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Baby Rabies

pregnancy & parenting

  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
  • Parenthood
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • School Age Kids
    • Parenting LOLZ
  • Photography
    • Photography

      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

      Photography

      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

      Photography

      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

  • Reviews
    • Reviews

      The Answer To Last Minute Holiday Gifting For…

      December 19, 2018

      Reviews

      I Was Never A Barbie Girl Until Now

      October 1, 2018

      Reviews

      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

      August 22, 2018

      Reviews

      If Your Kid Loves Dump Trucks & Garbage…

      August 13, 2018

      Reviews

      Nobody Tell My Kids ABC Mouse Is Part…

      September 4, 2017

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photography tips

I Wrote An eBook And Here's What People Have To Say About It
Photography

I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is What People Are Saying About It

by Jill December 6, 2018
written by Jill

Over the last year, as we’ve been travelling in our RV, I’ve had it in my head that I would write an eBook teaching people techniques for taking and editing photos using only their phones.

Last Friday, that book, Picture Play, officially released to the world and the response has been incredible.

Photography is something I get asked about a lot on the @babyrabies Instagram account and on @happy.loud.life as well. People will ask what camera I’m using and what settings. Most of the time I’m shooting with my iPhone (not even the newest iPhone) and editing with a few apps I’ve fallen in love with over the years.

Sometimes I will post pictures to IG that I took with my DSLR, but even then, I’m bringing it over to my phone to edit. It’s just easier and more effective than busting out Lightroom or Photoshop. Especially on the go.

Related: Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great Photos Even When It’s Dark Outside

Inside Picture Play (delivered to you as a 161-page eBook that you can read on your phone, tablet, or computer) I go over how to take and edit photos using cheap or free apps, in a way that will help you discover your own style so that you can start making your photos look exactly how you want them to look- and bring new life to old photos waiting in the depths of your phone storage.

I Wrote An eBook And Here's What People Have To Say About It

When you purchase Picture Play, you’ll also get access to the exclusive Facebook group where we share our photos, go over edits together, and I share even more advanced techniques and demonstrations.

The eBook already has 20+ amazing reviews over at ShopBabyRabies.com. Here are just a few:

I know life changing seems a little dramatic but I’m so in awe of what this has helped me do. We live in Washington so we often have dark overcast skies and it can be hard to get the right picture. But this taught me about what curves actually were and how to adjust lighting and warm or cool a picture. And now I don’t have to freak out over a rubberband on a wrist because I have learned how to remove it just from this book! – Katie

I highly recommend this book! Everything is broken down and easy to understand. I love that it has actual pictures as examples to walk you through it. I’m always taking pictures of my kids on my phone due to convenience and looking for ways to make them pop later. This is definitely a game changer! It’s great being able to go back to the book as a reference. I’ve been using the book and apps every day since I downloaded them! Great Job Jill! – Kimmy

I’ve always been so impressed with Jill’s photos on her blog and her insta pages, and assumed she used costly programs for editing. Within a few minutes of reading this book, I’ve started making some amazing edits of my own photos! The e-book is beautiful, with easy-to-follow tips and app recommendations. I can’t wait to keep practicing with old and new photos! – Andrea

You don’t need all the fancy equipment to make beautiful edits happen, and when so many of us are relying on just our phones to capture our lives, it really feels like less pressure knowing you can photograph on the go and still make it look amazing.

I wrote more about why and how I wrote Picture Play over at Happy Loud Life if you want to read on. I’ve also shared a coupon code for readers that will be available until December 20, 2018.

Baby Rabies Picture Play eBook | Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On Your Phone Like A Boss

December 6, 2018 0 comment
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Baby Rabies Picture Play eBook | Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On Your Phone Like A Boss
Photography

Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On Your Phone Like A Pro

by Jill November 19, 2018
written by Jill

When I was pregnant with my 2nd baby in 2010, I was desperate for a “fancy camera”, not just a point and shoot that would give me blurry photos.

I felt I NEEDED a $600+ DSLR, plus a $150+ prime lens. Honestly, back in 2010, that really was one of the best options for capturing beautiful photos of my soon-to-be-born baby girl and toddler son.

Using my PHONE to capture photos I would cherish forever, print, and frame? Ha! That never crossed my mind, and if someone suggested that I’d have laughed.

Baby Photo Ideas

Fast forward 8 years, I’ve invested thousands of dollars in pro-level photography gear and photo editing programs. I’ve taken classes and spent countless hours teaching myself how to master my DSLR camera and complicated programs like Photoshop and Lightroom.

And I’m here to tell you that some of my very favorite pictures of my kids were taken on my iPhone, and edited with free or inexpensive apps.

Honestly.

Baby Photo Ideas

As a full-time parenting and travel blogger, there is a place for my fancy camera and advanced editing programs.

But as a parent, thanks to rapid advances in camera quality and intuitive and accessible apps, many times my phone is all I need to beautifully capture my kids in the moment.

And so, I’ve written an eBook to help you get the same satisfaction of snapping the best photos possible using just your phone and some super accessible apps!

Baby Rabies Picture Play eBook | Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On Your Phone Like A Boss

Pre-order the Picture Play eBook today and save $5

Who is this book for?

  • If you are totally clueless about how to take pictures that you will love with your phone, this book is for you.
  • If you are good with taking pictures, but have no idea how to make them pop and look beautiful or you tend to over-filter your photos, this book is for you.
  • If you carry your fancy camera everywhere with you, but would love the freedom of getting great shots from your phone, this book is for you.
  • If you want to up your Instagram game, this book is for you.
  • If you just want to take better pictures that you have no intention of sharing online, this book is for you.
  • If you own an iPhone, this book is for you.
  • *If you own an Android, this book is for you.

Baby Rabies Picture Play eBook | Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On Your Phone Like A Boss

Click here to order now >>

BONUS!

When you purchase Picture Play, you are invited to join the exclusive Picture Play Facebook group where you can learn even more! I’ll be demonstrating more advanced photo edits weekly in the group and I’ll be available to coach you through editing some of your own photos as well!

*While I personally speak from my own experience with using an iPhone (currently a 7+, not even the newest model), most of the techniques I’m sharing will work on any type of phone, and all apps are available for both iPhone and Android. I will not get into the basics on how to operate the camera function on any phone. This book assumes you know how to access the camera on the phone you own and how to take a photo with it.

Pre-order the Picture Play eBook today and save $5

November 19, 2018 1 comment
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Take Summer Photos From Snapshot To Frame-Worthy
PhotographyTravelVideos

Take Summer Photos From Snapshot To Frame-Worthy

by Jill May 17, 2016
written by Jill

Summer is almost here! This is a post I wrote last summer, but I am dusting it off and made a video to go with it because summer is my favorite time of year to take pictures.

tipsforgreatsummperphotos

Watch the video below for 5 tips for great summer photos….

Then click through to last year’s post to see what my 6th tip was, especially those of you with access to photo editing programs.

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May 17, 2016 13 comments
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5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know
BabiesPhotographyPregnancyReviews

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know

by Jill June 1, 2015
written by Jill


I’ve been shooting with a Canon camera and lenses for almost 5 years now, so naturally I was pumped to work with them on a post to encourage new and expecting parents to get behind a camera and document life with baby. Thanks to Canon for sponsoring this post.

I have pictures of my first baby with us in the hospital after he was born. Good friends of ours, photographers, took them.

I cherish them. Not only because they capture those first 24 hours so perfectly with my first squishy newborn, but because I have maybe 2 or 3 more with him from the time we brought him home from the hospital until he was 4 weeks old.

4 weeks may not seem like a long time to go without taking pictures with someone you love, but 4 weeks is an eternity in newborn years. It was also an eternity in new-mom years, and that eternity was full of mastitis, colic, and anxiety.

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

It wasn’t that loving, bonding, happy time I thought life with a newborn should be. And so it went undocumented.

By the time I had my 2nd baby 2.5 years later, I regretted that so much that I purchased my first DSLR- a Canon Rebel camera and a Canon EF 50 f/1.4 lens– the month before she was born. I know the saying goes that poor 2nd babies end up with no pictures of their childhood, especially compared to the first, but that’s far from the truth in this house.

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

Family photo taken, days before I had Leyna, with my brand new Canon Rebel DSLR camera (on Auto because, wow, it’s overwhelming when you get your first fancy camera!).

By the time I had my 3rd baby another 2.5 years later, I mastered and embraced documenting ALL the baby emotions and moments.

The good..

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

And the kinda rough…

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

If I could pass on 5 bits of wisdom to new and expecting parents when it comes to documenting all the first family moments, they would be:

1. Both parents should be familiar with how to work the camera!

I never even bothered asking my husband to take pictures for me with my first son because he was clueless about lighting and settings. He didn’t even know where the camera was half the time. By the time we had Leyna, our 2nd, he was much more proactive, taking pictures of me even when I was convinced I looked terrible and didn’t want to be in the shot. (More on that later)

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

In the hospital with Leyna, 1 day old

This becomes an even bigger problem when one parent is using a DSLR camera and manually adjusting the settings. My husband still doesn’t know what aperture is or how to adjust the ISO.

So what I like to do for him is to put the camera on AV (aperture priority) mode, and set the aperture relatively wide (small number), like a 3.0, and adjust the ISO accordingly (higher if indoors, lower if outdoors). Then I send him on his merry way, and he mostly gets amazing shots for me.

2. Know where the light lives in your home.

You’ll be spending a lot of time inside with baby those early weeks/months. If you can, try to scope out where the natural light comes pouring in your house and at what time of day before baby comes. Natural light is a million times more flattering (especially on newborn skin!) than a flash from your camera.

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

 

Take advantage of those sleepy afternoon naps. I loved putting my 3rd baby in his Rock & Play, with a pretty muslin blanket under him, and getting pictures in the sun.

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

As he got older I used the same spot in the living room and tossed him in a beanbag!

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

I also highly recommend getting a different lens for your DSLR camera that has a wide (low number) aperture, like 1.4 or 1.8. This makes shooting indoors with low light so much easier, and produces beautiful shallow depth of field.

3. Put white sheets on your bed, or keep a white cover nearby. This is especially great for those newborn days when you and baby spend a ton of time on your bed anyway. I got so many amazing pictures of my 3rd on our bed. The white was a natural reflector and a neutral, simple backdrop.

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

4. As baby grows, get creative with containment.

Trying to get a mobile baby to sit still for a picture is pretty close to the definition of insanity. Try the beanbag trick like I mentioned above (always keeping a very close eye and never leaving baby alone in it), but also experiment with angles around their crib and their highchair.

I liked to keep the highchair next to our big window in the kitchen, and tried to keep the background and surrounding walls clutter free.

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

Get in close for those happy crib shots post nap or first thing in the morning.

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

5. Take more pictures. Don’t delete the ones you think you look bad in.

I will never apologize for taking too many pictures of and with my kids. I can never get back those first 4 weeks of my first baby’s life, and I hate that I have very little to look back and remember it with.

That said, I am just as guilty as anyone when it comes to not liking pictures of myself. I’m quick to delete ones that I don’t feel are flattering.

But then I stumble across ones like this…

5 Photography Tips All New & Expecting Parents Need to Know | BabyRabies.com

And I’m just so dang happy to have that moment now.

At the time, I remember looking at the back of the camera and wanting to cry. I was close to deleting it when Scott took the camera from my hands. I recall pretty vividly that I was feeling the frump on that vacation. None of my pre-baby clothes fit. Maternity clothes looked ridiculous. My hair was falling out in clumps. My skin was breaking out.

But now I look at it and see beyond all of that. THAT is a picture of life with a newborn and toddler. The fact that I even managed to put on makeup that day is a triumph. And look at my happy little boy?

It’s perfect.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to capturing all those sweet family moments after you have a baby is to give yourself room to grow! Put more emphasis on the picture capturing the moment and the emotion than it being technically perfect.

10 years from now, you won’t care if a picture of your newborn is a little blurry, or you had a big pimple on your cheek. You’ll be happy to just have the moment captured.

June 1, 2015 5 comments
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Manual Shooting Made Easy(ish)
Photography

Manual Shooting Made Easy(ish)

by Jill March 12, 2015
written by Jill

I truly believe the (not so) secret to getting images that WOW from your DSLR camera is to force yourself to learn how to shoot in manual. It is amazing the kind of power you have once you master that magical exposure triangle.

If you have absolutely no idea how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work with each other, then this isn’t going to do you much good. If you have never even seen those words before? I’m sorry. Come back tomorrow and I’ll try to have something fun up that won’t hurt your brain or have anything to do with photography.

IF you have heard those words before, and you DO know what they do..ish… and you know how to set them on your camera, then THIS IS FOR YOU! (Tiny little segment of a fraction of my readers, you!)

A simple trick to make shooting in manual easier | BabyRabies.com - never fumble with settings and miss your shot again!

This is how I shoot outdoors 99.5% of the time. It makes it so much easier to get the shot when I’m chasing kids around outdoors and through various lighting situations.

This tip can also work indoors, but you have to make some sacrifices and be mindful of some things. I’ll talk about them more at the bottom of the post.

A simple trick to make shooting in manual easier | BabyRabies.com - never fumble with settings and miss your shot again!

1. Set your aperture, and leave it. Since you’re going to leave this alone after your set it, set it just narrow enough to get all of your subjects in focus most of the time. 3.5 is usually pretty safe for me.

A simple trick to make shooting in manual easier | BabyRabies.com - never fumble with settings and miss your shot again!

2. Set your ISO, and leave it. I tend to bump my ISO up a bit here because I’m shooting with a narrower aperture than I usually do (3.5 isn’t as wide open as I’m used to, but essential for nailing focus with moving kids… at petting zoos, of all places). 800 ISO works most of the time. The grain isn’t even detectable once I run slight noise reduction in Lightroom.

A simple trick to make shooting in manual easier | BabyRabies.com - never fumble with settings and miss your shot again!

The KEY is to get your aperture and ISO to a place where you have the freedom to control exposure simply with your shutter wheel. By keeping your ISO high enough, and your aperture wide enough (or just narrow enough), you’re not risking having to take your shutter speed too low (in outdoor, well-lit situations, at least).

A simple trick to make shooting in manual easier | BabyRabies.com - never fumble with settings and miss your shot again!

3. Control exposure with the shutter wheel. With each new lighting situation, meter off your subject, and adjust simply by rolling your shutter wheel one way or the other. Be aware of the shutter speed going too low, though! Nailing focus isn’t going to do much good if you wind up with blurry photos from a low shutter speed. (Unless that’s what you’re going for, of course.)

That’s why it’s important to keep the aperture just narrow enough and your ISO high enough.

A simple trick to make shooting in manual easier | BabyRabies.com - never fumble with settings and miss your shot again!

Indoors- You can certainly use this tip indoors, as well, but I suggest upping that ISO even more, and opening up the aperture even more so that you don’t risk bumping your shutter speed too low in low-light situations.

I hope this little trick works for you! I don’t claim to be an expert, this is just something I’ve adopted as habit, and it seems to be working for me. Let me know if you have questions! (Besides what is the Exposure Triangle and how do I learn my camera settings because then you just need to buy Understanding Exposure and read it, okay? And also probably your camera manual.)

March 12, 2015 3 comments
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Slice Of Perfect In Our Messy Reality- A Photography Challenge
BabiesPhotographyThe StoryToddlers

Slice Of Perfect In Our Messy Reality- A Photography Challenge

by Jill April 15, 2014
written by Jill

“How do you keep your house so clean?”

I get this a lot, which is highly laughable. While I would say we have managed to keep ourselves from reaching hoarder status (except for the months directly following having a baby), we certainly don’t live in a pristine house, or a house as clean as many of my pictures would lead you to believe.

IMG_1557

It’s not that I’m trying to deceive you. I’ll be the first to admit to anyone who remarks how clean my house looks that either a. the housekeeper was just here or b. there’s a pile of laundry to my left, and a sink full of dishes to my right. I just happened to crop them out of the picture.

But I get that part of this blogging, sharing, social media life thing can lead to feelings of inadequacy when comparing ourselves to others. I certainly find myself looking at beautifully decorated homes with perfectly organized spaces with pangs of jealousy.

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I like to think, though, that they also are just showing a little slice of perfect amongst their messy reality. I’d put money on the fact that this is what nearly everyone does. And there’s nothing wrong with that! As much as I try to document real life whenever possible, I also want some pictures that make me forget what it’s like to live amongst chaos… and fruit snack wrappers.

So for every picture as sweet and clean as this…

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There’s usually a bigger picture like this…

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If you haven’t quite mastered how to take little slice of perfect pics amongst your messy reality, here are a few tips for you:

TipsForTakingPicsInMessyReality

Let’s start with our cluttered playroom. It’s not a HUGE mess, but it’s not very pretty from this angle, either.

IMG_1506

The very first thing you need to do is get as much (preferably natural) light in there. Open up all the curtains. Heck, even open up an exterior door if you can.

Also, if you’re shooting with a DSLR and are comfortable with manual mode, up your ISO and open up your aperture until you get good exposure. The following pics were taken with 3200-6400 ISO and a 2.5 aperture. (I used the noise reduction slider in Lightroom to eliminate some of the grain caused by the high ISO.)

This will 1. help you get more light into your picture and 2. help blur out the background, making the surrounding mess less noticeable.

IMG_1518Of course, there is also a lot to be said for the strategic crop.

IMG_1514

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And change up your perspective. If all your mess is on the floor, shoot up and away from it.

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If your subject is in front of cluttered bookshelves, shoot over the top of him.

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Isolate small pieces of the visual story.

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A good black & white conversion can always help unify a picture with a lot going on in it.

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All of these tips can be applied to mobile photo editing, as well. Use apps like Snapseed to increase the brightness and convert pictures to black & white. (I’ll do a Snapseed editing tutorial if y’all would like.)

SliceOfPerfectMessyReality

Now, I want you to join in on this fun. I want to see BOTH your little #SliceOfPerfect AND your #MessyReality. There are a few ways to join in. If you have a blog and want to blog about this, you can link up below. If you’re on Facebook, you can post your pictures to my page (be sure to tag them #SliceOfPerfect or #MessyReality). If you’re on Instagram, share them with the hashtags #SliceOfPerfect and #MessyReality. You can either make a collage of both, or share them separately.

I’m @BabyRabies on Instagram.
My Facebook page is Facebook.com/BabyRabiesBlog.

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April 15, 2014 38 comments
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Less Stress, More Fun Holiday Picture Tips
Photography

Less Stress, More Fun Holiday Picture Tips

by Jill December 5, 2013
written by Jill

Sometimes the stress of getting card-worthy family pictures is enough to make us want to draw stick figures in Paint, I know. But before you make such a desperate (genius?) move, check out these tips on how to get holiday pictures without crying and sweating (too much).

HolidayPictureTips

1. Take the focus off your family. Literally put the focus of your camera on something else in the foreground of the picture, and have your family in the background.

FamilyTreeBlur1

You’d never know that my son was whining in this shot, and that my toddler was not cooperating, either. I didn’t have to stress about smiles, hair, or other small details. I simply focused my camera on the jingle bell ornaments in front.

I shot this with my DSLR, so I could control the settings more. I think this was shot around a 2.0 aperture, with my focal point directed at the jingle bells.

But if you don’t have a “fancy” camera, you could still try to achieve the same look, though it might not be as pronounced. Try using the “macro” setting on your point and shoot (usually an icon of a flower), and be sure your family is really far back from the object you’re focusing on.

2. Put on your PJs and jump into bed.

FrontCard1

No need to stress about what to wear. Bust out those holiday PJs now, jump into a well-lit bed, and promise the kids you’ll let them jump around after they sit still for a few shots.

I posted this picture in a post I did recently on good holiday PJ deals. A few people wanted to know my settings and how I lit this. Nothing fancy. This was in my son’s room, and the window was to our right. The light was streaming directly into the room and onto the bed in front of us. I took his white duvet out of the cover, and it acted as a natural reflector.

Technically, part of the duvet and my hand are blown out, but our faces are well lit, and that’s all I was hoping for.

Here’s the shot straight out of the camera.

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Settings: f/4.0, 160ss, 1600 ISO, shot with my 50 1.4 lens on a Canon MK II.

I cropped it, and adjusted brightness and white balance in Lightroom.

3. Embrace real life.

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Courtney from Click It Up A Notch has a great tutorial on how to make your Christmas photos look like more than snapshots.

Embrace the mess and activities this time of year. Let friends and family see a little slice of real life instead of making everyone smile in front of the fireplace.

Don’t stress about not getting everyone in the picture. Utilize cards that offer collage layouts. I love Minted.com’s photo holiday cards, and they have a ton of designs that work for more than one picture, and their platform makes it super easy to customize everything.

Screen Shot 2013-12-05 at 12.50.05 AM

Love this Signed & Sealed design. It would work great with lifestyle shots.

So snap one of the kids doing something together, but also don’t forget to get mom and dad in there, too! Pass off the camera if you’re the family photographer. Get in the action!

4. Don’t tell them to smile at the camera!

IMG_6433

That’s half the battle with kids, right? They never want to smile and look at the camera. And if they do, they smile those creepy, forced smiles and give each other bunny ears. Don’t out yourself. Don’t even let them know you’re taking pictures. Just do so quietly. Be a documentarian. Capture them in their natural habitat.

If you’re attempting a remote shot with the whole family, just interact naturally and fire off some shots from your remote without telling them. See what comes of it.

5. Turn off your flash. Yup, even at night.

DSC_6088

I love this tutorial from Click It Up A Notch on how to take this picture, and can’t wait to try it out this year with my kids. Courtney does a great job explaining how to use the light that’s already coming from your tree to light up your subjects.

Morning, noon, or night, you do not need that flash on your camera. During the day, let as much light in as possible. Open all the windows and blinds. Be aware of where the light is coming from in your house. At night, let the tree and holiday lights in your home help dramatically light your subjects. The result is sure to make your photo card stand out in the stack of mail.

I presented all of these tips this week on The Broadcast. You can check out the segment below.

December 5, 2013 18 comments
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BabiesCrafty!Photography

Freezing Time And Putting It On Display

by Jill June 26, 2013
written by Jill

I cleaned out Leyna’s closet last week in an effort to figure out what I do and don’t have for the next baby. As I pulled out little storage boxes and bags overflowing with tiny onesies, I began finding artifacts that lead me through wormholes, to little glimpses of what it was like to have a newborn baby Kendall or Leyna. It’s strange how a tiny t-shirt with snaps in the crotch can do that.

One of my favorite onesies from Kendall’s infancy had a tear where the snaps should go. I was sad I couldn’t hold onto it for the next baby, and I couldn’t bring myself to throw it in the trash.

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So I cut out the front, and I framed it.

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And then I got my inspiration for this month’s Decor & Cool Spaces post on the Red Barn Blog. Head on over there to check it out.

Tips For Still Life Photography

June 26, 2013 7 comments
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5 Tips For Taking Pictures Of Yourself
Photography

5 Tips For Taking Pictures Of Yourself

by Jill November 6, 2012
written by Jill


There’s been a bit of a movement lately to encourage moms to get in front of the camera. I’ve blogged about it before, about how important it is for our kids to have tangible photographic evidence that we were here, too.

In theory, it should be as simple as sucking it up (or in, in the case of my gut), and hopping in when someone else is taking the picture. But in reality, a lot of us ARE the photographers. So the only way to be sure we can take the picture  and also be in it is to figure out how to do the 2 things at the same time.

Here are 5 tips for taking pictures of yourself, including pictures with your family. And yes, dads, these all pertain to you, as well, if you happen to be the family documentarian.

1. Invest in a remote control and a tripod. These do not have to be expensive. My remote was less than $5, and I ordered it online. If your camera isn’t compatible with a remote, at least locate the self-timer. The tripod will be a little more of an investment, but well worth it. You can use it for many other types of photography (like star trails… oooh!), and it’s the safest place for your camera to take a picture from when not held safely in someone’s hands.

2. Plan your set-up. Unlike candids and in-the-moment lifestyle photography, selfies have to have a little planning behind them. That doesn’t mean it can’t look like a candid shot, but you’ll need to figure out exactly where you’re shooting so you can adjust your settings accordingly and, obviously, point your camera in the right direction.

I took this picture of my daughter and myself after I knew that she would want to curl up on the couch with me around 4 p.m. when the light is beautiful in our living room. She does this every day.

So around 3:45 I set up and did a few test shots, aiming at the corner of the couch, where I knew we’d wind up. I adjusted my settings, including stopping down my aperture a bit more than I usually do.* Then climbed onto the couch with my remote control in hand, set to a 2-second timer so I had time to hide the remote after pushing the button before the shutter fired.

*If you shoot with a (D)SLR, it’s important your f-stop or aperture isn’t too wide open (remember the smaller the number – like 1.4- the wider it is). The wider it is, the harder it will be to nail focus, and since you won’t be behind the lens to make small adjustments, you’ll need a little wiggle room to avoid a blurry picture.

3. If you’re expecting perfection, be prepared to work for it. Taking our own family picture was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done as a photographer. This idyllic scene did not come without much sweat and tears… and me running from the camera back to the hill because we were out of range for my remote, and I was relying on the 10-second self timer.

Out of about 20 shots of this same set-up, came this one perfect frame that I would run 10 miles for to get it if I had to. The lesson here is DON’T GIVE UP! Of course, know when to throw some bribes at your kids and feed them dinner, but keep trying.

4. Remember you are the subject! Or at least one of them. Think of angles and light that flatter you the most. You’re 10x more likely to actually keep a picture you look good in, right? So don’t go to all the work of taking a picture of yourself and not do your best to make sure you don’t look awful.

Now, I’m not saying this is the best picture of me. In fact, I took it on a day that was particularly crappy – no makeup, in my pjs. But, I had the good sense to stand in flattering light. (It was actually side light from our open front door. I was practically standing in the doorway). And I took it from an angle that’s flattering – slightly above eye level.*

For this one, I didn’t have time to break out the tripod, so I just held it out in front of myself and fired away. You may notice I slightly missed focus because it was so close, but it captured the mood I was trying to convey so I stuck with it.

* Be careful with this, though, you don’t want anything too extreme or you’ll end up looking like a bad MySpace profile pic. And promise me you won’t make a duck face. Please. 

5. Be persistent & don’t delete too quickly. Keep trying. Keep practicing. Keep getting in the picture. And don’t be so quick to delete the ones you don’t like! Remember, 10 years from now, we’ll probably look back at any pictures of ourselves today and think we were crazy for feeling ugly/fat/frumpy. And I’m fairly confident our children won’t judge in 50 years when they run across a picture of us that so perfectly captures the mannerisms and character they lovingly remember…perfect or not.

This post is part of BlogHer’s Pro Photography Tips editorial series, made possible by Panasonic.

November 6, 2012 16 comments
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