31 Days of Photo Fun: Day 5... Light Up The Eyes

Happy Day 5 of our 31 Days of Photo Fun!

I hope your 4th of July was spectacular!

Today we've got another tip to get your images that much more spectacular! Today we will talk about getting light in your subjects' eyes and what a difference that can make in your images.

To explain this, I am going to use a recent session I had with a wonderful family that included 3 stunningly beautiful sisters (and one beautiful soon-to-be sister-in-law, who we will see in a later post).

As I was photographing the family, I took the opportunity to get each sister alone for a solo portrait. While photographing Rachel, I was looking for some decent light, which basically meant I was looking for open shade (stay tuned for this tip on Day 16) and a good angle from which to shoot. This was the first shot I got.

A decently lit shot, it was ok, but I could see right away that there was no light in her eyes. Without light in your subject's eyes, there seems to be no life in your subject. Blah and boring.

We changed her pose, and simply had her tilt her eyes slightly upward toward the light (not too much or you'll be shooting up your subject's nose!).

There we found gorgeous light in her eyes, which gave us a much better portrait.

You can see the same with all three girls. A slight tilt of the eyes toward the direction of your light will give you that sparkle in the eyes, known as "catchlights". They truly make the portrait.

Taking the time to position your subjects so that the light is in their eyes will make all the difference in your images. And if a certain spot isn't working, move your subject and keep trying until you find that light. Even better than Rachel's improved pose above, we scouted out better shade and tried again. This final shot was my favorite of all!

Have fun finding the light and let me know if you see a difference in your photos!

Jen

Cawfee Tawk Tuesday! Fun Times!

Yesterday was the first Monthly Monday Mommy Playdate! It was planned for 9:30am, this month at Mandarach Park, and I was so happy with the turnout! There were about 10 moms who came out to join me on what turned out to be a bright and sunny morning! And for a good chunk of the hour, we were the only moms at the park! It was great fun!

As I told the moms there, I see the purpose of our Monday Mommy dates as three fold:

1. It is a great way to meet and connect with other moms with kids who our the same ages as our own!

2. It is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with our kids while meeting new moms. I'm not sure who had more fun during our hour together, we moms or the kids!

3. It's a great time and place to take a couple of select tips and try them out! New and old friends, quality time with the kids, and an hour of practicing our photography! A sure recipe for fun and success!

At our mommy dates, I will be focusing on compositional tips- tips that you can use immediately, regardless of whether you're using a point and shoot or a fancy DSLR, tips you can use whether you are a seasoned pro or a newbie (mom or photographer!).

Yesterday we started with 2 basic tips:

1. Get closer! This was the very first pointer I ever heard and put into practice and it is still my favorite. Getting closer removes outside distractions, and leaves no question as to who your subject is. And it allows you to get close enough to actually connect with your child! Which leads to...

2. Simply engage with your child. Forget "say cheese" and going for the perfect shot. Just follow him around, spend time with him, talk with him, play with him. Bring your camera along for the ride and just shoot him being him. The expressions are more genuine and you get more of them!

I followed my own pointers and am sharing my favorites from the morning. These were the few I got between great moments with great ladies, and multiple trips up and down the huge slide at Mandarach! Don't know who was more tired after our play date- Mikey or me!

Thanks for spending the morning with me, ladies! I've got a couple of great ideas for the next outing and I hope to see you all there!

Bring a friend!

And keep shooting!

Jen

Baby Steps for Mom: The eBook!

Are you looking for ways to improve your photography? Do you live with the most beautiful children you have ever seen but have little idea how to capture their beauty on a day to day basis? Are you frustrated over how they do amazing new things every day but none of your images seem to show it? Well maybe you need some Baby Steps!

"Baby Steps for Mom" is my new eBook filled with simple but valuable tips on how to improve your day to day photos of your own kids. Get great shots of them between portrait sessions! After all, they are amazing every single day!

And the best part is... it's FREE! By simply joining our mailing list (enter your email in the subscription bar above), you'll gain access to the JLP newsletter, with the free download of this eBook!

You can start improving your "mommytography" today!

Enjoy the book, and let me know what you think!

Jen

Lebo Tip: Take Your Own Great Shots!

Life is full of wonderful moments- first birthdays (just had one in this house!), first days of school (about to have that too), holidays, lost teeth, parties, you name it! And while these are moments we all want to capture with photos, they aren't always moments that allow us the help of a professional photographer.

Now I don't know about you, but September is chock full of wonderful events in our home! You've got the start of school, birthdays, and well... three beautiful kids surrounded by gorgeous fall colors! Someone get me my camera! If you're anything like me, you'll be shooting a lot during the next month of so. And so I thought some "Lebo Tips" might help you capture some great moments!

Tip 1, and it's one of my favorites! Shoot at an angle higher than your subject. When I shot Katie here, I stood on a chair and let her look up to me. Look at the light in her gorgeous eyes. On an overcast day, or in a shady spot, this is a great angle- no squinting, no shadows, just great light in the eyes!

Tip 2: Don't put your subjects in a line. We're not identifying criminals here right? Well, maybe we are... but still! Stagger your subjects so no two sets of eyes are on the same level. This shot could have been chaos- crazy colors, shot right on the front porch, but the way the kids are set up creates a tight knit group! Oh and let them be themselves! One of my favorite things about this shot is my daughter's crazy pink headband- she always wears them 80's style and I know I'll love that about this shot for years to come!

Tip 3: Don't force the shot in bad light. Look for different angles. The light was pretty harsh this morning and Krista's smile was squinty- not her usual beautiful smile.

Solution? Turn her around and shoot her looking out at the ocean, or from the side. As long as she wasn't looking right at me (aka squinting) she was looking perfect. Don't get stuck with the traditional "face forward" shots. Think outside the box.

And again, sometimes the best shots aren't facing forward. I love this shot of Tatumn and Tanner. They are in their own world, best friends. Shoot from every angle!

Tip 4: Don't forget the details! School books, school bags, birthday cakes, prom corsages, hair clips, shoe laces (tied all by themselves!!!), whatever! Shoot all the details!

And finally, Tip 5: don't stop shooting! I LOVE this shot of Ty, and I think his mom does too (she added it to her order despite feeling guilty about loving it). Yes, everyone has photos of those gorgeous smiles, those giggles, those sweet expressions. But seriously, any moms out there with kids who have never cried? Really? Didn't think so! Why not capture those moments too? Soon enough, they'll be old and too cool for us, and we'll look back at all these moments and cherish them all. So shoot them all!

Happy autumn, school year, birthday, whatever everyone! Go take some great shots!

And let me know if you enjoyed this post! Or let me know what you want to know next! I'd love to make "Lebo Tips" a continued post! Got lots to share!

See ya!