& my3boybarians sweet shoot tuesday!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
some new props!
I've been picking up some props here and there lately. And, well, I had to test them out :)
of course she decided it was smiley mood time...
so this is what happens when I try to shoot without looking through the camera in order to get a little one :) normally I would not cut off that much head!
oh and she despises the bumbo. So it was extra hard to get a smile throughout these! Can't wait until she can sit up on her own!
I.LOVE.this picture. Could be one of my all time favorites. It's (technically) no where near perfect but there's something about it that makes my heart skip a beat. Entering in the Paper Mama challenge.
little piggies.
of course she decided it was smiley mood time...
so this is what happens when I try to shoot without looking through the camera in order to get a little one :) normally I would not cut off that much head!
oh and she despises the bumbo. So it was extra hard to get a smile throughout these! Can't wait until she can sit up on her own!
little chunk ;)
I.LOVE.this picture. Could be one of my all time favorites. It's (technically) no where near perfect but there's something about it that makes my heart skip a beat. Entering in the Paper Mama challenge.
little piggies.
Friday, January 27, 2012
photography answers
Thank you for your questions. I still have a lot to learn but I'm happy to share to those just starting out what I have learned so far, and what works for me. Hope you find this helpful.
Do you edit/color adjust eyes? Do you know how to do it in LR?
I often do edit eyes. Just a touch though. I really can not stand googly alien eyes! If you overdo the eyes it looks so unnatural. I do not know how to do it in LR yet. I do them in PSE, if needed.
In this photo I used PW's "bring out the eyes" action at a very low opacity.
I would say it depends if they need to be sharpened/brightened! Just please do NOT overdo them!!
How do you get such tack sharp focus?
1. One of the biggest ways I have improved my photography was learning how to properly focus. For awhile I depended solely on auto-area AF. Which isn't bad. But I wanted to nail the eyes (or whatever else I wanted sharpest in the photo). So I switched to single-point AF and haven't looked back. I toggle my way around for the focus to land exactly where I want. You can read about that here!
What picture size is the best? On my Nikon d3000 there are options to take pictures in small, medium, and large.
In shoot in large. I figure it will come in handy if I wanted to crop way in on a shot.
What posts were most helpful for you when learning?
Honestly, I learned a lot by just reading a ton of photography blogs. Somewhere along the lines I would find a helpful tip here and there. So I can't point out exact posts, sorry.
But I did read a lot of Pioneer Woman's photography posts. And pretty much any Ashley Sisk post for post processing! Ashley is seriously awesome. Thanks Ashley!
During a session like this, how often are you evaluating the photos you just took and tweaking your settings? Do you pick your settings at the beginning of a session and stick with them? Aren't you afraid of missing that perfect moment because you're fussing with your camera? Maybe it's just because I'm slow in manual mode right now, but my daughter is long gone by the time I get all my settings the way I want them, and that's just at the beginning - I don't even try to evaluate things midway through. But then I run the risk of having a whole batch turn out off. Surely you've run into this with older children, right? Thoughts? Advice?
Yes, I try to check for just about every shot. You never know if the light has slightly changed. Which could definitely ruin many precious moments.
'Usually I will have my ISO and aperture set to where I want, and as long as nothing major changes, I toggle my shutter speed to right the right exposure each time. You can do that without pulling the camera back, but I'd still suggest checking your image and histogram every few shots. You will get faster in manual with practice.
This little boy did not want to smile or even look at the camera. So I had followed him around while his mommy tried everything to get him to crack a smile. You never know when that will happen. Thankfully, my settings were right on and I was able to get this photo.
Can you tell children are my favorite to photograph? Toughest clients, but most rewarding!
Do you edit/color adjust eyes? Do you know how to do it in LR?
I often do edit eyes. Just a touch though. I really can not stand googly alien eyes! If you overdo the eyes it looks so unnatural. I do not know how to do it in LR yet. I do them in PSE, if needed.
In this photo I used PW's "bring out the eyes" action at a very low opacity.
I would say it depends if they need to be sharpened/brightened! Just please do NOT overdo them!!
How do you get such tack sharp focus?
1. One of the biggest ways I have improved my photography was learning how to properly focus. For awhile I depended solely on auto-area AF. Which isn't bad. But I wanted to nail the eyes (or whatever else I wanted sharpest in the photo). So I switched to single-point AF and haven't looked back. I toggle my way around for the focus to land exactly where I want. You can read about that here!
Take this photo. If I would have let auto focus choose I could have missed this moment. But I locked focus on the little boy and therefore kept him in focus.
2. High Pass Filter for sharpening. In PSE-- Hit Ctrl + J.---then go up to Filter->Other-> High Pass (I usually pick 3-4 you want to see a light outline of your image), then pick soft light (where your layers are) and adjust the opacity down to 30% (or whatever looks best without sharpening too much)
3. Get the right exposure by watching your meter in your slr. As said in my previous post underexposing can really ruin a photo. And of course a low shutter speed. I use at least 1/200 second for moving subjects. Though if possible I like to go higher.
4. For my Facebook and blog I use Paint the Moon's PSE action FB resize. It sizes the photo down to the right upload size and sharpens it. You can get that for free HERE -just become a fan!
What picture size is the best? On my Nikon d3000 there are options to take pictures in small, medium, and large.
In shoot in large. I figure it will come in handy if I wanted to crop way in on a shot.
What posts were most helpful for you when learning?
Honestly, I learned a lot by just reading a ton of photography blogs. Somewhere along the lines I would find a helpful tip here and there. So I can't point out exact posts, sorry.
But I did read a lot of Pioneer Woman's photography posts. And pretty much any Ashley Sisk post for post processing! Ashley is seriously awesome. Thanks Ashley!
During a session like this, how often are you evaluating the photos you just took and tweaking your settings? Do you pick your settings at the beginning of a session and stick with them? Aren't you afraid of missing that perfect moment because you're fussing with your camera? Maybe it's just because I'm slow in manual mode right now, but my daughter is long gone by the time I get all my settings the way I want them, and that's just at the beginning - I don't even try to evaluate things midway through. But then I run the risk of having a whole batch turn out off. Surely you've run into this with older children, right? Thoughts? Advice?
Yes, I try to check for just about every shot. You never know if the light has slightly changed. Which could definitely ruin many precious moments.
'Usually I will have my ISO and aperture set to where I want, and as long as nothing major changes, I toggle my shutter speed to right the right exposure each time. You can do that without pulling the camera back, but I'd still suggest checking your image and histogram every few shots. You will get faster in manual with practice. This little boy did not want to smile or even look at the camera. So I had followed him around while his mommy tried everything to get him to crack a smile. You never know when that will happen. Thankfully, my settings were right on and I was able to get this photo.
Can you tell children are my favorite to photograph? Toughest clients, but most rewarding!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
my little model+ quick photo lesson
I struggle in low light so I've been practicing a lot with Addison as my model to produce better indoor photos. I took these photos in her room right next to her window at 4pm when the sun was shining in just right. I used a reflector to bounce light onto her face. I made sure my exposure was spot on or just a notch overexposed. I hate turning up my ISO past 400 but after many previous failed attempts and ending up with grainy, underexposed pictures, I set it on 800. It really helped and there was a lot less noise then I thought there would be, or there would have been when trying to brighten it afterwards. So manual users (even though I've read it a million times and never listened) do not be afraid to higher your ISO!
35mm ISO 800 2.8/f & shutter speed varied between 1/100 and 1/300 sec.
Since I've had a couple followers e-mail me asking me some photography questions I figured I would do a post in the near future to answer a few. So leave a comment if you have a photography question. Again, I'm still learning myself, but I know when I was trying to figure it all out in the beginning I received a wealth of information off of other blogs. So I want to try and return the favor for those who just picked up their first dslr :)
you can find my Facebook photography page here: Jessica Lacey Photography, I appreciate 'likes' :)
& yes, she does get near weekly photo shoots. I think she's already getting used to it :) We have another this Friday at a little studio I am super excited about!
35mm ISO 800 2.8/f & shutter speed varied between 1/100 and 1/300 sec.
Since I've had a couple followers e-mail me asking me some photography questions I figured I would do a post in the near future to answer a few. So leave a comment if you have a photography question. Again, I'm still learning myself, but I know when I was trying to figure it all out in the beginning I received a wealth of information off of other blogs. So I want to try and return the favor for those who just picked up their first dslr :)
you can find my Facebook photography page here: Jessica Lacey Photography, I appreciate 'likes' :)
& yes, she does get near weekly photo shoots. I think she's already getting used to it :) We have another this Friday at a little studio I am super excited about!
Printsgram+Pinterest+Crochet Hats
I'm seriously addicted to instagram, and what a neat way to put all those photos together!
how cool?!
if you have instagram just go here: printsgram it takes literally two minutes or less to make!
find me on instagram: jeskapug
how cool?!
if you have instagram just go here: printsgram it takes literally two minutes or less to make!
find me on instagram: jeskapug
pinterest. also addicted. I'm finally getting the hang of it- only took a year ha.
Some things I'm pinning...
This DIY canvas for cheap!
 |
| Sugar Bee Crafts |
I want to make this for Addison's 1st Birthday (can't believe I'm thinking of that already!)
Some scrapbook paper, ribbons and tape! Easy peasy.
 |
| cake |
Oh if only my baby were a sound sleeper...
 |
| Jessica Vaughn Photography linked to Confessions of a Prop Junkie |
And this is just seriously beautiful. I hope to be able to capture a photo like this of Addison when she's older. Saving to my files for a reminder.
 |
| Soft Rains of April |
I mostly venture through photography boards because I'm really not crafty. But I'm getting into it... maybe I'll try my hand at a couple projects in the near future...
And finally. In case anyone was wondering about some of Addison's crochet hats..
a good friend of mine makes them customized! They are also nicely affordable. Caterpillar Family.
Head over to her FB page and send her a message to get your little one a cute hat :)you won't be disappointed!
Monday, January 23, 2012
the big laugh.
finally,
i knew it was cooped up in there waiting to come out
grandma & grandpa came to visit one evening
and apparently grandma is super funny
because you started laughing so hard.
i quickly grabbed my phone and hit record
so happy i have this video to repeat over, and over, and over.
yes, she looks at me with a big frown a couple times-
like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry!
she now laughs almost daily-
and i promise you i look so ridiculous trying to make her :)
i knew it was cooped up in there waiting to come out
grandma & grandpa came to visit one evening
and apparently grandma is super funny
because you started laughing so hard.
i quickly grabbed my phone and hit record
so happy i have this video to repeat over, and over, and over.
yes, she looks at me with a big frown a couple times-
like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry!
she now laughs almost daily-
and i promise you i look so ridiculous trying to make her :)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
mini shoot with littles
a quick set up and a few snaps. didn't get exactly what I was looking for but still cute enough :)
nakie baby <3
nakie baby <3
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