Welcome to Minty Fresh Monday! Mint (adj.) meaning new, fresh, sweet, brilliant, awesome.
Hello, brilliant moms and dads! I'd like to share a post that I did for the very first Mom Tip Monday on Babysteals.com.
I'm so excited that Angie asked me to share my top 5 tips on photographing your family. I know that as parents, you
want to have gorgeous photos of your children that will become gorgeous heirlooms in the future. As a mommy and a
photographer, I know how hard that can be. So, I'm here to help. I give you my top 5 tips on getting great photos that
you will cherish for a long time.
#1. Capture details.
Get closer to your child. I once had a mom tell me before our session that she just loved her boys' eyelashes and feet.
Guess what I tried to focus on? Yup. Adorable feet and long eyelashes. One of my favorite things about my son is his
little Buddah belly. Think about it. If you know what your favorite features are, use that to your advantage! Focus
on those things and try to highlight them in your photographs.
#2. Lighting is everything.
If you are fortunate enough to have a DSLR camera, the best thing you can do for yourself is learn how to use it. Turn
it to the manual setting and don't look back. I found a wonderful resource for learning how to shoot manually at digital
photography school. Trust me, it will make all the difference in your photos. If you don't have a DSLR, or
you're just too afraid to learn how to use it, at least try one thing: take your subject outside. Get some extra gorgeous
light during the "magic hours" of sunset and sunrise. Turn off that flash, please.
#3. Get a different angle.
Walk all around your child while allowing them to play. Get high. Get low. Experiment. Snap a shot, and then try
another shot from a different perspective.
#4. Keep learning.
Keep practicing. Have a camera with you as much as you can. Even if it is just thecamera that comes with your
phone, you will still begin to learn how to best captureyour child. Practice framing and looking for light.
Practice looking for moments and it will translate to your "real" camera, too. As a full time teacher, I assign
homework all the time. Do you know what homework really is? It's extra practice. And guess what? The kids
who practice more are the kids who make the most gains. You will get better if you keep practicing. For both of
my son and my daughter, I took a photo of them every day. Now, that's quite a commitment that I can't expect
everyone to make. But I think it would be a fantastic goal to try to take one photo each week. That's do-able
right? If you'd like to join me, I'll make a weekly challenge on my blog where I'll share tips, and you can share
your questions and photos with me.
#5. (I like to save my favorite for last.) Capture real moments, not "dress-up-and-say-cheese."
If your family is anything at all like mine, they don't dress up and say cheese very often. If your
family makes messes, runs around nekkid, jumps in puddles, or creates works of art, then capture THOSE
things. Let them play, and just keep snapping. Chase them around! It's fantastic exercise! (Do your children
really stay still and "cheese" all the time? Mine don't.) You'll get something you love. Chances are, the photos
of your child making a mad face or wrestling with their brother will resonate with you more in 10 years than a
photo of them standing stiffly in their itchy Christmas sweater will.
I hope these tips have been helpful, and I hope you've been inspired to get out
and shoot! Come join the weekly adventure on my blog!
Xo,
Kristen
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