guest post.little band of brothers

i am absolutely honored to have
the one and only davi
from little band of brothers
guest posting here, today!

 

she is sharing some
incredible photography tips
(and especially when photographing children)
that she has learned along the way.

i hope you enjoy her
words and photos
as much as i do.

 

Hello!
I’m Davi from
littlebandofbrothers.

 

It’s a real honor to be here.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hilly
and am always blown away
by how brightly she
shines for Jesus in her trials.
This girl is grace under pressure,
as I’m sure you’d all agree.

 

When Hillary asked me to talk about photography,
I felt under qualified.
After all, I am no expert!
But I am happy to share what works for me!

 

First things first.
People always want to know
what kind of camera and lens you use.
I saved my pennies and bought a refurbished
Canon 5D Mark 11 and a Canon 35mm f/1.4 lens:


I love this lens because
the aperture goes all the way down to 1.4…
thus letting in more light and giving more blurry backgrounds.

 

The above set-up is a little pricey
and so if you want a more affordable option,
I would go with a Canon Rebel and purchase a lens separately.
A really great little lens is the Canon 50mm f/1.8 for only $110.

 

I do most of my editing in Lightroom
and sometimes I add a few extra touches in Photoshop.

For the most part, I do a few basic adjustments
and try as to keep things as natural as possible.

 

I recently went to a workshop with a fabulous photographer
named Anna Joy and she gave the best advice:
She said, “The goal in photography should not be
to compete with others to have the best pictures and websites…
but to bless people”. Love that!

 

And I recently read in the Jesus Calling devotional
“Stop comparing yourself with other people.
This (comparing) produces feelings of pride or inferiority;
sometimes a mixture of both”.
I love that underlying philosophy!
Gives me the perfectly balanced perspective.

With that in mind, here are a few practical tips.

 

1. My favorite time of day to shoot photos is
the evening around an hour before the sun sets.
I always keep this nifty sunset calendar bookmarked
on my computer so I know when the sun sets that day!

Why this time?
Well, I’m not a morning person (grin)
and the middle of the day is too bright!
I love when the sun starts to chill out
and casts a lovely glow.

Above, my younger sister with her baby girl.

 

I am absolutely fascinated by how
light interacts with my subjects
and will chase that sun til it goes down!
Basically I point my camera in the direction of the sun.

 

While pointing the camera in the
general direction of the sun,
I use my subject to kinda block out the sun
so that only certain rays get through.


My cousin. 

 

Just play around and experiment!
You’d be surprised by the different variations
that are possible!

This picture below was actually taken
in the middle of the day.
The trees in the background helped shield
the harsh glow of the sun.

 


Models from workshop.

2. If you are photographing your children
(or other children)
you will want to tear out your hair
if you expect them to sit still
and smile for the camera.

 

Most kids are good for 10-15 minutes max.
So try to snap family pictures FAST.

I often let my boys bring their favorite toys.

These teensy stuffed animals are such a
HUGE part of my boys’ life
and so I am so happy to have them documented!
These are the things I will look back on with fondness.

 

Along with the toys,
I also let my boys move around–
I just follow along with the camera
and catch what they are doing naturally.

 

My oldest son loves his bow and arrows
and thinks it’s so cool to have pictures with them.

3. My other tip would be to just capture the moment.
Sometimes you just have to throw everything out the window
and just snap away while your kids are doing something silly.
My youngest can be so very crazy
and I want to remember these moments!

 

And he just spontaneously dropped his drawers
for no apparent reason. Haha.

4. I know there are rules about
composition (rule of thirds) and such.
I don’t always follow the rules
but I do try to pay attention to the natural geometry
and flow of my home or surroundings.

 

For example, if you are taking a family photo by a tree,
try not to stand in front of the tree.
Stand to the side of the tree and let its branches
make a nice frame above your heads.
Of course be careful.
You don’t want it to look like random leaves
and branches are popping out of someones head.

 

Try different angles and views.

 

 

Just doing a little yoga on the table;)

 

Above all, try to take pictures that inspire you!
If you like your tiny cactus, take a picture with it!
Or if you are out and about and see something cute,
bust out the camera!

Thanks for having me Hillary!

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