:: merry merry ::

Merry Christmas, everyone! Wishing you the happiest of holidays with your loved ones...

:: 'till next time ::

Our Elf on the Shelf, Sparkle, has seen and heard much these past couple of weeks. Now it is time for her to head back to Santa and enjoy a well-deserved break. See you next year, Sparkle, we will miss you!

:: Project Life 12.15.13 | {challenge} ::

With tons of year-end happenings, I've neglected to post here. So, to keep me photographically motivated this holiday season, I am challenging myself by taking portraits of *Sparkle*. Yep. She's our beloved Elf on the Shelf.

Nothing crazy and mischievous -- just some pretty portraits of the Lady in Red. Here she is, "letting it rip" with Beyblades:

ISO 1600 | 50mm prime | f/1.2 | 1/100 sec

:: D the Great | washington dc children's photographer ::

I’m gonna walk a hundred miles,

I’m gonna whistle all the while,

If that’s what it takes to make me smile,

I’m gonna walk a hundred miles.

I’m gonna rend right up this hill,

Summer sky or winter chill,

If I gotta take a break I will,

But I wanna rend right up this hill.

I wanna hold the whole wide world

Right here in my open hands,

And maybe I’m just a little girl,

A little girl with great big plans.

I’m gonna go and take a chance,

I’m gonna learn to ballet dance,

Learn a little something about romance,

I’m gonna go and take a chance.

I’m gonna live a crazy dream,

Impossible as it may seem,

Doesn’t matter what the future brings,

I’m gonna live a crazy dream.

I wanna hold the whole wide world,

Right here in my open hands,

And maybe I’m just a little girl,

A little girl with great big plans.

~"Whole Wide World" by Mindy Gledhill

:: Photography Tips + Tricks : the trifecta of shooting in manual mode ::

It dawned on me last night that I didn't keep my promise to talk about how to shoot in Manual mode! Although I hope you found last week's tips + tricks on ordering photo cards helpful ;-)

As I mentioned, shooting portraits in Aperture Priory mode will get you pretty awesome results with the right lens (aperture of F/2.8 or lower). However, shooting in Manual mode allows you to customize your photographic "look", which in turn helps you tell your story by strengthening your point of view. For instance, if you like airy, light, ethereal images, you would probably set your exposure slightly higher (overexpose) than what the camera's meter tells you. On the other hand, if you like dense, dark, moody images, you would probably set your exposure slightly lower (underexpose).

Remember, exposure comprises of three major elements that I'd like to call the Trifecta of Exposure: Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed. While the Trifecta operate in different ways, their shared primary function is to regulate how much light enters through the lens and into the camera.

When I'm doing an onsite shoot with younger children, it is nearly impossible to adjust my camera settings for every single shot. So instead, I survey the environment and the conditions around me and ask myself these questions. By answering these questions (in sequence), I could then make educated guesses on how to adjust my camera settings for a particular situation:

Is the background distracting or complements the story that I'm trying to capture? How blurry do I want the background?

This is the setting that I lock down FIRST when I shoot. I'm a sucker for a creamy, blurry background. I think it highlights my subjects rather well. My lens is usually set between F/1.2 to F/2.8 for this purpose. However, sometimes you may want to rely on the background to help you tell the story. In that case, you could dial up the F-stop to F/4.0 or F/5.6 for a single subject, or up to F/8.0 for a large group of people. Remember:

Low F-stop --> wider aperture --> more light into sensor and shallower depth of field (DOF) --> more exposure and blurrier background

How much light do we have? Are we in full sun, open shade or indoors?

Once I set my Aperture value, I then try to understand how much light and the type of light I am dealing with, so that I could set my ISO to a specific value and leave it there. For instance, if I am in full sun with tons of brilliant fall light, I would opt to set my ISO at 200, or even 100 for less sensitivity and more color. If I am in open shade or cloudy condition, I would set my ISO at 200 or 400 for more sensitivity. If I am indoors with limited natural light, I would set my ISO at 800 or above for the most sensitivity. EXCEPTION: if you have a lens that will allow you to shoot wide open at F/1.4 or F/1.2, you could set your ISO lower in low-light conditions; a lower ISO will give you images less noise (dark speckles that make your images fuzzy) and better color saturation. Remember:

Low ISO --> less sensitivity --> less light into sensor --> less noise and more colors saturation

How mobile are my subjects and how fast are they moving?

As any parent knows, taking photos of moving children can be tricky to say the least. In order to capture a moving subject and still remain sharply focused, you would need to set your shutter speed at 1/125sec at the minimum, preferably at 1/250sec or higher. At a shutter speed less than 1/60sec, you will need to use a tripod in order to avoid motion blur. If you find, at this point (with the Aperture and ISO already set), you need to dial down the shutter speed to below 1/125sec, then you could adjust the Aperture to a lower f-stop or adjust the ISO to higher sensitivity. This all depends what is more important to you -- blurry background or color saturation. Remember:

High shutter speed --> shutter open for less time --> less light --> capture faster motion

Since shutter speed is the easiest of the Trifecta to change, it's the only adjustment I make when I need to adjust exposure mid-shoot. 

With practice, you could be shooting in Manual mode like a pro in no time!

F/2.8, ISO 400, 1/125sec  --> I set the Aperture at F/2.8 because I wanted to focus on the girls and the pink balloon, while at the same time include the picnic shelter beyond to tell the story in context. It was a cloudy moment during the day, so I picked ISO 400 to avoid too much noise but still be able to capture the strong colors of the surrounding foliage. Lastly, because the girls are just sitting quietly, I was able to use a slower shutter speed and keep the subjects in sharp focus.

:: Dimples | washington dc children's photographer ::

Did I or did I not mention the dimples on Little E?!?!?!

:: Photography Tips + Tricks | ordering photo holiday cards ::

With the availability of online services such as TinyPrints and Minted, it is now easier than ever to order beautiful photo holiday cards whenever you want, and wherever you want. With thousands of expertly designed cards to choose from, you could preview each design by uploading and inserting your own digital photo(s) or professional photos from your favorite photographer.

PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

courtesy of Minted.com

While the process seems easy enough, here are some tips + tricks to help you get the best results (as suggested by TinyPrints & Minted):

• Originals -- always upload original photos from your digital camera or from your photographer (not cropped or resized).
• Resolution -- always shoot at the highest resolution possible, and upload the highest resolution possible (but less than 25MB each).
• File format -- .jpg.gif, .png, .bmp and .tiff.
• Sharpness -- choose images that are in focus. Blurred images from poor focus and motion do not print well.
• Exposure and light -- choose images that have proper exposure and are well-lit. Dark images do not print well. Natural light is best, but preferably not in direct sunlight. If you need to use a flash, stand at least 3 feet away from intended subject. If you need some guidance, please check out my Tips + Tricks about how to find outdoor light.
• Shop early -- goes without saying, as these services become more busy closer to the holidays, and often will take longer to print and ship.
• Take advantage of free-shipping offers by shopping early.

courtesy of tiny prints.com

PREPARATION

To ensure a timely send-off of the cards once they arrive, you could do these things in advance:

• Gather all the addresses you plan to use
• Input address into the computer as an electronic list using Excel, Word, Notes etc.
• Buy address labels from Staples, Office Depot or the Paper Source etc.
• Paper Source has some beautifully shaped labels if you want something more unique.
• Download the appropriate template(s) for the address labels.
• Copy and paste names and addresses into the label templates. Print.
• Alternatively, for a more polished look, you could stock up on printer cartridges and print directly onto the envelopes. This is more time intensive, but this is my preferred method.
• For the return address (your address),  I like using a custom designed stamp from the Paper Source. There are 160+ designs to choose from. Stamp your address onto the backslap of the envelope for a clean, modern look.

• You could also order matching, pre-printed return address labels from the printing services.

I hope these tips + tricks will help you streamline the holiday card sending process and leave you more time to enjoy your holidays!