Category Archives: General

Pretty Winter: blue-purples against yellow-oranges

November 29, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer

Here’s an example of two color schemes that are very different and both work well with the background. The first is made up of complementary colors. The clothing contrasts with the background—blue and orange are opposites, as are purple and yellow. So the look is dramatic without feeling harsh. I’ve played up the boldness of the colors in some images (second family picture) and softened them in others (vertical family picture) for different effects. The second color palette is analogous—made up of colors that are side by side on the color wheel: yellow-orange-red.

http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory

While this color theory is extremely useful for selecting wardrobe for photography, there is an element of judgement and experience that comes into play to make the whole thing work seamlessly. And there are other elements to consider as well—textures, collars, patterns. That is why I sifted through five closets here to come up with some really stunning combinations!

Style for the Little Man

November 27, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer

yup, it’s hard to find! There’s a lot of navy and grey and brown and some red, but it’s hard to find boys clothes that are colorful, fun, and unique. It always irks me that boys get striped, plaid and camouflage, but girls can wear any pattern under the sun. So I’ve spent some time hand-picking a few good sites for great boys’ clothing.

ZANDINO

http://www.zandino.com

Definitely out-of-the-ordinary gear, great if you want to make a splash.

WONDERBOY

http://wonderboyclothing.com/

By far my favorite brand. I like the collared shirts best. Small patterns are the nicest for photography. They don’t overwhelm the face but they add character and charm.

TEA COLLECTION

http://www.teacollection.com/boys-clothing

A little hard to sift through all the logos and skate clothes. They have  solids in bright, fun colors, and some original patterns.

MINI BODEN

http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Boys-1H-14yrs-Clothing.html

There’s a lot of conventional stuff on their site, but even the standard fare has some zip and flair.

DMO

http://www.shopnogirlsallowed.com/catalog.php?category=6

Far, far off the beaten track. Boys can have fun, too!

Boy or Girl? Trick question! Who gets red?

November 26, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer

This mama posted the first picture here to Facebook to announce her baby. Within minutes she had ten posts oohing and cooing—but something was wrong. She had kept the gender a secret—even from herself— and had not announced the birth itself on Facebook. So many friends and acquaintances were learning that baby had been welcomed into the world from this post. She did not give full details in the post—simply a picture— leading people to guess on their own whether it was a boy or girl. Someone noting the red background assumed it was a girl and took liberties to post “congratulations on your girl!” which led to many similar comments until someone finally corrected everyone. This fabric has an Indian flair and I thought it was gender neutral. It never fails to surprise me how strongly color is associated with gender and how strict the conventions are. It may, then, surprise you that red used to be identified as a male color—seen as aggressive, strong, fierce, bold—and blue was for women–cool, serene, demeure, calm, dainty. And so it followed that pink was for little boys, and light blue for girls.

“There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.” [Ladies Home Journal, June, 1918]

The current pink for girls and blue for boys wasn’t uniform until the 1950′s.

10 Best Posed Shots—Baby Sleeping with Uncommon Things

November 21, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer

Babies are usually beautiful and angelic looking when they sleep, so you’ll want to capture that anyway. But here’s a fresh angle to it: Place something unexpected next to or around baby while he sleeps. Something meaningful to you, or fun, or artistic, whatever your bent is. Some ideas:

1) a guitar or other musical instrument. If you’re a musician, you’ll then have two of your most beloved things in the world side by side. It’ll also give you an amazing contrast of scale and show just how tiny your little bundle is.

2) oranges, lemons, or other fruit with bold color and graphic shapes (round always looks harmonious). Arrange them any way you like. Try different configurations. Have fun with it. You are creating art!

3) flower petals. I know, it’s been done before. But not with your sweet baby! A bouquet right at his side would look good, or try sprinkling flowers around her.

4) stuffed animals/loveys. Find every single one in the house and surround your sleeping wonder with his new friends.

5) valentine’s day heart candies. Do a closeup of baby’s face so that your zoomed far enough in to read the cute phrases on the candies.

6) pictures of you and your spouse as babies. Here again, you’ll have to get close to make out what’s in the pictures.

7) all your jewelry. Fanciest stuff you can find! Drape it all over her and around her, as if she’s lying in a treasure chest!

How to get the best shots:

1) Get a ladder and place it as close to crib, bassinet, bed as possible. The taller the better. I know it sounds like a drag but it will be worth it!

2) Pick a time of day when there’s beautiful light coming in through a nearby window and a stage of baby’s nap when he isn’t likely to wake up, and throw open the curtains and shades.

3) Keep the camera very steady, increase ISO and shutter speed if camera will allow. All these can be done with camera phones, too. Experiment with the settings and turn off the flash.

I have to admit that I don’t have much to show here. I did not follow my own advice because I didn’t really think of these things back then when I was a new mom and sleep deprived. But if I could do it all again, I’d have a huge repertoire of these pictures! I would also lose the very distracting outfit and either don a white onesie or diaper with diaper cover. Or, if you don’t mind living on the edge and want the most artistic and beautiful images, remove his diaper while he’s sleeping and photograph him in the buff.

10 Best Posed Shots—Upside Down!

November 16, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer
Try this! But only if s/he finds it amusing. My boy always loved defying gravity and it never failed to make him laugh. One parent needs to prepare the camera: increase the ISO and shutter speed if you can to best capture action, especially if indoors. Outdoors you will almost always have better light and thus, sharper pictures even with a moving target. Pre-focus on the farthest point that the flying head is going to reach if you have a manual option. If not, just point the camera down or to where the head will appear so that you will be ready to snap the picture. Hopefully your kid will want to swing around for a while so you’ll have a few opportunities to catch it. Keep shooting and hopefully you’ll get at least one winner!

10 Best Posed Shots (that you can do yourself!)

November 15, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer

1) Family Self-portrait.

You can do this! You all need to scrunch together. And then get a little closer. It’s fun when everyone’s heads touch. Whoever has the longest arm gets to hold the camera. Take several shots in a row. Hold steady! Practice makes perfect. This is a great skill to have and will yield that most coveted and elusive image: the family (all of you!) out and about or just at home having fun. It doesn’t matter if someone’s eye gets cut out. We get the picture. And you will enjoy the memory.

No one ever photographs me and my son. (My husband would rather have his teeth pulled out. Although he does relent for birthdays and other special occasions.) So just to make sure that when he grows up he remembers that I was part of the family, I take pictures of us every now and then.

I use a Canon Powershot S90. I throw it in my purse. It comes to the beach with me in a Ziploc bag. It sometimes gets a little sand in it and I’ve been known to drop it, but it’s better to have a beaten up camera and fun family memories than a perfect camera that gets lonely sitting in a drawer at home. If an extra camera is too much to carry, familiarize yourself with your phone’s camera and how it will perform under different lighting conditions and distances from your face.

Fall Special on Family Pictures!

November 14, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer

All shapes, sizes, styles, with and without animals, running, jumping, playing, sleeping, and everything in between. Book now while the Fall Special is on!!

Bounding thru the Bluebonnets at Twilight

August 7, 2012 | Austin Baby and Family Photographer

She really was bounding…..running so fast, and invariably in the other direction, that I got quite a workout! Still, there were some lovely peaceful moments on her mommy’s lap, and I did what inspires me the most: captured the love!