Thursday, January 7, 2010

first photog tip thursday

so if you read my goals post from jan. 1, you saw that one of my blog goals is to post photog tips on thursdays. first, just so i get it out there, i am just a mom with a camera who wants to hold on to EVERY SINGLE MOMENT of my kids lives. i took a "SPA" course from smitten photography two years ago and learned some tricks but everything else has been self taught through lots of trials and a LOT more errors HA!

one of my other goals is to take 5000 pictures this year. i'm using this blog to help hold me accountable on taking so many pictures and on taking the time to learn new tips and tricks each week.

on that note, todays tip is to take LOTS of pictures. i know it doesn't sound like that great of a tip, BUT the more pictures you take the more you learn what works and what doesn't work. ask any great photographer and they will tell you that it takes many many pictures to get ONE good picture and many many more to get ONE perfect shot.

i love have a little one again as it's great having a subject that 1) actually likes to get his picture taken (my two year old is hit or miss these days!) and 2) stays in one place! i have been taking FULL advantage of connor's babyness and do quite a few photo shoots a month. each shoot i usually take 100-200 pictures in about 15-30 minutes. it sounds like a lot, but there may only be a handful that i really like and thanks to digital we can do this! what on earth did photographers do before digital? i have NO idea and i totally would have wasted a TON of film!

after spending two years taking A LOT of pictures, i am really starting to see a difference in my photos. i am learning what works and what doesn't. i didn't notice this so much at first, but now it's really starting to kick in!

today i took 83 pictures of connor in about 10 minutes. here are a few i was excited about:
















soooooo, all of that being said, have fun taking LOTS of pictures this week. don't be afraid to try new things, props, etc. these "experiments" are what lead to great photo opps! you have to take a lot of bad pictures to get those perfect pictures we all love!



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3 comments:

Jeanette said...

they are fabulous! Great job! I took 149 pics of Sara Beth sitting at the table yesterday eating her snack (it's the only way I can keep her still and in one place) and out of 149 pics, there was only ONE that I liked....the one on my blog today. Great tip...yes, it takes hundreds of pics to get some really good ones! That's true for the amature and professional photographer!

Erin said...

i know! i can never get ANY good pics of parker these days. it's rare that he will even look at the camera! i'm practicing with connor while i can and then once he's on the move i'll be out taking pictures of blades of grass or something HA! i'm loving your pics of Sara Beth, so it's worth taking so many!

Melissa @ Southern Mommas said...

Keep the tips coming. I got a nikon for christmas and I am still trying to figure out this thing. I like the idea of just taking TONS of pics :)