Photography Tips for Moms: Introduction

Before I begin, let me preface by saying that all the photos on this blog post are the original ones aka unedited, I took with my old camera/lens and then my new camera/lens when I first began learning about photography. In including these unedited photos, my hope is to inspire other mommas to explore their cameras, to take risks, and not be afraid to learn about how fun and rewarding (and not intimidating) photography can be.

When my daughter was born on November 14, 2015, I remember thinking "I’m going to be that mom that takes lots of beautiful photos of my baby". After all, we had a DSLR camera, and I have always enjoyed taking pictures. When Elle was around 3 weeks old, and life was a teeny tiny bit more under control, I decided to have a “photo shoot” with my little peanut. I purchased some props on Etsy {sparkly headbands and a little red tutu} for what I hoped would turn into our Christmas card photo.

I put the camera on “auto” because, why not? My thinking was “the camera knows what it’s doing”…and I had no clue what all those little A’s and M’s meant. I gathered that the dial with the tiny jumping figure was for photographing jumpy people, and my little person wasn’t jumping yet, so “auto” it was.

Turns out the camera is smart. Smart at taking a snapshot of exactly everything that is right there in front of you. Those little baby blemishes, dog hair on the blanket, not to mention the shadows, and glares, and whatever lives in the background (think outlets, light switches, open doors, whatever). Now this is all fine, because it is real life after all. But you can imagine my disappointment when I uploaded my photos to the computer, and whomp whomp, I was not seeing all those Pinterest worthy photos on the screen in front of me.

The thing is, I knew nothing about photography at that point. Nothing. Except that we had a “fancy” camera, aka it was big and had lots of buttons. Unfortunately, I continued to blindly take photos of my little one here and there. Time and time again, I was disappointed at what I saw when I would excitedly upload my photos to my computer. I was following all these mommas and photographers who took all these beautiful pictures and I did not understand what I was doing wrong. Then one day it dawned on me. If I wanted to see something different on the screen in front of me, I needed to do something different.

I obsessively began googling “photography for beginners” and “photography tips” and quickly realized, that my DSLR camera, had undergone five… FIVE updates. Yep, I was using a Canon 30D and the 80D model had just been released. I was also using whatever lens that came with the camera. I was also shooting on “auto” a big NO NO in the photography world. I knew right then, that it was time to buy a brand new camera. That was the step I needed to take, in order to turn my photography game around.

Two days later (seriously, what would be do without Amazon Prime???) my new shiny camera, and a 50mm lens arrived in the mail. I set it up, charged the battery, grabbed my 8 month old, and ran outside to take photos. I had been reading about “how to take photos that have a blurry background”, because those pictures were always so pretty and clean to me. So I set up my settings, and began clicking away. When I uploaded my photos, I was awe struck, at the difference in what I saw in front of me. These photos were bright, and airy, and focused. I was in love.

Since that day in July 2016, I have been trying to learn more and more about photography. I have A LOT more to learn. I mean A LOT. I am still envious of the 1,892 mommas I follow on IG who take incredible photos. I still sit there and wonder “how did they do that?” So if you’re out to learn how to become an incredible professional photographer, this is not for you. I have A LOT more to learn. But if you just want some simple tips on how to take better photos, especially of your babes (big or small), then I hope I can provide you with some guidance. I’m always happy to answer questions on this topic to the best of my ability, and I look forward to seeing glimpses of your world on my screen.

All this week, I’ll be sharing my 5 BEST tips for taking those bright, airy, and memorable photos. Be on the lookout for number 4, it’s my favorite.

#Photographytips