Photography | How to Achieve Better Photos

     When I was about 14 years old I grew into a mild obsession with the pretty images in the Limited Too catazine and owned countless framed photos of the amazing work of Anne Geddes. At the time I didn't quite understand why I loved the images so much, to me it was simply because they had this professional look to them that I just couldn't achieve. 

     Of course I didn't have a top of the line camera or flash, but there was something much more important than all of those things that I was missing. The single most important key to beautiful photos is.....light. You see without light, there is no photography. You can have the most expensive camera and equipment in the world, but without the understanding of how light affects a photo....the results will be just the same as a disposable camera you bought at the store. 

     Shocking? Yes, as was I before I realized with a little practice and reading anyone could take beautiful photos. And so I'm here to tell you that even with a point and shoot camera, your images can still be beautiful!

     Okay I will stop babbling on and demonstrate exactly what I mean...

This is an image I took with my Canon PowerShot SD870 IS camera, with the flash pointed at my little doll. 

Then I set my camera to the Macro setting, opened up all of the windows and shut off the flash.

Much better right? I didn't move the doll, just simply used the available light that came from the window to the right. The key is if there is enough natural/available light in your surroundings... use it to give your photos a more natural look. 

Many photographs in magazines and ads are beautiful because of lighting, but also because you can see every detail. 

In this photo, I wanted to show my bracelet but since it is so far away and there isn't enough light, you can't really see the pretty rhinestones covering the links.

 I then set my camera to Macro, got up close to the bracelet and opened up the windows to let in some light. Now you can see the pretty details as well as the name on one of the links. 

Granted they aren't as crisp and clear as the photographs in a magazine, but you can still achieve great detail and beautiful light with images you take everyday as well as on vacation. I always take my PowerShot with me on vacation for certain events that I don't want to lug my dslr around to. Many of my underwater and landscape shots came from my point and shoot...and they came out great!

And so in summary:

1. When there is natural/available light, shut off the flash setting. 

2. Get your subjects closer to the natural/available light before snapping the photo.

3. Set your camera to Macro and get in close for details on smaller subjects.

I hope you enjoyed this post and helped give you a little understanding into the beautiful world of photography and light! If you have any suggestions for any posts or topics, let me know! 

Happy Tuesday! =)

Monday Thoughts

     Photography is one of the things in our lives where we all have a connection with. We grow up taking pictures, or rather our parents taking pictures of us to remember every milestone in our lives. Perhaps we have a photograph of our favorite toy, our pet, our best friend when we were three, our first time we pedaled our bicycle on our own. Sometimes looking at a photograph can evoke certain emotions within us, that no one else can quite understand. I see it as "pressing play" in my mind, and the photograph becomes a video of that moment. I find it amazing that almost every photo I've taken or been part of (well at an old enough age) is stored in my mind like a video clip. Whenever I want to replay that moment, I simply look at that image once again. 

     I love to capture moments as with most people with photography, but for me there are deeper reasons as to why I fell in love with it. You see for me, often times a photo starts in my mind. Then the hardest part sometimes is trying to make that photo in real life, so I can show others what I saw. In our society, photography has become a means to show others what we're doing, where we're doing it, how we're dressed, what we're eating, who we're with etc, etc... I'm just as guilty to participating in all of it as well. But the photographs we show others always depict just how "perfect' our life really is in that moment. Our lives could be falling apart behind the scenes, yet as far as the world knows, it's incredible. 

     At times I see this as a negative aspect, since I grew up with simply wanting to remember a photograph in that moment, to remember everything about it, which is beautiful in all aspects. But then there's the other reason I fell in love with it, and that is because to me photography is also an escape. With photography anything is possible. I could create a beautiful whole other world that exists in my mind, or perhaps that I dream of. While it may not necessarily be true in real life (at the moment), in my photos...it is. Whether you want to be fearless, a dancer, adventurous, a traveler,....to me it's all possible with photography. My heart's been heavy lately with so many thoughts, ideas and dreams, that I simply had to just write. If you happen to stumble upon this post, feel free to tell me what you feel...what's your escape?

Life in a Photo: Instagram | February

     I post everyday musings and inspirations on my instagram, but just in case of the off chance you don't have an account or just haven't found me yet ;)....here are a few of my favorite photos I've been snapping away the past few weeks. It keeps me creative, and sometimes when I don't have a whole shoot planned out, I'll post an image of one idea that came to mind or simply pretty things that fuel me and keep me inspired. Happy Monday lovelies!! <3

Sweet Love: Heather & Josh

     Behind every sweet couple lies a beautiful love story. Some may have met at an unexpected event, some may have been introduced through mutual friends, and yet some may have just known each other since they were just kids. Heather and Josh's story began in high school. Both went to the same school in Florida and then due to work and school decided to come up to New York and New Jersey. I was honored when I was asked to document their love story. We headed to Grand Central Station and then walked around the snowy streets of New York City. Though the cold made it a little difficult to stay outside for so long, Heather and Josh were troopers and still laughed all the way through the shoot. 

     When asked about their proposal story, Josh gave a sweet smirk and went on to tell me about the day. He knew Heather would love photographs of the special event whenever it took place and so at a family gathering everyone was staged to take photos. There were numerous poses for friends and family, but the best was saved for last. When Heather was in the perfect spot and all ready to smile, Josh simply asked if they would try another pose....and then kneeled with the perfect transition to ask the question. And she said yes of course!!! How sweet and creative is that? Josh, well done. =) Heather and Josh you were so much fun to work with....I wish you all the happiness in the world!---Oh and by the way, Josh the back of your head looked RIDICULOUS.....totally in a good way! ;) Here are a few of my favorites from their shoot...enjoy!!