Holiday Family Photo Tip #2

This is part of our holiday family photo tip series, giving you some great tips on taking the perfect family photo for your holiday photo card.

image via designmom.com

Today's tip is to plan your clothing. Remember the popular "all in denim" photos of the 90's? Yeah, that's not what we're talking about. Isn't the above family photo scrumptious? Well, it didn't just fall into place - design mom spent some significant time planning the outfits with care. It's a good idea to have everyone wearing similar color tones (i.e. bright saturated colors, dimmed hues, muted tones, etc), but not the same outfit. Try and choose color tones that will complement your setting and background.

Holiday Family Photo Tip #1

Over the next few days, we'll be giving you some great tips on taking the perfect family photo for your holiday photo card.

From now until the new year, everyone will be bustling about, with busy schedules and packed calendars. It can be especially difficult to get your family together for a photo shoot! Aside from the fact that many families are sprawled across the country, most of us have other priorities and short attention spans.

Tip #1 is to plan your photo shoot!

Send out an email before everyone packs to come home for Thanksgiving so they'll know that it will be part of the weekend. Set a specific time and day (preferably within an hour of sunrise or sunset if you're doing an outdoor shoot) and make sure everyone is on board. This will help you avoid complaining and conflict when the set time rolls around. After you set the date (and time), scout out your location a day or two in advance. Try and go during the same time of day you're planning your shoot and make sure there aren't any weird shadows or anything. Hopefully making a plan will make shooting your family photos that much easier!

Photo Tip of the Week :: Shooting Christmas Lights

(image via)

Everything is so pretty this time of year, all lit up and festive. But capturing your decked out tree or home can be a challenge! Here are a few tips to help you get some great shots.

Outdoors

• Try and shoot around dusk, when it's not completely dark yet, so you can still have some good contrast between the subject and the sky.
• Grab your tripod! Lights will inevitably blur if you try to steady the camera with your hands alone.
  
• Try some shots on an auto setting for night or low light. If those don't turn out great, turn the ISO way down (200 or 100), turn your flash off, and set the aperature to f5.6 or f8. Play around with the shutter speed until you get the right shot.

Indoors

• Use a tripod
• Don't use a flash unless you are shooting people in front of the tree (even then, you don't have to)
  
• Slow down the shutter speed just a tad to let the camera soak in the ambient light from the tree

(image via)

Happy shooting!

Photo Tip of the Week :: Digital Cameras

It's that most wonderful time of the year, when many of us are shopping for friends and family. A gift to consider for someone special is a gift that keeps on giving: a digital camera. I was old school and held out for a long time before purchasing my first digital camera in June of 2006. Digital cameras have come a long way and at this point I'm almost ready to bid farewell to my film SLR. Some of you might be debating between a point-and-shoot and a DSLR... if you're in the market for a new digital camera, here are a few things to consider:

• Will you use mostly automatic settings, manual settings, or a mix? Most Point and Shoot and DSLR cameras provide options for both auto and manual settings, but DSLR cameras provide more control and are more advanced in general.
• How much zooming will you need? DSLR cameras allow you to use various lenses, while point and shoot cameras come with a built in lens that usually cannot be changed. It's important to note that some extreme zooms (digital zooms) produce a lower quality image.
• Does the camera fit in your hands? If you or the person you are buying for has large hands then a small camera may be hard for them to operate and adjust. Point and shoot cameras are typically smaller, while the DSLR cameras are larger and require you to carry them by hand or in a case.
• Is the screen big enough? Larger viewing screens allow for easier viewing and shooting but may not always be necessary depending on the situation. Viewing screen sizes vary on both camera types.

Photo Tip of the Week :: Photographing Newborns

Taking pictures of newborns can be very frustrating! A lot of professional baby photographers recommend taking photos within the first two weeks of life. Regardless of when you choose to shoot photos of your baby, it's best to time your photo session for when baby is fed, well rested, and alert. If your baby is not enjoying the photo session, it will definitely be apparent in the pictures! Take a break and try again at another time.

Photo Tip of the Week :: Group Photos

This week we are thrilled to have guest photographer Megan Stay here to give us a great tip. Megan has an extensive background in photography: she's worked for photography studios in NYC, galleries in Las Vegas, got a BA in Photography from BYU, and does professional shoots in Las Vegas, California and Utah. She blogs at Mrs. MRS and A Life in Polaroid. Be sure to check out her photography site as well.

It can be so hard to place people well in group photos. Well is the key word. Anyone can tell people to get in close and smile but when taking a family photo, especially larger ones it can be hard to make sure everyone is seen and most important you don't have any totem poles.

Totem poles?!

I'm sure you're wondering what this crazy photographer is talking about. This happens when you have two people standing one in front of the other and their heads line up exactly one on top of the other.

This picture has a purposeful totem pole, but you get the idea.Try to make sure everyone has their own space. Bring people in close together. Remind them they like each other. And don't be afraid to get close to your subjects with the camera.
Now get out there and shoot!

Photo Tip of the Week :: Scanning Photos

When scanning your photo, scan it at a resolution of at least 300 dpi for the maximum size you would like to reproduce. Save as a .jpg or .tif file. This will ensure that you have a digital image of high quality.

Photo Tip of the Week :: What to Wear

When you're having your portrait taken, wear clothes that are solid colors, and avoid loud patterns or busy designs. When dressing a baby for a photo shoot, keep it simple. Try only a solid onesie or just a diaper. You never want clothing to be a distraction to the subject itself.

Photo Tip of the Week :: Lighting

Every week, Sugarhouse Ink is pleased to bring you a quick and easy photo tip! Every now and then we'll have a guest photographer to give us special instruction. Today's tip is about lighting.

Most photos (especially digital) turn out the best when they're taken in natural light. If you take a photo with a flash and then take the same photo with the flash turned off, you'll see a huge difference in the natural appearance of everything. When considering natural light, it is important to avoid direct sunlight by taking pictures in the morning or late afternoon. This will keep those harsh shadows away from your beautiful subjects. Another way to achieve great lighting is to take a picture near a bright window. The window can diffuse the light, while still adding depth to the subject.