Photo Expressions

Instagram Collages

Are you on Instagram? If you are, you can now link your Instagram account to your Foto Depot account and see all of your Instagram photos!  So exciting!!!!! It is super easy (see how to here). Now you can order prints or creative products with just a couple of clicks. You can also see the most recent photos in your feed (yes the people you follow) and a brief selection of popular photos.
LOVE this feature.  It couldn't get any easier!

  Here is a great collage Melissa did of some of her instagram photos. It is a predesigned collage, just drop your photos into the spots provided. Easy peasy!

And here is one that Ron did of some of his summer photos:

See the collage options here. And of course you don't have to use instagram photos, you can use any photos!

Photographing Dogs

Dogs are not easy to photograph as most of them don't like to sit still or as soon as you crouch with a camera, they want to come and explore the camera or lick it! Nikon has some tips for helping you get great shots of your dogs.

Here is one of my dogs when he was a puppy.  Isn't he just the cutest?!

Summer Fun Photo Tips

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer with some fun photo tips...

How To Link Your Instagram Account to Your Foto Depot Account

If you have a Foto Depot Account Log in to it. If you don’t have an account, go to photoexpressions.fotodepot.ca and sign up for one. (It’s FREE). You can see a bigger version on our web here.

Travel Photography Tips

It is that time of year for travel. Here is an article with some travel tips for you from Picture Correct.

Travel Photography Tips and Techniques

by Wayne Turner

Share this Article 

With travel photography you want to convey not only the sites and scenes you have seen but also the feelings and emotions associated with the locations. The unexpected is always around the corner when you travel and with some careful preparation and a keen photographic eye you can produce some memorable results.

“Burj Dubai” captured by Lensamson (Click Image to See More From Lensamson)

Good travel photography starts at home or the office before you leave for the airport and weeks in advance of your trip. Here’s how capture great travel images.

1. Research before you leave

Purchase the best travel guide you can afford and find out everything about the locations you will be visiting. Find out about the natural beauty, tourist sites and the culture. Look at the images in the guides and see what the important areas are and what you need to record.

Learn about local transportation and distances as well as timing to reach the areas you want to visit. Learn about the culture and find out what you can photograph and what is taboo, what the dress codes are and any local laws or rules. Buy a phrase book and learn some of the key phrases to communicate when photographing. You will be amazed at how this will open doors for you.

2. Prepare a checklist

Essential for any photographer is a checklist of everything you will need for the trip, photographically as well as you normal travel needs. Check that all your gear is covered by insurance and that it is up to date. Take proof that you purchased your equipment at home and not abroad so you don’t get landed with customs duty on your return.

3. Avoid cliches

Don’t return with all of the images that are in the guide books which everyone has seen. Use new angles and try get to viewpoints that are not traditionally used for photos. Leave the tourist path and get away from the bus. If you can afford it, hire a private guide to take you off the beaten track.

“looking glass” captured by Micah Dravland (Click Image to See More From Micah Dravland)

4. Photograph local life

Local life in foreign countries is rich with sights and scenes that are brand new to you. You’ll often find that you will experience your photography much more by getting to know the local folk and seeing just what their daily life is like. By capturing the essence of their lives and homes you will experience the journey and capture memories that are unique and far more interesting.

5. Make yourself the subject

As the photographer you probably find that in all aspects of your life there are few images of you in front of the camera. So go out of your way to include yourself in photos while touring. Ask a travel companion, a guide or another tourist to take photos of you experiencing the local life. With digital you can see immediately the results of their work and whether you’ll need to reshoot it.

6. Take portraits

By respecting the local culture and as I mentioned learning a few of the most important phrases most locals will allow you to shoot their portraits. When photographing them close-ups are great and reveal character and the beauty of people you aren’t familiar with. But, this is the time to photograph portraits of people within their environments so shoot fewer head and shoulders and more with some of the background. Use wide angle lenses more often for great shots.

7. Shoot candids

With a longer lens and the ability to stay in the background and keep your distance you are able to photography people without them knowing. Unposed photos have people behaving totally naturally in their environments without the pressure to pose. The key here is to remain unobserved. Reveal yourself only once you have your shots. Look for opportunities that will reflect the local culture and people naturally.

“In the Million Insect Storm, the Constellations Form” captured by Thomas Hawk (Click to See More)

8. Look for detail

By getting in closer and photographing the traditional clothes and jewellery you will see details in the colour and styles. Look for details in the architecture, transport and local costumes that reveal something more than a traditional shot. A macro or telephoto is great for this type of shot.

9. Tell a story

By shooting a series of shots at a location you will be able to tell a story of the life of the local people. How they dress, work, have fun and where they live and relax. Select a theme or shoot at a market and try to think about the end result and how you will tell friends and family about your trip in just pictures. Maybe shoot a day in the life of a local you have befriended from morning till bedtime.

10. Take lots of photos

Work out how many images you think you should shoot and then double it. And then double it again. You can never take too many images. This may be the only opportunity for you to see this country and rather edit later than lose the memories by shooting too little. Not every picture will be perfect but it will be a memory. You are not just looking to create perfect photos but also great memories. Digital film is inexpensive so take lots of memory cards with you.

“Manhattan Tourists” captured by Ray Devlin (Click Image to See More From Ray Devlin)

Travel is often a once in a lifetime opportunity for many people so go well prepared and come back with memories that will last a lifetime. Happy shooting!

About the Author:
Wayne Turner has been teaching photography for 25 years and has written three books on photography. He has produced 21 Steps to Perfect Photos; a program of learner-based training using outcomes based education.

Project Life is at Photo Express

Project Life is Here!!!!!

And out on the shelves. Anyone can make a Project Life Album because you don't need any tools or adhesive -just your photos, a pen and a kit (Core Kits are only $29.99!). That's it!

Project Life truly is a back-to-basics approach to memory-keeping. Pictures + words. That's it. Slip it all into pockets and add title cards that are already designed for you. Don't think about layout design. Don't think about cutting and pasting anything. SIMPLIFY. Get it done.

You can make Project Life as simple or as involved as fits for you. Some people use it to record one photo a day, some use it to record one week of their life at a time, some use it only for special occassions, some use it for just random everyday things. Whatever works for you is perfect. Either way, it is just print photos (www.photoexpressions.fotodepot.ca), slip into pockets, slip in journaling papers, done!  That is it.  So easy and effective.  And if you choose to do Project Life digitally, you can print out your pages at www.photoexpressions.fotodepot.ca also. Follow our Project Life Pinterest board, for lots of ideas, freebies and more.

Here is a quick video explaining how easy it is plus a few sample pages. Come in and check it out!

What is Project Life? Click here to find out. Available at PE!

 

From Becky Higgins website (creator of Project Life):

 

Project Life is whatever you want it to be. I really, really, really mean this. Literally. Let me give just a few examples of what a full Project Life album might contain:

 

1. A year in review, highlighting random memories from this year ... last year ... any year at all. Photos can be organized chronologically or by theme (have categories like birthdays this year, travel this year, school stuff, in our spare time, friends, etc. - and add Scrapbook Dividers to label your sections for ultimate organization).

 

2. Cover the span of several years. Let's say you haven't done much scrapbooking ever. But you're itching to get at least some of your pictures in an album. How about tackle an entire decade in one album? Each year could have say, 6 layouts (our Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages comes with 60 pages) and you can include the "best of" pictures in those 6 layouts per year. An entire decade of "catching up" in ONE album? YES. And you can do it all without touching a pair of scissors or using any adhesive whatsoever.

 

3. On a related note, I totally think most of us could compile an album that sums up our entire childhood. True story. Just blow the dust off those old photos, throw them in the pockets along with the Title Cards and Journaling Cards that come in the Core Kit of your choice. Done.

 

4. Pick a theme, any theme. Create an entire album all about ... you name it. Perhaps all of your travel adventures go in one album, or maybe you fill an album with memories of a loved one that is no longer here, or think about anything you have lots of pictures of and BAM! There's your theme.

.....

 

Project Life is easy-peasy. Like - for real. If scrapbooking in general gives you anxiety, that is 100% normal. Think about it - we all have thousands of photos on our computers, in boxes, wherever. I totally know what it feels like to be drowning in pictures. That's my story too. That's why I developed the system ... so that I could get my photos + memories into books but not even have to think about designing a page, choosing products, adding embellishments, or any of that stuff that is part of "traditional" scrapbooking. This is back-to-basics, folks. Photos + captions. That's it. But the end result is what we love: A scrapbook.

 

Everything placed in pockets. No cutting. No sticky anything. No embellishments. No techniques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE iphone and instagram photo App available at PE!

One second a Day

Saw this on Photojojo, such a great idea and what a keepsake!

 

A Twist on the 365 Project: One Second a Day Video Project

Extra photos for bloggers: 1, 2, 3

Doesn’t it feel like 2012 was just a couple weeks ago?

Maybe your New Year’s resolution was to start a 365 Project where you snap a photo every day.

Well, what if we told you that you can make a time-lapse of your life by taking a one second clip every day? That’s what Photojojo pal, James Bernal did for all 366 days of 2012.

Think about how awesome yours would look — it’d be a 6-and-a-half minute mosaic of your year!

James put together an awesome guide detailing how to shoot, what to shoot, and how to keep going when you’re ready to set the camera down.

A Guide to Shooting One Second a Day

Why it’s cool:

First, watch this. The one second a day video James made of his 2012.

2012 in 366 Seconds  from James Bernal on Vimeo.

Sometimes, we take our days for granted. A project like this will help you reflect on your life as it happens.

Imagine being able to look back on any day and instantly remember what you did, who you met, what you learned, or how you felt.

While you’ll be able to have a really nifty video time capsule of your life and a fun way to share your year with others, it can also be an ingenious and powerful way for you to be able to remember what you’ve accomplished over the year and how you want to make it even better.

Undertaking this project will also improve your camera skills. For real! Keeping your eyes peeled for your one second each day, you’ll be sizing up the world for good moments and you’ll naturally want to attempt new shots to keep it fresh.

When to Start:

While you might think you missed the boat with starting off your project on January 1st, 2013, the truth is, this is about your life and you can start your project anytime!

You can start it on your 27th birthday, the first day of your round-the-world trip, a random Tuesday, on your first day of college, or Chinese New Year!

There’s also no rule for how long it should be, so you can keep this up for 3 months or a whole year or even keep doing it for the rest of your life!

Tools For Putting it all Together:

A Camera.
Or even better, all the cameras. You can use any camera that’s able to take video, and preferably at least 720p so you can share it with the rest of the world.

You don’t have to stick to one camera either, so don’t be afraid to use different ones as long as their quality is as good as your main camera. Nowadays, most smartphones, point and shoots, and GoPros can shoot in glorious HD!

An Editing Program.
You’re going to need to put this puzzle together somehow! Some editing programs have more bells and whistles than others but you won’t need to get too over your head.

All you really need is to put your clips in order and find a sweet song to make it all flow together nicely. Our suggestion – iMovie and Windows Movie Maker are free and work just fine.

If you’re planning on using an iPhone exclusively as your one and only camera, then there’s now a recently launched app that helps keep you organized and edit all your footage together! It’s called One Second Everyday.

STEP 1: GET TO SHOOTING

Get out there and shoot your one second clip everyday! Take your camera everywhere. Yeah guys, everywhere.

You never know what you’re going to encounter once you walk out your door. Take it to work, parties, the beach, school, the DMV, wherever.

Document the first time you tried a churro, your walk in the park, that bike ride over the Brooklyn Bridge, or maybe the impromptu dance party that erupted while you were waiting for the bus.

Take a Step Backward!
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in being a cinematographer that you forget to take a look around you and give us a little more context about where you are.

If you’re pointing your camera at a delicious pizza you’re about to eat, it could be even more interesting if you take a couple steps backwards (but watch your step!) and show us you’re eating a pizza … at the Grand Canyon.

Get Creative.
We’re not gonna lie, taking a memorable video of each and every day is going to be a tough workout for your eyes and brain, but hang in there. We know you can do this!

Try out new angles and different techniques, or maybe throw in a one second time-lapse in there if you’re pretty handy with that stuff. Don’t forget to hand your camera to others from time to time so you can also make a cameo in your video!

Sticking with this project, you’ll naturally become more creative with your shots when you’re forced to come up with something new every single day.

Get a reminder.
There might be days you’re so busy you forget all about your project. Don’t let up! Put an alarm or a reminder on your phone to make sure you remember to snap a video of something each day!

STEP 2: GET UP AND GO OUTSIDE

Seriously, you guys, keep shooting.

There are 86,400 seconds in a day. More than a few of those are gonna be totally worth getting on tape!

Everything is fair game.
From your awesome roadtrip, to the C- you got on your biology test, to that flat tire you had to change (in the snow!), everything is worth documenting.

It’s natural to want to remember all the good times but don’t be afraid to point your camera at some of the less-than-stellar moments. It’s all part of the story of your life and every moment is equally important.

Don’t Stop.
This is the most important tip.

You’re gonna get tired of shooting a second a day, and you might want to skip a day. Don’t give up.

Even if you think there’s nothing interesting happening, go outside and make something happen. There’s always something worth documenting, even if it’s just you walking your dog (especially if it’s a particularly awesome dog).

I also found it helpful to tell my friends about my project and they were crucial in keeping me motivated. They’d even ask “Hey, can I be your one second clip today?”

STEP 3: DOWNLOAD YOUR FOOTAGE

As the days fly by and you fill up your memory cards with footage, you’re gonna have to start downloading your footage to your computer.

It’s going to be a little different from computer to computer, but it’s pretty simple. Make a main folder, and organize your clips in a way you can easily keep track of what’s where.

More importantly, stay organized. Seriously, guys, 365 different video clips are as unruly as a bag full of puppies (although not as cuddly and definitely not as cute).

You’re gonna have a much easier time if you regularly organize your clips into folders for months over the course of your project. It would also be a really good idea to make a backup of all your footage so you don’t lose all your work in case an elephant stomps on your computer.

Step 4: START EDITING

Import your clips into iMovie (free) or Final Cut Pro if you’re a Mac fan. If you’re running windows, try Windows Movie Maker (free) or Adobe Premiere.

Most movie editors are laid out with a little area for all your clips and another area called a timeline. The timeline is where you’re gonna be placing your clips and organizing them.

Editing is a lot like solving a puzzle – you’re moving all your clips around into the right order by date. While you rearrange the clips where they belong, you can start ‘trimming’ them down to 1 second each.

Those fun kids over at Vimeo have a couple good lessons to help get you started on whatever editing program you’ve got!

• Editing with Windows Live
• Editing with iMovie
• Trimming & Cutting with iMovie

STEP 5: THROW A PHAT BEAT ON IT

Just like photography, music is a universal language. Go through your music library and find a bumpin’ song that you can add to your video!

Was there a song that was your jam while you were shooting this project? If Polka is your thing, that’s cool too! Try out a couple different songs and see which one sets the mood you’re going for and really goes with the flow of your movie.

STEP 6: THE HOME STRETCH

Add some titles, effects, and finishing touches to your video.

Hit the export or share button and upload it to Youtube or Vimeo, so you can showcase your masterpiece to the world!

Photo Safari - Ghosts In the Forest

Download Photo-Safari-2013-05-Sheet (You can click this link to see it bigger)

How to Be a Better Smart Phone Photographer

Graduation Party Ideas

Graduation is coming quickly! Here are a few Graduation Party ideas  to help you have a fabulous grad party. Whether you are graduating from High School or College, pick and choose some of these ideas and you will celebrate in style! If it is something we can help you with at Photo Express, I've highlighted it in red.

Graduation Invitations and Announcements

Photo Express has lots and lots of graduation announcement and invitations to choose from and starting at $.49, they are very affordable ways to annouce your graduate. You can order in store or online here . 

Graduation Gift Ideas

Collection of memorabilia for a graduation gift (framing and photos) (from graduation party pinterest)

Get an inexpensive umbrella from the dollar store and dangle bills from the inside so that when opened up – tada! "A little something for a rainy day…" (from happyhomefairy.com)

College Survival Kit - great graduation gift! from artsymaqnolias.blogspot.com

Personalize a gift with your graduate's photo. Lots of gift items to choose from at Photo Express. Order in store or online.

Graduation Party Decorations:

My sister in law took pictures from Kindergarten thru Senior and put them on 24"x24" sign board. We decorated the driveway to the house for my son's graduation party. It was not only a great decoration but very emotional. from graduationparty.com. Photo Express can print posters for you.

Order up a Photo Collage of your Grad and print it as a poster, large format print and have it framed, as a banner, or as a canvas. Use it for party decor and then it is a great keepsake after. Order online or in store at Photo Express.

 

Night time graduation party? Fill balloon with water, drop a light stick in it, put it all in a white stocking and hang from tree branches, ceilings. from yankodesign.com

Congratulate your graduate with a "Good Luck" banner in his or her school colors. from marthastewart.com

Photo Wall: choose photos that showed all of the kids that were invited to the party. (Hint: Black and White looks much better). from blog.kandrac-kole.com

Plastic tablecloths draped to make and awesome (and cheap) party ceiling! Use school colors for a graduation party. from designdazzle.blogspot.com

photo display for a graduation party - double sided so they can spin a little. from 3.bp.blogspot.com

Photo Collages and albums or scrapbooks of your grad from www.graduationpartyplanner.com

 

Graduation games and activities:

Photo Booth Props are so popular right now (Buy a Silhouette Cameo at Photo Express and cut your own!) (from aprilfosterevents.com)

Memory Jar: Have all of your graduation party guests write a fun memory of you, put it in the jar, then read on your first night in the dorm. (from inchmark.squarespace.com)

How fun would it be to play twister outside! (from graduationparty.com)

Glow Stick Rings Fun Night Games for an late night graduation party. From rugged-life.com

Even big kids like bubbles! (from la-lashomedaycare.blogspot.com)

DIY bean bag toss for a graduation party activity! Just shapes cut in a tarp and wrap duct tape around the edges. (from familyfun.go.com)

 

 

Turn Your Room Into a Walk In Camera

Photojojo is a cool US site that has obscure camera items and great ideas.  Here is a fun one to do on a weekend.

DIY: Turn Your Room into a Walk-In Camera

What could be better than a shiny new camera? How about a walk-in camera?

That’s right! We’re making cameras big enough to have a party in.

Check out this tutorial for a step by step guide to turning any room into a giant camera.

It’s kind of like making a pinhole camera but on a real-life scale.

So grab some poster board, a roll of tape, and invite your friends over for a camera party.

Turn Your Room into a Camera Obscura

Why it’s cool:

Way before pixels, polaroids, and even the earliest of films, artists used a camera obscura to project the outside world into a room.

Camera obscura literally means “dark room”.

Artists used this method to create drawings and paintings, and it’s what led to the invention of photography. Pretty cool, right?

See how cameras work first hand.

And while you’re at it, you can make some pretty sweet (digital) images.

Ingredients:

• 2-5 pieces of Black Poster Board, depending on your window size
• Black Electrical Tape
• Flashlight
• Xacto
• Tripod
• Camera
• White Sheet, optional
• Aluminum Foil, optional

STEP 1: Find a View:

Pick a room to make your camera obscura.

Ideally, this room will have one window, and a blank wall opposite that window.

But don’t worry, you can make any room will work.

If your room has more than one window, you will need additional poster board to cover those windows.

If the opposite wall is not blank, you’ll want to hang a white sheet. Keep reading, we’ll show you how.

Step 2: Make a Lens:

Grab your flashlight, and unscrew the lens.

Just like your camera has a lens, your camera obscura needs one too.

This will help focus the light coming through the window in order to make an image.

The larger the lens, the more light will come through. However, the image may not be very sharp.

Smaller lenses will create sharper images, but will not let as much light through.

Step 3: Cut a hole:

Take one piece of posterboard, and place your flashlight lens in the center.

With your Xacto knife, cut a hole around the lens.

Easy, right?

Step 4: Tape in Place:

Use black electrical tape to keep your lens in place.

Tape all sides, creating a good hold on the lens.

Make sure the hole around your lens is completely sealed.

You don’t want any stray light streaks coming through.

Step 5: Optional Adjustable Lens:

As an option to get sharper images, experiment with cutting different size holes to use as a lens.

Just like the aperture in your camera, the bigger the hole, the more light comes through, but the softer the image.

The smaller hole lets less light in, but the light that does come through will be more focused, resulting in a sharper image.

Aluminum foil is lightproof, and easy to customize.

Cut 5″x5″ squares of aluminum foil. Use an Xacto to cut three different size holes, one large, one medium and one small.

Instead of using the flashlight lens, cut a 4.5 x 4.5″ square out of your poster board.

Tape your aluminum foil lens in place, making sure the edges are completely sealed.

Step 6: Cover Windows:

You want to cover all the windows with black poster board.

Leave a space in the center for your poster board with the lens attached.

Use electrical tape to secure all sides.

You can use black masking tape or duct tape if you prefer, just make sure it won’t strip the paint when you remove it.

Step 7: Place Your Lens:

Place your lens in the center of your window.

Tape down all the sides securely.

You want to make sure the only light entering the room is coming from the lens you created.

Step 8: Hang a White Sheet

If the wall opposite your window is not blank, you can hang a white sheet to display your image.

Our opposite wall had a window.

We blacked out the window first, then hung a sheet over it.

Pull the sheet as taut as you can. Use pushpins to hold it in place.

Step 9: Look for Leaks

Sneaky light. It tends to creep through under doors and in places we don’t expect it to.

Look around your room and see if there’s any extra light coming through.

Place a towel or blanket along doorways.

Step 10: Turn off the Lights:

No artificial light here.

We want to let the sun do it’s magic.

Switch off the light, and wait a few minutes for your eyes to adjust.

Step 11: Watch your image appear:

Depending on the time of day, your image will start to appear on your white sheet.

It will be projected upside down.

Why? There’s a whole science behind it.

Our eyes adjust pretty fast to the dark room, but you’ll need a long exposure on your camera to replicate what you see.

Grab your tripod, and start with your camera set to 30 seconds, at an aperture opening of f/8.

If your image is too bright, try less time.

If it’s too dark, increase your time. Try one whole minute.

Step 12: Document your Camera Obscura:

Be sure to take plenty of photos to document your creation.

Get creative have your friends sit in front of the projected image. You could make really interesting portraits.

If your projected view has moving elements, like cars driving down the street, a short video clip could be really fun.

Take it further

• Visit San Francisco’s permanent Camera Obscura.
• Check out Ian Ruhter’s traveling camera obscura van.

Easter Photography Tips from Exposure Guide

Easter Photography Tips

Take Your Holiday Photography to the Next Level!

Easter is a dual holiday, like Christmas, both solemnly religious, but with joyful overtones for children…and that’s where you want to concentrate your photographic efforts. Easter is the first springtime holiday. Depending on where you live, nature may be in bloom, or signs of spring emerging. This time of year offers many opportunities to create some magical and memorable images.

1

Look for Patterns

Easter does have its own set of decorations and accoutrements (Easter Eggs, Easter Bunnies [chocolate or otherwise], Peeps candies, etc.), and these – with their kaleidoscope of colors – will most definitely make for impressive and curious photographs… especially if you collide the colors and patterns together. Sure, you’ll find repeating patterns and color and these should be the jumping off point for many of your photos. You’ll want to adjust your camera’s setting to achieve the most vibrant color reproduction (you can do this after-the-fact, but that might be too much work, when you can get the robust colors with a quick tweak of the settings). You’ll want to over-expose the images by maybe 1 to 1 ½ stops for the most saturated colors.

2

Shoot Candidly

Easter, like Christmas, has a certain amount of “prep time” associated with the holiday that might take place a few days in advance of the actual holiday. One of those prep time activities is decorating the Easter Eggs. Be sure to capture these moments as the dye is applied to eggs. Shoot with a longer lens (80mm or a 100mm) in order to remain far enough away to be unobtrusive, and still get tight framing. Turn the mode dial to AV (Aperture Priority) mode, select a low ISO and a wide aperture. Let the camera choose the correct shutter speed. Use an external flash (with a diffuser) to fill in any dark spots. Other candid shot opportunities are the anticipatory moments before the Easter Egg Hunt begins.

3

Capture Expressions

Easter’s hands-on experience is engrossing for children, and you’ll have a wonderful time sneaking in to capture intense expressions on their youthful faces. Use a 80mm - 200mm zoom lens for the most flexibility and versatility (in terms of composition, depth of field and distance from subject). Use the spot metering mode and meter on the child's face. Expressions can make or break a photograph, so this is why you want to take a many photos and try not to be noticed by your subject. If your subject reacts to the camera being around, it spoils your chances for true candid photos, which are the most interesting. Keep the aperture around f/4 or f/5.6 for the right amount of depth of field.

4

Use Simple Backgrounds

One of the jobs of the photographer is to guide the viewer’s eye to specific points in the picture; that’s what composition is about, and one of the controllable elements of composition is the depth of field. The photographer wants to direct the viewer’s eye, and that means not being distracted by any background elements. By having shallow, and therefore blurry, depth of field, you create separation between the main subject and the background; thus, guiding the viewer. In this photo, with it’s non-distinct background, your eyes not only focus on the little girl’s eyes and smile, but you notices the details of the braids in her hair and the green egg in her hand. You’ll need a telephoto zoom lens (200-400mm) to obtain shallow depth of field when you’re outside and might be forced to use a small aperture.

5

Dress Right

Easter, like Christmas, is a religious-based holiday and it, therefore entails a certain amount of formality to it. Easter ALWAYS falls on a Sunday, so you can expect (or at least nudge) your potential subjects to wear their “Sunday Best” clothing. This is important, because if you pay attention to clothing style and how it is worn, it will increase the production design of all your photos. As the sun is gaining strength in the spring, be sure to set the aperture at f/11 or f/16 (unless you have the camera set on full auto). This will ensure that your subject’s clothing is sharp, the colors pop and the warmth of spring will be gathered/captured in the background.

6

Take Group Photographs

It’s bound to happen; after an Easter egg hunt, you desire a solid, fun group portrait. Yet, getting kids to stand still long enough, while still enjoying themselves can be very tricky. You can promise them ice cream if they stand still, and suggest that all stand together and display their candy trophies. In the image to the left, the kids are excited about the Easter egg hunt (and the ice cream they’ve been promised) – and it shows, which makes for a fun photo. You can adjust the composition by having them stand in a diagonal line arranged by height, smallest closest to the lens. This spacing can add a certain level of depth to the image while giving you the smiling faces that you want.

S

Recommended Settings

Easter is a daytime holiday experience; so keep the exposure between f/8 and f/16 (depending on where in the sky the sun is) and use fairly quick shutter speeds (1/125 to 1/250 will suit you well), and keep the ISO at 100 for smooth images and less digital noise. If you can go lower with your ISO, then do so (some cameras allow for ISO 50) when you’re shooting outside. You might have to open the aperture and slow the shutter (to 1/60 perhaps) but you’ll have crisper overall photos.

E

Recommended Equipment

For the springtime shooting you’ll need to have a couple of prime lenses, like a 50mm, a 100mm and even a wide-angle zoom. Why three lenses? Because you’ll want to take advantage of the speed of prime lenses and their light weight. You’re going to be outside shooting from the hip and catching shots of children gathering eggs and filling Easter baskets. You want close-ups with shallow depth of field (the 100mm), group shots and family portraits (the 50mm). For the Easter Egg hunt and it’s excitement, use the wide-angle zoom.

C

Conclusion

Easter is a fun holiday that mixes a religious core with a celebration of the rebirth of nature; you’ll want to capture those qualities in your photographs. It’s about shooting outside and maximizing the sunlight and bringing, fresh colors of springtime. Keep the ISO low, the f-stop small and the shutter fast for best results. You want to focus on capturing people’s joyous and adventurous expressions to make these photos memorable. It’s not every day that you can get the entire family in dressy clothing, so here’s your chance and you can hopefully do it under the sun.

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Learn the Basics of Your Digital SLR Camera

Some info on the Basics of Your Digital SLR Camera