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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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Snappin’

Budget For This Extra On Your Walt Disney World Vacation
Travel

Budget For This Extra On Your Walt Disney World Vacation

by Jill February 6, 2019
written by Jill

When I am old, my treasures will be photos, and this will be a crown jewel.

We recently hired Melissa Ann Photography to meet up with us for an hour at Magic Kingdom and what she captured was more than I could hope for. 

I am always the magic manufacturer when we do Disney, and I mostly don’t mind, but combine that with being the family’s primary documentarian, and there’s rarely proof I exist, let alone proof that I made that magic happen in our vacation photos.

So I know, I KNOW WDW is already a pricey experience, but maybe consider this if you have a trip planned.

Why Hire A Professional Photographer For Your WDW Vacation?

1. These trips are, for many people, rare, long planned for and, just like other big and expensive moments of your life, you will love having high-quality images to look back on.

2. Park photographers at Photopass spots do an ok job most of the time, and you get access to those photos when you purchase Memory Maker or they will happily take them with your phone or camera, but they are not going to be able to follow you onto or between rides and capture the small moments when the magic really happens.

3. This is a guaranteed way to be sure everyone in your party gets in the picture, beyond the posed and staged shots.

4. Your photographer will also know all the coolest places to capture moments that will stand out and not get lost in a sea of other people.

How Does It Work?

We coordinated our plans with Melissa beforehand. She’s an Annual Passholder and was able to get fast passes on a few rides the same time as us. We met her in the park, she followed us back to the rides and then walked around with us to a couple other spots. In all, it took about an hour and then we were free to enjoy the rest of our day.

We tried to be considerate of people around us and didn’t make a big deal about the photo shoot.  We waited in line and got on rides just like everybody else and Melissa would do her best to get a good vantage point, so there are some factors that will be out of your control. You need to be ok with that and trust that your photographer can capture the magic even if you don’t get the perfect seats on the ride or your favorite color Dumbo. We really tried to keep the whole session low-key and not get in the way of someone else’s magic that day.

How Much Does It Cost?

Rates will obviously vary based on who you hire. Melissa Ann Photography starts at $375 for an hour, including your final digital files. For us, an hour was plenty. If you have a bigger family or group, though, you might want to consider a longer shoot.

Budgeting Ideas- Some Ways You Might Be Able To Allocate Money For A Photoshoot: 

  1. Start with your food. If you’re doing the dining plan, I strongly encourage you to really crunch the numbers and see if it’s worth it. We’ve done it three different ways now: free dining plan, paid for the dining plan, no dining plan. Obviously, the free dining plan wins every time (a promo they offer 1-2x a year when you stay at a WDW resort.) But if you are paying for the dining plan, there’s a strong possibility you’re not actually going to come out ahead financially. You could easily make up for the cost of a photoshoot by paying out of pocket for meals, bringing in your own snacks, and not eating at a table service  restaurant for a few days. Not as hard as it may sound. Lots of quick service restaurants have great food, and many meals are easily shareable.
  2. Downgrade from Park Hopper tickets. In my experience, park hopping is a time suck and a huge stress when dealing with littles anyway. If your itinerary allows, consider paying less for tickets that only let you in one park a day. 
  3. Prioritize photos over other souvenirs. It’s very easy to get sucked into buying stuff at WDW, and even if they aren’t huge purchases, they add up fast. If your kids will want a WDW souvenir, consider buying Disney merch on Amazon or from Walmart or Target before you go, and then sneak it in your luggage and gift it to them there. 

We are basically living at Walt Disney World right now and have been for nearly a month- popping in and out of Fort Wilderness, Disney’s official on-site RV park, and other Orlando area RV parks. Don’t hate me, please!

This is such a rare and wonderful thing, and we are fully taking advantage of it. Partly because when else in our children’s lifetimes will we be able to do this with them? Homeschool part of the day, and then run up and catch the fireworks or snag a fast pass for a favorite ride- we are so super lucky, and I know that.

Also, a big reason for the extended stay is so I can get all the research I need done here for my next eBook (title still pending) all about how to take photos of your family at Walt Disney World. After the jaw-dropping success of my first eBook Picture Play- CLICK THROUGH to read reviews and buy-over 1100 copies sold in less than 3 months and still going strong, I was so inspired to keep creating content that will help regular people take and edit gorgeous photos of their families and of themselves with whatever camera they know and use the most. 

Be sure you’re signed up for my newsletter so you can find out when the next Disney-focused eBook presale starts! 

But even while I’m here working on a book to teach you how to take pictures at Walt Disney World yourself, I still think it’s worth it for you to consider budgeting to hire a professional photographer for your trip to WDW just so you can feel confident that YOU will be represented in some of those magical moments.

Yes, I know WDW is already an expensive endeavor, and a professional photographer is an additional expense that not everyone can add onto an already pricey vacation. But, with a little bit of planning and budgeting, it’s possible it could work out for you!

This post is not sponsored. We hired Melissa Ann Photography and loved the experience so much I had to share.

 

February 6, 2019 1 comment
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Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your Phone
Photography

Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your Phone

by Jill December 13, 2018
written by Jill

We got caught in a big snow storm in Virginia this week, and while it was kind of a nightmare to get the RV out of, our kids had such a fun time playing in the GIANT snowflakes. (I’ve never seen them so big and fluffy!)

I remember the first time I took photos of my son in the snow years ago, I was so disappointed that they didn’t look as bright and crisp as I was seeing with my own eyes. But I had no idea how, nor the tools to fix that so they just remained gray and dim. 

Now, I know exactly how to use my favorite apps to make our snow photos look bright and happy, and I’m going to show you how I edited this one, and how you can use these same steps on your own snow photos.

First, I opened the photo in Snapseed and pulled up the Curves tool.

Snapseed is a free app available in the App Store and Google Play.

I pulled my midtones and light tones up, and then dropped only the very darkest tones at the bottom of the curve. This brightened my whites, kept the boys’ skin tones natural, and added depth by darkening the darkest colors.

Confused by curves? I have a whole chapter dedicated to understanding this powerful editing tool in my eBook Picture Play!

When editing your snow photos, try a similar approach of pulling that top 1/3 of the line up just a bit to brighten and whiten the snow. 

Next I opened the Details tool and selected Structure.

I increased Structure by 29 which made the snowflakes stand out more and brought out detail and contrast in their hats and the building behind them.

Structure is a really fun tool to play with to add a little extra magic to your photos!

Next, I wanted to create a bit of a light and airy feel so I opened the Vignette tool.

But instead of creating a dark vignette around my subjects, I created a reverse/bright vignette- meaning I made the outside of the circle brighter than the inside. This draws attention to my subjects, who are still properly exposed- their skin tones look great, they aren’t too washed out or too shadowy. The area outside the vignette is just a little brighter. 

Try this when your subject is mostly surrounded by bright whites and lighter colors!

The white balance looks pretty good to me, but sometimes snow photos can look really blue or cold. So head to the White Balance tool.

I clicked the eye-dropper tool and put my crosshairs over my white snow. It suggests I make it 3 degrees cooler, and I think that looks good.

When you’re using the eye-dropper tool, just be sure to put those crosshairs over anything white or neutral gray in your photo. See how it automatically adjusts for you. If it looks off, try moving it around to another white or gray spot on your photo to see if you can find a better match.

After that, I saved a copy of my photo from Snapseed and headed to A Color Story for a quick filter. There are two in the free Essentials pack that I think will work well with this and many other snow photos. 

A Color Story is a free app with some free features and some in app purchases. It’s available in the App Store and Google Play.

The first is appropriately named Ice Ice. I applied it at about 65%.

Ice Ice is more muted, cool and less saturated than Pop, which is applied below at about 50%. You can really tell the difference between the two when you look at the red in the bricks.

Both are great for clean, crisp edits with bright whites that will play nice with your subject’s skin. (No turning anyone orange!) 

Again, here is the before:

Here are the finals:

Pop

Ice Ice

RECAP: Tips For Editing Photos Of Snow on Your Phone

  • Use your curves tool (both Snapseed and A Color Story have these) to bring up your light tones and midtones by pulling up the top right side of the curves line-  whitening your whites and brightening your subjects’ skin.
  • Play with the Details->Structure tool in Snapseed to increase or decrease detail, contrast, saturation, and clarity.
  • Try a revere vignette in Snapseed by placing the Vignette tool circle over your subject and increasing the outside of the vignette (dragging the slider to the right) and making it brighter instead of darker. 
  • Check your photo’s color temperature with Snapseed’s White Balance tool. Use the eye dropper and select a part of your photo that is or should be white (like your snow) or neutral gray.
  • Try filters in A Color Story-> Essentials pack. These come free with ACS. Two of my favorites for snow are Ice Ice and Pop. Personally, I rarely ever apply filters at 100%. Try pulling it down to 50-60% to see how that works for you.

If you liked this and would like to learn more about how to take and edit photos you will LOVE with only your phone and free/cheap apps, purchase my eBook Picture Play! 
It’s 161 pages of tutorials, examples, and some of my favorite tips for making my own photos pop. It’s a digital download that you will receive immediately. AND IT MAKES A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT! There is a digital gift card option at checkout. 

December 13, 2018 3 comments
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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 1 comment
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Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great Photos Even When It’s Dark Outside
Photography

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

by Jill November 27, 2018
written by Jill

Today I’m sharing an excerpt from my new eBook, Picture Play, coming out November 30th and available for pre-sale at $5 off the regular price. Order your copy at ShopBabyRabies.com. Since it’s the time of year where the days are getting shorter and darker, I wanted to help you find creative light sources in your home! Enjoy!

So, it’s not daylight outside, or you can’t get much sunlight to stream into the room you’re in. Now what? There’s nothing wrong with using other light sources to light your photos. This is a great time to get creative with what those light sources can be.

A well-placed lamp that illuminates your subject can make a beautiful, moody photo. Imagine if I’d turned on the overhead lights for this too. This photo would feel less dramatic and it would have less depth and interest than it does with this single, focused light source.

Just like sunlight, creative lighting is all about where the light comes from in relation to your subject. In this photo, you can see how the lamp is directly behind my head making my face dark, my hair too bright (notice the complete loss of detail in those bright white parts of my hair), and the overall feel of the photo very messy and grainy.

By simply repositioning my phone so that the light source was off to the right side of the frame instead of directly behind me, I was able to light my face properly and even capture some catchlights in my eyes. The shadows and highlights fall naturally across my face and the top of my baby’s head.

With a little editing, I can brighten the photo a bit more.

Here’s a great example of using a lamp to create a silhouette of subjects—very excited subjects who were listening to a hockey game way past bedtime when their favorite team won. The mood and the motion are more important than the subjects’ faces here.

Tip: Your light sources don’t have to be traditional lamps. Consider a TV, a lava lamp, an iPad, or a computer screen.

Sometimes all you need is an open door and lights on in the room next to you. This photo of my daughter and husband at bedtime is lit by an adjacent bathroom with the lights on.

You can still get well-lit photos with incandescent, fluorescent, or LED overhead lighting. A common issue when relying on interior lighting is that your white balance may be off. Do you see how the white bed in this photo is taking on a yellow tint?

That’s a white balance issue. When you have proper white balance, the whites of your photos will appear, well, white. There’s a proper balance of temperature and tint: warm yellows and magentas and cool greens and blues. When this is not balanced, your photo can look more yellow, magenta, blue, or green than the real scene appears to the eye.

There are simple fixes for this we’ll get into later on in the apps section, so don’t stress too much over it now.

Tip: One easy way to deal with white balance AND low light? Convert the photo to black and white. (We’ll get into black and white conversions more in the eBook.)

Many of the indoor photos you take without natural light can still look awesome with just a little brightness and contrast added.

I hope you found these tips helpful! Be sure to pre-order your copy of Picture Play before November 30th so you can save $5 off the regular price! Head over to ShopBabyRabies.com to get your order in today.

November 27, 2018 1 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 2 comments
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I'll Never Apologize For These Selfies
PhotographySchool Age DaysToddlers

I’ll Never Apologize For These Selfies

by Jill October 23, 2018
written by Jill

I was going through my camera roll on my phone over the weekend, doing my best to organize what feels like the entirety of my life on there, and something struck me like a blast of cold air.

I don’t take napping selfies with Lowell anymore.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Baby Rabies (@babyrabies) on Nov 6, 2015 at 11:58am PST

We simply don’t nap together anymore. He’s mostly outgrown the nap, though he still catches a few Zs in the truck to and from places. He’s sleeping in a tiny bunk bed these days that doesn’t have much room for me, and we don’t spend our days home alone or with a baby- just the two or three of us.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Baby Rabies (@babyrabies) on May 17, 2017 at 1:14pm PDT

Since we took off on this full-time family road trip, a lot has changed, obviously. And I get to experience so much with Lowell and the other 3 now that we are spending nearly every waking moment together exploring.

Related: Reminder To Self: Don’t Compare This Baby To The Others

But I miss those sleeping moments when he would cuddle up under my arm, hand in my hair, and doze off while watching Netflix. It was just the two of us at first, and then he would cradle my pregnant belly. When Wallace was born, he would nap side by side with him.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Baby Rabies (@babyrabies) on Aug 3, 2017 at 5:13pm PDT

This is a blog post written by many a mom before me- you never know what ordinary moments will last be your last, and when they’ll transform from just another part of your routine into a memory on your camera roll.

I sure am grateful for all those selfies, though. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel vain or superficial or silly for snapping pictures of you and your little in a moment you will want to remember.

Related: The Treasure Trove That Is My Photo Booth Library

Last night, I asked him to climb up in bed with me and snuggle, and while he was way too chatty to doze off in my arms, we still took a selfie for old-time’s sake.

October 23, 2018 0 comment
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Photos Are A Life Treasure
ParenthoodPhotography

Moms, Direct Your Own Photos

by Jill April 24, 2018
written by Jill

Sometimes it’s like this, moms:

1. You hand the camera to someone else.

2. You say exactly what you want them to capture.

3. You ask nicely that they please try to capture a flattering angle.

4. But most of all, that they just take a TON OF SHOTS because you are more likely to love one if there are many to choose from.

You take control and you tell people, “Hey! I need a picture with the baby. So here’s the camera. And here’s what I want the picture to look like.” And you don’t delete the shots, even if you think you hate all of them, ok? Don’t look at them for a few months (or years!) if you must. I promise they will age beautifully.

Get the Picture Play eBook and Learn how to take and edited photos on your phone like a pro

It may feel weird in that moment, saying you want someone to take a picture of YOU. I think we stigmatize women wanting photos of themselves in a moment, especially when that moment isn’t a major milestone.

And I think a lot of us have a real barrier up when it comes to asking for this. I know I do! We wish and hope our partners will finally just pick up the camera, and there are tons of posts and articles advising people to take pictures of moms when they don’t ask.

But I’m here to tell you- ASK. And try not to be mad that you had to ask. Don’t just ask, DIRECT. Tell them the picture you wish to have.

Related: Moms, If This Father Is Your Partner, Wake The Hell Up

If your partner is anything like my husband, they will be 1. so glad you reminded them and 2. so glad you told them how to frame up the shot and what you really want.

You can’t rely on someone else to give this gift to you. You give it to yourself. And you give it to your baby. You both deserve it.

Photos are a life treasure, and they are guaranteed to appreciate in value as time goes on. Think about it! They are the most sound investment you can ever make.

So invest.

Be intentional.

April 24, 2018 1 comment
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Playgroup Week #12: Organizing & Printing Your Photos
Playgroup

Playgroup Week #12: Organizing & Printing Your Photos

by Désirée April 18, 2017
written by Désirée

Some of the most common questions people ask me about photography, actually have to do with what happens AFTER I take the photos on my DSLR or iPhone. I think we’re all guilty of doing, well, NOTHING with our photos, right? Maybe we just post them to Instagram… or we just let them sit inside our devices and then we panic about the day our camera card corrupts or we run out of space on our smartphones.

I get lots of questions about how I organize and print my photos, but since I’m not a pro and I wanted to learn some tips too, I invited one of my blogging friends, Jennifer Borget of Cherish365 (previously Baby Making Machine) to share her photo-printing and organizing advice with us!

Watch the episode below to find out how Jennifer gets her photos out of her camera and into her home, learn how an app called MemoryWeb can ease the stress of organizing your photos online, and enter to win this week’s incredible giveaway. Scroll down… you do NOT want to miss this one!

 

Be sure to visit Jennifer’s blog at cherish365.com and you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Giveaway

This week, we have a huge giveaway from MemoryWeb including: a Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR camera body, a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM standard lens, and a one year subscription to MemoryWeb including 1 terabyte storage, original file resolution, and best display & archival quality. This is the perfect prize pack for aspiring photographers and parents who can’t wait to up their photo game. Four runners up will also get a year long MemoryWeb subscription, and you have multiple options for entering. Good luck and thanks for watching!

MemoryWeb Photography Giveaway

April 18, 2017 21 comments
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How I Edited This Pic On My Phone
BabiesPhotography

How I Edited This Pic On My Phone

by Jill March 17, 2017
written by Jill

I’ve been doing a bit of this lately over on Instagram now that they’ve introduced “albums.” I take a fully edited pic and break down the steps and apps I used to get from straight out of (phone) camera to the final image.

I thought I’d do one here today, showing you how I documented Wallace’s newest milestone- the airplane baby phase, since quite a few people asked how I got this shot.

To start, I had to rest the phone on my boobs, and set the timer. It took a few test shots to figure out proper placement…

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

And I had to switch from the 3-second timer to the 10-second timer because I needed more time to get Wallace’s attention.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Once I got a shot I was happy with (after about 4 tries), I took it into a new app I just downloaded called TouchRetouch (also available in Google Play) because I wanted to get rid of that ugly vent.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

I selected “Object Removal” in the bottom left corner, then I used the brush, painted over the vent, and pressed “go.”

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Voila! Bye bye, vent.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Next, I opened A Color Story app (also in Google Play), and used my very favorite tool- curves, to pull up the shadows a bit and brighten up his face.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

I decided to turn this black and white, so I went into the B&W set of filters, and chose Audrey. This is my go-to B&W filter for this app because it brightens the skin tone up, and gives a good amount of contrast and clarity. I kept this at full strength.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

So then I took it over to Instagram. Now, technically, IG only has a few true B&W filters, but if your image is already B&W to begin with, all the filters play into that.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

I liked what Ludwig had going on here, but took it down to about half strength.

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

And that’s how I took this picture from eh, pretty cool…

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

To OMG best picture of a 2.5 month old!

Mobile Phone Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Mobile Phone Edit Picture Play | BabyRabies.com

Like I mentioned, I’ve shared a few other photo editing tutorials on my @BabyRabies Instagram account. You can find them with the #BabyRabiesPicturePlay hashtag. Here are a couple! Be sure to click through to see all the steps.

Time for another picture play! This time with only #acolorstory app. This pic I took of the @magnolia silos today wasn’t bad, but I gave it a pop and some sun flare for extra sparkle. ? I started with the Deep filter “true” not quite at 100. ? Then I went to the Curves tool and pulled the shadows up brightened by pulling the top dot down and left and the bottom dot straight up just a bit. ? Added a little warmth with the white balance tool. ? Went to the flares effects, and chose #7. ? Moved the flare up to the top right corner (where there was already a natural bright spot) and decreased the effect a bit. ? That’s it! #babyrabiespictureplay

A post shared by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Mar 8, 2017 at 9:18pm PST

I didn’t have time to share one of my fav mobile photo editing tricks in my FB live #babyrabiesplaygroup today so I’m sharing here now. ? How to remove blemishes? Wallace is always scratching his face (no matter how much I cut his nails) in his unending quest to suck his thumb. ??Snapseed is a free app that has a “healing tool” Once you select it the tool, zoom in a bit on the area you want to heal. This takes some practice. Sometimes it will just heal a big streak instead of zooming in. Reverse it and try again. ??Heal blemishes by simply tapping on them. A red dot will appear, and then it will clone out that spot. Sometimes it will put something weird in its place like a nostril hole. Don’t fret. Reverse. Try again. Maybe zoom in a bit more and retry. (This also works for healing your own zits. Take my word for it.) ??Now that everything is healed, I’ll take you through the rest of my edits. First, I open in A Color Story app. ?? I go to tools, then curves. Then I pull the middle of the curve up just a bit to brighten the skin. ?? My go-to filter here is “Everyday” under Essentials. Note that I’m not using it at 100. ?? Once I take it to IG, I like to use the Clarendon filter but scaled wayyyy back, to maybe 20ish. I just like the little bit of cool and blue it adds. ???????????? I loved talking about mobile phone photography and editing today! If you missed it, the episode will stay up on my FB pg- Facebook.com/babyrabiesblog Catch me tomorrow over on @bebeaulait! I’m doing an IG takeover for them. #babyrabiespictureplay

A post shared by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Feb 28, 2017 at 11:07am PST

March 17, 2017 0 comment
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Playgroup Week 5: Smartphone Photography Tips
ParenthoodPlaygroupVideos

Playgroup Week 5: Smartphone Photography Tips

by Désirée February 28, 2017
written by Désirée

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This week’s episode of the Baby Rabies Playgroup is all about getting the best results from your smartphone camera. I love my DSLR, don’t get me wrong, but I’m sure you guys can relate to using your iPhone WAY more for taking pics of your kids.

It’s handy. It’s simple. And in today’s episode and I’m going to show you some of my favorite tips and tricks for taking and editing photos with your phone.

Each week we’ve had some amazing brands to share giveaways with you, and this week is no different. One lucky winner is going to get an awesome prize back from our friends at Bebe au Lait, including:

  • Bebe au Lait Classic Muslin Snuggle Blanket
  • Bebe au Lait Classic Muslin Bedtime Sleeper
  • Bebe au Lait Hooded Towel

I’ll also be taking over the @bebeaulait Instagram TOMORROW (March 1st) to share our day, so get ready for lots of Wallace snapshots 😉

Enter below for your chance to win!

Playgroup Week 5: Smartphone Photography Tips

Playgroup #5 Giveaway: Bebe au Lait

February 28, 2017 0 comment
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