Good morning, and thanks for stopping by.  This post is from another great site I found on the web. Enjoy.

#photographyhobbyist  #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

 

How To Set Yourself Up For Success In Newborn Photography | An Interview with Jenni Maroney

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Hey there! It’s Emily  and I am glad you are back for another episode of the Stay Focused Podcast! Today’s episode is pretty exciting one. It’s all about how to set yourself up for success with newborn photography.  I know a lot of you know that I am not a newborn photographer or an expert in newborn photography. So I asked my friend and expert newborn photographer Jenni Maroney on the show today to talk with you about how you can set yourself up for success with newborn photography. Jenni has a pretty amazing story with how she got started in photography and let me just tell you I wish that I would have been her friend when I was seven years old! You’re definitely going to want to stick around and hear her story, but more than that she has got some awesome tips for you if you’re just getting started out with newborn photography or  if you are ready to start a newborn photography business. She lays it all out for you and today’s episode.  I’m so excited to have her on the show today and I don’t want to give away too much yet because you’re going to want to hear directly from Jenni !

Today’s episode is all about How To Set Yourself Up For Success In Newborn Photography 

This episode is is right up your alley if you are thinking that newborn photography is the way you want to go! You can see yourself snuggling up to all those cute, cozy newborns and taking photos that will be cherished by the family forever.
You’re just not sure quite where to start to get your newborn photos looking great and how to set yourself up for newborn business success in the near future.  This episode is EXACTLY what you need to help kick start your newborn photography dreams!

This episode is sponsored by my very own  my very own free 1-hour online workshop Learn Portrait Editing 

Learn Portrait Editing  is totally free & under an hour! You can register at any time right here! 

This workshop was created for you

• if you struggle with the editing piece of your portraits
• if you want to learn how to set yourself up for success from the beginning with your portrait editing
• if you wish you could create beautiful skin tones and glowing skin in ACR, LR or Photoshop

You’re definitely going to want to check out Learn Portrait Editing! You can register for free at any time!

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Recap: 

This episode features expert newborn photographer and newborn photography educator, Jenni Maroney.
Here she walks you through the steps of what you should be focusing on FIRST as a new newborn photographer and then what you should do to set yourself up to run a successful newborn photography business!
Plus, Jenni offers some excellent free resources to help you with your newborn photography skills!

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Links mentioned in this episode:

Get Jenni’s FREE Newborn Photography Guide For Beginners
Where to find more from Jenni Maroney (Make sure to check her out and give her lots of love, she’s got some AWESOME resources for you!):

• Website
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Facebook

What is high key photography, and how to master it

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I mentioned high key photography last week in the tutorial on how to read a histogram, so now feels like a great time to talk about what is high key photography and how to achieve a high key image.

If you didn’t catch the article, read about it here: How to read a histogram and why it’s not perfect

#photographyhobbyist  #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

What is high key photography?

I’ll start by saying that high key photography is not overexposed everything. Just because a photo is bright to achieve the “light and airy” look, does not mean that it is a high key image. It might just be an overexposed image.
High key photographs have minimal tonal range. They lack deep contrast caused by harsh shadows. You’ll find too that the overall colour palette is light. The object of high key photography is to convey a happy, positive vibe and the lack of contrast lends itself to the upbeat vibe. 
While the colors in a high key image are generally light, they don’t have to be white. The background doesn’t have to be white either. It also doesn’t mean that you can’t have any dark colors in a high key image, only that most of the image will be light colors.
On the other hand, low key images are contrast rich. The deep shadows, stark contrast between light and dark, as well as the dark colors all work to create a moody and dramatic atmosphere.
It’s worth noting that images are not either high key or low key. There is a full range of mid key photography between these two opposites.

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What subject matter suits high key photography?

If you can think of a happy, vibrant, energetic subject, then it is well suited to high key photography. Some examples are:

• Family photography
• Health and wellness
• Product photography

Of course, there are a lot more examples, but let’s take a closer look at these three.

Family photography

Family photography is the first thing that springs to mind. Happy images of families having fun together in the sunshine, or in a light and bright studio. Sometimes with a completely white background, but not always.

Health and wellness

Anything that promotes health and wellness, because the feeling of lightness immediately lends a sense of wellness to the image. It feels like summer, and summer feels good.

Product photography

Some product photography, but not all. If your product is an upbeat product, such as yoga clothing or children’s toys, then high key is great. If it is moody, dramatic or mellow, like red wine, a low key image would be better suited.

How do you photograph a high key image?

So, earlier when I said that a high key photograph is not overexposed everything, the operative word was everything.
Very often in high key photography we overexpose the background, sometimes even blow it out. The subject, however, should be accurately exposed, even if it is a bit to the right of the histogram. An underexposed person in a high key portrait can look quite unwell.
The trick to a successful high key image is in managing the balance between the light on the background and the light on the subject.

Three scenarios for a high key image

You can create a high key image anywhere that has a big enough light source for your subject. Let’s look at three completely different scenarios:

• Natural light outside
• Natural light inside
• Studio lighting

Natural light outside

If you’re shooting outdoors with natural light only, using a reflector works wonders to bounce some light back into your subject. This is for two reasons – to reduce shadows on your subject and so that you don’t have to completely blow out the background to get your subject bright enough. This is particularly the case if your subject is backlit.

Further reading: How to use a reflector properly and why you really need one

Pay attention to the background and and make sure they’re light in color. To avoid harsh shadows on your subject, shoot in open shade.
Overcast days are perfect for high key photography outdoors!

Natural light indoors

You don’t need to be outside to create a high key image with natural light. Being indoors is ideally suited to it, because your windows make great high key backgrounds!
Set your exposure for your subject and, as the light is coming from behind your subject, the background will automatically be overexposed to the point of being blown out. Using a reflector would again be helpful for bouncing some light back into your subject to create catchlights.
Another tip – avoid windows with direct sunlight pouring in, because the light will be too bright. Any direct light that falls onto your subject will overexpose the edges of the subject.

In the studio

For high key photography in a studio, use a light coloured background and light the background separately from your subject. Set your background light/s 1 to 2 stops brighter than the key light on your subject.
Depending on your light modifier (softbox, beauty dish or umbrella) and how close it is to your subject, or subjects, you may also need a fill light to lighten the shadows and so reduce contrast on your subject. If this is the case, the fill light needs to be a half to 1 stop below your key light. Diffusing the light will make it softer, which ultimately makes the shadows softer.
As an aside… I know some photographers set up their lighting by trial and error – they take test shots and see what it looks like as they build up the lighting set up. This is too vague and fiddly for me, so I’ve always used a light meter for a quick set up that doesn’t require my subject to sit/stand in position and wait for me to be ready. It also ensures an accurate lighting ratio.

Quick technique tip for high key photography

With all that light bouncing around in front of your lens, it is better not to shoot wide open, otherwise your images could become cloudy. I wouldn’t go wider than f4.

Leave a comment

If you have any questions about high key photography, let us know in the comments.
Also, we love good news, so if our high key tips have helped you to understand how to photograph a high key image, share that too.

Courtesy of:  The Lens Lounge

Hey there blog reader! I'm Cinnamon, the blog writer.

Thanks for stopping by the blog! You'll find lots of resources about Squarespace, Lightroom, Blogging and running your own business. Enjoy!

#photographyhobbyist  #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

When I first started my photography business, I was SO EXCITED to actually start booking clients. BUT because I was so busy learning a ton about my camera, how to shoot to achieve the look I wanted, how light works and how that affects the overall look of my photos...when it actually came time for the sessions themselves...

I would get so nervous that sometimes I felt like I was going to throw up.

Running (or being in charge of and directing) during a family session is probably one of the HARDER things I have done in my time as a photographer. You are likely dealing with:

• Kids of various ages...maybe they just started walking (or RUNNING) and can't sit still for even 1 minute
• Mom's who might be stressed because this whole thing was her idea
• Dad's who are uninterested in this whole process or even slightly mad about being there
• Hunger, tears, dirty shirts and overall overwhelm 

That can be A LOT to deal with all while you are trying to find the best light, backdrop and camera settings.

#mybraincanonlyhandlesomuch

Throughout the years however, I have found that doing a few simple things can really help your sessions to go much more smoothly and will help clients have a great session and want to book you over and over again.

AND THEY WILL RAVE ABOUT YOU to all their friends. And who wouldn't want that? (ummmm...if you are raising your hand right now you need to reread the question) ;-) 

Alrighty so let's get to it already. How in the world do you run such amazing family photo sessions and keep your clients coming back for more???

It all starts before the session

I can't really talk about this enough. Prepping your clients BEFORE the session is absolutely where you start in ensuring your session goes off without a hitch.

• Being super timely with email response and making sure you are professional (but friendly) in your communication as well as being thorough is a must.
• Anticipate questions and answer them before they are asked.
• Have blog posts already written that you can point clients too for more information. 
• If talking on the phone and doing a consultation of sorts is part of your workflow, then absolutely make sure that you are answering their questions during this time in a confident yet friendly way. 
• Education is key. Your clients may not have done this in a LONG time, if ever. They might be feeling a little unsure of the process and/or don't know what to expect. You need to make it all crystal clear for them before they even show up to the park for the session. 

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead comes natural for me as an introvert. We tend to not like brand new situations that we've never encountered before. Novelty is a little unnerving for us. This means that I naturally attempt to make new experiences and situations a little less nerve-wracking by planning ahead.

• Scope out the location you'll be going (if it's somewhere you have never shot before and its feasible for you to do so.) 
• Send detailed questionnaires to your clients so you can get to know them better before you show up at the session. Ask them questions about each of their child so you know a little bit about each one before hand. If little Timmy is feeling shy or uncooperative and then you ask him about his love for trains, you might find he warms up to you a lot sooner! 
• Have a general idea of the shots you want to take during the session and how you might want to execute them. Even though things can go off the rails sometimes (especially with smaller, younger kids) having a plan before hand will help you stay on track and make sure you get all the shots you wanted.  

Be Personable and make them feel comfortable

The session itself is where you can really shine. If you have somewhat of a plan ahead of time you can simply start to execute.
Introduce yourself, make some small talk, acknowledge that having your photo taken is awkward and your goal is to have fun and make this as relaxed and quick as possible.

***PRO TIP: Don't try to make family sessions unnecessarily long. I have never really understood why so many photographers do this. Families (especially with numerous or smaller kids) don't want to spend 2 hours taking photos. It's stressful enough to wrangle your family for a session, prolonging it is not usually fun for them. Be quick and efficient and confident about what you are capturing and I promise you families (especially Dads) will be super impressed and happy! 

Feeling confident about what you are doing makes ALL the difference in the world. I'm not always a huge proponent of "fake it till you make it" but in this instance I would say it applies. Practice, practice, practice so that even if the wind starts to blow, the light shifts or someone breaks down into uncontrollable sobbing (hopefully one of the children, not the adults) you can handle it. 
Your clients are looking for you to take charge and run the session. For a lot of us (me included) who are people pleasers our instinct is to ask questions like "do you want to go here or over there?" or "do you want this pose or that pose".

RESIST THE URGE TO DO THAT! 

They don't know...they have likely never done this before. They are looking for you to be the expert. So be the expert. Even if you feel like you are floundering.

True story: I have cried a few times after sessions are over. Being in charge and dealing with some of the unexpected things that happen during sessions drains me and during a few sessions in particular, I needed the time after to let it all out. My clients never knew how frazzled I was. I ran the session, kept it moving despite the difficulty and waited until it was over to decompress. 

Follow up

Following up is one of my favorite things about businesses that serve their clients well. And its also one of my biggest pet peeves when someone says they should follow up with you and they don't.
After the session, follow up with a brief email letting them know how much fun you had and what to expect next. Even though you might have talked about it at the session, getting that additional confirmation in email of what to expect just adds to the experience and increases confidence and trust that your client has in you.
It doesn't have to be extensive, but even a short email goes a long way.

Service, Service, Service

This last item in a way encompasses all of the items before it. Service is what matters here. Good, thoughtful, friendly service is rare these days. So many people decide to compete on price alone that often times service gets thrown out the window.
Differentiating yourself on service (no matter what price you charge) will never come back to bite you in the you know what. Treating your clients well, anticipating their needs, making them feel cared for and valued all of that goes hand in hand with providing them beautiful images that they will cherish forever.
I can also tell you from personal experience that providing a lackluster service or (GASP) terrible service will ultimately affect how your clients actually view their photos. They could be the best photos in the world, but if the experience of getting them was horrible, they probably won't like them anyway. <-----i around="" but="" get="" hard="" head="" is="" it="" know="" nbsp="" p="" so="" this="" to="" true="" your="">

Want more information about starting a successful photography business? Have you downloaded my 30 steps? 

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When, why and how to use exposure bracketing?

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What is exposure bracketing?

#photographyhobbyist  #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

You bracket your exposure when you take a series of frames of the same scene at different exposure settings (under exposed, correctly exposed and then over exposed) to ensure that you achieve a correct exposure.
Before digital, and the ability to check the histogram for an accurate exposure reading, bracketing was widely used in tricky lighting conditions.

Further reading on exposure: The exposure triangle – why is it so important to know?

Why use automatic exposure bracketing?

Doing it manually takes time, but if you use automatic exposure bracketing (AEB) it happens instantly with each push of the shutter. So you won’t lose the shot while you’re changing your camera settings.
It’s also a great way of ensuring detail in both the shadows and the highlights as all three exposures can be blended into one on the computer. This is using exposure bracketing for HDR (high dynamic range) photography.

Can you use exposure bracketing in manual mode?

Yes. There are two ways to use exposure bracketing in manual mode:

1. You can do it manually by changing any of the three exposure settings – shutter speed, aperture or ISO.
2. Or you can do it automatically in any shooting mode. In manual mode the shutter speed will automatically change with each frame.

Using automatic exposure bracketing is faster than manually bracketing exposure, but only if it is already set up. If you have to set it up first, and events are unfolding in front of you, you might miss the shot.

These photos were taken 3 seconds apart. I was shooting in manual mode and simply changed the aperture by 1 stop. I could have changed the shutter speed instead. In the image above the sky is over exposed. In the image below, the sky is correctly exposed, but the foreground and Tower Bridge are under exposed.
Camera settings:  Shutter speed 1/250, ISO 200, f11 (above image) and f16 (below image)

How do you use automatic exposure bracketing?

Automatic exposure bracketing (AEB) varies from one camera manufacturer to another and even from one model to another of the same manufacturer. Some camera makes are easier to use than others.
The good news is that automatic exposure bracketing makes the whole process really easy, so it is well worth the time finding out how your camera’s system works. For me, the best way to figure something out is just to play with it. If you prefer to follow directions, your camera manual will help you.
On my Nikon D810, I push the BKT button, then select the number of shots I’d like to take (ie how many photos to bracket it by) by turning the main command dial (the one at the back). I turn the sub command dial (the one at the front) to select the exposure value difference of each frame (ie to change by a full stop or a third of a stop etc).
On both my Nikon D810 and D700 I can bracket in differences of 1 stop, 2 stops or 3 stops, and at as little as a third of a stop at a time.
I can also set it to 3, 5, 7 or 9 frames of bracketing. So if I set it to a 1 stop difference with each shot and then select 9 frames, it will take shots at -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3 and +4 stops.
I can also set it to bracket in just one direction – either over or under – rather than one either side of the “correct” exposure, which is the usual way of exposure bracketing. So if I set it to -2, it will take a shot at the correct exposure, then -1 stop, then -2 stops. If I select +2, the opposite happens.
My D700 doesn’t have a dedicated BKT button, but I set one of the other buttons to work for exposure bracketing. Also, it can’t bracket by more than a 1 stop difference at a time, only 0.3, 0.7 or 1 stop. It can, however, bracket up to 9 frames like the D810. The same is true for my old D300.
The basic operation is similar, but as you can see it varies slightly from model to model.

What mode will work for your exposure bracketing scenario?

Once you’ve set your exposure bracketing you need to decide which mode you want to shoot in:

• In shutter speed priority the aperture will change.
• In aperture priority the shutter speed will change.
• In program mode both the aperture and the shutter speed will change.

Speed or stillness?

Is it possible that the scene might change?
Set your drive mode to continuous, either high or low, depending on how quickly you need to work through the frames. This way you can press the shutter once and hold it while the camera clicks through the frames.
Is the scene still with sharpness is your priority?
If you’re photographing something still, such as a bowl of fruit, architecture or a landscape, here’s how to avoid any possibility of camera movement between shots. Put your camera on a tripod, set it to self timer and set your timer to a delay of 2 seconds. This way you just push the shutter once and it will cycle through the bracketing according to how you set it up.

Automatic exposure bracketing set to 3 frames with a 1 stop change in exposure for each from. The shutter speed changed by one stop for each image from 1/6400 to 1/3200 to 1/1600, so the image went from under exposed to correctly exposed to over exposed.
Aperture and ISO remained the same throughout.

To recap on the steps

1. Set the number of frames you want to take.
2. Set the exposure difference you want for each frame.
3. Decide on which mode you want to shoot in.
4. Decide on how fast or slow and set your drive mode or self timer accordingly.

When is exposure bracketing not helpful?

If there are moving elements in a scene and you’re planning on combining your exposure into one, it will be difficult to blend the images together, as each image will be slightly different from the others
If you’re planning on blending the images, ensure that the aperture stays the same throughout your images so that your depth of field is constant. To do this, shoot in aperture priority or manual mode so that the shutter speed changes instead.
When you’re photographing action your scene will change between each shot, so the chances of the best composition being the best exposure as well is small.

There’s more to bracketing

You will have noticed that I didn’t just say bracketing throughout this article, but exposure bracketing. Although exposure bracketing is by far the most common and when photographers refer to bracketing, they usually mean exposure bracketing. However, there is more than just one type of bracketing. There is also:

1. Flash bracketing
2. Focus bracketing
3. Depth of field bracketing
4. White balance bracketing

But we’ll get into that in other posts.

Last important note…

Remember to switch bracketing off when you’ve finished with it as it doesn’t reset itself back to zero. Been there, done that. Was very confused for a bit.

If you have any questions about exposure bracketing, let us know in the comments.
Also, we love good news, so if our photography tips have helped you to understand how to bracket exposures, share that too.

Courtesy of: The Lens Lounge