Articles

Tips for How to Shoot in Manual Mode by Jasmine Star

How to Be A Pro Photographer for Your Own Family by Brooke Snow

Quotes & Articles

"Be the light that helps others see."  

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” ― Dorothea Lange

"There's only two options: make progress or make excuses." 

FAQ: How to Shoot Backlit by Jasmine Star

New Clients are Like First Dates by Leah Remillet

Different Approach to Baby Photography

Newborn photography fun!  This is super creative too and something I want to try someday. 

There's the link in that post to see more on the woman's blog who wrote a book about it.  Check it out!

Really Get to Know People and 10 Ideas in Recording Everyday Life.

A great talk by Tamara Lackey on getting to really know people in 5 minutes.


Check this out too.  Becky Higgins shares 10 Photo Ideas from Her Childhood.
The 10 ideas:
#1.  Photograph where you watch TV (and make sure to get the TV in the photo).
#2.  Photograph collections individuals in your family have.
#3.  Photograph them concentrating.
#4.  Photograph bedtime rituals.
#5.  Photograph their quirks.
#6.  Photograph breakfast.
#7.  Photograph them at work.
#8.  Photograph the work of parenthood.
#9.  Photograph what they're reading.
#10.  Capture personalities and relationships in real life.

Encouraging Words

The Myth of Time Management (And The Secret Weapon of Enthusiasm) by Jonathan Mead

Destiny, Influence and the Impossibility of Being Self Taught by Chris Guillebeau

Beating the Anxiety of Online Reading by Zen Habits

When Everything Is Your Favorite Thing by The Minimalist

Encouraging Words

My Big Original Mistake by Brooke Snow

Embrace Your Limitations by Brooke Snow

Pick Yourself by Brooke Snow

Encouraging Words

Are You Getting The Best of You?  by Charlie Gilkey


Ten Things Every Creative Person Must Learn by Chase Jarvis


This Time It’s Different by Chris Guillebeau


Don’t See It Your Way, See it Like Your Audience Does by Spencer Lum


Taking Care of You by Natalie Norton


It’s Okay To Be A MWAC (Mom With A Camera). Really. by Leah Christensen

Encouraging Words

No more yes. It’s either HELL YEAH or no! by Derik Sivers


If Everyone Is a Photographer, What Makes Us So Different? by Spencer Lum


Perspective by Natalie Norton


Schedule Spontaneity by Jonathan Fields


Never Save it For Later by Chris Guillebeau

Encouraging Words

Finding Your Voice by Spencer Lum


What to Do When You Fall Out of Love With Your Work by Jonathan Mead


5 Reasons To Take Care of You by Natalie Norton


Pearls Before Breakfast by Gene Weingarten


The Secret to Self Promotion: Radiance by Danielle Laporte

ATTN all Photographers of Newborns:

This is a must read article from iheartfaces.com.  Here is the link to Over 100 of the Best Newborn Baby Photography Tutorials & How-To Tips From Around the Web... the jackpot of all newborn photography tips and tricks!  It'll take me a long time to explore all the ideas referenced in this article.  Enjoy!

Food Photography

Recently, I had the opportunity to do a food photo shoot.
My friend, Lia has been hired to populate a website with homemade food items to sell.
We had so much fun working together.  We did the photo shoot in my kitchen.

 Italian canned tomatoes with salt, basil, and garlic

Artisan Cheese Loaf

 Tuscan loaf with rosemary and olive

Jam Tarts (raspberry)

Artisan White Loaf

* These photos were all taken in my kitchen with my 50mm f/1.8 lens.

To prep myself for this shoot, I skimmed over these articles:


Ten Things I've Learned About Food Photography by Ree Drummond (aka. The Pioneer Woman).  Through trial and error, Ree gives some quick and easy tips to taking photographs of food look not only awesome, but appetizing as well.  My favorite tip from this article is that food looks way more appetizing if displayed on white dishes, than let's say, yellow dishes.


And if that's not enough, Ree also gives more tips in this article: Taking Photos of Food - 8 Helpful Tips.  My favorite tip in this piece was to cut into the food so that viewers will see exactly what the food looks like just seconds before they gobble it up.

Fun Stuff to Try in Lightroom

zLightroom Love: Creating a Blurb Photo Book in Lightroom by Gayle Vehar.  Galye gives her readers some easy instructions in creating these books.  I will come back to this article in the future when it's time for me to create a photo book.



Adobe Lightroom Killer Tips - The name of this website says it all.  The tips are "killer," but I have found that this website isn't as easy to navigate as the one below.



*Sweet Photoshop Tutorials - This is my favorite find.  I recently purchased their Lightroom Tutorials.  This was totally worth every penny!  I'm not a fan of leafing through an instruction manual, fishing around the internet, or spending hundreds of dollars and several hours sitting through a workshop that would put me right to sleep.  So these tutorials are just perfect for me and the way I prefer to learn.  I am a visual learner, so these video tutorials are just great.  There are well over 30 tutorials that are "to-the-point" and are explained very well.

Articles/Websites Helpful in Starting a Photography Business

20 Tips to Get Started With Your Business (Part 1)

20 Tips to Get Started With Your Business (Part 2)

3 Tips for a Body-Image-Friendly Photography Blog

Go {4} Pro Photography

How to Photograph Friends Without Killing Your Friendships

How to Respond to Clients’ Negative Self-Image

The Joy of Marketing

The Wisdom Connection

What Makes an Awesome Photography Portfolio

To Become More Technically & Emotionally Aware...

1.  13 Things Your Camera Wishes You Knew.  Tips for the more advanced photographers out there.  I sure have some things I could improve on.



2.  4 Tips For Photographing People Laughing by Photography Concentrate.  This fabulous article will fill you in about what part of the laughing process is the most flattering to photograph.  Good to know if you're into photographing laughter.



3.  DIY - Create Your Own Bokeh.  Bokeh=blur (like a blurred out background in a photo.)  I haven't tried this out yet, but believe me, when the Christmas lights come out again, I'll be totally testing this out.



4.  FAQ: Children's Photography.  My favorite tip from this is the first one discussed: "Let Mom and Dad off the Hook."  Kids just seem to do better following directions from the photographer if their parents aren't right there adding the pressure to perfect behavior.  Letting the parents know that you have everything under control.  For more great tips, read the article.



5.  Don't Say Cheese -- 5 Tips for Getting Natural Smiles by iheartfaces.com  My favorite tip is "Don't Say Cheese."  An idea is to ask the child what their favorite food is and then ask them to say that food and then you add a random ingredient.  It's guaranteed to make kids laugh!  To learn what the other four tips are, read the rest of the article.

6.  Selfie Magic.  This blog teaches about self portraiture with a twist.  I have yet to by a reliable tripod or a remote for my camera, but I will one of these days.  I think self portraiture can be fun, especially if when photographing yourself, you also photograph you with your family and/or friends.

Father's Day Photo Tips

With Father's Day just around the corner, I thought it'd be fun to share this post I just loved: Father's Day Photo Tips.  Me Ra Koh was on The Nate Berkus Show and gave these fabulous tips.  It doesn't matter what age the kids are, Me Ra Koh shares some fun ideas of capturing dad (or grandpa) with the kids.  Pick up your camera and give it a try.  Have fun!  P.S.  And here are some additional tips from Me Ra for Family Photo Tips for Capturing Dad this Father's Day!

Smart Summer Shooting

The summer season is my favorite time of year to take photos.  The long lazy days of summer are filled to the brim with photo ops.  Bright colors, sunshine, green grass, picnics, and more family time are just a few of the reasons I whip out my camera more in the summer.  Check out these awesome articles I ran across this week.




1.  Summer Photo Tip by Ali Anderson.  Ali explains the perfect times of day to capture backlighting and shows some excellent examples.  And if you aren't familiar with backlighting, you'll find out.



2.  Capturing Summer by Kelle Hampton.  Kelle is amazing photographer.  Pure joy just radiates from the images she is able to capture.  For 10 summer shots to add to your shot list, check this out!


3. How Do You Get In Your Own Photos?  The Secrets of Self Portraiture... by Brooke Snow.  Brooke explains how self portraiture can make you a better photographer.  She also tells about the helpful tools that she uses that can make self portraiture a fun and easy process.  (I think it's important for me to be in some of the shots with my husband and kids.  Now want to save up to purchase the tools Brooke suggests.  )




4. Life After Cheese - One Photographer's Approach to Natural Photography by Mary Jane Photography.  Mary Jane explains how to how she gets the people in her photos look comfortable and natural.  You might be surprised at what she has to say.