Photography by

Amy

Creative Photography

Introductory Class

My Equipment

All images that I took in this guide were taken with the Canon Rebel T3

and either the Canon EFS 18-55mm lens/image stabilizer or the Canon

50mm fixed lens (for portraits)

Sources: Mom*tog, Picablog (Stephanie Glover), Canon.com

Lesson One: Technically Speaking…

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

______________________________________________

Let’s Review

1. You want a fuzzy background…do you set your ‘A’

(aperture) to a high number or a low number?

2. It is a sunny day. You are taking a picture that you may

want to blow up to 20x30. Do you set your ISO to 200 or

800? ________ Why?

3. It is an overcast day and you are taking portraits of your

kids. You don’t want to think about aperture or ISO, you

just want to enjoy shooting them. Do you set it to the green

rectangle or ‘P’? Why?

Lesson Two: Lighting Is

EVERYTHNG!!!

Lesson 3: GET CREATIVE

We all tend to try to get the entire subject in a picture. What we forget

most often is the little details of our little ones…the way their wrists

used to have such deep creases that they looked like they had rubber

bands around them…the wrinkles on their little toes…how cute their

tiny hangnails were…that little curl at the nape of their neck before their

1st haircut.

Today’s lesson will teach you how to capture those little, precious

moments/things.

GET CLOSE

To capture small moments, GET CLOSE! Look at this picture of

Zachary after he lost his tooth.

.

I got close enough to capture the space where the old tooth used to be,

but far away enough to include ‘Brownie’ the cow, his expression, and

the location (baseball field).

My next shot GOT CLOSER. Now I can see in detail which tooth it

was and even the detail of the new tooth coming in already!

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

POINT OF VIEW

When we think of taking a picture of someone/something,

we typically have them face us, stand in front of them, tilt our

heads forward to ‘look down’, then shoot. Try something

different to get even better shots, change your point of view!

Worm’s eye view

Bird’s eye view

If you can’t move around (restricted space, baby cries when you

get too far away), change the angle of your camera. Take some

horizontal, some vertical, then slightly cock your camera a

little for a professional effect.

Great Sites:

photographybyamy.smugmug.com (ideas)

picasa (download to your hard drive and use to make simple edits like

lighting your exposure to create a portrait effect)

picmonkey (editing)

momtog.com (great tips and ideas) – MANY of what I will hand out

comes from her site!

http://digital-photography-school.com/

pinterest (join and type in children, baby, family photography and every

day you will receive new ideas and tips)

google picablog

You can just choose some tutorials, or like them on facebook for

updates. Their 365 project is awesome!!!

More to learn about:

Leading Lines

Leading lines are used to draw the viewer’s eye through a photograph. These can be

unintentional, but, in most cases, very intentional! Every photograph tells a story. Leading lines

help your viewer go through your story.

Leading lines come in a variety of forms: fences, bridges, bricks, shore lines, buildings. Really

anything can be a leading line! Let’s take a look at some examples.

While I think they are both cute I much prefer the right over the left. Here’s why. The centered

picture looks more like a snapshot. By stepping back and following the rule of thirds, it becomes

a portrait.

Let’s take a look at the right picture on the grid.

Thank you SO much for attending my class

I sincerely hope that it helps you understand your camera better and gives you the

confidence to take your camera off auto every once in a while and fall in love with shooting

photography.

Everything I’ve taught in this class takes practice. It is KEY!!! It’s okay if you make

mistakes…that’s why we all love digital! You can just delete your mistakes or go onto

Picmonkey.com or Picasa and correct them! You will also learn from your mistakes. You

will understand why your camera produces the images it does.

You now know that if you are getting motion blur that you need to check your shutter

spped to make sure it is not too low.

You know that to get a great picture you need proper exposure and great light.

Also, you know that a picture doesn’t have to be perfect to create a memory. Don’t get so

wrapped up in getting a perfect exposure and miss a moment! Think back to pictures of

your childhood…Too dark? Fuzzy? Overexposed? I know mine are, and I LOVE

THEM! THEY ARE PRICELESS!!!! They are packed with memories and emotions from

my past.

I love taking pictures. I’m a photographer, it’s what I do. I think, whether you are a pro

or a parent with a camera, you want to get the most out of your fancy camera and take

beautiful pictures of your precious family. I also know that when Max and Zachary look

back at the pictures of their childhood they won’t be looking at the white balance or

lighting. I hope, as they look at the palethera of pictures of their lives, that they see a life

full of fun, love, and family.

The perfect exposures, crisp images, and perfectly lit faces will come with practice. Those

moments will come and go. So….keep shooting, keep learning, and HAVE FUN!

And remember, I’m only a phone call, email, or text away!

Amy

www.photographybyamy.smugmug.com (315) 635-5462 text only: (315) 383-8958