Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my fellow momarazzi's out there!!  Cheers looking forward to new opportunities to capture new memories!!

Capturing Those Holiday Moments...

It seems that the holidays provide a time for endless posed photos of families gathering together--we did exactly this over Thanksgiving! And while I do enjoy seeing the progression of how the children have grown each year (not to mention the DISLIKE for how some of us adults also age), my favorite holiday photos are those that capture a moment that is unrehearsed and not posed.

Whether you have children or not, be sure to have your camera ready when the gift opening process begins.  I love to capture the expression when my boys see their gift...even if the camera doesn't see what it is. The emotion they express usually tells the entire story of that gift! Wide open eyes, wide open mouths, smiles from ear to ear, whatever the expression is, it is priceless.  I've even captured a few.."huh?" expressions!

In addition, when photographing family members in front of a tree, consider having good lighting in your room and not using your flash. This will allow the tree lights and ornaments to show nicely and not be overly bright or reflective in your shot. 

Some unique ways to capture holiday moments beyond the present-opening experience:  walking in the door (welcoming your guests); catching someone under the mistletoe--just as they realize that is where they are; eating--particularly those turkey legs or sweets; children sitting on the stairs waiting for Santa; children fast asleep in their beds; children all dressed in their holiday pj's! The opportunities are endless and they all have the same affect...they tell a story of your family together during the holidays!

Happy Holidays to all my Momarazzi Treatment Friends & Family!! 

Choosing the right Holiday Card Photos

The greatest dilemma many parents face...which photo(s) should go on our holiday cards this year?!

Here are a few things to consider when selecting photos for your holiday greetings. 

• Select only quality photos--ensure that the resolution is the minimum required for the processing service you are working with.  Poor resolution, dimly lit lighting, and blurred photos will not look any better on a greeting card.
• Consider doing a collage-style card. Many processing companies offer collage-styles which allow their users to upload more than one photo on a card.  Including one photo of each family member, along with a full family shot helps share how everyone in your family is growing!
• Consider what was important to your family this past year--and share those moments on a card.  Help your friends and family see the many activities your children have been involved in--a special vacation your family took--a unique place you visited together.  All of these offer friends and family members a chance to see what you've been up to throughout the year!
• Consider Holiday Postcards! An easy and inexpensive option when it comes to postage.
• Posed Photos...whether you pose your children yourself, or have a professional photograph taken, posed photos can tell a wonderful story, and catch our family in a beautiful moment.  Some easy to do yourself posed ideas:
• dress children in pj's and have them pose in front of the tree, holding presents
• dress children in scarves, hats and mittens, posed in front of the tree
• if your tree isn't up yet, but you are trying to get the photos done for the cards, try visiting your local mall or department stores where holiday decorations are already up! Have your children pose next to some holiday decorations--even visiting a furniture section/store that may have a fireplace decorated!  
• In line with heading out where the decorations are...consider visiting a tree farm to take your photos.  Even if you don't chop down that tree, posing as if you might can create amazing moments!
• make sure your pets are in on the action! Gather the children around the dog, cat, fish, etc...and feel free to try and decorate your favorite pet with a hat, scarf or garland!

And remember...while posed, professional photography photo cards are always beautiful, personally created photographs that you did yourself can sometimes provide more stories, capturing more personal moments, in your choice of settings.  

See you at the rinks and fields!

Capturing those Spooky Halloween Moments!

Whether your child is a scary ghoul, athletic player, princess, or superhero for Halloween, capturing all those Halloween moments is a must for any momarazzi!  Below are a few tips to help make the most of the photos you take.

When photographing your children in front of lighted Halloween decorations, consider NOT using your flash!  This way you will accurately capture the colors of the night with the decorative lights! Not enough light to truly capture your ghost or goblin's face? Then try a diffused light--an easy homemade way to do this is to simply hold an umbrella so the inside is angled towards your subjects and then shine a flashlight into the umbrella. The result should be to cast a soft glow towards the subjects--but the inside color of your umbrella can affect this.  Try it and see how it works for you.

In order to truly capture your child's face, try to avoid having him or her face the sunshine.  While we'd all like a beautiful, sunny day this weekend, cloudy days do tend to photograph our subjects the best!  Placing your child in the shade can do wonders!

Finally, consider carrying your camera while your children trick-or-treat and capture the moments while they are at your neighbors' doors.  Some may turn around and show you their amazement with the "treats" they've received--a magical moment that tells an amazing story of their experience!  In addition, look for those candid moments when your child is interacting with other children in costume--they may just act their part more fully to their friends!

Halloween party at my son's school in 4th grade...the last
party I was able to capture costumes in!

As my boys are now teens, they no longer enjoy the "trick-or-treat" experience--and I long for those memories of watching them excited about dressing up and heading out for their candy!  Capture your moments now, so you have stories to tell when they grown up!

Momarazzi vs. Professional

Technically, if you are a Momarazzi, you may not necessarily be a professional.  Your goal may be to make the most of the camera you have, to capture and preserve the memories of your young athlete, dancer, actor, etc.  As such, you may not have the technical knowledge a professional has...and yet, you want to own the right equipment to make your photos really stand out!

This momarazzi is always on the lookout for great resources--and recently I've found a fabulous website/blog that provides constant useful information for the non-technical photographer.  The topics vary from photographing food, patterns, action, and equipment--and there is always something interesting to learn!  For that reason, I am recommending PictureCorrect.  From his website/blog, Editor and Founder Richard Schneider states:
Hi, my name is Richard Schneider and I manage the day to day operations of this site. I became a photography enthusiast when I received my first digital camera and for many years I was constantly taking photos. I originally launched PictureCorrect back in 2003 as a photo editing service. With only a few customers, I decided to change the structure of the site into a blog full of tips and tutorials for photographers. Needless to say, it has come a long way since then…
[http://www.picturecorrect.com/about/]

The site's most recent post is "How To Choose a Digital SLR Lens", and author Ricky Davies has done a great job of really breaking down the SLR lens decision making process. I couldn't have provided better information than this...so please visit the post to learn more!!

You can subscribe to PictureCorrect, as well as follow it on Twitter!  Check them out--you will not be disappointed!!

Quote for Today...

Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter.  ~Ansel Adams

Spread the News~Share the Excitement!

Every momarazzi can capture incredible moments, both on and off the field. But the truly successful momarazzi spread the news and share the excitement with others.  This is much easier than you think...

Most communities have newspapers that focus on community news and events.  These same papers often have online versions of the print edition--here is where a true momarazzi lives!

First, you will need to register with your local paper.  Visit the paper's website to locate how to begin "posting/sharing" photos and stories.  This usually requires you to enter your email address or create a user name and password.  AND...this is usually a free service. 

Many community newspaper editors just don't have the budget dollars to have reporters and photographers at every event going on in town--so they appreciate when "community reporters/photographers" submit their stories and photos.  There is always an obligation and opportunity for the editor to do any necessary "editing" of something you post--so don't be offended if your original story doesn't appear in its entirety!  I've got a journalism background, been published, and have often had my submitted stories edited for clarity or simply space available for print!  Photographs also may need to be in a specific format~either re-sized for upload or of a high resolution for printing.  Specific instructions are always available on paper websites.

The best part of sharing your excitement online...even if the news/photos don't make it to the print edition, it is so easy to share the link of the story/photos with family and friends online!  Point your team families to the website address of the online story/photos and they'll be just as excited as if it were in print!  Plus, this provides families and friends from across the miles to see what is going on with your little athlete!!

• Tips for photos...clarity. Your photo should capture an exciting moment (whether on or off the field), but the photo must also be clear to view. Fuzzy or slightly out of focus photos will now show well online or in print--don't use these, even if it is the only great shot of that touchdown!  
• Tips for stories...score of the game & players' names are key. First...ensure your coach is aware you are going to post a story--get his or her permission and comments from the game whenever possible. Second...ensure that your team parents are in agreement on using names in a story. Most will be thrilled with the fact that you are sharing the good news! But privacy is a big issue--particularly on the web.

Parents should have the final say on whether they want their child's name or photo used online or in print.  A quick email to all team families is an easy way to let them know what you hope to do, and whether anyone has any objections. 

Now...spread the news! Share the excitement! Get out there and find your local papers to submit your game/event photos and stories!! You just may see your efforts pay off in print...and begin the process of creating your own momarazzi portfolio!!