Taking Pictures of that Tree

Hey everyone! Happy week before Christmas! I hope that everyone has a non-stressful week and can easily tie up all of the pre-Christmas loose ends!

We thought we'd carry on our tradition of walking through our Christmas homes this week. Hurray!! I love looking at other people's holiday decor! :)

However, as I walked around my home with my camera this afternoon, I realized something. I didn't do a lot of decorating for Christmas this year.

My baby is 6 months old now, and at the (st)age where there is lots of "stuff." High chair, bumbo seat, exersaucer, baby swing, teething toys, snuggly toys, food props, etc. This is in addition to my 3 year old's things. You get the picture. Stuff.

So when it came time for my Christmas decor, I went minimal. My house can get cluttered quickly, and I didn't want the decorations to become "Christmas clutter," and add to "baby clutter" and "3 year old clutter" and "adult clutter."

So instead I'm going to give you a few pointers for getting a good picture of that Christmas tree. You have one more week with your tree, so don't put off that shot any longer!!

I'm sure there are lots of tutorials around blog land about taking pictures of your tree. But I thought I would share my tree photos and walk you through my settings and thought process a bit. I hope it is some help to you in getting that perfect picture!

(These photos are all straight out of the camera, no editing. I wanted to show you how adjusting the settings alone changed the photos.)

Tree Shot #1

ISO 640, Aperture 2.8, Shutter Speed 1/4 second

This was my starting point in my tree pictures. I used a tripod since I was using such a slow shutter speed, but you could easily place your camera on a steady surface to get a similar effect.

I like it, but the tree and the room are too bright. I don't like the shadows that the branches are casting on the walls or how my curtains seem to play a role in this picture. Overall, I want the room darker.

Tree Shot #2

ISO 640, Aperture 2.8, Shutter Speed 1/6 second

I made my shutter speed slightly faster, but all other settings are the same.

This is better, I like how the tree isn't so bright, but I still think that the room should be darker, and I want my lights to be a bit more twinkly.

Tree Shot #3

ISO 500, Aperture 14, Shutter Speed 2.5 seconds

I changed my settings up completely, going a stop down in ISO so that the whole shot would be darker, a much smaller aperture for the "star effect" on my lights, and a much slower shutter speed to accommodate the small shutter speed.

This is much more of what I had in mind. I love the star effect on each of the lights. But I wonder if it is slightly too dark now?

Tree #4

ISO 500, Aperture 18, Shutter Speed 6 seconds

I made my shutter speed even slower so that the room would be brighter, and the aperture smaller so that it wouldn't be too bright, and I still kept the twinkly star lights.

Perfect! A not-too-bright and not-too-dark, sparkly tree!!

But now I'm wondering if I like Tree #3 best, hmmmm...

Tree #5

ISO 640, Aperture 2.8, Shutter Speed 1/6 second

And just for fun, if you want to throw in a picture of just the lights on your tree with none of the details, try this trick.

Switch your camera from auto focus to manual focus, and twist your lens until the tree is out of focus, and then take your shot. The smaller your aperture, the bigger your light blobs will be.

Fun, right?

Now, which tree is your favorite? #3, right? Or #4...hmmm...

Have you taken some pictures of your tree this month that you'd like to share? Or have you done a tour of your holiday home? Please share in the comments below!!

Have a safe and wonderful holiday!!!

Read more...

Photography Tips: For you Auto-Users

I was so glad that so many of you entered last week to win a copy of Say No to Auto!

(If you didn't win it, you might just want to head on over and purchase a copy. It is really great information and a very affordable little guide!)

Now, for those of you who are still using the Auto setting exclusively, let me just say that I understand. Learning to shoot in Manual is not easy. It's not hard either, but it does require a bit of reading, a bit of experimenting, and quite a bit of practicing. But you can do it!!

In the meantime, how about some baby steps away from Auto? You can definitely do that!

Now, in my humble opinion, Auto mode on your camera is a bit like all-purpose cleaner. Have you ever found an all purpose cleaner that actually does a superior job at cleaning everything? I haven't. I think that all-purpse cleaners, in their attempt to include everything, end up not being very good at anything.

(image source)

The Auto mode on your camera is a bit like this. It seems like the "all purpse" setting. But what do your photos look like if you're trying to take portraits on Auto? Yuck. Children running? Bleh. Landscapes? Meh. None of it is that great. Poor Auto, it doesn't seem very all-purpose to me.

(image source)

Now this is not entirely Auto's fault.

If you are in your backyard taking a picture of a beautiful autumn tree, your settings would be much different than if you were taking a close up photo of your child's face sitting in front of that same tree. Your settings would be equally different if your child was running around after the soccer ball than if they were sitting on a blanket reading.

The Auto setting doesn't know what you're trying to get a picture of, so it just gives it's best guess. You need to give your camera some help to get the picture that you want.

If you aren't ready to make the big jump from Auto to Manual this second, that's okay. How about baby steps? Let's take a step away from Auto, and start using the other settings, the ones that actually tell your camera what type of picture you are trying to get.

Now, if you're at your kid's soccer game and trying to get some great pictures of the action, don't use Auto, use Sports Mode.

This uses a fast shutter speed, continuous shooting (where you hold down the button and your camera will just keep taking shot after shot), and it will continually adjust the focus to follow the moving subject.

(Nikon on left, Canon on right)

If you're trying to get a picture of your backyard in all of it's beautiful autumn glory, don't use Auto, use Landscape Mode.

This uses a small aperture to make sure the details of your picture are in focus, and a slower shutter speed to ensure that there is still enough light for your shot to be properly exposed.

If you're taking a picture of your sweet baby playing on a blanket in the backyard, don't use Auto, use Portrait Mode.

This uses a wide Aperture so that your baby's sweet face will be crisp and clear, but the background behind him will be softly blurred.

If you're taking a picture of the petals of a flower, don't use Auto, use Macro Mode.

This switches your camera into a special close focus mode and will use a wider aperture to keep the front petal clear while blurring out the back petals.

If you aren't entirely sure which setting to use, unless your subject is running, try the No Flash Mode.

This uses a wide aperture and a higher ISO setting to give you the best lighting possible without the use of your flash, which is what you want in most circumstances.

Now, these are not all of the settings on your camera, some cameras will have more and some will have less, but these are the most often used settings.

This moral of the story is, it's okay if you don't want to shoot on Manual right now, but in the very least, STOP USING YOUR AUTO SETTING!

I'm so excited to talk through some different photography things with you in the next few weeks! We'll be going over camera equipment, natural lighting, flash photography, bouncing your flash, composition ideas and lots more! I can't wait!

As always, happy Monday!

Read more...

Photography Tips: Say No to Auto & Giveaway

**This giveaway is now closed. However, you are still welcome to leave a comment about what photography things you would like to know more about, since we read every comment that is left on our site. :) **

It is no secret these days that the "auto" setting on your camera rarely produces the results that you are looking for in your photos.

One of the BEST ways to get the most from your dSLR camera is to learn the relationship between 3 things,

Shutter Speed, ISO and Aperture.

Do you know what these are and how they work with one another? If not, would you like to find out?

To kick off our photography tips and tricks series, I asked Kristen of Kristen Duke Photography if she would be willing to give one of our readers a copy of her E-book, Say No to Auto: Three Basic Steps to Understanding Manual Camera Settings, and she agreed!

Kristen's book will give you the best of the basics, a perfect springboard in your photography journey. She even has color coded examples for both Canon and Nikon users to assist you in finding exactly which buttons to use to change which settings. What a lifesaver!

Would you like to win a copy of this book?

Many of you commented before that you would like to learn some more about photography, but I'd like to know what exactly you are curious about.

Are you interested in seeing the settings for photos? Composition tips? Lighting tips? Equipment in action? Editing tips? Workflow? What would you like to learn about in this series?

For a chance to win, simply leave your answer to this question in a comments section.

Be sure to leave your email address so that we can notify you of your win!

Read more...

Pinterest-Inspired Photography

I'm so excited for another round of Pinterest-inspired projects! I love me some Pinterest.

Pinterest is a fabulous source of inspiration for all sorts of things, not just home and DIY projects. When I was hospital-bound for a bit in my pregnancy, I found new photographers through links to their photos on Pinterest, and browsed around for inspiration for once my little one arrived.

Here are a few of my favorite photos found on Pinterest, and my own take on these

When I saw the below photo on Pinterest, I was instantly swooning. What a sweet love there is between a mother and her baby.

source

Here is my take on this kind of shoot.

Hannah and I spend plenty of time playing like this right now: talking, imitating facial expressions, smiling at each other.

No posing necessary for a photo shoot like this. I think the love for my girl is written all over my face.

(Find the rest of the pictures from this session here and here.)

There are so many ways to document the age of a baby, and I loved this idea of a monthly set up on the corresponding month of the calendar.

source

Here is my take.

This is Hannah's October shot, 4 months old.

This picture of the baby and big sister is too sweet. I had to try it with my set of siblings!

source

Here is my take.

I only got one shot like this, because my son was bouncing around on the bed and Hannah started crying, but I think this one is a keeper.

(Find the rest of the (crazier) pictures from this session here.)

Has Pinterest inspired any of your most recent pictures? Feel free to share those in the Pinterest link up party, going on this Thursday!

Click here to follow all of my Pinboards, including my Photography board.

Also, come back next week where I'll be starting a new photography related series, full of tips, tricks, gear and gadgets.

Have a great week!

Read more...