Halloween Festival

The Festival was lots of fun! (Minus the haunted house which Dad attemped to take our little ones through. They both came back in tears.) But there were lots of cute costumes and treats. Thanks to all who came. Here's a look at a couple of the cuties.

WEMS Halloween Carnival

Williams Elementary Halloween Carnival is Thursday October 28th from 5-7:30. I will have a booth set up to take pictures of your "little monsters." $5 for a 4x6 or $8 for a 5x7.

Shutter Speed

I have briefly mentioned aperture (and let Pioneer Woman's blog do the heavy explanation) so I will follow that outline in a brief discussion about shutter speed. And it just so happens I have the perfect examples from a trip to the ocean this last weekend. I didn't have my tripod available which I highly recommend for slower shutter speeds. More on that in a minute. If you are serious about taking your photography to the next level, it's very important to understand how your camera works. All cameras have a few things in common, but when you really learn your own make and model you will be more able to quickly change settings to get the look you are trying for. And understanding aperture and shutter speed and how they work together is key. There are lots of other settings to learn, but take your time on these, and experiment often, so when an opportunity presents itself to get a picture, you know how to change your settings quickly and get the shot.

So, shutter speed is pretty much what it sounds like. There are "shutters" that expose your sensor (on a digital camera) to light to make the "exposure" or picture. Fast shutter speeds freeze action. They capture droplets of water as they fly through the air.

Slow shutter speeds give a sense of motion. Motion blur, and this effect is especially interesting when the subject is water. As I mentioned, the shutter will be open for longer. Up to a full second if necessary so using a tripod will vastly improve these images, making the stationary objects sharp, while the water takes on a silky, smooth appearance. I did not have a tripod available when I took this shot so it is still possible to get this look while hand holding your camera, but the image may or may not look good when enlarged. (This one doesn't, but as a 5x7 it would look fine.)

Most camera's have aperture priority (A mode) and shutter priority (S mode) as options, and these will help you explore these concepts without having to figure out manual setting (M mode) for now. And to further explain here is another link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/10/exposure-illustrated/

Background for a Portrait

I am going to post something easy and straightforward today. When taking a portrait, look for simple backgrounds. Somewhere with very little going on. You want the focus to be on your subject. Find a blank space of wall, a fence, foliage that is fairly uniform or hang something to hide distractions in the background. A brightly colored sheet will work for children. A soft blanket will work well with a baby. Even out and about, if you simply look around for the least cluttered spot, you can place your subject in front and snap away. You may not have the blurring capability that the high end cameras and lenses have, but see what you can do with your own camera. Even a little blur looks nicer than everything in focus, which is common with auto settings. Read your camera's manual and figure out how to set it at the lowest aperture. This will help blur the background. Here are a few links to expand on todays topics, from a photographer who inspires me. More about backgrounds: (beware, this photographer has a lens with mega blurring capability) http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2010/10/backgrounds/

More about aperture: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/05/what-the-heck-is-an-aperture-part-one/

She has about four different parts to the aperture info, check them out if this stuff interests you.

Fall Wedding Slideshow

Light

I am a little uneasy about getting into lighting as a "simple" tutorial. But there are definitely a few tips that you can try (with any camera) that will yield nice results. You have probably taken a picture before that just looked great, and you weren't sure why you couldn't duplicate it. Well, photography is all about light. And most folks take pictures because something is going on that is cute or funny or of people they haven't seen, but they don't consider the effect of light on the subject. But when you consider the light, you will see vastly better results. The simplest of "tricks" is to place your subject in open shade. To achieve what I am talking about here, you will need to find an outdoor space without direct light. Say on the shady side of your house, under a tree (as long as the shade is constant, no dappled light) or anywhere on an overcast day! Make sure you turn off your flash because flash can ruin this light. Then as discussed previously, find the best angle. Take pictures from lots of viewpoints. The background of your photo is also important. If you are under the shade of a tree, the brightly lit background can cause you grief. If you are including lots of background, your camera will expose for the overall scene and will underexpose the shaded subject. The shady side of a house is good, because your whole scene will be in the same light, meaning the exposure will be right on for anything in the picture (assuming you are using the shaded wall as a background.) I feel as though I am getting farther in than I wanted to. Does any of this make sense? I will explore this subject of light further, but for now try this and let me know what you think of the results. Happy experimenting! (One further note: My camera equipment is very costly, and gives me the ability to shoot in much lower light with sharper results than the average point and shoot camera. Don't get discouraged because your pictures don't look like my average post. I also spend lots of time post processing my pictures to further enhance them. But practicing these tips will help, and you can take great photos with any camera when you take the time to practice what you have learned. Good luck and enjoy your progress. Have you already noticed an improvement? I would love to hear about it.)

Senior Pictures

Here's a little sneak peak for Amber and her family. I enjoyed our session and hope you are as pleased with the results as I am. Lots more are in the works!