From the category archives:

photography

june afternoons

April 20, 2011

I was laying in the hospital bed, after arriving the night before via ambulance, listening to the fetal monitoring specialist tell me that she needed to be delivered immediately. That I had experienced a placental abruption. That I had been bleeding internally for months. That my placenta was resting on top of my cervix. That there was a blood vessel right at the opening of the cervix. That if I had gone into labor naturally, she could have died. That I would have lost an unimaginable amount of blood. That … that … that …

So many “that’s” that I had to turn off my brain for a while and let Ken do the thinking for me.

We, of course, decided to be wheeled down to the operating room to meet our baby five weeks earlier than planned.

I wondered if I had done something wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have mopped so much. Maybe I should have drank less coffee. Maybe I should have heated up that lunch meat before I made sandwiches with it. Maybe tuna salad once a week wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe I shouldn’t have scrubbed the baseboards while on bedrest. Maybe I should have taken my prenatal vitamins more often. Maybe I shouldn’t have walked with Emma to the playground in the hot summer sun. Maybe …

In reality, what happened would have happened no matter what I did or didn’t do. And we were lucky.

And even though I was undeniably happy to have a healthy baby, I still wondered how I got so lucky. There are moms out there who do absolutely everything right, and sadly, don’t have the same outcome.

I’ve expressed many times over how blessed we feel to have made it through everything with a healthy baby. But I have never once forgotten those who have lost their sweet babies. The March of Dimes puts so much money and research into learning more about premature births and helping those parents who go home from the hospital with empty arms and broken hearts.

So when my friend Beth asked if I would donate a few images to raise money for the March of Dimes in honor of her two sons, James and Jake, I didn’t even have to think about it.

I am absolutely honored to be included in this collection of unbelievable photographers. The company is kind of unreal. Really.

Madeline Bea Photography (www.madelinebea.com) * Tracey Clark (www.shuttersisters.com)
Kristen Doyle (www.dineandish.net) * Beth Fletcher (www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com)
Emily Freeman (www.chattingatthesky.com) * Mishelle Lane (www.secretagentmama.com)
Lisa Leonard (www.lisaleonardonline.com) * Casey Mullins (www.mooshinindy.com)

So please go check it out and spend some money on some fabulous art for this beautiful cause.

{ 2 comments }

your questions answered (part 3)

April 12, 2011

in babywearing,faq,photography

So, I just happen to be one of those people who totally unplugs when I get busy. I don’t really mean to … it just naturally occurs. I haven’t forgotten about the questions you guys so kindly asked me WEEKS ago, so I’m going to try to finish the rest of the questions up in this post.

questions | part 1 | part 2

*cracking knuckles*

Tristina asked …

After we move, Stephen will come back to Atlanta for one week every month. I will come back with him every three months or so for visits. Can we make a standing plan that I come see you for one day during those visits?

Easiest question ever – YES! We can even meet halfway at a park or something once summer gets here!

Antoinette (beautiful name!) asked …

Kind of a photography question: Do you “pose” your kids for your shots and clean up around them or quickly sweep things out of the background before you take a picture? I’m a total beginner photographer and I started out wanting to “keep it real” by having a policy not to arrange the candid shots taken around the house. But it seems that our “stuff” often clutters up the pictures.

Love your pictures :)

First of all, thank you!! So very sweet :)

And secondly, have you actually SEEN my pictures? Ha! I’m just teasing. In my normal everyday pictures, I don’t pose my kids unless the picture is very obviously posed. But it’s usually, “Emma, can you stand over here?” … *click* … “Wait, come back!! Argh, nevermind.”

So you know how I mentioned that I shoot with a wide-open aperture (smaller number) all the time? It’s really so that all of the crap in the background is blurred out. Because my house is not neat by any means. I have a 6-month old who is bored after doing things for about 4.8 minutes, and I have a 3-year old who never stops moving. Ever. A neat and clean house is simply not possible unless I never sit down. Or eat. Or go to the bathroom.

All kidding aside, I have definitely moved stuff out of the frame, or I have shot from a different angle to try to get fewer toys or clothes in the background, but I really do try to capture our everyday, including the not-so-pretty part of our everyday.

But then when the stars align (or I have someone coming over), I actually get things cleaned up.

And THAT lasts for about 14 minutes.

Christie asked …

I love that you take so many pictures. You inspire me to take just a quarter of the amount you do.

My question is this — what advice do you have for a mom who works full time to fit more photos in during the evening? When I go home I help fix dinner and then have to clean up, along with other various chores. Practice makes perfect when it comes to anything, but you have to have time to practice. What did you do when you had your little business making diapers and such? How did you balance it all and still have time for photography?

I’m also interested to know what you think about prime lenses as well. I just use my kit lens now, but I want to invest in something I’ll really love.

The sad thing is that you only see a fraction of pictures that I post. I probably only keep 25% of the pictures that I take. Yikes.

This is a tough question for me to answer, because I have the freedom to take pictures anytime I want. And I definitely did not know what I was doing back then when I didn’t have the chance to put that much time into it. If I worked outside of the home, I’d take my camera with me and take walks on my lunch breaks.

Actually, these are a couple that I took back when I was working full-time (and didn’t have kids, yet).

I also leave the kids with Ken sometimes and just go for short walks around our neighborhood. You don’t have to go to a beautiful place to get beautiful pictures!

And do a lot of shooting on the weekends! I know, weekends are busy around here, so I can imagine what it’s like for you, but I am living proof that you don’t have to dress your kids up and take them out to a beautiful location to practice your photography. You can start in your home!

And when you just can’t get out of the house, well …

I answered (or didn’t really answer) the question about prime lenses versus zoom lenses here.

Oh my goodness, I am totally loving these questions … you guys should all be news reporters. Or interrogators for the FBI.

Christine asked …

1. How do you take such great shots of every day moments while still being an active participant in them? I find at times that I don’t even feel like I was there because I focused too much on the photos.

2. I have a 9 month old who still benefits from being “worn”. I have a Moby wrap, which I really love, except for the fact that he is so interested in trying to lunge and grab at things, I’m terrified he is going to launch himself right out the top of it! Do you think he is just too old for it, am I being paranoid, or am I not getting him in well enough?

First of all, I don’t think about the photos … I just take them. Seriously. I get my settings right, and then I just shoot what I see. I would be terrified to take pictures of other people, because my comfort zone is MY house with MY kids. I know where all the best light is, I know what makes them laugh, I know their schedule, I know what they like to do best. So I really don’t have to focus too much on the photos. I just have fun and shoot.

To answer your babywearing question … you need a woven wrap STAT!!! Since it’s stretchy, a Moby wrap is really intended for itty bitty babies who don’t move around a lot. A woven wrap would definitely help you get a better “hold” on your baby and keep him tight. I still carry Lucy in a wrap around the house (and she’s 18lbs, 11oz) … I actually wrote a post about all of the different kind of wraps I use.

OR get a soft-structured carrier … Ergo, Beco Butterfly or Gemini, Angelpack, Boba, etc. I use a woven wrap around the house, but I use my Angelpack for shopping or walks around the neighborhood (now that she has to get out and swing or play) because it’s so easy to get her in and out.

PLEASE let me know if you have any questions – babywearing is one of my most favorite things to talk about these days. ;)

Amanda asked …

How often do you get pics printed (if at all)? I have great pics of my kids but lots of times fail to get printed cause I’m lazy and then my walls go bare. And when you do print them, does your editing style translate to prints well? I love the different looks of cool edits, but wonder if I do them will they actually look good hanging on a wall. Oh and where do you get prints from? I’ve heard mpix is good, but wondered your opinion.

What camera bag do you have? I’ve got a trip coming up in a few weeks to Charlotte & Asheville w/my mom and Lincoln (SO EXCITED-first time to NC) and need a camera bag.

Babywearing Q, what length is your wrap? I went on a walk with Lincoln in his new woven I made, ruck sack carry. The tails seemed so long, its 4.5yds. Thinking I need to chop it some more.

Random life Q, will you be eating dairy again when Lucy weans? There are often times when I’m making something with cheesy goodness and I think “poor Keli she can’t eat this” :) But then I think about how you’ve said that its part of why you are so many lbs down from pre-baby weight and I wonder if maybe I should go dairy free to lose a few :)

I have always been really really bad at getting pictures printed, but I’m working on it. I just printed out the first couple of months of my project 365, and I am so happy with how they turned out! I definitely need to do that more often.

My editing style has turned out okay, so far. Except for pictures I got printed last year for my parents – they turned out really yellow. I’m not sure if it was my editing or what, but they turned out awful. Of course, me being me, I waited until the last minute to get them printed, so I had to give them to them how they were. [And that just reminded me I need to get those re-printed]

I honestly can’t remember where I got the bad ones printed, but my favorite printer is White House Custom Color.

Okay, don’t yell at me, but I don’t currently use a camera bag [gasp]. I just wrap my camera in a cloth diaper and pop it in my diaper bag [which is a hugemongous Vera Bradley tote]. I am in the market for a good camera bag once Lucy is down to 1-2 diapers per outing. I’ve heard great things about Ketti bags, Epiphanie bags and Kelly Moore bags.

As for the babywearing question, I love size 6 wraps, which are 4.6 meters long … which would be about 5 yards. Having said that, I still use the type of carries that go around Lucy a couple of times to keep her secure. She’s a little wiggle worm.

For the rucksack carry, I tuck in my tails by using a tibetan tie – instructions here.

Ooh, dairy … tough question. I’ve thought about this a lot, actually. I will admit that my digestion has improved since cutting out dairy, but I will probably go back to eating dairy once Lucy weans. I definitely won’t be eating as much, and I will continue using the Earth Balance butter because it is SO GOOD. I have found a lot of other great substitutes that I will keep cooking with, but I will not hesitate to eat a slice of pizza every once in a while.

As a matter of fact, ever since we started giving Lucy some solids, I have been able to sneak dairy here and there with no side effects on her, so … we may be past it? I’m not full-dairy, yet (probably won’t be until she weans), but I can eat regular hamburger buns or a few cheese nips here and there. Woohoo!!

I don’t see anything wrong with dairy in moderation, but if there’s one thing I found out while on this diet, dairy is in just about everything. Seriously. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to think about what I was eating, and I bet I will check ingredients for a very long time.

I have decided that once Lucy weans, and I can focus on something other than dairy-free, we will be cutting out high fructose corn syrup and food dyes. Emma and Ken are going to kill me, because boy do they love their Captain Crunch Berries.

Kristin asked …

I would love to know how you shoot subjects in nighttime settings or low light settings without using your flash, or if you use a speed light. I love your photos from Sea world and the night time shots are amazing!!

MANUAL!! I shoot 100% of the time in manual. For low light images, I shoot with a high ISO and then adjust my exposure accordingly. I do not use a flash or a speed light. For the Sea World images, there was a lot of light coming from the actual show, so I only had to shoot at ISO 640.

ISO 2500 (!!) * f/2.8 * shutter speed 1/50 sec * 50mm

But there’s a reason you don’t see very many nighttime shots around here … I don’t know how to use a speed light. I will only shoot at night if there is a LOT of light around. And then I usually convert to black and white, because I can’t ever get my white balance right.

Ashley Jean asked …

do you use noise reduction (in detail) in lightroom 3?
I just found out how to use it and it’s great. I learned from this video, it’s a must watch if you don’t know how to use. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmc8aHCCI3Y amazing results :)

I don’t, because I use LR 2!!! I know, I’m ancient. And cheap. I will definitely keep this saved for when I upgrade to LR3. Thank you!

Kim asked …

My kids play both indoor and outdoor sports. I have a hard time getting decent pictures in basketball gymnasiums and hockey rinks. What would you recommend?

Good question! And I have no clue. I really wish I knew, but I just don’t. So I’m throwing it out there for anyone else to answer. Please help Kim, sweet readers!!

And last but most certainly not least:

Ashley Jean asked …

I would love to see how you edit just some of your photos. I know you don’t have “a full-proof recipe ” but just a tutorial on how you edit a photo in Lightroom. Please

I am going to do this in a separate post. Soon. I really really will. But it is late at night, and I want to get this one posted before people forget who I am, much less that they asked me a question.

Thank you all so so much for being so amazing! XO

{ 11 comments }

Kellie Hatcher B&W Lightroom/ACR Presets Giveaway

April 4, 2011

in blog business,giveaways,lightroom,lightroom presets,photography

Oh my goodness, guys … I am SO EXCITED for YOU!!

Do you know a photographer whose editing is JUST RIGHT on every single image? Like, the image was just made to be processed that way? That’s how I feel about Kellie Hatcher’s images. She takes an already amazing photo and then nails the final product every time.

So imagine my delight when I saw that she was developing her very own black and white Lightroom presets.

I had the amazing opportunity to test these, and I fell in love instantly. INSTANTLY.

In fact, I love them so much, I had to share them with you!

That’s right, Kellie is generously giving away one set of Lightroom / ACR presets to one lucky reader!

And as an added bonus, you’ll get two versions of a fantastic color preset, as well!

So, let’s recap … there are 11 phenomenal black and white presets included … PLUS 2 bonus color presets!

I am going to give you a chance to have TWO entries:

1. Leave a comment here stating which preset is your favorite … that is, if you can choose just one.

2. Go “like” Kellie Hatcher Photography on Facebook [don’t forget to leave her a nice message, as well!] and then come back here and leave another comment letting me know.

I will choose a [very lucky] winner on Thursday, April 7th at 9pm EST.

Good luck!!

{ 97 comments }

camera phone

March 30, 2011

in photography

If I could do everything from my phone, I would.

I would be online a whole lot more.

I would always get our bills paid on time. I mean, other than the on time that they’re already paid. *ahem*

I would write blog posts [without it taking 142 hours to type it all out on the touchscreen].

I would make dinner, take showers, do laundry and take Emma to preschool with it.

Because I am all. about. convenience.

And I am all about doing everything with one thing. [I know, that’s what convenience means, but I just thought I’d realllly spell it out.]

In the meantime, I’m embarrassed to say that my Samsung Fascinate has almost replaced my Canon 50D. I still try to take at least one picture a day with my ~~fantastically awesome~~ good camera, but I can’t help but appreciate the convenience of always having a decent camera with super fun apps just a finger touch away.

Anyway, here are some of the things I’ve been capturing with my phone [using the Vignette app for the Android]

clockwise from top left: my dinner cooking helper; taking a milkshake to daddy at work; laughing at big sis; riding with the windows down and the wind in our hair

clockwise from top left: blue skies; rainy tree in front yard; guac; 81!

clockwise from top left: hanging out in the mall nursing room; allergies = nebulizer; afternoon baths after muddy outside time; gymnastics [emma is on the balance beam on the left]

I have more, but my email is being annoying, and it’s far too late (or early) to keep waiting for the images to load.

After all, I’m just waiting for Lucy Goosey to wake up for her first feeding of the night. Lately, she only has two nighttime feedings. Midnight’ish and 5’ish.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! *fist pump*

I will also be finishing up the rest of the questions you guys asked me … oh, about a month ago.

{ 10 comments }

your questions answered (part 2)

March 23, 2011

in faq,lightroom,lightroom tutorials,photography

I bet you thought I’d never finish answering your questions, did you? We’ve been so busy … growing, teething, playing outside, teething, not sleeping … the usual.

Texan Mama (Gretchen) asked …

Do you prefer zoom lenses or primes? Why?

Here’s a biggie: what is the most common aperture you shoot at? Why? (me personally I’m always messing up between too much blurred background and not enough)

What do you think has helped you grow the most with your technical skills? Forums? A mentorship? Classes? YouTube? Trial and Error? if you have any specific references, please give ‘em up.

I have a hard time with that first question. I think if I HAD to choose, I’d prefer a prime lens, because it kind of forces me to look for the shot I want instead of zooming in or out on the “right” shot. Being forced to find the right shot really makes me a better photographer. But I also really like the flexibility of a zoom lens. I currently have a 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8 and the 24-70mm f/2.4. I love them all for various reasons, but I think I could do everything with the 50mm if I absolutely had to. The main reason I love the 24-70mm is the ability to shoot wide, because the 50mm and 85mm are not wide angle at all.

As for my aperture, I pretty much always shoot wide open, baby. I am notorious for having super soft images because I just don’t close down my aperture. Ever. That is my biggest downfall, really. I need to learn to close it down every once in a while, but I’m a 1.8 to 2.4 lover.

As for growing technically …

Forums? I am not currently a member of any photography forums. I tried one a few years ago, but my images were torn apart in the most horrid way, and I decided that wasn’t for me. I can handle constructive criticism, but I can’t handle being ripped apart.

A mentorship? I wish I could work with someone amazing, but I’ve never had that opportunity.

Classes? I’ve taken one online course that didn’t really teach me anything I didn’t already know. But it was free, so I don’t know what I was expecting?

YouTube? I use YouTube for tutorials on Lightroom and Photoshop, but I’ve never used it to help improve the actual technical side. Maybe I should!

Trial and Error? Yes, yes, YES!!! I learned how to shoot in manual by turning the dial to “M” and practicing.

If you have any specific references, please give ‘em up. Okay, here’s my secret. Flickr. A few years ago, Flickr was very open and people shared their EXIF data for their images. So I would see an image I liked, and then I would look at their EXIF data to see how they did it. I would put my camera into the same settings and shoot. Over time, I let go of shooting like others and found my own style, but I don’t think I would have ever really found my style had I not been able to look at what others were doing.

Now, a lot of Flickrers have turned off their EXIF data, so it’s not as easily accessible as it used to be. (But mine is always on for the images I take with my Canon!)

Jess asked …

Do you want to try to get back to the Zoo when the weather warms up? We haven’t been since the last time we met up!

You said one time that you weren’t interested in having a photography business because of the pressure you’d put on yourself to capture perfect pictures for your clients. Has your idea about that changed at all lately or do you see it changing in the future?

When I finally get pregnant, I’m going to ask you for sling advice :)

Yes!! Let’s definitely get together when the weather warms up! I would absolutely love that.

I am still not looking to start a photography business. I need to finally be completely honest about this whole photography business deal. So … here goes.

Everyone and their brother has a photography business these days. There are so many people who think that because they have a nice camera and because their mom told them that they take good pictures, they can make a little extra money being a photographer. So they start a business and charge practically nothing to do a session. But they are taking business away from photographers out there who have been working so hard and doing this for many years and that are charging what SHOULD be charged.

Now, I totally understand that every photographer had to start from somewhere. I get that. But my issue is with people who really don’t know enough about photography to be a “professional photographer” – even a beginner professional photographer. I actually created a website and a business name about 5 years ago, and I am so thankful that nothing ever came of it. I was NOT a photographer. I shot in auto mode, I didn’t know how to use Photoshop or Lightroom, I didn’t know the basic rules of photography. I seriously thought, “Well, I have a $1,000 camera – I could do that!” Oh man, I cringe just thinking about it. And even 5 years later, I honestly feel like I am just not good enough to hang a shingle.

Photographs are forever. The pictures I take of my girls will be around for generations to come. I honestly do not feel like I could hold the fate of someone else’s family pictures or wedding pictures or baby pictures that will be in their family FOR GENERATIONS in my amateur hands. I really wish people would think about that before they charge people for those photos.

Also? You have to be ON TOP OF IT to run a business. Our wedding photographer (Plantation Photography, just in case they have Google alerts set up for their business name, heh) lost/deleted/whatever 80% of our wedding photos and NEVER made it right. We fought with them for almost a year before we finally gave up. The only thing they were good at was avoiding our calls and letters and emails. It just goes to show that there is a lot of pressure on photographers, and I don’t think I could handle that at this time in my life.

But the bottom line is that I am not a professional photographer. I don’t play one on tv, and I simply cannot charge people at this point in my life. Will I ever feel like I’m good enough to be Keli Hoskins Photography? I don’t know. I may not ever feel like I am cut out to do this professionally. Not everyone who has a nice camera and who can be a decent photographer needs to be a professional.

Phew. Well, that was probably more than I should have said about that, but there you go. I feel better.

And finally, YES … please feel free to ask me anything regarding babywearing. It’s how Lucy and I survived those first few months.

Elaine asked …

I just ordered a new 50mm 1.4 lens. I’m VERY excited to get it but not really sure how to use it! Do you KNOW what settings to put your camera on for say a picture like you took of Lucy’s beautiful eyes in your recent You Capture post, or do you just shoot and get lucky? Because that is what I do right now with my basic 18-55… Thanks!

First of all, congratulations on your 50mm 1.4!! I’m totally jealous! You are going to love it!

I shoot 100% in manual. So I pretty much know what aperture and ISO I need for whatever and wherever I’m shooting, and then I set the exposure around that. For that picture of Lucy, I had her facing a window on a cloudy day, so I set the ISO to 400. Of course, I pretty much always shoot wide open, so my aperture was at 1.8 on my 50mm, but I probably should have closed down a little bit more to, somewhere around 2.8 so that her entire face and eyes would have been in focus. (See? Not professional photographer material!)

Once I started shooting in manual, choosing the ISO got easier over time. Now, I do let my camera choose my shutter speed based on ISO, aperture and what exposure I have chosen.

I would say I shoot in about 3 different ISO zones – 125’ish when I’m outside, 400-640 when I’m inside, 1000-1600 at night or in dark places. Of course, I use other settings based on what I’m shooting, but those are pretty good starting points.

Okay, there are a few more questions in the original post as well as a few in my part one answers, but since this post is already so long, I’ll post it and finish up the rest of the questions over the next few days.

Thank you!!

{ 6 comments }

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