Using a Reflector

This is for all the mommas out there.  You know, the ones who want decent photos of their kids.  Well, unless you have a 3-year-old, a la the Sunbean, and then you'll never get a decent shot.  That child is not a fan of photography these days.

One of my favorite photography tools is a reflector.  Here's my typical setup for Little Dude's weekly photo shoot.

I'm a natural-light photographer, so I never use a flash.  I'm just not a fan flash photography.  So when shooting indoors, I often move around furniture so that I can have a space with lots of natural light.

Here's where the reflector comes in.  It causes that natural light to bounce back on the subject, resulting in a well-lit image instead of lots of shadows.

For example, here's a SOOC (straight out of camera) shot without a reflector:

And here's another SOOC using the same settings, with a reflector:

Crazy different, huh?

Here's the best part.  You don't need a fancy, expensive reflector {though I'm sure they work better}.  My reflector is a simple foam board.  It was 2 bucks at Target, next to the poster boards.

If the subject is sitting or standing, just have them hold the reflector.  You can also have someone else hold it, too.  Just do what works with you, your subject, and the shot you want.

So on your next shopping trip, grab a foam board and start snappin'!

4x4x9 Months

Back to Reality

We've been in sunny Florida for the past week.  It was so lovely.

My kids were fantastic, the weather was beautiful, and the company was wonderful.

We spent some time in central Florida with my grandma, and then headed to the gulf coast to stay with my grandpa and grandma.  Florida is the place to be for my grandparents {not a complaint}.

My kids were spoiled by the plethora of grandparents {we traveled with my mom, too}, and I enjoyed having a few moments here and there to myself {I started and finished a book}.

It was such a fun break from the everyday, and I so love taking my littles to the beach.  There's just something therapeutic about it.

More pics to come.

Little Dude is...

Oh, this little boy is growing up so fast.  We were at the doctor today {the poor thing is sick}, and he's weighing in at 21.1 pounds.  I'm glad his growth has plateaued a bit.

Here's what my big boy is doing:

• This little guy isn't so little.  We're in a carseat predicament.  We bought a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio carseat, which is designed for babies up to 30 pounds and 30 inches.  Well, he's not 30 inches yet, but his torso is too long, even at the biggest setting!  It's ridiculous.  So we'll be buying another Recaro Como convertible seat soon.
• He's a crawling monster now.  It took him a few days once he started to figure it out, but now he's all over the place.  The Sunbean is not that pleased about it.
• It took him a few months to warm up to table food, and now he can't get enough!  He'll eat anything and everything put before him.  Last night he ate half a quinoa burger.  He also eats the Sunbean under the table, with no problem.
• His sleeping is so great....but I'm dreading night-weaning.  The Sunbean did it herself at 9 months, but I don't see that happening here.  He's sleeping 12 hours at night {waking up for a snack every few hours}, and takes 2 naps.
• He's becoming such a social guy.  He loves to play with the Sunbean, and just loves it when someone is interacting with him.

I don't have all of his nine-month pics edited yet, but here's a favorite:

 Love that sweet boy.

I Did 52

Last year, one of my big goals was to learn more about my camera {cannon rebel xs}.  I wanted to learn more about shooting manual, and more about editing.

 I got Photoshop at the end of 2010, and started stalking some photogs on Facebook.  I decided to try a 'challenge' set forth by one of them, called "Let's Do 52".  The idea was to challenge yourself to take a fresh photo each week.  It was a great way to make sure I got my camera out each week and to make sure I challenged myself to try new ideas and techniques.

I'm really happy with my progress in 2011.  I learned a lot, and I feel comfortable with my camera.  I've even had 6 different people pay me money for photo shoots!  That's something I never thought would happen.

So if you've got the time, check out my 'Let's Do 52' tab.  Here are some of my favorites:

I'm not doing a specific challenge this year, since my camera is already a part of my daily life.

How about you?  Did you complete any goals in 2011?

4 x 4 x 6 Months

Bad Mommy, Cute Pictures

The Pumpkin Project

 

Sunday in the Park

 Yesterday after church, we took the kids to a local park.  There are a ton of parks around here, and I love this one because it is almost always deserted and it has some great scenery for photos.  Here's a few I took yesterday.

I sure do love these people.

This Holiday Weekend, Safety is a Must

4 x 4 x 3 Months

If I Could Guarantee...

...that all my babies would be this sweet, I'd have 15 of them.

Easy to Love

 

  

  

 

Little Dude's Weekly Photo Project

It's no secret that I lurve these guys.  I get tons of ideas and inspiration from their blog.  I started reading right around the time they had Clara, and I have loved watching their weekly photo project evolve.

So Little Dude gets a weekly photo project all his own.  I added a page to the top of my blog, since I probably won't dedicate a whole post each week.  I get that most of you aren't as obsessed with my kids as I am.  Probably just my mom.

It's hard to believe it's been a week, but here's the first:

I Am...

....a stinking milk machine.

But you gotta love this face.

Stream of Consciousness

I really, really, really wanted to blog about something besides pregnancy.  But I seriously can't help it.  I don't have enough non-pregnancy-related thoughts in my head for an entire post.  Sad, but true.

• Here's a quick tip:  if you can think of nothing else to comment on besides my size, just don't talk to me.  Well, unless you're going to tell me that I look great.  Then go right ahead!
• In sacrament meeting today, we sang a Primary song {A Child's Prayer}.  I loved hearing the Primary kids sing along.
• Speaking of Primary, it was HOT today.  And the kids were cuh-razy.  One child did look at me curiously and ask if I was having a baby.  Love it.
• Want to know what I hate?  People telling me when I'm going to have this baby.  For reals, people.  If my doctor {who is familiar with my baby-birthing-parts} can't give me an accurate prediction, neither can you.  You're just guessing.  Quit.  Unless there are money and/or prizes involved.  For me.
• After church today, we realized we don't have any butter.  That's a travesty when you need dessert.  Luckily, my fall-back recipe is the peanut butter cookies that only use peanut butter, an egg, and a cup of sugar.
• Awhile back, I became the proud owner of Erin Cobb's Clean Color workflow video for Photoshop.  Seriously, this girl is a genius.  I first learned Photoshop back in high school {9 years ago....eep!}, and when I recently got CS4, it was like learning a new program.  This video was perfect for me to learn the nitty-gritty details about how to edit my photos.  Now I want to go back and edit everything.  I'm quickly learning, though, that not every photo can be edited this way.  Otherwise, I'd be editing all day and all night.  But seriously, if you're in the market for a good tutorial for photo-editing, check her out.  I'm just new at this, but here's an example of my novice use of her editing technique:

Mostly, this just makes me excited to have another green-bean-eating chubby little baby around.

Happy Sunday to you!

One would hope I'll have some new baby pictures to post this week.  No one's pregnant forever, right?!?

I Heart the Sunbean

Let's Do 52: Handwritten

A few weeks ago, the prompt for "Let's Do 52" was 'handwritten'.  I immediately thought of this lovely stack of letters that I have in a box in my cloest.  I keep most cards/letters/notes that I recieve, espeically those that are meaningful.  I pulled the box down to find a good 'handwritten' object for the photo, and found these gems:

My stack of letters from MacGyver while he was on his mission.  For those of you not familiar with our story, we dates for about 6 months, and then he left for a 2-year service mission for our church.  We got to talk on the phone only 4 times in the two years, but we were able to write letters each week.

Looking at the stack of letters brought back so many memories of watching my mailbox like a hawk.  I'm sure my college roommates remember it well, too!  It was tough to have such strong feelings for someone, and then be limited to letter-writing for two whole years.  In the end, it was one of the best things to happen to our relationship.  We got to learn about each other and were able to develop a good friendship.  And we'll always have these letters, which I know we both treasure.  It's really fun to read them and remember what our 19-year-old selves were like.

So I thought I'd share why this stack of handwritten letters is one of my favorite posessions.

Happy Monday!

A Little Photoshop Love

I always love the cute artwork you can find on etsy.  Especially the church-y ones that actually look modern and fun.  I have a hard time finding gospel-related decor that doesn't make my house look frumpy.

Here's my first stab at it.  Come on over and see it on my mantle!

Indiana Weather is Weird

Rain puddles {and no coat} one day, snow the next.

Happy Friday!