Photo Tip of the week: Capturing kids pictures: Professional Photographer Plymouth South Shore

One of the hardest things to do is to take a great picture of your kids.  I have a few tips to make that easier: 1. Pick their best time of day for pictures whether you or hiring someone or taking them yourself.  I find that for most kids that is morning.

2. Make sure your kids are well fed.  Also bring snacks, drinks, and treats to make things easier.

3. Play and interact while you are taking their pictures, it brings out the bright side of their personality.

4. If they are having a tough time, give them some time to reset.  Whether I am taking pictures for other people or myself I find that this comes in handy to change the mood.  I am more worried about getting the right shot than about the time on the clock.

Happy Shooting!

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Photo Tip of the week: Taking better family photos!

So now that it is getting nicer out and summer is coming more of us are thinking about taking vacations and getting out and about.  In addition to wanting to have loads of fun on your trip, you probably want to capture some moments that remind you of the great time that you had. Here are some things that I find helpful.

1. If you are driving bring a tripod.  You want a picture of the WHOLE family.

2. When you set people up look for a location with a bench or some rocks, something that will make it easier to stagger people.  Photos are so much more interesting that way.

3. Stay away from bold prints.  If one person is wearing a brig floral caftan, that will certainly be the focus of the picture!

4.  If you have kids, take pictures in the morning.  That is usually their best time and the time they are most willing to listen to direction.  Also I am not above bribery (carry a little treat with you, a couple M&M's go a long way!

5. Mid afternoon is the best time to capture great lighting.  It's called the golden hour and you have great light if you think you can get you family to pose then.

6. Save noontime for lunch not pictures!  There is usually a hazy film on your images when the sun is right over head.  I try to avoid taking pictures at this time if I can help it!

If all of this seems like a lot, consider calling a photographer located where you are staying and having them meet you for an afternoon.  Family Photo Shoots are affordable and you won't regret having some great images to cherish!  Happy Shooting!

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Photo Tip of the Day: Most Flattering Portrait Angle

So I would say that pretty much all of us, me included, have something that they don't love about their appearance.  As a photographer, you are trying to not only take a technically good photo, but also capture people in their best light so that the results show the best of who they really are.  This doesn't mean that your photographer needs to know how to make you loose 25 pounds in photoshop or how to erase age lines to make you look 10 years younger.  You just need to know something about light and positioning.  The best angle I have found for almost every body type is to sit your subject sideways looking at you slightly over their shoulder with you taking the photo at eye level or slightly about.  Also when it comes to lighting avoid harsh sunlight or shadows.  Stand you subjects in the shade or wait for a partly cloudy day.  If you can't avoid the shadows, use your flash outside and in bright sunlight.  The flash will help to fill in the shadows that are cast at weird angles so that people are more evenly lit. Here is an example:

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Photography Tip of the Day: Taking good family photos

I find one of the toughest things for people is to make a family photo look interesting.  When you go on vacation someplace nice you want to take a photo of yourself there to capture the moment.  However, lining everyone up in a line is usually not that interesting looking.  One of the easiest things you can do is to have people at different heights.  Even with just a few people it adds more visual interest.  Use something available like stairs at a famous building or rocks at the beach and have people interspersed at different levels so that you are filling the frame with interesting content or making it more interesting. With kids, another good thing is to provide snacks and drinks and time to run around.  If kids are grumpy and don't want to take a picture then give them 10 minutes to goof off and/ or have a snack.  It usually changes the mood right away.  I almost always have snacks and waters on hand a family photo shoots just to make life easier for people.  If you are planning a big trip, consider hiring a professional where you are going to take a photo while you are there.  It makes a once in a lifetime trip even more memorable. Happy Shooting!

Plymouth South Shore Professional Photographer: Beach with the Sanfords

I had the wonderful opportunity on Friday to enjoy some sand and sun with the Sanfords.  Sadie is a particularly easy subject to shoot because she enjoys life so much.  She can entertain herself and she is so sweet and fun that she makes the day so enjoyable.  We had fun building sandcastles and surfing, snapping some pictures in between.  Hope you enjoy these as much as I had fun taking them!