I thought I would post a little something for all the other photography nuts out there. Today will be about textures. I am constantly looking at textures. Textures are an element that can be added to a photograph to help enhance it or change the dynamics of an image. I love textures, in moderation. They can be overdone and, in my personal opinion, they look horrible when overused. My favorite place to look for textures is at my dad’s barn. Talk about texture heaven. So many old, beat-up things that just have a great feel to them. So, I thought I would show you a before and after. I happen to love the ‘before’ image just as much as I love the ‘after’ image. But, I hope you can get an idea of what I am talking about. So, let’s start with the before…and the texture…And, with a few adjustments, the final image…See how it just changes the feel of the image? Like I said, I like both of them…but just in a different way!

To all you photography buffs out there, if you would like a free copy of this texture(plus a couple other ones that I have up my sleeve) then just email me and I will send them your way! erin@purewonderphotography.com

I’m off tomorrow(hopefully) to photograph a family who has been rescheduled 3 times due to yucky weather so…here is to hoping that the sun comes out tomorrow or atleast the rain stays away!

Again, think outside of the box. You don’t want to hinder their little personalities by having them wear a black shirt and jeans but you want their outfits to represent who they are. I know, this is different. Maybe even a bit scary. It forces you to really think about your little ones and their personalities. But, really, how many christmas cards have you gotten in the mail with the typical green and red theme. I have been there. I have done that(I know, close your jaw. Shocking.). 

You also want to be thinking about location. Are you going for an urban feel? A park feel? An open lot feel? Take all this into consideration when choosing your children’s outfits. 

Don’t forget the shoes.This is something that is easily forgotten about until you see those beat up tennis shoes glaring back at you in your pictures.  Go barefoot if you dare.  And remember, if you are going to invest in pictures, invest in new outfits. 

Let’s look at the ages…

0-6 months. If it is just the child, I say go with a cute diaper cover or a plain white onesie. You can always spruce it up with a tutu or a sweet little petticoat. But, you can’t get much cuter than some serious belly rolls.  Check out this link for some super cute tutus. I ordered a tutu from her and it is adorable. Ms. T will be wearing it for it’s debut during her 6 months photos next week. So, stay tuned. 

6-12 monthsThese are so bright and fun. They capture personalities but don’t distract from the child. 

12-24 months

Don’t get me wrong…you don’t need a shoe at this age. But, if you are so inclined or it’s cold out…these were super cute!

2-3 year olds

3-5 years old – at this age, kids have an opinion. This becomes more difficult. Honestly, my best piece of advice is to find something that they like. Because, if they don’t like the outfit and/or they are uncomfortable, it will show in the pictures. 

Good for any age…
I think this dress is adorable. Miss Teagen might just be sporting this in a future picture. Who says that stripes don’t look good in pictures? I beg to differ. 

Hope this helps and as always, email me with any questions. erin@purewonderphotography.com. And, click on the links to be directed to the sites.

To start, my son has PCS(photographer child syndrome). No, really. I am for real. He sees a camera and his head instantly goes down. He thinks it’s hi.larious to say ‘cheese’ as he knows that it irritates the snot out of me. What have I done? I have created a nightmare for the uber-talented Michele from Pinkle Toes who will be taking our family pictures. Lucky her, huh? But, I have bought many-a-bribe to make it through the shoot.

Not to mention that I hate to be in front of the camera. I think this goes for most photographers. That is why we are behind it.

But, lastly, the outfits. Oh, the dreaded outfits. Trying to make everything match but not really match. To show personality without looking cheesy. To show style without looking fake. It’s hard. Really hard. This is the number one question that I get asked, “what should we wear”. It’s a tough one. The days of khaki pants and matching polos are out. It’s time for a little style. Some personality. So, I thought I would make a little, ‘what the heck do I wear’ series. Every week I will feature outfits for a different type of shoot. 

This week is for Julie, the lovely bride whom I will be shooting an engagement session for in September(yeah!!). 

Tip#1:

Think color palettes. Colors that go together but don’t necessarily match. 

Outfit 1

 

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Tip# 2

Invest in a new outfit. If you are going to invest in pictures, you need to invest in new clothes. It really does make the picture. Faded clothes look just that in pictures, faded. 

Oufit # 2

Tip# 3

I think the women should always stand out. This is especially true for engagement pictures. Wear those high heels or that cute top. Accessorize. Don’t forget the ring!

Above all, you want your outfits to match your personality. Don’t try to wear something that you aren’t, it will show in your pictures. 

*Click on each picture to connect to the store. All outfits are from GAP, Banana Republic and JCrew.

If I take a bad picture then it is just that…a bad picture. Everybody takes bad pictures. It’s part of the job. You have to take bad pictures to know when/how you get a good picture. You appreciate the good much more when you have some bad up your sleeve.  You can edit a bad picture to make it good, but it will never be a great picture. You could spend hours in photoshop editing pictures, but then, I believe, you would be more of a designer than a photographer. Anyway, photoshop can be fun, but it’s not my thing. However, I do like to use some specific actions that I have to tweak images a little bit. Here are some examples…

Here is the SOOC shot

This is tri-tone heaven. Not black and white, not color… just a little bit of everything. 

This has some intensity added to it. 

Lastly a black and white with an extra dose of warmth added.