Taking Pictures of Couples :)

I LOVE taking pictures of people in LOVE! It's great capturing all the lovey-dovey stuff :) So I have (again!) 3 tips of what you should do when taking pictures of couples.

#1 - Make them laugh!
It's very important for the couple you are photographing to be completely comfortable with you. So what I do, is make jokes. I make a fool out of myself. Get to know the couple, talk to them before you start shooting. If the couple is comfortable with you, most likely, you are going to have great, not tense pictures. The candid moments. Some couples are going to be like models, but some (most) won't. They will have forced smiles and forced poses. Making them laugh (no matter what you do) will allow them to truly smile.



#2 - Get in Close
Most pictures of couples that I like are of close ups. The close up of their hands or their eyes. Really closing in on a moment that no one would have focused on, if you didn't ZOOM in on it. Small things always count. His hands on her leg, her feet curling up, etc. Find those moments and close in on them :)
This photo is taken from http://pascallphotography.wordpress.com/


#3 - Know the Couple
I mentioned this a little in the first point, but it's very important to know the couple. When you know the couple you can then take photographs that represent them. Ask questions about how they met, what they like to do, etc. Get a feel for who they are and then take photographs that represent that.

When using a point & shoot

I like doing everything in 3s, so again I will share my 3 simple tips when using a Point & Shoot.

1 - Disable your flash!
Wait- what? What do I mean? Well of course there is a purpose to your camera's flash. But the point is, you should only use your flash when taking a picture of someone/something when you are not so far away from them (and of course when it is dark!) The #1 thing people always do (and I see it time and time again) is take pictures with their flashes on, when clearly the flash isn't going to help! For example: they are at a show/concert and they are far in the back, they want to get a picture of the band but it's too dark. So they pull out the camera and put the flash on. Bang out a couple of pictures, look at them, and suddenly get mad at the camera because all of the pictures are too dark!
Well of course, our flashes aren't that strong!
Also if your flash isn't giving you the picture you want, try raising you ISO (all cameras can do this.)

#2- Disable your Digital Zoom
If you don't know already, digital zoom is actually just like zooming in on a picture with a magnifying glass. The pixels are just being stretched. You are actually losing a lot of quality. So no digital zoom! Just use your optical.

#3- Carry a Mini Tripod
It may come in handy? Ever try to take a picture with a group of people. You start looking around for someone to take the picture, but no one is there? Well a mini tripod like the one below and hook on to anything! It's a great investment.



Well happy shooting!

Rings 2

So this is a continuation of my prior post. I wanted to share some more of my ring pictures.
In this first picture, you will notice I broke one of the important rules of composition. The rule I broke was, The Rule Of Thirds. I placed the ring in the center of the photograph. However, what makes this photograph interesting is the diagonal lines of the ukulele. So this is a pretty good example of breaking the rules in a good way. (I'm sorry if I'm sounding conceited, I'm not trying to!)

Up Close :)

So I wanted to share some of my new photos. These photographs are of my engagement ring :) I took these photographs with my camera on RAW file for the first time and i LOVED it. I have so much more ability to manipulate the photo exactly how I want to! There are many point and shoot cameras that have the capacity to shoot in RAW, you really should invest in a camera that does this if you are interested in editing your photographs to look the best possible.

SO here are some of my favorite ring shots I took last night! Enjoy!

Newborn Photo-shoot

So I decided to change it up a bit. I want to give you guys a few tips on taking a newborn photo session. I'm not an expert of course, but I thought it'll be nice to share some of my ideas. Again I will hit on 3 main points :)

#1 - Use a prop
I never plan the props I use, but next time I will. I think it's important to have newborns (especially over 4 months) to have some kind of prop for them to interact with. Well not just A prop but many props.


#2 - Get in close
Try to get light in the eyes; this is called highlights. Not only in newborn photo shoots, but in all photo shoots which involve people.

#3 - Natural Light is the best
I figured this out because of my last shoot. I noticed how much I hated my lighting situation, since I don't have a studio with expensive lighting the best thing I have is the sun. Use the Sun, it's the best light we have and it's FREE!

Well that's a little tips that I thought I'd share with you. If you have your own ideas and/or advice for me, I would love to hear it!