when i started blogging more and flickring less, i had a few ideas that i wanted to try… just some things to extend beyond the simple posting of photos.
the first feature will be a section for photo tips. i want to make sure that the substance of the tips portion of the blog is what people actually want to learn, so i am asking for questions. i have had so many already submitted via email, twitter and facebook, but feel free to leave them here as well. the question that i pick to lead off with will earn the person who submitted it a mini-mentor package worth $150.00! (if you want to go beyond a question on a blog post, i do offer one on one mentoring sessions online and in person.)
i am hoping that this makes my blog more fun to read…i know that the blogs i love to read go beyond just the sessions and really share…the people who share their daily lives, their inspiration, their humor, their knowledge. those are the blogs i love.
here is a little more detail on these shots:
nikon d3 ~ iso 400 ~ f/5 ~ 1/125
because i am a moron and dropped my flash my trusty flash died in the line of duty a few weeks ago, these are lit with an OLD friend…my SB-26 (from my film days) off camera with a soft box attached.
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Rachel! I would love to learn anything and everything: lighting, composition, focus, post-processing. But out of the four, I would personally would love to learn about light.: how to use flash effectively to give the natural light look, exactly like the photo above with cutie Kieran – what flashes are best, what other equipment is needed when using flash and how to effectively use the camera’s manual settings; also how to utilise natural light to it’s potential, how not to blow highlights and any other tips/tricks. Thanks!
I’d love to learn some artistic effects, things like when to overexpose? I just shot some of my house the other day and I really liked how the light in the window frame was completely over exposed so that you couldn’t see anything out the window. When to use which settings would be helpful.
how the heck you get the twins to sit still;)
really.
i like the idea of a basic checklist of what you use in your shots like this. and the settings. and how you got kieran to sit still. cuz alex would be charging towards me with that camera…
Hi, Rachel! I am wondering how to use a flash and light subjects against a background without having shadows behind them. I remember a few photos of Kieran with a drum that were just beautiful – flash/softbox lit with no shadows. What is your trick?
I wanna smooch those feet. Can I? That’s my question.
I love the picture with Kieran and the wooden camera. That is absolutely too cute! One of the problems I run into is in the processing. I usually have SO many photos that sitting down to choose ones to edit and process is completely overwhelming, such that I haven’t done it in a long time. How do you narrow things down and eliminate unnecessary photos? How do you choose which ones to edit? And how do you approach your editing? When, how much, things like that?
Hmmm what do i want to know? As a natural light photographer, i do use only available light. I do this cause i love the look of the picture shot natural, but also cause in reality i have absolutly no idea what to do with a flash. I dont like the ‘pin pricks’ you get with a flash fired, but i do know there are other options like softboxes, speedlights ect… i just dont know a lot about them!! Can you give a bit of insight into your ‘around the house pics’. Are they shot with natural light (you must have insanly great light in your house!!) or do you use an external flash?
Apologies for the stupid question, but where is that softbox directed? I can’t see a shadow behind Kieran, so I’m guessing it’s not his face. At the same time he’s lit so evenly that I’m excluding the bounced celling direction. Totally confused
It’s a fantastic idea to share your wizdom with us. I’d really appreciate to learn how you achieve these amazingly peachy skintones on babies. Thanks!
Wow, I’m loving the questions so far! Especially the ones about light! So, let’s go in a whole new direction…
How do you choose poses, especially when you want the poses to look natural? And when you’re photographing your own children, does Gemma pose? Or do you pose her? Or are they all candid?
When I have a question, you can let you command. Your blog is the best.
f stops still confuse me – i use a Canon 20D (it’s an older version of something good! lol)
my camera has nothing that says f/anything! am i crazy or what? are my numbers different?
bokeh i love taking these kinds of images, but often my best ones are by chance and most often of flowers. i’d love to know how to get amazing images of people using this technique.
anything you share will be amazing! thank you in advance for any questions you answer.
*peace*
Michele Blue
ps- hope Clover is doing well today!
What a great idea. I love all your work. I would love to learn anything you share but to be specific, would love to know more about your composition and lighting. Maybe even behind the scenes shots so we can see the equipment you use, how it’s set up. Thank you for sharing your talent with us.
What’s your favorite, simple, lighting setup for kids?
can you say “EXCITED”
I love your photos. Like the above….I would like to know how to set up subjects for natural light and flash photography.
Specifically: Do you set your equipment up first, then place a child and wait for the “shot”?? What does that set-up look like? How many lights, flashes, reflector, etc? Tips on how to get images sharp (other than lens choice) when photographing children? How do you get children to look right at the camera? I have a two year old so I struggle with all of the above!
I’d like to know how do you set up a shoot with little children? What’s you experience and what do you recomend to consider?
I think the “one” that we all want you to start off with is: FLASH, FLASH, FLASH!!!!! How in the world do you manage to make flash light look like natural light? And how far do we, as your faithful students, have to dig into our pockets to acquire the right equipment to pull off this stunt? Do you bounce the light? Do you used diffused light (is there even such a thing?)?
Teach us, leader. Teach us.
Did you you buy your house mainly because it looks great in photos? I’m jealous.
I’ve been following your blog and Flickr for a while now. I absolutely love your work.
Hi Rachel,
) for a while and I really love your work,,
I’ve been following your site and your work (I would say your kids, too, but that sounds totally stalker-ish
One of the main things I noticed is the way the eyes look in your photos.. They sort of shine, or shimmer, it gives a whole new depth to the face. Can I ask how you do that?
Rachel. I am frightened to take my camera out of Automatic. What’s the first step?
Hey,
Question: What do you do to bring out the personality/look/emotion you are looking for when dealing with kids, say 0-3 and 4-7?
Few things about your blog. First of all, lots of fun. How do I get back to the main page? Clicking the masthead/top banner doesn’t take me there. Also you want to install a comment plugin for your blog (disqus, intense debate or js-kit’s echo) so that people can comment using their twitter, facebook, etc. profiles.
A question regarding exposure modes: I have been schooled that manual exposure is ideal, but with babies and kids I often find myself switching back to aperture priority mode when I get overwhelmed with such an on-the-go subject. What tips do you have for using manual exposure mode in these situations? Do you always shoot in manual? Or do you find that there are times where aperture or shutter priority work just fine?
It seems that most photographers hold firmly to one opinion on this -always manual OR aperture/shutter priority are acceptable to use. I would love to know which side you are on and why.
Hey Rachel! I was wondering how you get your pictures so clear and sharp. My pictures tend to come out more grainy or nat as clear as yours. It is photoshop or simply settings on the camera? Thanks!
I would love to learn more about off camera flash. I am afraid of that set-up and I don’t know why.
also, ditto the question Megan asked.
thanks for being so kind and sharing your knowledge about life and photography.
I’m not going to ask any questions since there have already been so many good ones. I just wanted to say that I’m really looking forward to your answers! Thanks!
When shooting portraits, sometimes it’s easy to fall into a comfortable pattern of monotony. Your portraits are always amazing, and always show a tremendous degree of versatility, never redundant. How do I break out of my “safe zone” and develop that kind of artistic range?
Also, how do you (personally) differentiate between a “good” photo and a mediocre one? Not egregiously bad mediocre, just, not stunning, not…you, not Peta. What technical qualities attract you to a marvelous photograph?
Many thanks.
Yay! will you share photo tips? Ohhh I´ve been dreaming on that since I found your blog…
Well, my first question is HOW DO YOU GET THOSE COLORS? Specially skin tones… they look so radiant… I guess there is a trick with edition, but couldn´t find the way to do it yet. That is what I love most of tour photos.
Thanks!!!
i’ve been hoping you would do something like this! you’ve made my day! my question has already been asked… how do you make flash light look like natural light?… so i guess my next question would be, can we see some of your before and after shots? it’s always fun to see the sooc shot. i find that i learn a lot from these. thanks
I am really keen to learn about indoor lighting. I have been doing a course on basic digital photography which has been terrific, but I want to go to the next level & do some more indoor light situation. You photos are so inspiring. Thank you.
what exactly is f/stop and all that good stuff.
in other words…how do i learn how to shoot in manual?
My Canon 350D broke and now i’m using Coolpix S620 for temp. I’ll come back to you once i have new DSLR. Was constantly thinking of changing camp
Hi rachel. Here is my question.
What is the best sort of camera for a beginner at photography (even though is getting lessions by a professional photographer and she thinks I have an eye for detail) because I REALLY want to become a photographer. Please come and see my photos on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/skytheskyonater/ please tell my what you think and be truthfull. I dont care if it hurts lol.
-sky
p.s. by the way, you are A M A Z I N G at photography, you kids are really cute, and I am 10 just about to turn 11
I can’t even think of something to ask but I am so excited to see what you post!
hey rachel you have a great idea! i want to now more and more about photography, because i just started and cse i’m young i don’t have much experience and its great that i can learn all this things!!
first I would like to know more about the highlights and shadows!!
thank you so much!
rachel, i’d also love to know more about flash and off camera lighting. as much as possible, i use natural light, but will use my shoe mount when needed (always aimed at the ceiling, i’m that scared of the unnatural look). i’d also like to know how you determine what would make a good background in non-studio shooting? i mean, have you ever relocated your subjects because of a busy or distracting background? i usually crop very tightly, because i hate trying to get rid the oopses in post processing. thanks so much for doing this! this is awesome.
My question is about marketing. Not only did you have to market and build up your business once but then again when moving to australia (I’m assuming). How did you go about marketing yoursef and gaining clients? What did you find to be the most valuable form of marketing for your business? Oh and just for fun how did you come up with sesame ellis? Is it a nickname? Thanks! =)
Well, ditto to most of the above, and especially keen on OCF! And one other big thing – FOCUS! How do I get the focus spot on, sharp as a tack. A bit like your bananaphone evening walk post – did you shot 100 shots to get those 3 of G, or am I missing something here!?
When a photographer has assistants and all sorts of lighting equipment, s/he has a lot of control over the result. For ordinary families however, it’s not possible to have access to those same resources, especially not while traveling with kids. What are your suggestions for ordinary family photographers to improve the quality of their photos in terms of reasonably portable equipment and feasible setups? Thank you.
Hey Rachel, I have a few questions for ya! The first is how do you get your pictures to look so sharp? And the second is a misc. question out of curiousity how did you get the name sesame ellis? Also what in your opinion is the best lens to use shooting kids, I mean outside setting not studio…
Thanks loads!
just wanted to say thanks for sharing … this really is wonderful of you!
hi! i’ve been following your flickr and blog for awhile and just love your photos.
i’ve always been interested in photography, and want to improve my skills (what little there is). your photos are so vibrant and crisp and just well composed. i want to know about all of that!! especially how do you get the eyes so sparkly!! and all the other lighting questions that others have asked as that is a challenge for me too.
but a question i have….what lens/lenses do you use in which circumstances? i’m sure there’s lenses that you use to get certain effects and they must make a difference when taking pictures. i’m a beginner, and have been wanting to get a new lens for my camera and don’t know what to start with.
thanks!
Oooooh….. pick me pick me :O)
When you were starting out what was the best piece of advice/a-ha moment/book etc, that took you to another level?
Hi Rachel!
As a beginning portrait photographer, I would like to know a few things:
1. What are some basic tips/tricks one could make to their digital camera settings to improve photos as they are being shot? (ie. white balance, pushing/pulling exposure, photographing in the RAW vs. JPEG, etc) I know this drastically helps in cutting down post-processing time and is the best place to start for photographic perfection.
2. I am most puzzled by the post-process workflow and currently own Photoshop CS2, but that is it. So what is the best way for a beginning photographer to deliver 50+ photos to a client that have been retouched, color corrected and ready for showing? Can you walk us through what a typical workflow is for you and what software you find most helpful and why?
3. Ahh, the magic of Actions! What are the most basic ones you find helpful/effective and why?
4. Lastly, do you have a lab you would recommend using here in the US? It’s great when you can find one trusted by others and can guarantee great results with the utmost care.
Thanks so much Rachel for adding this portion to your site! I can’t wait to learn more – it’s almost like being in school again.