{"id":2835,"date":"2012-10-27T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2012-10-27T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=2835"},"modified":"2013-01-24T21:44:59","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T02:44:59","slug":"saturdays-with-shauna-photography-week-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/10\/27\/saturdays-with-shauna-photography-week-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Saturdays with Shauna: Photography! Week 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOTOGRAPHY<\/h1>\n

Last week, I explained to you why it\u2019s so important to take pictures of your loved ones and to do it often and I hope you\u2019ve taken my advice and have been intentionally capturing your memories!\u00a0 This week, I\u2019m going to give you some basic tips so that your pictures look less like snapshots and more professional and interesting, no matter what kind of camera you have!<\/p>\n

\u00a0#1 \u2013 What\u2019s in the background?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A cluttered background = a bad picture! (photo swiped from Google, so I blotted out the child’s face)<\/p><\/div>\n

Pay attention to what\u2019s behind and around your subject!\u00a0 If you\u2019re taking pictures in the living room and there are toys all over the floor behind your subject, the photo is going to look cluttered and the background will distract the viewer from your subject.\u00a0 To avoid this, simply move your subject!\u00a0 Or if you are able to, remove items from the background.\u00a0 You want a simple background so the viewer\u2019s eye is drawn to your subject, not the junk behind them \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\u00a0#2 \u2013 Get down on their level!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When taking photos of kids or pets, try getting down on their level when you take their picture instead of standing and looking down at them.\u00a0 When you\u2019re on their level, you get a new and interesting perspective in your photos.<\/p>\n

\u00a0#3 \u2013 Don\u2019t center!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Imagine a grid in the frame to compose your photos<\/p><\/div>\n

Try putting your subject off-center in your photo.\u00a0 It creates more interest than having your subject right in the middle of the frame.\u00a0 Imagine a grid in the viewfinder of your camera and try placing your subject at any of the points where the lines intersect.<\/p>\n

\u00a0#4 \u2013 Get a little closer!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fill the frame for beautiful close ups! My son, Gunnar \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n

Try moving in closer to your subject\u2026. Fill the frame with your subject\u2019s face for a beautiful close-up!\u00a0 If your camera has a zoom feature, you won\u2019t even have to move closer to them, just zoom in.<\/p>\n

\u00a0#5 \u2013 Try not to use the flash!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo swiped from Google, so I blotted out the girls’ faces… but you can still see the flash shadows behind them. Not pretty!<\/p><\/div>\n

Using your camera\u2019s on board flash creates background shadows, which are a tell-tale sign of a snapshot.\u00a0 If possible, place your subject in a well-lit area where flash is not necessary.\u00a0 If you must use a flash, diffuse it.\u00a0 For example, wrap some bubble wrap around your camera\u2019s on board flash before you take the photo.\u00a0 This will scatter the light and eliminate the harsh shadows.\u00a0 There are many creative and inexpensive DIY ways to create a flash diffuser, just Google and pick one to try!<\/p>\n

\u00a0#6 \u2013 Watch the light!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo swiped from Google, so I blotted out the person’s face… but you can see an example of dappled light on her arm. You wouldn’t want dappled light like this on her face, so pay attention to the light while shooting.<\/p><\/div>\n

When taking photos outdoors, pay attention to the light and how it falls on your subject.\u00a0 If you have your subject facing the sun, they will squint their eyes, which doesn\u2019t make for an attractive photo.\u00a0 If you have them in the shade of a tree, for example, watch to make sure there isn\u2019t dappled light on their face.\u00a0 The best times of day to take photos is early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the sun is not high in the sky.\u00a0 FYI, Late afternoon sun produces a beautiful \u201cgolden\u201d look in your photos.\u00a0 If you\u2019re taking photos in the middle of the day and it\u2019s sunny out, you\u2019ll have to be more careful.\u00a0 If you notice your subject is squinting, ask them to turn in a circle and stop when they are able to open their eyes fully.\u00a0 Or ask them to move to a shady area cast by a building or a tree.\u00a0 Another FYI, overcast days are the BEST days to take portraits outside!\u00a0 The clouds act as a natural diffuser for the sun \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\u00a0#7 \u2013 Be bossy!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Who doesn’t love Journey?? \ud83d\ude09 When taking group portraits, don’t be afraid to tell your subjects to move where you want them!<\/p><\/div>\n

When taking photos of several people, don\u2019t be afraid to be bossy!\u00a0 If you think it would look better if Uncle Joe moved over a few inches or you need Aunt Betty to stand behind someone, ask them to move!\u00a0 It\u2019s your shot, so feel free to direct your subjects in order to get the best shot possible.<\/p>\n

\u00a0#8 \u2013 Be bold!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Experiment with your camera’s settings!<\/p><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid of your camera.\u00a0 Experiment with settings and read your owner\u2019s manual.\u00a0 If there\u2019s a particular shot you want to take but don\u2019t know how (for example \u2013 night photography or fireworks), just Google it and find out how others do it.\u00a0 You really can\u2019t mess up \u2013 there\u2019s always the \u201cdelete\u201d button!<\/p>\n

\u00a0#9 \u2013 Use what you\u2019ve got!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

You don’t have to have the fanciest camera on the block, just use what you have!<\/p><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t think you can\u2019t get good photos just because you don\u2019t own the newest DSLR with all the bells and whistles.\u00a0 Good photography happens because the person behind the camera has a unique perspective and knows how to get the most out of whatever equipment he\/she has.\u00a0 You can have the latest and greatest DSLR but if you don\u2019t know how to use it, you won\u2019t produce good photos.\u00a0 So, even if all you have available to you is the camera on your smart phone, don\u2019t despair!\u00a0 Read up on all the features your camera has and use them!<\/p>\n

\u00a0#10 – Practice makes perfect!\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Practice makes perfect!<\/p><\/div>\n

You can read all you want about how to take good pictures but you have to get the camera out and experiment with what you\u2019ve read and experiment with the settings on your camera!\u00a0 And if at first you don\u2019t succeed, try again!\u00a0 Keep practicing and implementing these tips and others and I promise, your photos will improve!<\/p>\n

I hope you will use these tips and get out there and take some photos!\u00a0 I want to see photos posted in the fellowship group on FB this week! \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0Remember, you have the opportunity to preserve your precious memories, so do it!<\/p>\n

<3\u00a0Shauna<\/p>\n

Shauna Jared\u2019s personal website is www.workhomeplay.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PHOTOGRAPHY Last week, I explained to you why it\u2019s so important to take pictures of your loved ones and to do it often and I hope you\u2019ve taken my advice and have been intentionally capturing your memories!\u00a0 This week, I\u2019m going to give you some basic tips so that your pictures look less like snapshots […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[140,676,765,955],"class_list":["post-2835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-singles","tag-better-photos","tag-memories","tag-photography","tag-shauna-jared","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-JJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2835"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8244,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835\/revisions\/8244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}