How to take better back to school photos!

1. Go outside!

The best lighting will be outdoor natural light. Indoors tend to be dark, orange or and full of harsh lighting. This will cause your photos to be underexposed and your camera will compensate by making your photo look grainy. If you take your photo before school in the morning make it in an open shade area. The light in the AM is softer than the light after school and will give you a prettier overall photo.

2. Clean your lens!

Whether you're using your phone or a camera a clean lens makes for a clearer, brighter, photo. Be sure to use a cleaning cloth like microfiber or something soft that won't scratch the glass.

3. Find a good background!

Be sure to find an area where you can shoot with little to no distractions in the background. You want your child to be the center of focus in the photo so if the background is busy or cluttered it will take away from them. Use a solid side of your house, not only will a solid plain background keep the focus where it belongs if it's porch covered that's an extra bonus for good soft light.

4. Find something to use as a mile marker!

Some parents like to use a sign that announces what grade your kiddo is in and some even go all out with what they want to be when they grow up, funny sayings or anything else that will help you distinguish what year the photo was taken. Let's be honest, if you have more than one kiddo the years, and kids, can all run together! One great idea is to find something you can use each year to see the difference in your child's size, I love the idea of a t-shirt that can grow with them from kindergarten to graduation. Also if you choose the same spot on the house every year you can see how your child grows year to year.

5. Take all the angles!

Be sure to get a full length shot, again great to use against something for size reference, but then don't forget the tiny details. Get a close up of their face, freckles, missing teeth and all.

Lastly don't forget to let their personality shine in a few goofy photos!

* I will be offering back to school photos with all the props, signs, apples and more!! And possibly a School Bus.*

There will be tons of great bookworm-y props like a desk,  large pencil, globe, books, chalkboard signs to personalize, and plenty of apples! This is a stylized shoot with props provided.

The date is Monday, August 11th and 12th, in El Campo, 7:30-8:00 pm, location to be emailed out.
School aged children (4 yrs+) to teens.

$55 for the Mini Photo Sessions includes:
15 minute Photo Shoot of your child

• 8 x 10 Print

• Online Gallery of 8 + images with all edited images available for purchase. Packages start at $99 and most do buy a package.

This price is for one child.  $10 per additional child.  $25 non-refundable booking fee due at time of booking and applied towards total session fee.
Please follow this link to book your session.

Sunflower Mini Sessions (Now Booking)

Sunflower Mini Sessions

Date: Monday July 15th, and Tuesday July 16th ONLY!!

Times: 7-8pm

Come frolic (love that word) in the big, huge, gorgeous yellow sunflowers, these flowers will brighten your day and whenever you look at the photos you won't be able to quit smiling.  These sessions will be quick and NOW as the sunflowers are in perfect bloom.

Each mini session costs $65 and includes a 15 minute photography session, 1 8x10 print and a online gallery (8+ images) with all edited images available for purchase. Packages start at $99 and most do buy a package.  A $50 non refundable booking fee is due at the time of booking and is applied to total session fee.   Sessions will be in El Campo, Texas.

Please follow this link to book your session. Select your date, time and pay booking fee. 

5 Tips for Photographing Fireworks and Sparklers

This 4th of July take some awesome firework and sparkler photos!! With these easy tips you can have these fun and festive photos turn out awesome!!

1.   NO flash!!

Turn off that flash (look for the lightning bolt setting on your DSLR). Let the fireworks and sparklers be the only light-source in your photos. This helps the camera focus on the Fireworks only and not surrounding scene.

2.  Find the fireworks setting on your camera or smartphone AND use a tripod if available

Most cameras, from smartphones to DSLR’s, have built in “modes” that help you take better photo. Even your cell phone camera has options. Check them out.  If you find the “fireworks” setting on your camera you’ll be on the right track to taking better sparkler pictures.

The key to photographing fireworks is long exposures which means, this will make your shutter speed {that’s the “click” you hear when you take a photo} very SLOW. You will need to keep the camera very still while releasing the shutter.

Don’t have a tripod? Improvise and put your camera on top of a stable, hard surface such as the top of your cooler or on your vehicle. Remember, you are trying to capture the trails and the movement of the fireworks not the movement of the camera.

3.  Experiment with (M) manual mode

You want that big plume of color, right? Well, for a camera to capture the entire plume, the shutter needs to be open for at least a second or more. This can be achieved in different ways according to your camera.

DSLR – Switch your camera to shutter priority mode using the large knob on top of your camera. On a Canon camera this will be “Av”, on Nikon, it will be “S”. You can then change the shutter speed by using the click wheel by the shutter button. Change the shutter speed to anywhere from 1-5 seconds depending on your needs. OR play around in (M) You will need to adjust your ISO (lets more light in or out), Aperture (focus), Shutter(remember long shutter speed)

 Point and Shoot – Once again change to shutter priority if you have the option. If not, see if your camera has an option for long shutter speeds.

 Cell phone – You will have to use an app for this unless your camera allows you to simulate shutter speed control. “Slow Shutter” is an app for iPhones that works well. Simply search for apps that allow you to change the shutter speed in your app store to find something that works.

4.  Stop stressing out and have fun!

Firework and sparkler pictures are meant to be fun… but in the process of getting a really great photo, you’ll probably take a bunch of really bad ones!  No worries – that’s why God made the delete button, right?

5.  Keep Practicing!

Now start shooting! Keep trying different timing, different angles and different shutter speeds to get what you want. With sparklers have someone write a word or draw a heart.

Remember that you will have to do a lot of trial and error to get the shots you want. However, as long as you stabilize your camera, open the shutter up for a few seconds, and have everything framed up, you’ll find success if you stick with it. 

Enjoy your 4th of July Holiday. And if you take any fireworks photos, please share with me on Social Media using #jhpfireworks