August Challenge- Photography

Hi everyone! I am thrilled you are joining us in this month's challenge. My goals for this month is to introduce you to shooting in manual (for those of you who have that capability with your camera), learn to play with natural light, learn some basics of composition to enhance your photos, embrace photographing your every day life and not a posed fantasy world, and to spark a little creativity in your photographs. Not too much of a tall order in just a short 31 days! :) Hopefully everyone can learn even a smidge about photography...even those of you who solely use a cell phone for their photos.

Think your kids won't sit still long enough for photos? No problem! I don't even know how to do posed photos. :)

Here is a quick overview of the month's plans. You are welcome to go at your own pace since I know we all have busy schedules. Please post photos and questions in our Facebook group page so we can see how you are doing, give praise, and offer constructive criticism!

DATE	TOPIC
Fri, Aug 1	Introductions
Sat Aug 2 *	Shooting in manual - inside the house
Sun, Aug 3	Practice/Share
Mon Aug 4 *	Playing with light inside
Tues Aug 5 *	Shooting manual - outside the house
Wed Aug 6	Practice/share
Thurs Aug 7 *	Auto focus vs toggle focus
Fri Aug 8 *	Cropping, rule of thirds
Sat Aug 9	Practice/share
Sun Aug 10	Practice/share
Mon Aug 11 *	Framing
Tues Aug 12	Practice/share
Wed Aug 13	Practice/share
Thurs Aug 14 *	Shooting in Different Angles
Fri Aug 15	Practice/share
Sat Aug 16	Practice/share
Sun Aug 17 *	Leading lines
Mon Aug 18	Practice/share
Tues Aug 19	Practice/share
Wed Aug 20 *	Triangles/diagonals/patterns
Thurs Aug 21	Practice/share
Fri Aug 22	Back to school photos
Sat Aug 23	Photo shoot somewhere fun
Sun Aug 24	Natural smiles
Mon Aug 25	Self Portrait/mom in picture
Tues Aug 26	Self portrait/mom in picture
Wed Aug 27 *	Photos without faces to tell story
Thurs Aug 28	‘love’
Fri Aug 29	‘home’
Sat Aug 30	Picture at 10am
Sun Aug 31	Significant other

*these dates have a hyperlink to a post with information.

As you can see the bulk of the learning will be the first half of the month and the creativity portion will be the second half of the month.



Again, thanks for joining us and I am eager to see everyone's photos this month!

Please be a fan of lil Mop Top on facebook!! I link up to these parties!

Shooting in Manual- Indoors

Hi everyone! Welcome to the August Challenge: Photography! Now that we know each other, we are going jump right into the hardest part of the month: learning how to shoot in manual. The rest of the month will be downhill from here. :) If you have a point and shoot camera, then today will not really apply to you. Of course, feel free to read along! If you use an iPhone to take most of our photos, then maybe some of this will help when you can change some of your settings. (This is a total guess though since I don't have an iPhone! ha!) Personally I have a low end dslr- Canon Rebel T3. I don't know much about any other cameras so you will most likely need your camera manual to find the buttons we are using today or do a quick search online.

First, switch your camera to M for manual. On my camera is it the round dial at the top where you have all the choices for different shooting mode (Automatic, Av, Tv, etc). Hopefully this will be the last time you ever touch that dial and keep it on M forever!!! Also be sure to turn off the flash. If you are shooting during the day then you should be able to set your camera that you don't need the flash. I haven't used my flash since I turned the camera to Manual about 1.5 years ago.

Now that we are shooting in manual, we have three ways to control the lighting in the camera. I am just touching on the basics as I understand it. So there is probably more to it than we are going to discuss, but at least it is a good starting point!

Below is an example what your screen might look like on your camera. The top row here are the three things are looking at today: Shutter speed (ex 1/100), aperture (ex: F5.6) , and ISO (ex: 200).

1. Shutter Speed (SS): This is how quickly the camera takes the picture. You can hear your camera click as it takes a photo. The longer the click, the slower the shutter speed and vice versa. This is shown as a fraction on your camera (1/100, 1/300, etc). So an example of a slow shutter speed would be 1/50 and a fast shutter speed would be 1/2000.

• The faster the camera takes a picture, the less light will hit the camera. The slower the camera takes a picture, the more the light will hit the camera. Think of elevator doors closing. If they close slow, lots of people can get in. If they close super fast, very few people can get in. This is the same thing with shutter speed and light.
• The faster the camera takes a picture, the less blurry the photo. So if your child is moving quickly, you will need a higher SS to keep it from being blury.
• The more light you need, the lower you will need your SS so that way the camera has more time to capture the light.
• When inside photographing my kids who move a lot I try not to go below 1/125 otherwise the photos will tend to be blurry.
• Remember that YOU can make the camera move when taking the photo which means the picture can be blurry. So try to be as steady as possible when shooting with a lower shutter speed. If you are using a really low shutter speed, use a tripod or set the camera on something (like a counter) to keep it from moving.

Here is an example of where the dial is to change the shutter speed. Yours may be in a different spot so if you don't find it check online or use your owner's manual. Once you find it, practice changing the shutter speed and taking random pictures to see what it does. (We will get into more practice of how to know where to set it later down in the post).

2. ISO: kind of like an internal light to help in low light situations. You can up the ISO if the photo is coming out dark, however the higher the ISO, the more 'grainy' the photo will become. You will want to keep the ISO as low as possible but I have found there are just simply times when I have to put my ISO as high as it can go (and even then it isn't high enough!). The below camera example shows that the top arrow button is used to access and change the ISO. Again check your manual if you can't find your button. :) Practice changing your ISO and taking random pictures to see the affects of different ISOs.

3. Aperture (f-stop): The opening in the lens for the light to go through. This is shown on your camera like f/2, f/3, etc. or F2, F3 (like in the above example)

• The smaller the aperture (ex: f/2), the more light will come through. The larger the aperture (ex: f/11) the less light will come through.
• The f-stop also narrows in the focus and sharpness on the photo. So if you shoot with a low aperture, then there will be a smaller area in your photo that is in focus (more out of focus background/foreground). If you shoot with a higher aperture, then there will be a larger area of the photo in focus (not as much of a blurry background). This means you need to be careful that if you shoot with really low aperture, the whole body may not be all in focus. This is not necessarily a bad thing but just keep that in mind if you are wondering why only part of your kiddo is in focus or maybe just one of the two kids in the photo are in focus.

This may be harder to find on your camera because I think to access the aperture on some cameras you have to hold down a button and turn the dial at the same time. For example, on my camera I hold down the Av button (the top button where the trash can is on the above picture) and then turn the dial that I use to change my shutter speed).

Confused yet?! :) Don't worry!

So if you haven't already, I want you to play around for a minute with those three settings before we continue. Take a picture of anything (it can be the wall) with the highest ISO and then the lowest ISO. Note the differences. Do the same with the aperture and the SS. Just get used to changing those settings before we even move onto setting the camera for a particular situation. If you have a zoom lens, then changing the zoom may allow you to change the settings more.

Ok, so now that you know how to change each of those three settings, let's figure out how to set the camera to take photos! It is a nice balance of all three settings to get the picture just right. :) We will focus on indoors only today. I know that most photographers really LOVE the outdoors for pictures because of all the natural light, but I am a realist. I am inside a lot with the boys so I need to be able to take pictures of us inside doing our daily thing.

Taking photos INSIDE: I ask myself a couple questions. Is my subject moving? (which is almost always answered with a yes!) Do I have a lot of natural light? (ie am I near a window) Do I have one person in the photo or more than one person? Do I want the whole photo in focus or do I want a bit of a blurry background?

So here is my process as I take photos.

1.First and foremost I need to make sure I have enough light (which we will talk more about in a couple days). If possible, turn off the lights and pull up all your blinds/shades to get in natural light. Then take your photos near the windows or open doors if possible.

2. I always start my SS at 1/125 when inside since the boys are always moving (I need to minimize motion blur but let in lots of light). Once I have the rest of my settings punched in, then I can take a test shot to check  my SS based on how close I am to a window or open door. If the window is letting in a ton of light and the boys are really close the window then I may need to up the SS to keep the photo from being too bright. If we are further from the window then I mostly keep it at 1/125.

3. Then I set my aperture. If I just have one kid in the photo then I set it around f/2. However, this is because I  usually don't have a ton of light (I need a smaller aperture to let in more light). So this could change for you depending on how fancy your camera is and what kind of lens you are using. If I have more than one kid in the photo then I bump it up to f/3ish so they can both be in focus and increase the aperture if I have more people in the photo. (This may also be limited by your lens. Some lenses won't go that low with the aperture).

4. Lastly I set the ISO since I want that to be my last resort for adding in light. I start with 400 inside the house and bump up from there if needed. And since my camera doesn't handle low light well, I usually have to bump it up.

Here are some examples of photos I have taken around the house and the settings. Yours could be quite different based on what kind of camera you have and the lens you are using. But at least you can see some examples.

1. Boys in the bath: taken around 6:30 at night, only lit from window (no lights on in the bathroom)
ISO 800, f/3.5, 1/200
The bathtub helped reflect some light on their faces (not a ton though!), the SS was high enough to keep out most of the motion blur, and the aperture was high enough to keep everyone in focus and still let in enough light.

2. Matthew sleeping in John's doorway:
ISO 6400, f/2, SS 1/60
I had to turn on the bathroom light to get more light in here for this photo and still I had a really hard time getting the camera to focus. Matthew obviously isn't moving so I set the camera on the floor to keep it steady and lowered the shutter speed  and aperture to let in as much light as possible. Not the best possible quality photo but pretty good! Notice since it has a low aperture, the foreground (the carpet) and the background aren't in focus.

3. Matthew's hair cut- the whole wall of the shop to Matthew's left was windows and they had lights on.
ISO 800, f/3.5, SS 1/200
I needed the SS high enough to keep out motion blur and I wanted the aperture a smidge higher so that way the background wasn't blurred out.

 4. Thomas near the windows in the kitchen and I think I had the back door open to let in light in the front right of him.
ISO 1600, f/2.8, SS 1/125
Since he wasn't facing the windows I had to bump up the ISO. If I had him facing the windows I probably would have been able to lower the ISO a bit since there would be more light on him.

So, now it is time for you to practice, practice, practice! It takes a while to remember how all the settings change and how they affect each other. Take a bunch of pictures but try not to get frustrated. Plus remember that my examples are with lenses I bought and not the lens that came with my camera thus your numbers may not be exactly like mine. I will share pics on facebook with my kit lens so I can join in on the sharing fun! Also remember that once you get the feel for your own house then you probably will know what the settings are without a lot of guessing and checking. Notice my settings aren't drastically different in my house from location to location, especially the SS, so it just minor changes as we move about.

So once you get a photo that looks properly exposed (not too bright and not too dark) then share it on facebook. I don't care if it is a photo of a stuffed animal since it makes things less complicated that good ol' teddy isn't moving. I would love to see how you are doing!

For those pros out there, we would love to see a share with your settings too and any tips you might have for the newbies!

Please be a fan of lil Mop Top on facebook!! I link up to these parties!
 

Playing with Light

I hope everyone has started to get the hang of changing up the settings on their camera to shoot in manual. It takes lots of practice so keep up the good work! Today we are going to play with different light around your house. Just like yesterday, make sure your flash is off, even if you are using a point and shoot.

Natural light (ie the sun) is going to be the best light. That means if you are in your house the natural light will be coming in from windows and doors. If you are taking photos inside, turn off the lights and open up the blinds/shades to let in the natural light. (If you are using a point and shoot then you may need the extra light from light bulbs but try without the lights to see what happens!) Then place your subject near the light source. Try point their face (if you are using a person as a subject) toward the light to get the sparkle (catch light) in their eyes.

How do you do this with moving little kids? Well, my kids rarely sit still long enough for a posed picture. So I try to get them to play near a window or the door (assuming it isn't the baby who will run outside if the door is open!). Then I can take pictures of them in nice light while they are playing. I am also known to bribe with treats/rewards if I really want a picture of something special.

These two pictures below are Matthew and John looking out the window in our kitchen. I am pretty sure I gave them a reward (like a cookie) if they sat for 5 photos. (not that this was something special but I wanted to practice that day!) These pictures aren't particularly exciting, but it is good practice anyways!

In this photo below, notice I opened the door here to let more light on Matthew while was playing a game. This room is a bit darker so I tried to direct the light onto him. It kind of gives him a neat glow on the side of his body.

This cute picture of Bella twirling is obviously next to lots of windows.

I opened the blinds all the way up on the window to my right in this photo. It puts a nice light on us as John reads to me. (You can see the left side of the photo is brighter than the right due to where the light source is).

John and my dad are next to the windows in my kitchen for this photo. So they are being lit from the front and the side. I also like that because of the light we can see their reflection in the table.

This photo of Thomas is in the living room without a ton of light. So notice how his face is kind of perpendicular to the window (one side of his face is light more than the other). He still has nice sparkly eyes since he is toward the window. You can put the subject in a spot where it is lit but the light falls away quickly to make it a dark background. Garages are actually a good place for this because if you put your subject close to the light (the edge of the garage) then the background will be dark, thus hiding all the junk in your garage. :)

This one of Thomas is in the same room as the photo above but just closer to the window and a different angle so the light is hitting him a little different.

In the photo below, Matthew is in the same room as Thomas was in above. He is pretty close to the window but hiding behind the chair. I took the photo through the chair legs and you can see how his cute little tushie is lit up.

You can also do the opposite of making the background dark. If you shoot up against a window, it will 'blow out' the background and you can't see any messiness outside the windows like in the the below photo of John by the window. If you have a point and shoot, this won't work well because it will be more of a silhouette photo, but that can be cool too.

So YOUR challenge for today is go through your house and notice where the light is hitting. (Of course, this will change throughout the day!) Look for bright spots on the floor or shadows. Are there any neat places to take pictures where there would be good lighting? Places maybe to avoid? Which rooms have lots of light for nice bright photos and which rooms may have lower light for darker or dramatic photos? Are there any locations where there is lots of reflected light (like maybe a kitchen with white cabinets). Then try to take some pictures of your kids, or still life if you don't have cooperative kids handy, and see what light looks best, which way should they turn, what is more dramatic, what looks bad, etc. This is also perfect for practicing setting the camera for manual! :)

For those of you who are advanced participants, try to go out of your comfort zone in your house. Find new places to shoot, dramatic light (maybe striped light through blinds or dappled light), etc. Or try to use unique artificial light (ex: ipad light, light from an open fridge door, computer screen) if you have natural light down pat. Or for a bigger challenge, try to make the shadow the subject of your photo.

I am eager to see what everyone comes up with on facebook!

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Shooting in Manual - Outdoor

Hi there photographers!!! I hope that we are starting to get the hang of switching up the settings on our cameras around the house. Remember, it takes time to get quick at it but I promise that you will get faster and be able to change the settings before your kid runs off to the next part of the house!

Since we talked about shooting indoors last time, today we are going to practice shooting in manual outdoors. (If you have a point and shoot, this may not apply much to you but please feel free to practice taking pictures outside to see what your camera can do!) All the settings still change the same way, but now you will typically have much more light than you do indoors. You probably had low shutter speed, low aperture, and high ISO inside. The opposite will be a good starting point for taking pictures outside; high shutter speed, can do a higher aperture if you want, and lower ISO.

Quick Reminder from yesterday:
1.SS- higher makes the picture darker, lower makes the picture brighter, need higher for more movement
2. Aperture- higher makes the picture darker, lower makes the picture brighter
3. ISO- higher makes the picture brighter, lower makes the picture darker

If you are outside, lots of people aim for 'open shade'. This is where you are in the shade (duh!) but you still can get nice light on the people's face and catch light in their eyes. So you can sit towards the edge of the shade under a tree, for example, and still face the sun without squinting or having harsh light then it would likely be a pretty picture. However, probably like your kiddos, mine aren't inclined to play nicely in pretty positions in open shade all the time. So you need to be able to take photos anywhere outside.

Using the same thought process as last time when we discussed indoor photos, let's practice outdoor photos!

1. SS: I usually start around 1/500 depending on the time of day and if I am in the shade or not.
2. Aperture: I still like to use low aperture b/c I like blurry backgrounds. But you can bump this up especially when shooting a lot of people in the frame.
3. ISO: If it is during the bright part of the day I start at 100. If it is towards the end of the day I start at 400 since it will be getting darker the longer I am outside.

Here are some outdoor examples.

1. Thomas playing in the fountains: Definitely not open shade, but this was in the morning around 10am.
ISO 200, F3.5, 1/4000
Low ISO since it was bright outside and high SS since it was bright

2. John at the ballpark. This was open shade since we were in the shaded part of the stadium.
ISO 800, F4.0, 1/640
SS is lower than the previous picture since this wasn't as sunny being that we were in the shade and this was about 6:00 p.m. However, the SS is much higher than when I was taking photos inside since I don't need as much light in my camera when I am outside.

3. Playing at the lake. Not open shade, morning sun.
ISO 200, F4.0, 1/2000
Since it was bright out, high SS helps keep too much light from entering the camera.

4. Boys at the lake: Not open shade, morning sun. However, if the hat were big enough, and we were facing the sun, it could put some shade on Matthew's face and create open shade.
ISO 200, F3.2, 1/1250
Again, lower ISO since we are outside without shade to block the sun, and higher SS to take a faster picture to block out more of the light.

5. Thomas playing during 'golden hour' which is the 2 hours before sunset. You can see how pretty the light is coming through the trees behind him.
 ISO 1600, F4.0, 1/800
He is facing away from the sun so that is why I upped the ISO. I probably could have also lowered the SS to help let more light in the camera instead of upping the ISO.

 6. John and Matthew in the garage. Remember last time I said that you could take pictures the edge of your garage and most of the clutter would be hidden? Here is an example of that! Their faces are lit since they are right at the edge of the garage so they are also in open shade.
ISO 800, F2.2, 1/1000

7. Large family at the beach:
ISO 400, F4.5, 1/500
This one is back lit which is more tricky. I raised the aperture since I have several people in the picture. It was at night so I left the ISO at 400 so I wouldn't forget to change it as it got darker.

A couple notes:
-Taking pictures at noon is not a great idea because that will be harder to do. If possible you might avoid that.
-Taking pictures early in the morning (as the sun is coming up) and at the end of the day (as the sun is setting) will give really pretty light. Those are my favorite times to take pictures (although not always opportune times with little kids and work schedules!) If you are hiring someone to take your family photos, be sure to get those time slots to get the prettiest pictures.
-Since your SS usually will be high, your photos shouldn't be too blurry due to movement. This means that you should be able to catch your kids as they are running and still get a great photo!
-Since I am still pretty new, there are times we are playing outside and it is bright and I can't see my screen very well and I can't seem to get my settings right and, and, and, and....then I just put the camera down and forget about it. Unless it is a birthday party or something important, then it isn't worth the frustration to me. I will just try again later. No big deal!

Time for you to go outside and practice! Practice finding shady spots and sunny spots so you can change up the settings. Try facing your subject towards the sun to get the catch lights in their eyes. Also practice putting the subject several feet away from the background (ie the wall, fence, bushes, etc). This will change the depth of the photo too. Share some of your favorite shots, even if they aren't perfect!

Experienced photographers- feel free to share tips or more info on facebook. Perhaps you can try some new photos outside over the next couple days: new locations, a garage photo shoot, taking a wide angle if you usually use narrow. Maybe take photos of of an activity outside that is usually done inside (ex: bubble bath, eating breakfast). Take a photo of outside nature or pets if you usually take a photo of people. Take a photo of a small toy in random open shade locations (mailbox, anyone?).

Next time we will talk briefly about focus points. See you then!

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Auto Focus vs Toggle Focus

One thing I was always frustrated with on taking photos was the focus. Actually, I still get frustrated with that and am rarely 100%  happy with my focus. However, what I found to be the most helpful thing is to use the toggle focus feature on my camera. Instead of using the auto-focus where the camera picks what it thinks should be in focus (don't tell me what to do, Mr. Camera!!), this is where YOU select where the focus will be.

Here is an example of the focus points that would show up on your camera. Yours could have more points than this example. Either way, you would select the one that is on your person's eye and the camera should focus on that point. May sound hard to do but once you get quick at changing that it isn't that hard to do.

For more explanation, go to THIS link to a super short video on selecting the focus. 

Key things to remember:

1. Press the shutter release halfway to focus on the subject.

2. Change the focus point if necessary.

3. Take the photo by pressing the shutter release all the way.

Be careful with the 'set and recompose' idea from the video because if your aperture is low, then you will get a blurry picture. So use that with caution!

Other people swear by back button focusing, but I have not been able to get the hang of that. HERE  is a link for more info on that method of focusing in case that method works for you.

Today's challenge is to practice taking photos by toggling focus points or back button focusing. Share your favorite photos!

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Cropping Photos and Rule of Thirds

So let's chat about cropping. Sometimes you just need to crop a photo to make it look better for a variety of reasons. The main idea to go by is the Rule of Thirds (ROT). To save myself from reinventing the wheel, here is a link from I Heart Faces which explains what that is. Go ahead...read it...I will wait for ya...

When shooting, you can try to take the original photo with the ROT in mind, but I am not good at all with that. And my kids move too fast. So sometimes I get it right in the camera. However, being that I am more of a 'take lots of photos and hope something turns out' type of person, lots of times I need to crop.

So if you have a program to edit photo, then you will need that. I use Lightroom but that isn't free. A free program that might work for you guys is PicMonkey. I haven't played with it much but from what I can see it will at least crop your photos!

So, as you saw in the I Heart Faces link, you can crop so that you have your focal points at the intersection points. Most of the time I crop as a 4x6 since that is how I will print most pictures. I can't always get it to be PERFECTLY lined up with ROT but I get it as close as I can and call it a day.

However, you can also crop as a square crop. This is good for symmetrical photos. For example, this one of Thomas is a square crop because it symmetric down the middle vertically. (Do you remember your geometry?!)

I also cropped this one that Allison took of the cousins as a square crop because the leading lines of the railings made it seem more symmetrical to me.

Remember that just because you took the picture horizontally, or in landscape, doesn't mean the crop has to stay that way. You can crop it vertically and see if you like that version better. For example, I cropped this image of the three boys three ways:

horizontally:

vertically:

 square

I like the horizontal one best and almost hate the vertical crop (unless I was super awesome at photoshop and could take out the other boys' chopped arms and even then I don't think I would like it). So know you have options even if they don't all look great. :)

The last thing to remember is not to awkwardly crop off body parts. If you have a full body photo then be sure not to crop off toes, finger tips, etc. Here is a diagram of acceptable crop lines (green) and lines to avoid (red). (via PetaPixel)

Of course after you know the 'rules', then you are free to break them. I have seen lots of photographers who like to center their subjects or crop at 'unacceptable' locations. That is cool, too. I just think it is important to practice a bit of the ROT and cropping, then decide what you like better later for your own personal style.

YOUR challenge now is to take pictures keeping the ROT in mind. Then play with cropping to see if your photo looks better with a horizontal crop, vertical crop, or a square crop.

If you are well versed in the ROT, try to take photos of something you don't usually photograph. If you usually photograph your children, try to practice ROT with objects or nature instead. If you typically photograph landscape, try your hand at photographing people or animals. Street photography anyone?! I find myself always photographing in landscape so I am going to try to work on forcing myself to take more vertical portrait photos.

Share some of your favorites on our group page on facebook!!

Please be a fan of lil Mop Top on facebook!! I link up to these parties!

Shooting at Different Angles

When I took an online class on composition, my favorite tip was shooting at different angles, especially in terms of cutting out parts of the background to make a cleaner picture. There are three ways you can photograph someone: from below, from above, and straight on.

From below gives a feeling that the subject is bigger, bolder, stronger, dominant, etc.
I LOVE this one of John at his t-ball game when I shot from below. He looks like a powerful player here!

Tyler looks extra manly in this shot. :) This also helps to make sure the horizon line, or the line of the back of the lake, doesn't cross with Tyler's head which would make it look awkward.

This is one of my favorite photos of Matthew when he was dressed up as Superman. This angle again helps to make him look bigger and stronger...just like Superman! Notice shooting from below also cuts out the house next door and tree from around Matthew's face which minimizes distractions in the photo.

Shooting from below here helps cut out the messiness of the background and Thomas' face is now in sky rather than with the trees and buildings around the face.

From above gives a feeling that the subject is smaller, meeker, more vulnerable, etc.
Even though this photo of Bella is just a smidge above her, the angle accentuates her tiredness in this photo from her aunt's wedding. She was worn out!

In this photo of Thomas, we were playing on a see-saw at the park. I stood on the see-saw to take this photo from above which cuts out the background of the park and instead puts a cool textured background.

This is another example of how shooting from above cuts out the background. You would never know Emma and Lilly were at the boys' baseball games here! Instead you see their sweet love for each other!


My husband took this photo from above and I love how small John looks here with me.

This shot from above is so sweet of Bella and my mom and gives a tenderness to the photo.

Everyone looks so small against the large lake in this photo from above.


John looks small here and I will remember how he was a typical boy playing in the mud when he was a little boy.


John looks so sweet and innocent here, and again the messy house is cut out of the background without even having to clean!


Taking the photo straight on gives a sense of intimacy, connection to the subject, and you are looking into their world.
I like these as 'observing' into the world of my kiddos and our family. Brad took this one during my Mother's Day breakfast in bed.

Here is Matty B in his cool shades and we are connected to him since we are eye level with him.

 A sweet shot of Emily and Emma is eye level and you can see their love here!

Matthew is again connected to us by shooting him at eye-level.

Since I took this photo from outside the room, we are observing the boys in their world as they play with the ipad in the morning in my bed.

YOUR challenge for today is to practice shooting at different angles. Try the same pose from all three angles (if you can do it before your toddler runs away!). See if shooting at different angles cuts out messy backgrounds. Stand on a chair or lay on the ground if you need to.

If you need more of a challenge for angles, try to take photos with dramatic angles. Try shooting from directly above (like bird's eye view) or directly below. Or perhaps shoot in an angle that you don't typically use to go out of a comfort zone.

I can't wait to see what you come up with!



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