Secret to backlighting: Photography Tip Video Q & A

April 12, 2013 By 20 Comments
backlighting images

Now that the sun is coming out and the weather is warmer we can play around with backlighting. Today I answer two questions pertaining to backlighting. I share a trick to help you nail focus and get correct exposure. Questions: "Tonight I was trying to shoot a couple with lots of pretty backlighting and sunflare. I had a lot of trouble getting the camera to focus a number of times. I switched to manual focus a few times to get that effect, but it was driving me nuts. Any ideas for ...continue reading

Finding Light in Unexpected Places

April 5, 2013 By 24 Comments
food photography using garage light

If you could see my garage, you would know why it may not be the first place someone would think of when trying to find a place to set up for great photos. Well, you will get to see my garage in just a second when I bravely show you a pull back that includes tons of moving boxes that still aren’t unpacked from the last move.  But, unpacking isn’t the point here. Finding good light is the point.  And, isn’t it wonderful that sometimes good light can be found in unexpected places.  ...continue reading

Dramatic Lighting: From Start to Finish

January 11, 2013 By 4 Comments
Screen shot 2013-01-10 at 8.29.50 PM

I got a lot of questions about a photo I took of my daughter with some dramatic lighting. There are several ways to achieve this shot but I’m going to show you the way I like to do it. From setup to editing. Here is the original photo. But today I'm going to show you how to achieve this with an updated photo of myself. First off, this is for the most part a staged and creative edit shoot for me. In one case I am able to get this with my daughter just hanging out but you must be ...continue reading

The Secret to Capture Christmas Light Bokeh Background

December 20, 2012 By 2 Comments
pullback for Christmas light bokeh

Do you see these photos of the Christmas light bokeh background and a child wonderful exposed and wonder, how did they do that??? The secret to capturing one of these images is not a fancy flash or light set up. It is...are you ready for it?? Natural light. Hopefully your tree is by a window. If not, don't worry. You can string lights on your headboard or a foam board if you have a different location you would prefer to use. Set your subject in a location where the light hits them ...continue reading

Creating Dramatic Light in a Small Space

December 18, 2012 By 16 Comments
Celeste Pavlik

I shoot in natural light and low light. I adore dramatic light. The kind that makes me suck in a quick breath when I see it and causes my heart to skip a beat or the kind that makes me take a wild u-turn because I saw a beautiful patch of light and my kids are screaming, "Where are we going Mom, this isn't the way!!". Sometimes it's unexpected where I find it and that's what makes it interesting. I've spent the last year or so discovering that in addition to some yummy outdoor light, ...continue reading

Shooting for Black and White Photographs

December 14, 2012 By 12 Comments
black and white photography

As someone who processes the majority of her work in black and white, I'm often asked how I know what will make a good black and white image. Sometimes I'm asked if I "see" in black and white before I shoot as well as how do I convert to black and white. So that's what I'm going to talk about today! It took me a very long time to find my style. Frustratingly long! But between a few Clickin' Moms courses over the past year as well as a lot of soul searching, I feel that I'm finally on ...continue reading

Split Lighting Made Easy With 5 Steps

April 10, 2012 By 12 Comments
split lighting photography

Split lighting is one of my new favorite types of way to manipulate light. I first learned about split lighting in Megan Cieloha's workshop - Lighting 201: Mastering Natural Light Indoors. Her class taught me how to take advantage of the light I have in my house as well as taking really cool split light images. If you are wanting to learn more about natural light you MUST take this workshop! Lighting truly can make or break an image. It can give your image a soft dreamy or dramatic ...continue reading

6 Tips for Night Photography

September 27, 2011 By 17 Comments
ISO 100, f/4, SS 0.6 seconds

All too often we put our cameras away when the sunsets. I know I am guilty of this because I use natural light in 99% of my photos. However, I encourage you to take some time this week to practice night photography. There are so many different type of photos you can capture at night time. 1. Slow shutter speed. Play with lights to paint images or use the tail lights of cars to show movement. 2. Use different light to illuminate your subject. It's really fun to use ...continue reading

A Tip for Shooting in Full Sun

June 12, 2011 By 7 Comments
scimming

It's summer time which means that you will be spending a lot of time outside with your camera in the sun. A lot of photographers try not to shoot when the sun this super harsh (myself included) but here is a little trick you can use if you need to. Grab your reflector and place it above your subject as a skim or diffuser. I helps to reduce how harsh the sun hits your subject. I realize most of us are moms and probably don't carry around our reflector. However, this is a fun tip to use if ...continue reading

Dreamy Summer Light–Why Didn’t I Think of That? Wednesday

June 8, 2011 By 2 Comments
�StaceyWoods_TheCreativeMama

I know I have written about getting a haze effect before but I also wanted to share this post with you as well. Who wouldn't want to Iearn all you can about lighting!! I love all Stacey's examples and how she calls the light glowy :O) There are some great tips in here to take advantage of the wonderful summer sun coming our way! Be sure to check it out!! If you have time you should check out the author's photography blog as well!! Here images are just lovely!! Stacey Woods Photography ...continue reading