Raising Memories: Making & Documenting Family Memories

Showing posts with label photography tips. Show all posts

Apple Shaped Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

With Fall around the corner, it felt like the right time to share these Apple Shaped Oreo Cheesecake Truffles! I have a recipe for you, but don't feel you have to make them look like apples- they're good with any coloured coating, fancy-looking or not!

It's been nearly 10 years since I threw my sister a School Themed bridal shower, and made these Oreo cheesecake truffles, dressed up to look like apples! They were so cute and it's time to revisit that recipe!

My mom & I worked together on these with a recipe from a friend of ours that is so simple & so delicious! Want to try them? I thought so! ;)

How to Get Better Photos with your Pop-Up Flash (& a Giveaway!)

I mentioned in an earlier post that I used an external flash for our Christmas morning photos. If you haven't researched photography very much, you might wonder why I would feel the need to use an external flash if my camera comes with a pop-up flash. I'll talk about that in this post. (I have also written a post all about using your flash & when it is good to use it & when it is better not to here.)

There are several ways to do just fine with what your DSLR comes with (in my case, very high ISO capabilities and a pop-up flash). If you set your ISO high (the D3300 can go up to an impressive 12,800), you can get rid of the blur that can come with low light, but you're likely to end up with a more noisy/grainy photo (which you may or may not like). Your other option is to use your pop-up flash which solves the noise problem, but is not ideal lighting (you can end up with red eye and harsh shadows when using a pop-up flash).

Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #7: No Cheese!

Several months ago I gave a workshop on how to take better pictures with the camera you have. (You don't necessarily need to go out & buy a better camera to improve your photos!) I thought it would be something worth sharing here, so I'm going to share it in parts. Each Friday I'll share another part. If you have any photography-related questions that you'd like to see me answer, feel free to leave them in the comments
(or e-mail me). Perhaps I could do a post on a subject you're curious about.

Tip #7: No Cheese!
1. Take more candid photos! Don’t always stop your kids and have them smile at you for photos. That’s great sometimes, but be a fly on the wall other times, and catch them busy at something.

2. Wait for it… If your kids are prone to stopping what they’re doing & either smiling for the camera or avoiding the camera (out of habit/expectation), try waiting with your camera ready, until they get sick of paying attention to you. When they get back to what they’re doing, you can anticipate what they’re likely to do next and stay ready with your camera, so that when that cute moment comes, you’re ready to click!

During this Easter Egg Hunt, I crouched down by this egg, ready for someone to come and get it!
The kids were moving so quickly that this proved to be the best way to catch that moment!
3. When you want a smiling photo: Instead of asking them to smile and say cheese, try getting them laughing instead! You’re much more likely to get a genuine smile or facial expression! (How you get them laughing is up to you- tell a silly joke, make a funny noise, tickle… do whatever works for your kids! Some kids respond well to being told, “Don’t you smile! Don’t you DARE smile!”… after saying that a few times with a mischievous grin on your face, they just might crack into the biggest, most genuine smile you’ve ever caught on camera! (But don’t forget to have your camera READY for it when the genuine facial expression comes- sometimes they’re short lived & you don’t want to miss it!)

Candid photos are some of my favourites. They're great for taking you right back to that moment in time!
I hope this gets you thinking this week as you pull your camera out. See if you can go a week without asking anyone to SAY CHEESE!
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Share the photos you're taking with the tips in this series on Instagram, using the hashtag #RaisingMemories

You can find me on Instagram @RaisingMemories
Other Posts in the Series:

Tip #1: Using Your Flash
Tip #2: Natural Light
Tip #3: Be Aware of your Background
Tip #4: Perspective
Tip #5: Focus & Zoom
Tip #6: Rule of Thirds
Tip #7: No Cheese!

Each Friday I'll share another photography tip. If you have any photography-related questions that you'd like to see me answer, feel free to leave them in the comments- perhaps I could do a future post on a subject you're curious about.

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Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #6: Rule of Thirds

Pssst... while we're on the subject of photography... don't miss the Jo Totes Camera Bag giveaway going on right here! ... now back to the post:

Several months ago I gave a workshop on how to take better pictures with the camera you have. (You don't necessarily need to go out & buy a better camera to improve your photos!) I thought it would be something worth sharing here, so I'm going to share it in parts. Each Friday I'll share another part. If you have any photography-related questions that you'd like to see me answer, feel free to leave them in the comments
(or e-mail me). Perhaps I could do a post on a subject you're curious about.

Tip #6: Rule of Thirds
1. Draw an imaginary tic-tac-toe grid over your photo. Compose your photo so that the interesting part of the photo is at one of the intersections of the grid. This makes for a more interesting photo visually.

When you look at this photo, what is your eye drawn to first?

Hopefully it's Katrina's eye ;) That was the goal. See how her eye lines right up at the intersection of the grid?

Try taking some off-center photos this week & see what you think!
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Share the photos you're taking with the tips in this series on Instagram, using the hashtag #RaisingMemories

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Please subscribe or follow to keep in touch.

Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #5: Focus & Zoom

Tip #5: Focus & Zoom
1. If your camera doesn’t decide the focus for you, you will generally want to focus on the subject’s eyes.

2. Get Close! Your photos don’t have to include your child’s whole body! You can get in closer- get a photo of their face, and you don’t have to stop there- don’t be afraid to cut off the top of their head, their ears, or their chin and get a REALLY close shot! Try getting detail shots- we love our kids’ chubby hands, cute bed head, and other details- go ahead and capture them so you can always remember them! Zoom in on their funny clothing choices, or their little legs in those cute rain boots. Ask yourself what is so cute about them in this moment and then focus on that part of them!

Take some time this week to pull out the camera while your kids are playing. Take a moment & ask yourself what part of them is most cute at that moment. Then zoom right in and try capturing it without the rest of the surrounding scene. See what details you can capture!

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Share the photos you're taking with the tips in this series on Instagram, using the hashtag #RaisingMemories

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Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #4: Perspective

Tip #4: Perspective

Switch things up by changing your perspective!
1. When you’re taking photos of children, try getting down on their eye level.
It makes for a more interesting photo.

2. Get Low or High: We call it a “bird’s eye” or a “worm’s eye” view. Move your body!
Try looking up at your subject, or down on them.

3. Try taking a photo of the side or the back of your child (whether that’s posed, or while they’re busy with something)

I hope you'll have some fun playing with your perspective when you're taking photos of your kids this week!

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Share the photos you're taking with the tips in this series on Instagram, using the hashtag #RaisingMemories

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Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #3: Be Aware of Your Background

Tip #3: Be Aware of Your Background

Taking a moment to assess the background and make a few quick changes can make a big difference to your photo! Here are a few helpful tips to remember:

1. Do Clear the Clutter: doing this is good if you’re taking a posed photo, and you want focus to be totally on your subject. Take a look at what’s behind the subject- is it a cluttered floor? Or a busy room in the background? Could you move to a plain wall or less distracting part of the house? Could you pick up a handful of toys (or kick them out of the frame of the photo ;) ?

Standing on a chair instantly removed the cluttered background from this photo-
now there's nothing competing for your attention!

2. Don’t Clear the Clutter: Sometimes photos of your children or family at home are all about capturing a moment in time. The messy background (toys on the floor, dinner just finished still on the table, kids’ masterpieces stuck to the fridge or wall) are a true part of that! So, don’t be afraid to have them in your photos either- sometimes something in the background is a great memory for later!

Don’t busy yourself with tidying up the background if it means missing the moment!

3. Distracting Elements: Before you click the photo, take a look at what you see- is there a tree or a pole “growing out of” someone’s head? Is there a random kid playing on the park behind your kid? Sometimes asking your subject to move a bit to the right or left makes a huge difference! Sometimes YOU can move a little, to change what’s directly behind your subject in the frame. If you’ve got a minute to make an adjustment like that, go for it!

I really wish I had paid attention to the distracting flower bed when I took this photo- asking the bride to scoot over a couple of feet would've saved me some time in Photoshop later!
I hope these tips will give you some helpful things to think of when you're taking pictures-paying attention to your background can change an "okay" photo into an awesome photo! :)

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Share the photos you're taking with the tips in this series on Instagram, using the hashtag #RaisingMemories

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Please subscribe or follow to keep in touch.

Apple Shaped Oreo Cheesecake Truffles

How to Get Better Photos with your Pop-Up Flash (& a Giveaway!)

Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #7: No Cheese!

Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #6: Rule of Thirds

Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #5: Focus & Zoom

Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #4: Perspective

Take Better Photos With the Camera You Already Have- Tip #3: Be Aware of Your Background

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