Sunrise Creations Blog

It has been a while since we talked about photography and our technique with the camera.

I love to learn how other photographers get their results.  They always give me an idea or some inspiration to work with.  This video is a great example.  The topic is 'low light photography' but the tip is incredibly simple.  It's so simple that you might be tempted to overlook it, but don't do that.  It works.  Best of all, you can apply it to every shot you take.

I hope you find this as useful as I did.  I see many great photos in your future.

 

 

After my last post I thought I'd share some of my favourite family photos with you.  I love these.  They were taken by my son Liam.  We set up a little tripod for him and let him loose with a camera.  He directed us for every photo so the results are the ones he was after.

If you look carefully you will see that the photos are taken quite low down at Liam's eye level.  If you look closely you can see the door knob showing above my husband's head. 

We had a great time clowning around and the photos have turned out brilliantly.

Why not try this with your children?  The photos are something we will keep forever.  Despite our lovely faces!!

Sometimes, we forget that children have their own unique and often very interesting way of viewing the world.

We also tend to be a little protective of items such as our cameras and don’t let them into the hands of a child.

Handing a camera to a child, for a moment, an hour or a full day, can open up a whole new world for you. It can open up an interesting conversation with the child, give you a good laugh or, importantly, give you a brand new perspective on the world you live in. It can open your eyes to an entire world you haven’t seen since you were a child yourself.

Let the child freely snap away at what interests them. It’s like giving yourself a present. You get to have a good look around you and take in sights than you would probably not notice on any other day.

If you are a budding photographer yourself, you’ll be exposed to a greater range of interesting subjects.  Imagine what it might do to your creativity?

Just think about the way kids see the world.  First of all, it’s influenced by their height.  Children might see adults as giants, buildings as the houses of giants, and cats, rabbits and birds as so much bigger than they seem to us.  Just imagine what these things look like from their little height.  What might they see from their angle?

Mostly, children bring unique, intriguing and unexpected images and imagination to your life.

Give a child a camera and experience life through their eyes. It will open up some amazing scenery for you.

These images were taken by children. As part of the Cherish Every Child project, kids aged 2 to 6 in Springfield MA. were given a camera and allowed to photograph their world.  What a wonderful way to encourage them to explore and see things differently while allowing them to use their creativity.   

Now why not give your children the same opportunity?

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you fell into photography?

I started a property styling business, making houses look good for prospective buyers, and took up photography to go with it as a package. The more I learnt about photography the more I loved it.

I started to find I was more drawn to photographing people than things. I loved the emotional connection you can get and feel through the lens and seeing that in the end print. There is nothing more beautiful!

2.  You speak about finding the inner beauty in everyone in your photography, how do you achieve this?

Seeing and allowing people to show you their inner beauty can be one of the hardest things for photographers. I create space and a loving and supportive environment to allow them to be. I take the time to get to know them and their story, make them feel comfortable and know that whatever they say is ok. There is no judgment, right or wrong.

It’s incredibly powerful to see someone grow in spirit before your eyes.

3. What is the most important tip you’d share with others when photographing others?

My greatest tip would be to put the camera down…get to know your clients before you even pick up the camera, care about them and who they are as a person. Make it all about them.

4. What has been your biggest achievement with photography?

My biggest achievements have been my personal growth. Through photography I have become a better person through learning to connect and open my heart to others.

5.  What has been your biggest challenge with your business?

My biggest challenge would be my bookwork and keeping my desk clean, haha! I blame it on my crazy creative side!

6. You’re an award winning photographer – do you have a favourite image?

Some of my favorite images are not the ones which win awards.  My favorites are the images that, when I look at them, I get choked up with emotion.

Like this image of Vicky and Rowan. I know she will be able to look at this image for the rest of her life and feel what she was feeling on her wedding day; totally adored by her husband!

7. What’s your favourite, Sunshine Coast breakky?

Something really yummy like Canadian pancakes with loads of bacon!

 

In the last post I told you about some useful online tutorials that will help you to honr your skills as a photographer.  There is another place you can go to find information and that is Youtube.

I had a quick look through the photography tutorials recently and found this one which I think is very useful.  Light can make or break your photos so knowing how to work with it is really important.

I hope you enjoy this video and that you pick up lots of tips to help your shots.  I'd love to see them if you'd care to share.

Honing your skills in the photographic world doesn’t need to be a burden on your wallet or your time.  In fact, you can improve your know-how without even having to leave the comfort of your own home.  The Internet is your gateway to a world of information for people just like you.

Online photography tutorials offer lessons on a vast range of topics from the different types of photography, to the software available, the right lighting to use, shooting indoors and out – the list goes on.  If you want to learn something specific, enhance your overall understanding, or you are just starting out and wanting to keep it simple, this could be your answer. 

Some online photography tutorials offer a series of lessons, or courses, and will provide you with an overview of the topics that will be covered plus the equipment that you’ll need to complete the series.  This can be useful when the topic you’re learning about is particularly complex, but be prepared to be charged for something like this.  You can find many websites which offer free lessons as well as paid courses so it’s really down to what you’re after.
 Webphotoschool.comis one such site that offers a combination of paid and free online photography tutorials.  You can also try Shortcourses.com which provides you with an option of gaining some free information plus an opportunity to purchase digital or hard copy text books if required (they refer to themselves as The On-line Library of Digital Photography).  A lot of companies offering a photography service may also provide tips and tutorials on their website which can be a great resource (see our Tips page).

Learning about photography doesn’t have to be complex, expensive or time consuming.  Jump online and search for the photography tutorial that you need to become the photographer you want to be.

 

Pets provide us with so much fun, love and joy without ever asking for anything in return.  Photographing your pet is a great way of capturing their unique personality in a creative and interesting way which you can share with everyone and hold onto forever.

Here are some handy tips to help you get the best photographs of your pet.

The set
Consider a space that is going to allow you to get the best possible snap of your pet.  If it’s indoors, choose a good backdrop where your pet feels most comfortable and has plenty of lighting.  If outdoors, somewhere where unpredictable weather or unavoidable distractions won’t interfere or lead to potentially challenging situations!  A calming environment for you both is a must.

Lighting
You want some good natural light if possible so outdoors is great if it’s a nice day and you don’t have to worry what’s going on around you.  If you’re inside and natural light is limited, use a lamp or moveable lighting which you can direct onto your pet, and almost always use a flash – overhead lighting alone can be tricky to work with.

Props
Props can make your photo shoot and the end result a load of fun filled with laughs and character.  Clothes to dress them up in, background props, themes (like poodles in Paris) and their favourite toys are a few ways to produce some very amusing pictures.

People
Pet’s personalities can really come out when they are around people.  Photographing them this way can capture images which are personal, warming and emotive and can be a beautiful way of bonding with your pet in the process.  Sometimes it can be easier to get a better shot when they are being cuddled too!

Photographing your pets can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience providing you with even more wonderful memories.  The biggest tip of all is to remember to have a fantastic time and use it as an excuse for lots of cuddles and laughs with your favourite furry friend.

You can see more handy tips at http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-pets

 

 

“Through the eyes of a child” is a phrase often used to describe an innocent outlook on life, but in photography it can mean so much more.

Using a camera gives your child a different perspective of the world and allows them a fun creative outlet. You might be surprised at the composition that even toddlers can capture because life looks entirely different from down there.

These days its quite an affordable hobby so we can all give our children freedom with a camera. Our children can now take literally thousands of photos for us to sift through together and we only have to select the very best of them to print.

Being able to take a decent family snap is a skill that does a lot for a child’s confidence.  Training themselves to keep their hands steady and patiently take a picture at the perfect moment can be a fun way to exercise their self discipline.

More importantly, when you look through that little window you seem to see things so clearly.  Children see the daily world quite differently to adults anyway, so imagine what revelations their photos might bring.  It's quite exciting to look through photos taken by kids.  Their work is fresh and original and some of their angles are very clever.  And it all comes naturally to them!

There are many simple to use computer programs that teach children to crop their photos and adjust the lighting and colour, turn them around and use countless different treatments to turn their snaps into incredible works of art.

Photos taken by our children can be just as precious as the ones that they star in, so why not let your child start their very own album today?

 

Digital cameras allow you the freedom to take as many photographs as you would like without the added expense of processing the film before you see the photographs. Most digital cameras have an LCD screen on which you can preview your photographs, where you get to see, before you shoot, the photograph you will end up with.

Sometimes holding the camera in a way that you can view the LCD screen will result in camera shake and blurry photographs because your arms will be extended and not fully stable. So, the first thing to get right in your quest for great photographs is to stop the possibility of camera shake.

How you may ask? Well the best FIX for camera shake is a tripod, but not everyone owns a tripod or wants to invest in one. There are also situations in which you are unable to use a tripod.  So the fix becomes YOU! You recreate the stability of a tripod through the use of your body.

Hold your camera as close to yourself as comfortable whilst still being able to see your LCD screen. Use your right hand to grasp the right hand edge of the camera, with your forefinger hovering over the shutter release. Use your left hand to bear the weight of the camera; this can either be holding the left side of the camera, the underneath of the camera or the actual lens on a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera. Bring your elbows in towards your sides and if possible add more stability by leaning against a solid object.

If you are indoors, you might like to find something to balance your elbows on, such as a pile of books stacked to just the right height.

A final tip is about your breathing, just try pressing the shutter release either as you breath in or out steadily, you will be pleasantly surprised at the difference this will make, particularly in situations of low light.

Your own techniques will develop over time, but in the early days of owning your camera practising using your body as a tripod will at least eliminate the terror of camera shake and blurred photographs.

 

 

 

Taking photos of your children is one of the most rewarding things you can do.  We've shared some tips with you about how to make those photos work well for you.  Following on from our earlier article, here are even more tips to help you when it comes to taking beautiful shots of your little one.

1.  Always Be Ready 

There is nothing worse than seeing a perfect pose from your baby and you don't have your camera nearby.  It is worth having your camera, film, memory card and batteries always at the ready just in case this occurs.

2. Go Outdoors 

Venture outdoors and take memorable photos.  Stay away from direct sunlight if possible opting for shady spots or cloudy days.  These photographs will be some of the most beautiful and naturally lit pictures you will capture. 

3  Consider Black and White

Black and white photos are timeless and can really bring out the beauty of the image.  They also add interest to scrapbooks, albums and frames.  

4. Sleepy Babes

Newborns are often wonderful to work with as they are generally sleepy for the majority of the time.  However as they age, these periods occur less and less.  Therefore with older babies it is best to wait until they are off to the land of Nod before you snap. 

 

5. Content and Clean 

Make sure your baby is fed and clean and feeling extremely content.  This way he or she won't be crying mid-shoot for something to drink or a nappy change. 

6. Keep Snapping

Make sure you take more than one shot of each pose.  Digital cameras make this cost effective.  You may think you have the perfect shot only to discover later that it was blurry or your baby closed their eyes at just the wrong moment.

Babies grow quickly however their photographs and memories last a lifetime.  Making sure you follow these tips will ensure your photographs are as near to perfect as you can get.  Putting them into a photobook will turn them into a keepsake.