Sunrise Creations Blog

I've often spoken about photobooks here on our blog.  You know how much I love them for the way they preserve your precious photos but you might not realise just how gorgeous they can make your photos look.

A photobook is not like a photo album.  We don't just take your photos and plonk them onto a page.  A photobook is a work of art.  It's the kind of book that you'd be proud to leave out on your coffee table for guests to look at,  Each photobook is unique.

Would you like to have a look at my recent work?  These are examples of my own personal albums.  Just click on the images and you will be able to preview the whole album.

 

 

You can see how the photos tell a story.   The backgrounds are chosen to complement the photography and you can even add some text.

If you'd like to have a photobook full of memories created for you, contact me.  I will help you select the right photos to tell your story.

Our blog is so chock full of useful tips about how to take a great photo, ideas for photography subjects, uses for your photos and much more.  Sometimes it can be hard to find the information you are looking for. One of the most important topics we have covered is how to manage all of those precious photos so we thought we'd make it a little easier to sort through by listing some of the best posts here.

So, here are our 5 top posts that will help you sort, organise and store your precious photographic memories.

1. Storing your photos online.  One of our more recent posts which talks about backing up your images by storing them in online photo storage sites.

2. Ahhh - I can't find my photos!   Just how many photos do you have on your computer?  If you had to find one specific photo, how long would it take you?

3. How to choose photos for your album.  You can't save them all so here are some tips to help you work out what to keep and what to include in your album or photobook.

4. Do you have a corporate record?  Not all photos are personal.  Don't forget about your corporate photos.  They tell the story of your business so make sure you protect them.

5. Turn them into canvas.  We all have one favourite photo of our children that we want to preserve.  Turn it into a canvas print to hang on your wall.  That gives you 2 formats of your favourite photo.

We hope these ideas help you easily get sorted and organised.

 

Isn’t it funny how easily we can let something slip from our minds when it’s not there right in front of us? In our defence, life does get the better of us; one minute it’s Monday, the next it’s Sunday, and you find yourself getting ready to start another week all over again.

The human brain usually works best when we get a reminder about things. A little trigger here or there – a fragrance, a song, a place – can flood your mind with sensations. So what better to be reminded of than your memories or feelings for someone, something or some place you love?  That’s often why we enjoy having photos around us at home and at work.  They are a visual reminder about what we love and enjoy which we can then share with everyone else.

Very often, behind the photo is a story.  A great way to tell the story further without even saying a word is compiling a series of photos of what was happening that special day.  Your child’s first day of school, for example, would have been a process of getting ready, making the lunch, packing the bag and then leaving home to start their exciting new journey.

I always take photos throughout the day because you never know what you’re likely to capture or what particular part of the day will be the one that moves you most.  Seeing my child in uniform for the first time brought tears to my eyes but, unexpectedly, so did the moment when I watched him walk out of school with a big smile and a new friend. 

By taking the photos of each moment and putting them together in a photobook or in a series on your wall, they form something like a visual story, to be shared, admired and reflected upon for years to come. You don’t always have to limit yourself to one photo for a memory – your own story board with a collection of photos can say a thousand words.

The trip is planned, the camera is purchased, and the excitement is building. Travel photography can be great fun and highly rewarding with just a little time investment before you leave.

Read your manual and become familiar with your camera before you set off! If possible, spend a couple of weekends before your trip learning the different functions on your camera. Visit photographic web sites (e.g. Flickr) and check out what others have photographed in the region that you’re going to visit. Look to your strengths, so if people are your “thing”, research the possibility of using portraiture to make your travel photography sparkle with individuality. 

Set yourself a goal or project, if you love landscapes, an example might be to photograph every sunrise or every sunset during your travels. Pack lightly, a compact camera is a great choice for a handbag, but if your more of a keen enthusiast then a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) with a double lens kit would be a great choice, also consider a light weight tripod and don’t forget to take your camera everywhere you go.

The perspective from which you decide to shoot can make or break a photograph. Get down low, or get up high, use reflections creatively in landscapes, bend those knees and try to look at the world from a slightly different perspective, think about an ant’s eye view for example.

Your main aim whilst travelling is to have FUN so don’t allow yourself to feel pressured to capture great photographs, often your personality will show through the photos and it is that which will make them interesting to others. Having your photographs professionally produced onto quality photographic products will allow you to cherish your travel memories for many years to come.

Photos are the key to your memory. With our breath-taking canvas prints and stunning photo books, you will be sure to relive all those precious moments and to share them with friends and family. So, happy travels and come back with many wonderful photographic memories to share!

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!

 

Not all photos were created equal.  I know that there are some of mine that I never want to see again!  Thank heavens for digital cameras so we can delete the offending photo and take a better one.

Sometimes it's nice to collect all the photos from one special occasion and put them together in an album.  Linking them in a theme is a lovely way to create a very special keepsake album.  Pick an occasion like a first birthday party, a wedding or even assemble one over time.  Your childs first school year is a busy time full of growth and change.  How nice it is to watch it happen all over again through the pages of a photo album.

When you are confronted by a sea of photos it can be hard to work out which to include and which to leave out.  That's why I have added a special page that will guide you through the completion of your album.

This is the checklist for putting together an album that is the story of your baby's first year.

PHOTO ALBUM CHECKLIST

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.

 

Part of the fun of having a party or reception is taking the photos and when it comes to photographing food, there are some tricks that you need to know. Professional food photographers have all sorts of secrets for making food look good.  We won’t go there! 

This is a basic guide on how to photograph food and whilst I cannot promise you that the end product will be as good as a professional shot, I can promise you tips that will help anyone present food in a photograph that looks good enough to eat.

Well let’s start looking at a few tips, and don’t forget that even with a point and shoot camera you can get some good food photographs.

1. Turn off the flash. Food has lots of complex colours and the built in flash will just wash out both the colours and the contrasts that you’re hoping to show in your photographs. Keep in mind that with no flash you will need good natural light and a steady hand.
2. Natural light: this is an easy step to organise, as usually a kitchen has good windows and therefore good natural light. If not, get creative and take your plate outside or to any room in the house with good natural light.
3. If you don’t happen to own a tripod, then elbows can be used as a natural tripod. Balance your elbows on your worktop and get the food framed nicely. If you cannot achieve that with elbows, consider grabbing a few cookery books on which to balance the camera. Taking this time to ensure a solid foundation for the camera will result in a sharp photograph with no blur.
4. Use a wide aperture, this will blur your background and keep the focus on the food. Keep close to your food and consider cutting into the dish if it looks more appetizing with a piece missing and with the inside exposed.

You can use your photo editing software to lighten the food, should the need arise, or to colour correct your photograph to make it look the more appealing.  If you practice this technique a number of times, you will soon find that you’re able to shoot appetizing and enticing photographs of delicious food items!

Wouldn't it be great to create your own recipe book and illustrate it with photos of the food you have cooked?

So go for it and start shooting, and if at first you don’t succeed, bake (or buy) another dish and try it all over again, and don’t forget to invite your friends over to share some of the wonderful dishes your photographing! 

 

 

Too many people have experienced the frustration of unlabeled school photographs in the old family album or in that box under the bed. Memories can fade and those who do remember eventually pass on, leaving us with photos full of anonymous faces.

To the great relief of family historians, more people and even photographers are now clearly labelling school photos with names, date, class and school. This is a great step forward in keeping those precious moments in time alive.

Some people have taken to “scrap booking” their school photos, creating wonderfully decorated albums with bodies of text, poems and keepsakes all combined into awesome pieces of art, but inevitably there are those of us who feel they missed out on the arts and crafts gene, who would still like to present our precious photographs in an attractive publication.

Here at Sunrise Creations we offer a Designer Photobook service that allows you to have any special collections of your photographs printed and bound into quality publications, much like any other coffee table book that you see that contains colour photographs.

 

You could prepare a photobook that is a history of your child's school experiences from start to finish or create one that is the record of a school year.  Imagine a book filled with photos of your child, his or her friends, starring at the school sports or in the school play and in costume for dress-up day.  There is so much that happens in a school year that really should be recorded.  Annual photos don't capture any of the real essence of school days, do they?

I'm a sentimentalist at heart and while I love scrapbooks I hate the thought that the photos will fade or change colour over time. That is why I love photobooks so much.  They also let you capture the more informal moments of school life.

Putting together a photobook of each child’s class and school photos is a wonderful way of presenting and preserving them as an attractive collection, and makes for a wonderful graduation gift.