making adjustments or even to really move around for shots. I can't tell you how relieved I was to see this image above - I just wanted one good photo of "the kiss" - in focus, good lighting, etc. Such a relief!

I love this one too - that moment of elation and content is written all over their faces.

I'm off to another wedding this weekend, only this time I'm a guest. My oldest daughter is the flower girl in her Papa's wedding, so while I'm not working this wedding I will have my camera in tow.

Happy weekend everyone!

how to photograph in direct sunlight

2009-07-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

It's summertime, and I find myself spending more and more time outdoors in the bright sunshine, camera in hand to capture my cute little girls splashing around in the water. We've discussed how shooting in broad daylight is not the best lighting situation for photos, but what's a girl (or boy) to do when the kids are playing and the sun is high in the sky? Here are some tips:

find some shade - the easiest solution is to move your subject into the shade of a tree or building to take the photo. You could even try to use yourself as the shade (check out this tip over at Pioneer Woman).
block out the light - if you must shoot in direct sunlight, try using a lens hood or even your hand to block out the harshest rays.
use fill flash - click here for my post on fill flash. Flash in direct sunlight sounds like overkill, right? But it makes sense - the direct sun overhead can create some pretty severe shadows, especially on faces. Fill flash can help to even out the light - no more ugly shadows darkening your photos.
try a longer exposure - for this tip, you will need to work in shutter priority or manual (click here for more on camera modes). The longer the shutter stays open the better chance of getting a more even exposure between the really bright and really dark places in your photo. Try a shutter speed of 1/100 or longer (i.e. 1/80, 1/60, etc.).
use a filter - a polarizing filter will help cut down on the amount of light coming into your camera, allowing you to use a slower shutter speed (see above).

Any questions? Leave a comment.

meghan + tristan: the details

2009-07-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Meghan joked that her wedding was "recessionista" style, but I guarantee that after you see these photos, you will WISH you had the talent/creativity/family and friends to help create such a beautiful "recessionistia" wedding! Such a gorgeous backyard setting:

love these lanterns!

gorgeous flowers

the cigar bar was a big hit with guests

the wedding favors

the rings

the dress & shoes

bridesmaids bouquets

Hard to believe this wedding was pulled off almost exclusively by the talent, vision, and creativity of non-wedding professionals, right?

meghan + tristan: getting ready

2009-07-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

The bride (Meghan) was not the least bit nervous on wedding day. When I arrived to snap some photos of her getting ready, she was happily eating Jack in the Box (hope she doesn't mind my sharing that) - calm, cool, and collected.

And while she seemed calm up until she walked down the aisle, there is just something about putting the dress on - that moment when you look at yourself in the mirror and think "WHOA - I'm getting MARRIED today."

I love this last one - she is a beautiful bride.

I'm going to apologize in advance for the many upcoming posts on this lovely wedding. I wish I could consolidate it into one post, but I simply cannot because: (1) it's going to take me forever to edit these photos, and (2) it's my first wedding shoot and I'm excited to have any that came out halfway decent, so I feel I must share.

Thank you for indulging me...

meghan + tristan (sneek peek)

2009-07-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

WOW. I am tired. I have so much to write about my first wedding shoot, but it will have to wait until I get a little more coffee and a little more sleep. I did upload all 2100+ images just to make sure I had them - when I will find the time to edit them all, who knows...

But I just HAD to show you a couple:

Enjoy your Sunday!

attention brides!

2009-07-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day - for me and for the happy couple (Meghan + Tristan) - I'll be sure to post some sneak peaks from the wedding asap. I would appreciate lots of finger crossing/prayers/chants/whatever my dear readers do when they are hoping for some good luck to come their way!

For any brides to be out there, I've been following Gia Canali's blog for a while, to get a sense of what's popular lately with respect to wedding photography. She offers great advice to brides on how to pose without looking like you're posing, how to make your dress look great in photos, etc. Things I wish I had thought about before I got married!

Click here for a list of her "planning" posts - some great advice here.

And a couple of pieces of advice from me (a bride over 8 years ago):

1) assign someone to be your beauty consultant that day. Bridesmaid, good friend - anyone. You will be too flustered to really think about reapplying your lipstick (or at least I was) and you may not notice if your dress is bunched funny or if something's not quite right with your headpiece/veil. I wore a strapless dress for my wedding, and for some reason part of the top was folding over in many of my wedding shots - wish someone had caught that for me, but alas, I did not assign a beauty consultant.

2) When holding your bouquet, relax your arms - your bouquet should hit right at or around belly button level. You'll have a more relaxed look about you - many brides and bridesmaids hold the flowers up near their chest, probably because they are nervous. It looks much better in photos if your arms are relaxed.

That's it - the next time I post I will have one whole wedding under my belt!

what is ISO?

2009-07-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

In looking back at some of my previous posts, I realized I never did a proper post on ISO. And since ISO is part three of the light trifecta if you will, it's time to give ISO its due.

When referring to film photography, ISO (also called ASA) refers to the film's sensitivity to light. When referring to digital photography, however, ISO refers to the image sensor's sensitivity to light. Many of you may not realize that your digital camera has a function that allows you to adjust your ISO settings. That includes both SLR and point and shoot cameras.

Adjusting ISO can make a big difference in your photos, depending on your lighting conditions. For those of you that hate noise or grain in your photos, or your are shooting in broad daylight, you will want the lowest number ISO settings, such as ISO 100 or 200. If you are shooting in low light conditions or indoors, you will have to bump up your ISO setting to 800 or beyond (unless you are using a tripod).

So why can't you just leave your ISO on auto setting? You can, but you will surely run into lighting conditions that will not be properly exposed unless you change your ISO setting. Remember the exposure triangle concept? (Sorry, I'm about to get all geometric on you...) Picture a triangle with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO at each angle. The goal is to get the correct exposure (a "triangle") every time. But triangles come in all shapes and sizes - the trick is to know how to change the "angles" to make the triangle the size and shape you want. So if your shooting in broad daylight, you can set a higher aperture setting (f/11 and above, let's say), shoot at a fast shutter speed, and use a lower ISO for a super sharp photo. If you are shooting in candlelight indoors, you will have to change your settings: low aperture (f/4 and lower), long shutter speed (below 1/30 of a second), and unless you have a tripod, you will HAVE to increase your ISO setting (ISO 800 or above).

Think of ISO as another play in your exposure playbook. Here's a guide from Bacon Lettuce Photo on the various ISO settings:

Auto ISO - Ok, you don’t want to mess with it. Let the camera figure it out. BUT, you are not in control. That is NOT how you’re going to become a better photographer.
ISO 100 - Bright light situation. Most times the lowest ISO setting a digital camera offers.

ISO 200 - Cloudy day, overcast. Noise may start showing.

ISO 400 - Indoor photography, maybe sports stop action photos. Most cameras will start showing noise at this point which results in reduced image quality.

ISO 800 and up - Who coughed on the photo and… oh wait. It just looks horrible. No, I’m just kidding. But most digital cameras will spit out horribly noisy images at this point but some of the more expensive cameras may not.

I have to admit - I shoot with an ISO 800 and over all the time and I've never noticed a huge problem with grainy photos. But then again, I don't mind noise in my photos... Maybe that's why I've never noticed a huge problem with that?

The beauty of digital is there are several programs out there that can remove noise from your digital photos. So give it a shot - change the ISO and see if it helps.

before and after - library cart (and a lesson in humility)

2009-07-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

I think the reading chair was an instance of beginner's luck, unfortunately. I'm pretty new to the DIY movement so I have very little experience actually painting, sanding, refinishing, etc. But after the chair turned out so nicely I thought I would have no problems with my next project - a 1950s metal library cart I bought on ebay. Silly me...

Here's the before:

Mistake number 1 - I did not sand ALL of the old paint off. It was a pain, and I was anxious to get to the good stuff (painting). I'm thinking that is the root of my issues (I'll explain in a minute).

Mistake number 2 - no primer. The primer paint can broke on me, and I just decided to go for it and use more paint if I needed to. Not a good idea.

Nevertheless, here's the after:

I used MANY cans of Rustoleum Sun Yellow - such a cute, bright color. I then used a lacquer finish to try and get that super glossy look. Unfortunately, the lacquer may actually be lifting the yellow paint off the metal cart - when I go to clean the cart I can wipe paint dust off. And it chips pretty easily - despite my 7 or 8 coats of paint. I did add the antique looking casters to the base.

It's my own fault for rushing through this project - I was just so anxious to finish the cart since my 1 year old loves to just sit in front of it and "read" her books. I figure I can right the wrongs when the paint really starts chipping off. I give myself an A for creative vision and a C- for execution. Lesson learned...

Not to fear readers, for I have yet another project in the works. A dresser for my almost 4 year old's room. It's currently a shabby chic white with some ugly pulls - I have ideas, I tell you...and this time I will do some homework and take my time, lest I end up with another chipping library cart on my hands.

wanderlust - tips for taking better travel pictures

2009-07-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hello readers - T minus 5 days and counting until the big wedding. I have the equipment rented, I'm making a list of "must have" photos, and I enlisted a friend for my second photographer to help cover the really important moments. I'm excited at this point - I'm sure I'll be freaking out again come Friday night.

I'm sure many of you are traveling somewhere this summer, and even if you're enjoying a "staycation" you'll want photos to document your "trip." I saw a post over at Apartment Therapy on how to get better travel photos that you'll want to frame for you home - click here for the post.

Happy Travels!

Brown family photos - urban safari (part two)

2009-07-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

The one HUGE benefit of a family photo shoot that includes an 11 year old girl and a 9 year old boy? Efficiency. We managed to shoot hundreds of shots in a little less than 2 hours. And that included a Starbucks break. It didn't hurt that Mackenzie and Blake were good sports and up for trying different shots.

Although they ARE brother and sister:

More from our downtown adventures:

We stumbled upon this mosaic - it has to be over 30 feet tall. Amazing work - I wish I knew the story behind it.

In the process of reviewing my "portfolio" I noticed I have very few wide angle shots (horizontal or vertical). During our shoot, there was no shortage buildings/murals/alleys that cried out for a wider shot, so I experimented with this shot.

And this one:

talk about being good sports...

These were taken in the stairwell of the parking structure that I parked in. I noticed on my way out that the lighting was really edgy and cool in there. It was also, um, fragrant - not in a good way. But everyone was so great - they were game for anything. The first is without flash - standing REALLY still because the shutter had to be set to 1/20 to get the shot. The second is with my external flash manually set to dial back the flash brightness. I like the shadows it created.

I did shoot some more "classic" photos that day too:

Thank you Brown family - I had a GREAT time photographing you guys!

Brown family photos - urban safari (part one)

2009-07-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

So I'm sure you dying to know what is in this man's cane, right?

I met him when I first arrived at the church (our agreed upon meeting spot downtown). He mentioned he was a Vietnam vet and that he knew the type of guns used "in these parts" just from the sound of it being fired. Interesting...

But then the Brown family arrived just in time to discover what was hiding under the skull top of his cane - a skinny, long sword. I'm sure that comes in handy, although I don't want to be around to see him wield it, that's for sure.

Our encounter with Mr. I-have-a-concealed-weapon-in-my-cane was the start of an adventure. I think we all had a great time exploring downtown and all it has to offer. So without further ado, here are some of my favorites from the day (at least part one):

I found this awesome mural on the back of a building when I came to scope out our urban photo shoot - Love how it photographs!

Gorgeous, aren't they?

A good lookin' couple, if you ask me - and another cool street mural.

Brown family in front of Farmers & Merchant Bank, est. 1923. Just for fun...

So many more coming...

Brown family (sneak peak) + one special guest

2009-07-11T15:06:00.001-07:00

Oh, MAN was this fun for me! I have a gazillion photos to edit for the lovely Brown family, so a full post will have to wait.

Here's a photo of a lovely gentleman we met at the beginning of our shoot - quite an interesting fellow, but if you want to find out what's hiding in his cane, well, you'll just have to wait for the full post.

Happy weekend! If you're in the So Cal area I hope you're staying cool - I'm not used to this weather after 4 years in the Bay Area! I need to invest in some summer "resort" attire...

weekend links

2009-07-10T07:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! I have a busy weekend ahead of me - a photo shoot tomorrow in downtown Long Beach and a wedding photo pow wow. I CANNOT believe the wedding is a week away!

Here are some links I found interesting this week:

The NYT photo blog Lens has an interesting feature on cell phone photos - it is pretty amazing the quality and artistry you can achieve with a camera phone. Plus, you have the added bonus that your camera phone is almost always with you and is much more inconspicuous than whipping out your SLR.

Here's a photo I snapped at the DMV using my iPhone:

I liked the lights and the pattern of the chairs. And I definitely could not have photographed this incognito if I didn't use my phone. (Does anyone know if it's ok to take photos in the DMV?)

I saw this post on Fallen Princesses over at How About Orange. I personally have a love/hate affair with the Disney Princesses. My daughter LOVES them, but every time I read Cinderella I cringe at the thought that she just WISHES and HOPES for the prince to come and SAVE her from her terrible life! This is 2009 people - if Cinderella and her princess sisters can't save themselves they are screwed. Ok, enough feminist rhetoric - check out the photos from this series. I laughed at them initially, but I found them profoundly sad after a while.

Both of these links inspired me to stretch myself as a photographer - to look for the interesting and beautiful in my everyday life, and to consider photography as an art, not simply a means to document my life.

Have a great weekend everyone!

what is shutter speed? (revisited)

2009-07-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

In my post on aperture (revisited), I mentioned there are three ways to control the amount of light entering your camera. Today's lesson focuses on shutter speed. Aperture is, in layman's terms, the mechanism that controls how much light enters the camera. Shutter speed is how long the shutter stays open before it closes and the image is captured. Confused? Picture a window with shutters - the aperture setting is the window itself - a larger window lets in more light, and vice versa. Shutter speed would be the amount of time it takes for the shutters to close up the window.

The longer the amount of time the shutters stay open, the more light enters the camera.
The shorter the amount of time the shutters stay open, the less light enters the camera.

Here is a photo of my camera's control panel (courtesy of manmode) - the number in the green box is the shutter speed. While it only shows 100, shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second, so "100" really means 1/100th of a second.

So why is this important? Shutter speed is important to capturing motion in a photo. A slower (or longer) shutter speed lets in more light (good for low light situations) but any motion in your image will be blurry. Shorter (or faster) shutter speeds capture motion clearly and in focus. In practical terms: use a faster shutter speed when you are trying to capture your kids running around in the backyard, and use a slower shutter speed when you are trying to capture your kids running around but with some movement and blur in your image.

Quick note - my first photography instruction warned us against using a shutter speed lower than 1/60 without a tripod, otherwise you run the risk of camera shake. I have taken clear, camera shake-free photos at shutter speeds lower than 1/60 but you have to be REALLY still.

Here is an example of using a deliberately slow shutter speed to blur the movement of running water:

(shutter speed 1/15th of a second)

Readers, now that we've reviewed shutter speed, it's time to turn your camera mode to shutter priority and practice practice practice! Try using a slow shutter speed to capture blur and movement.

question - why do YOU read blogs?

2009-07-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ever since I "launched" my photography business, I've come to view this blog very differently. What started as a true DIY photography class is now, in theory, a marketing tool for my business. Don't get me wrong - I am really enjoying prepping the lessons each week and coming up with ideas to help teach myself and others. I feel like my skills have improved dramatically because I am constantly having to practice what I teach. It is undeniable that in this technology-saturated world we live in, this blog is also an important part of building my business.

I follow blogs I find relevant and intriguing - beautiful photographs, great writing, interesting opinions, helpful advice. So here's my question for you, dear reader - why do YOU read blogs? Dare I ask - why do you read MY blog? I want to know what you find interesting and helpful about this blog. I want to know what you'd like to see here - more about me personally? More of my photos? More of YOUR photos? Interested in class assignments that allow you to practice certain concepts?

I am always interested in ways to improve Lens Flare - the floor is yours...

photography 201 - 2 ways to improve lighting

2009-07-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

Right now, the Photo 201 series of lessons is dedicated solely to my need to devour any and all information on lighting before I play wedding photographer (which is less than two weeks away...) Last lesson we discussed how light "sees" your subject, and how angles and light affect your photo's composition. Lately I can't go anywhere without really analyzing the light and how it creates shadows on various objects. This week's lesson is sort of a prelude to the next series of lessons over at Strobist. Some of you out there may be very comfortable shooting in natural light, but you wish you knew how to improve the lighting in certain situations. Here are two ways (the two I've been focusing on in preparation for the wedding...)

Light Reflector

You may have seen these at the camera store before - they look like the shades you put in your car window to protect the interior from sun. Now that you have an adequate visual...a light reflector can be used to capture available light and redirect it toward your subject. Reflectors help to minimize shadows and even out the lighting on your subject. There have been several instance where I wished I could eliminate the shadows on someone's face without resorting to flash - this is where a reflector comes in handy.

Here's a quick tutorial on light reflectors that I found over at youtube:

Anyone can use a light reflector to improve lighting - point and shoot or SLR camera owners alike - but for those of you DSL owners itching for some more camera equipment, read on.

External Flash Unit

The bad boy pictured above is one example of an external flash unit. It is a flash unit you purchase separate from your camera body (as opposed to the flash that is built into the camera body). The external flash unit offers much greater lighting flexibility - you can determine how bright the flash output should be and from what direction the flash should be coming from (when using your flash off-camera - another lesson for another day). You can even get fancy with it and create light sources from directions other than from the top of your camera - you can bounce the flash off a wall, off the ceiling, or you can attach the flash to a tripod and move the flash to the left or right of your camera.

Check in 2 weeks from now for another Strobist inspired lesson on lighting, using my external flash...

so what is lens flare, anyway?

2009-07-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

Lens flare is defined as "light that doesn’t belong in an image, often taking the shape of the aperture, generally caused by shooting towards the light source." Or see the above image.

Most articles I've read on lens flare describe it as a nuisance, a mistake of the novice photographer, something to be avoided.

I love it - as if you haven't already guessed that from the title of this blog. I especially love lens flare when it doesn't overpower the overall image, and when it's not obvious that it was added via photoshop (but that's just my opinion). It can be a dreamy effect.

Not a lot of advice on how to actually create lens flare in your photos - I usually shoot into my light source to try and achieve it. I also look for the sun peeking through trees, above the roof, etc. Like this photo:

or this one:

And in the interest of being an equal opportunity teacher:

Click here for a tutorial on using a low aperture setting to achieve lens flare.

Click here for a tutorial on how to eliminate lens flare in your photos.

how to photograph fireworks

2009-07-02T06:53:00.001-07:00

(photo by Stuck in Customs)

The 4th of July weekend is almost upon us, and I'm assuming many readers will be watching fireworks at some point this weekend. I have to admit, the last fireworks show I saw live was a few years ago from the Berkeley hills, attempting to photograph the fireworks across the bay in San Francisco. For those of you that don't know, July in the SF Bay Area can be dreary and foggy, so it was a minor miracle I even saw fireworks that night (although because it was sort of hazy, the photos didn't come out so great). As Mark Twain said: "the coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

For those of you with clear skies, here are some tips on how to photograph fireworks:

use a tripod - keeping your camera very still is crucial to getting clear and crisp photos. I'm sure many of you won't be lugging around a tripod this weekend, so consider other ways of stabilizing your camera. I've leaned against walls, used a friend's shoulder, held my camera while squeezing my elbows together. Point being you need to keep the camera VERY still.
use remote release - if your camera is attached to a tripod, using a remote release to take the photos further ensures you won't jostle the camera during the shots. Again, I realize you may not: (1) have a remote (I don't) or (2) want to carry all this equipment to your friend's BBQ. Another option would be to use your self-timer for the photos.

I realize these first 2 points are more for those of you that are seeking out fireworks displays to photograph. So if you are just out and about with your camera and you want to take photos of the fireworks, do the best that you can with the first two points - here are some more general tips:

use a higher aperture setting - because the sky is pitch black, many of us think we need to use a low aperture setting (f/2.8 or f/4) to get the shot. Generally speaking, the fireworks are so bright you don't need that low of a setting - try bumping the aperture up to somewhere between f/8 and f/16
use a longer shutter speed - Most people want a photograph that shows the bursting fireworks display - in order to achieve that you need to have a longer shutter speed - potentially a few seconds (another reason you need to hold VERY still while taking these photos).
shoot in manual mode - in order to achieve the proper balance between aperture and shutter speed, you will probably need to shoot in manual so you can adjust each one.
consider a lower ISO setting - generally speaking, the lower the ISO the crisper the photograph (i.e. less noise or grain in the photo).
rethink your composition - I think most of us want to focus our camera on the sky and fill the frame with fireworks, but a more interesting shot might be a more wide angle that includes the area around you. Like the photo above - just a gorgeous shot that is much more interesting than if he had focused just on the fireworks. Another option - consider framing your shot vertically instead of horizontally.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Be safe and sane, as they say...

wanderlust - Washington DC

2009-07-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

I figured with the upcoming 4th of July weekend it would be appropriate to share some of my favorite things about our Nation's capital. I spent about three months there during college, working as an intern (not for the President, mind you...) Every weekend was spent exploring the town - did you know most museums are free there? It's fantastic for a college student. This list is most definitely out of date - it's been over 10 years since I was there - so readers if you have any places to share, please do. Here are my picks for the must-sees in DC:

(photo by steve clancy)

The Mall - this is a no brainer. The monuments, the museums, the Capitol building. So much to see and do. Loving the lens flare in this photo...

(photo by Ryan McGinnis)

Library of Congress - beautiful architecture.

(photo by Kevin Borland)

Arlington National Cemetery - it is impossible to walk the grounds without feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the lives lost and buried here. Many of the graves are young men - a mere 19 or 20 years old when they gave their lives for their country.

(Photo by grimjaw)

Ditto the sentiments above for the Vietnam Memorial.

(photo by DC Chelovek)

Finally - Dupont Circle. This is where my internship was located. Absolutely adorable neighborhood.

I'm realizing this post isn't doing DC justice - it really is an incredible place. I didn't even post pictures of Georgetown, or the Adams-Morgan neighborhood, or the Supreme Court. Well, you'll just have to visit for yourself...

the beach (b+w)

2009-06-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the beach photo shoot a little early, so I was able to take advantage of some free time to scope out the place. I had never been to Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, and I had flip-flops on - not really the best shoes to go tidepooling in. But I definitely want to go back (when I'm not working and I have on the correct footwear) - some really great tidepooling and just an otherwise beautiful beach area.

I love b+w beach shots - here are just a couple from this past weekend:

happy Tuesday!

grace & family

2009-06-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there blue eyes...

Miss Grace & her parents met me at the beach this weekend for some photos:

Grace was quite the explorer, but perhaps daddy was a little ambitious here?

(ok, in the interest of full disclosure she DID want to splash the water - I just love the look on her face - um, dad? why are you holding me this close to the water??)

Love this one - mommy is quite the photographer but, like most of us family photographers, she is never in the photos. So sweet.

I think this one is very interesting - we were trying bubbles as the entertainment for the photo shoot, and the autofocus on my camera couldn't decide what to focus on. So despite the blurriness, I love the reflection in the bubbles - so cool!

And one of the last shots of the day:

Poor Grace was past her naptime and tired of me sticking a camera in her face - leave it to daddy to get a giggle out of her!

Thanks Grace & family for a wonderful day at the beach!

how to take intentionally blurry photos - wait, WHAT?

2009-06-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

I know - this sounds strange doesn't it? Any blurry photos of mine are unintentional - the result of bad focus or too much subject (or camera) movement. So I was surprised to find entire flickr groups dedicated to blur in photos.

When I googled "how to take intentional blurry photos" there were many methods, but the one I found most fascinating was using plastic wrap and vaseline. HUH??? You heard me - simply put some plastic wrap over your lens and then put vaseline, oil, honey, lotion, anything that will create a blurred effect in your photos. My interest was peaked - I had to try it right away!

So here are some comparison shots using a rose in my garden - note these are all straight out of the camera (i.e. no editing done):
no filter over the lens (I am using my 50mm/f1.4 lens, ISO 200, aperture set to 2.5, shutter speed at 1/4000)

plastic wrap over lens (secured with a hair tie - I am so MacGyver!) - slightly blurry look.

plastic wrap + tiny bit of aquaphor.

Thoughts? I'm curious to read your reaction to this technique. I'm a skeptic, but I have to admit after checking out some of the photos over at this flickr group, I think they are very interesting. Some are beautiful, and some...just look out of focus to me.

Happy weekend everyone!

what is aperture? (revisited)

2009-06-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

So it's summer school around these parts - not a bad time to revisit some of the basic concepts we reviewed earlier this year (for those of you just starting with LF I started this blog as a one-year DIY photography lesson, so we covered the basics back in Jan/Feb).

I have come across some additional blog posts on the subject of aperture - posts that were amazingly clear on the subject and inspired me to essentially rewrite this lesson. So here goes...

I learned over at Pioneer Woman Photography that "photo" is the Greek word for light. So it follows that photography has everything to do with light, right? How much or how little light enters your camera determines what your photo will look like. Do any of your photos look washed out or too bright? Too much light entering your camera (overexposed photo). Any photos of yours too dark or almost black in parts? Too little light entering your camera (underexposed photo). How do you control the amount of light coming into your camera?

aperture
shutter speed
ISO setting (i.e. film speed)

Aperture is the mechanism in your camera that determines how much light enters and hits the film or digital sensor. It can open large or small to let more or less light in, depending on your circumstances.

Here are some diagrams I saw over at Bacon Lettuce Photo:

You can see from the diagrams that if you want MORE light to come into the camera, you need to select a LOWER aperture or f-stop setting, such as f2.8. Conversely, if you want LESS light to come into the camera, you need to select a HIGHER aperture setting, such as f/16 or f/22.

Still with me? This concept is really important, so go back and read it again if it doesn't make sense. Seriously. Read it again.

So, now that you know more about camera modes, and you're feeling adventurous and want to try aperture priority mode, what setting should you select? Depends on what look you want. Aperture determines, to a large extent, the depth of field for your photo - the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in your photo that will be in focus.

If you want most or all of your photo to be in focus (i.e. a beautiful landscape), select a HIGHER aperture setting.

(aperture = f/14)

If you want a shallow depth of field, meaning you want your subject to be in focus but all of the background blurry, select a LOWER aperture setting.

(aperture = f/1.8)

Obviously there are other factors that will impact your photo's exposure - let's save those for the next few weeks. Until then, break out the camera, move that camera mode dial to aperture priority and start shooting!

wanderlust - La Seu Cathedral, Barcelona

2009-06-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is a shot of the choir stalls inside the La Seu Cathedral in Barcelona. Located in the Gothic Quarter of the city, the cathedral is just stunning.

I think if this was my church I would not hear a word the priest said - I would just stare at the exquisite architecture the whole time...

photography 201 - angles and light

2009-06-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

The time has come readers, for me to confront one source of my own personal anxiety - how to use artificial light in my photos. By artificial I'm referring to flash photography, studio lighting, etc. I have read many a photography blog that talks about only using natural light sources because the photographer "hates flash." I am not a fan of flash, but I admit - my dislike stems in part from my complete lack of knowledge on how to really use my flash.

The premier blog to discuss lighting and photography is Strobist. I am personally following the Lighting 102 series for some in-depth lessons on lighting. So for the foreseeable future, Photo 201 will be summaries of what I learned over at Strobist.

Let's get started - let's talk about light. The vast majority of the lessons posted here at Lens Flare focus on what your camera sees, but it is just as important to determine what your light "sees" in your photograph. Huh? Let me explain - look at this photo below, courtesy of Strobist:

To see how light from a particular angle will affect your subject, view the subject from the position of the light. How can you do that? Simply by looking at the photo above, what can you determine about the light source?

He writes:

"1. Well, right off of the bat we know that the light is coming from camera right, because the shadow goes to camera left . . .
2. We know the light is hard because the shadow edge is hard. (We're not there yet, but you know that info all the same.)
3. We know the light is slightly higher than the subject because the shadow goes slightly down.
4. We know the light is fairly close to side light (i.e., close to the wall) because of the length of the shadow."

The point of this exercise is to train your brain to know how your subject will look under various lighting conditions. So let's try another one:

Here's my buddy Luke again, but this time let's look at where the light is coming from. For reference, it was about 6pm and we were under the pier looking for shells and playing hide and seek.

You can see the light is soft (no hard shadows) and that it is coming from camera left, and above (look at the position of the light on his face, and the shadows across most of his face and his shirt).

For those of you snoozing by now, here is why this is important - if you want improve or vary the lighting in your photos, you need to know how the light "sees" your subject. Still confused? Take Luke's photo - let's say I wanted a photo without any shadows on his face and shirt. What's a photographer to do? Well, by studying his photo above, we know that the late day sunlight is soft and pretty, but is only illuminating part of his face. With that knowledge, I could introduce an additional light source to help even out the shadows. For example, I could use a off-camera flash at an angle that would illuminate the other side of his face. Or perhaps I could use a reflector to capture the sunlight and bounce it back up towards his face.

Intrigued, readers? I hope so. I know this stuff is kind of dense - trust me, I had to have an additional cup of coffee to read Strobist last night and this morning - but I think we're on the verge of some serious progress when it comes to flash photography.

Try this exercise with photos you've already taken, and try to think about it next time you're shooting photos. Let me know if you have any questions, and if you'd like to follow along with Lighting 102, check out Strobist.

great idea for portraits - the tree trunk method

2009-06-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to try this tip the next time I'm out shooting portraits.

Click here to find out what the tree trunk method is all about.

I love Pioneer Woman Photography! Such great tips.

here it is, your moment of zen

2009-06-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

can you tell I'm a fan of The Daily Show?

I love how peaceful my 1 year old is, looking for koi fish (we were visiting a local Japanese garden). I wish my weekend would be this peaceful but it's chock full of birthdays, baby showers and BBQs. I'm grateful, though, to be spending this time with family & friends.

Happy Father's Day to the dads out there - I am incredibly grateful for my husband and how wonderful he is to our 2 little girls.

Have a great weekend!

camera modes 101

2009-06-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

(image courtesy of information addicts)

It's summer time readers - time for BBQs, beach bonfires, lazy days, and road trips. And, for some unlucky souls, summer school. No rest for the weary here at Lens Flare HQ - I plan on continuing to post lessons through the summer. But since it is summer, and you may not have your "A" game when it comes to concentration due to sun exposure, food & drink consumption, lack of sleep, etc. I want to keep the Thursday lessons nice and easy. So I think it's a good time to kick it old school and review the basics. I'll be revamping the side bar as well, so those of you reading up for the first time can visit the archives more easily.

This is a question I get a lot, although I suspect many of you don't want to ask it via email/comments: how do I use the other camera modes? And when I say "other" I mean any mode other than AUTO. Don't get me wrong - the AUTO mode on your camera is pretty genius. It sets the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, and determines flash or no flash. That's pretty awesome. But as you push your photography further, you will find many instance where AUTO doesn't get it right. Oftentimes the lighting conditions are tricky, or you want to do something beyond the basic photo AUTO will produce. These are the times, my readers, that you will actually need to move that dial.

As you can see in the photo above, there are several modes (most likely) on your SLR. For purposes of keeping this post light & polite, I won't review the other automatic settings now. (Click here for a good summary at Digital Photography School). Most of those modes are self explanatory - for example, if you are shooting at night, perhaps the man with the star next to his head is a good mode for you to try...

No, I'm talking about the semi-automatic modes: aperture priority, shutter priority, and program mode. And, of course, manual mode.

Aperture Priority (A or AV)
Aperture Priority is a semi-automatic mode (or semi-manual, depending on how you want to look at it). Simply put, in Aperture Priority mode you select the aperture setting you want to use, and your camera selects the corresponding shutter speed and white balance that it determines is appropriate. Aperture Priority is best for instances where you need to control the amount of light coming into your camera (such as a low light situation) or where you want to control the depth of field.

For example, if you are shooting a landscape photo and you want a super-sharp depth of field, you could set the mode to Aperture Priority and then select a higher aperture setting such as f/16 or f/22. Your camera would then select the coordinating shutter speed for the shot. Remember with a smaller aperture number less light is coming into your camera, so your camera will probably set a slow shutter speed to create the right balance of light for your photo. That being said, you will need to stand very still to get a clear photo.

Shutter Priority (S or TV)
This should be no surprise if you read the above paragraph - Shutter Priority allows you to set the shutter speed, and the camera sets the coordination aperture and white balance. You might choose Shutter Priority when you are photographing moving subjects or you want to blur moving subjects, such as a running waterfall.

Program (P)
Program mode varies from camera to camera, so check your owner's manual to get the skinny on the specifics. Generally speaking, if your camera has a Program mode, it allows you to have control over 2 or more settings. For example, my camera's program mode is essentially a toggle between Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority - I can change either aperture or shutter speed, and the camera will set whichever I don't (does that make sense?).

Manual (M)
Manual mode allows you full control over the camera's settings. I know it sounds daunting, but believe me, manual mode can really come in handy. I actually shoot mostly in manual, and occasionally in Aperture Priority - I like having full control over how the photo will come out.

(photo courtesy of ManMode)

Proper Exposure for Any Mode:

The photo above is a picture of my control panel on my camera in Manual Mode - hence the M in the blue square above. The green and yellow squares show shutter speed and aperture respectively. But what I want readers to focus on is the exposure meter on the control panel - this the camera's way of telling you if the photo you are composing is exposed correctly. Ideally, after choosing your settings, the reader should be dead center (where the yellow arrow is pointing). If your meter "leans" to the left, the image is overexposed, and to the right, underexposed. To use any mode other than AUTO you must become familiar with this meter - check it before your shot to see if your choices render an evenly exposed photo, or if you need to make adjustments.

The best way to learn about modes and the exposure meter? PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. If you want ideas for how to practice in different modes, leave a comment or drop me an email.

my reading chair is famous!

2009-06-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Not sure if any of you read the design blog design*sponge - I love the before + after features so I figured I would submit my reading chair and see if they were interested...

And here it is! Click here to see the chair on design*sponge.

wanderlust - time travel...

2009-06-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have been too busy to even daydream of wandering around the world this week. That is a very sad statement indeed. My 3.5 year old daughter's dance recital was this past Sunday, and I had (almost) front row seats to the event. The program said no flash photography, so I figured I would bring my telephoto lens with the f/2.8 and see if I could get any shots of my little kitty cat. But the announcer said before the show started that NO photography was allowed. Hmmm...never one to be deterred by the rules when it comes to photography, I pulled out my camera anyway, finding ways to hide it when an usher came around.

As an aside, this is not the first time I've broken the "no photo" rule. I've done it twice in Europe: (1) in the little church where Shakespeare is buried - Shakespeare is one of my favorite writers/playwrites, and there was NO WAY I was going to Stratford-upon-Avon without taking a pic of his grave (I know, a little weird...) and (2) in Florence at the Accademia, to get a pretty good shot of Michangelo's David. I even had a little Italian guard come up to me and put his hand over my lens, like I was paparazzi or something. I'm surprised he didn't consficate my film...

I read a post in the NYT photography blog Lens about how to capture dance in photography. (First line of the post - "Good luck") I didn't have a tripod or ability to really try some of the techniques they suggest in Lens, but I did get some shots I thought were fun and interesting:

This is one of my favorites - not because it is technically sound or even super interesting, but I can so remember being one of those dancers waiting in the wings for my time to enter the stage. All of the excitement and fun of being a dancer came rushing back to me. I LOVED the rehearsals, the costumes, the smell of the stages, the heat of the lights, the rush of adrenaline right before you started to dance, the applause. It was so exhilariting, and now my daughter would be the one to (hopefully) enjoy it!

I had a lot of fun trying to get some good shots of the dancers:

These photos are not technically that great - there is a lot of grain or noise in the photos, even though I had the ISO bumped up to 1600 and the aperture open to f/2.8. Since these were "bootleg" photos I couldn't really whip out a tripod. But I have to admit, I love the energy and the vibrancy in these photos, regardless of the noise and the out of focus parts. I wish I had more opportunities to photograph dancers - in some way it allows me to relive my dancer days.

And I had to include one of my kitty cat:

she's the one in the middle about to "fall asleep" at the end of her dance. If I may for a moment...she did GREAT! All the little dancers really tried, which I was surprised at, to be honest. The stage is pretty big and the minute the curtain lifted to reveal the little ones there was a collective and VERY loud "AAAAAWWWWHHHH!" I could see my daughter's face for a few seconds, completely confused about what all the fuss was about? But then she fell in step.

Oh, to be a tiny ballerina again...

reader survey: do you Flickr?

2009-06-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with Flickr. I love that it's easy for me to upload photos and post them onto my blog in a large format. I love the idea that there are so many photos on Flickr that I can look to for ideas and inspiration. However, I hate the fact that it is not user friendly (at least in my opinion). I hate the groups - I've joined 2 now and I don't seem to be able to find what I'm looking for in terms of sharing ideas, methods, etc. One group never responded to my posts, and the other has some pretty strict rules, and after 12+ years of parochial school I don't do well with rules & regulations. At least when it comes to something like photography.

So I ask you dear readers - do you Flickr? Why or why not? And if you have any suggestions for groups I could join that would really push my photography to another level, I'm all ears.

kate + luke

2009-06-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

How cute are these two?

I seemed to be cursed with my photo shoots lately - if I schedule one, you can bet Southern California will experience a prolonged June Gloom kind of day. That's the kind of day I had at the beach with Kate + Luke. We FINALLY saw the sun, but it was after 6pm.

I learn something with every photo shoot, and this was no exception - lesson number 1: I need to bring my "A" game when it comes to convincing a 2 year old boy that taking photos is WAY more fun than running up the pier, playing in the sand, etc. But after a spirited game of hide and seek, me + Luke = good buddies. Next time I'll have a plan, though...

Anyway, here are some of my favorites:

I learned from Brooklyn's photo shoot a few weeks back that an accessory for a photo shoot can work out really well - this time I tried a bunch of balloons, because what kid doesn't like balloons? Kate loved them! Thankfully, Kate held onto the balloons the entire time, but when Luke got a hold of them, the balloons quickly parted company with us, bringing on some tears...lesson number 2: don't forget to attach said balloons to a rubber band or something to tighten around child's wrist.

We took an ice cream break here. After lots of running and eating we ended our photo shoot under the pier:

Kate's shell collection

Finally, after lots of playing, running, eating and hiding & seeking, it was time to go home...

Luke + mommy. This is probably one of my favorites from the day, because it's the photo I wish I had of me with my girls...

Thanks Kate + Luke for a fun day at the beach!

sneek peek: kate + luke

2009-06-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well, technically the "sneek peak" is of Luke only...

holy cuteness.

There is more to come - stay tuned...

And how could I forget this? My daughter's recital is this weekend. Break a leg, sweetie!

up to know good - donating to the fight against cancer

2009-06-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, today is a tough day for me. A good family friend is in surgery right now, with the hopes that a rare form of melanoma can be almost completely removed from his back. It's hard not to reflect back on my family's many struggles with cancer - I lost 2 great aunts to the disease, and my husband lost his mother 3 years ago. It is days like today that I wish I could do more to help families struggling with a cancer diagnosis.

So here are some simple ideas:

Coinstar will allow you to donate your spare change to several non-profit organizations, including The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Participate in a Race for the Cure in your area. To date, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has raised over 1 billion dollars for breast cancer research - all this has been accomplished in just over 25 years. Several years ago, I participated in a Race for the Cure, and many racers wear the name of a loved one that is currently fighting breast cancer, and unfortunately many wore the names of loved ones that lost their battle. I even saw the name of my 5th grade teacher - one of my favorites - as one of the women fighting her own battle against breast cancer (and I've since heard, a survivor). It's a moving experience.
Interested in participating in a triathlon? Check out Team In Training to train for an event and raise money for cancer research.
For any ebay addicts out there (I'm guilty!) click here to view auctions that donate a portion of their proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

These are just some ideas I could come up with right now - if any of you know other ways of helping with the fight against cancer, leave a comment.

Sorry for the somewhat somber sendoff to the weekend. On a lighter note, I offered my photography services to Project Night Night, and it looks like I'm in charge of presenting several totes to homeless children in my area - I'll be sure to write about the experience and (possibly) post some pictures. I'm very excited to get involved! I'm also really really REALLY hoping this June gloom will burn off asap - I have a photo shoot with Kate & Luke this afternoon and it would be nice to see the sun today...

Have a great weekend everyone!