A Baker's Dozen: Daily Life in a Large Family

Shooting the Photog

Just the other day we got a little glimpse of spring...it was almost, well, warm outside. So out I went with my camera, only to discover another photographer in my woods...

So I shot her.

And she shot me.

Though the pics of me must be pretty bad, because I haven't seen them yet. 

Oh well. Tilly's a whole lot cuter than me anyway!

I had already planned to post these pictures today, when I woke up to see this email in my inbox:

I have to ask you, what camera you take your beautiful pictures with? 

My 8 year old daughter has a durable Kodak and helps me capture all those baby moments when I've got my hands full (literally). I've had a couple different brands/models but I am ready for an upgrade and was so impressed with the detail and color of your photos compared to mine! Though could it be the photographer not the camera?....

I just (like two weeks ago!) upgraded my camera to a Canon 5D. Up until then I've been shooting with a Canon 30D. My every day lens is 50mm 1.8. I also own a 50mm 1.4 and an 85mm 1.8. Tilly shoots with a Canon Rebel and often my 50mm 1.8 lens. For someone who just wants better photos of their kids/family and isn't looking to dedicate all of their spare time to photography, I usually recommend a Rebel and 50mm. My husband would be the first to tell you he can't take a decent snapshot with either of my cameras. And it's true. 

I also process all of my photos with Photoshop CS3. Here is a blog post I did showing a SOOC (straight out of camera) photo and then my final edit. This post also has SOOC vs. final edits. I sometimes hesitate to mention the part post-processing of photos plays in a beautiful image. Often times someone new to the game will decide they can just "photoshop" a picture and make it beautiful. Eye-pops, sharpening, selective color, actions...it can be easy to go a little crazy. But with out a good well exposed image to start with, you aren't going to end up with a beautiful photo. I always, always try to get my photo right in-camera, then process it cleanly. You can probably tell from my blog, I'm not big on over the top processing. Occasionally, for fun I will "push" an image in Photoshop, but I prefer clean and simple.

 

Distance From Subject

A while back I posted about aperture, and why it matters. Many, many amateur photographers and mom-tographers, want desperately to know how to get that cool "blurry background". There are many things that affect the depth of field in a photo. One of those is the aperture. Another is the distance of the subject from your camera, and the distance of the subject from the background. Today I used Tilly's camera (a Canon Rebel XT) and took a few photos to demonstrate how this works. I won't pretend to understand the science behind this- because I don't, but I do know how to achieve the look I am going for. 

{All of the following photos are SOOC (straight out of camera) except for being resized for the web. No other adjustments have been made}

All photos were taken with an aperture of 3.5, ISO 200, shutter speed 1/30 to demonstrate how distance affects the depth of field. 

This photo was shot with the kit lens that came on my camera when I purchased it. Notice how clear the doll and basket are in the background?

Same lens, same settings. All I did was move closer to my subject- Mr. Little People. Notice how blurred the background is now, from simply moving a little closer.

Now lets use a real live person.

Pretty much everything in this photo is in focus. 

Moving closer makes the focus in Jubilee's eyes sharper, catches more light and blurs the doll in the background? Making small changes like these can help move your photos from "snapshot" to "portrait". This image is obviously not a portrait, but you get what I mean. Right?

For this photo, I switched to my 85mm prime lens (prime means it has a set focal length- it's not adjustable). Notice how blurred the background is, even from a distance? This is the lens I use for outdoor work and group photos.

When I move in just a bit closer, the background is nearly obliterated. I would never shoot a living subject with a shutter speed of 1/30.

Here's my 50mm lens which I use for indoor work, newborns and close up portraits.

Same lens, same settings, just moving a little closer.

Photos assignment: Grab your DSLR camera, set the aperture to 3.5 and experiment with moving closer and further away from you subject. Feel free to share a link to your photos in the comment section. Let's all inspire each other!

Next up: Taking portraits with a Canon Rebel and a kit lens.

Taking Better Photos Part One {Bellingham Photographer}

ETA: Just fixed the link to the article below! 

Tilly (11) has had her Canon Rebel xti for about six  weeks now. She has played with it (completely in auto) and become familiar with using it. Since school has started up, I am now teaching her how to shoot in manuel. {Note: when I say manuel, I mean manual settings, not manual focus. The majority of pro photographers still use auto-focus...the camera is simply faster than the human eye...}

Tilly loves photography, and has a desire to take better photos. In fact, outside earlier this week, Tilly kept asking, "why do your photos look better than mine?" and the answer was simple: I was shooting manual - therefore controlling the image. Tilly was shooting in auto and letting camera choose for her.

I should probably have an outline, a plan. Some semi-organized way to teach her (and you) about taking better photos....keep in mind though, I have never taken a photography class- so I don't even know what the "normal" order of teaching things is. I am simply working with Tilly to improve her knowledge...and sharing that information with you. 

Yesterday for school, I had Tilly read this article. I put my 50mm 1.8 lens on her camera, and had her set it at AE (aperture priority- this allows the photographer to choose the aperture- but the camera sets the shutter speed and ISO). I asked Tilly, "what does aperture mean?" and her answer was "it controls how much light goes into the camera". Not bad...aperture also controls depth of field (how much of the photo is in focus). If you are new to all of this, go ahead and click on the links to learn more.

I showed Tilly how to adjust her aperture and told her to set it at 3.2. Then I sent her outside to take photos of the same object. One from close up, and one from a distance.

Tilly was thrilled this photo- look at all of that creamy bokeh!

But she was shocked to her next photo:

What happened? She didn't change her aperture. All she did was back up a few steps to get the entire water bottle in the photo. The bokeh is gone, the focus was missed. It's an ugly snapshot...

If you haven't already, read the link on depth of field. It explains how depth of field is like a triangle...it's not just about setting the aperture on your camera, it's also about the distance from you subject, your subject's distance from the background, and sometimes the angle at which your shooting.

I am such a hands-on learner, that it's the only way I can teach Tilly. I wanted her to experience the difference herself, rather than have me try to explain it.

Next I told Tilly to go outside (still in aperture priority set at 3.2) and take a picture of a person. Here's what she came in with:

This was obviously taken in full sunlight...ugh. She must have noticed right away, because this was the next photo on her camera:

All she did her was have Avi step into the shade and turn about 90 degrees. A little underexposed, but a much better photo.

Next I asked her to back up and take a full body photo (same settings) and she came back with this:

Notice how much of the background is in focus now? But she did an excellent job of keeping her subject in focus.

And that was lesson #1 for Tilly. I hope you learned a few things along with Tilly. If you have a DSLR and shoot in full auto, switch it over to aperture priority and give it a whirl...Tilly is already thrilled with the new look of her photos, and this was just her first "lesson".