I love getting questions from you awesome Mom*togs.  A lot of questions are ones that I would have never thought to discuss here.  But, I do get a lot of questions that have already been addressed on here.  So, before you email a question over please check back through the archives.  If you go to the top of the blog and click “Categories” and then “Tip and Tricks” you’ll find lots of info there!

Today’s question comes from Jo:

I have two very active sons and a nice 40D. Do I drag the 40D to every field trip, baseball game, park outing, etc?  Or do I swipe my son’s P&S, which fits nicely in my purse (and also shoots video)?  I feel guilty when I don’t take my 40D, at the same time it is quite cumbersome and I’m distracted by keeping an eye on my equipment.

I’d like to hear what you and other momtogs do… sacrifice RAW for convenient JPGs?  or make the Shootsac my signature accessory?

I love this question!  I only take my DSLR when I know the light is going to be great or it’s a special occasion.  Otherwise I take my point and shoot.  Chasing after a 15 month old and lugging around my big camera is too difficult.  I’m scared I will loose it or it’s going to break.  Of course the quality is not as good, but do you really need your everyday snap shots to always be masterpieces?  I don’t.  I love the picture for the memory not because it’s a perfect image.

I shoot with the Canon ELPH SD900.  I don’t think they make my model anymore because it’s a couple of years old, but I really want this one next!  It’s pink!

What point and shoot do you use?

Here’s a shot with my point and shoot in Hawaii.  It was Brayden’s first time in that pool

Plus, it’s much easier to take self portraits with a point and shoot

The only thing that was done to these photos was just a little bit of lightening and sharpening for web (which is evident by the zits on my forehead that I didn’t photoshop).  I even forgot to add my logo!  

So, yes, I will sacrifice convenience for quality.  I’ve realized that I would so much rather live in the moment then constantly worry about capturing it on film (or, in this case, compact flash card).

Yesterday we finally had our family shoot with the amazing, Tara Whitney.  We rescheduled this shoot 3 times (extreme heat wave, pink eye, and road rash were to blame).  I wasn’t exactly sure this shoot was ever going to happen, but I’m so happy it finally did.  It’s such an odd thing being on the other side of the camera.  I know exactly what the photographer wants because it’s the same thing I want from my clients, but it’s still a little nerve racking.  It didn’t help that B was in a BAD mood.  I decided to forego his second nap because he would have been sleeping when we started and it takes him a good hour or two to wake up.  He was ready for a nap before Tara even got here, but he was a trooper.  Brayden is at such a hard age to shoot right now.  He’s all over the place and doesn’t want to be told what to do.  But, I have total confidence that Tara got some awesome shots that will make Brayden look like he’s having a good time even if he wasn’t

I can’t wait to see the images and share them with you!  We got some really fun shots in a shopping cart… with me and Brayden… and it almost tipped over… and Tara almost threw her camera down to save us… but Chuck got it… it was scary… but we’re okay… except for a bruise on my arm  And Chuck got a fat lip.  Tara should really have a disclaimer that should say “Just be… warned that you may get injured”.  Haha!  Tara was even nicer and more rad in person than I had imagined.  It was a great day!  Tiring, but great!

Here are some tips on how to  make the most out of your family shoot:

1)  Schedule it when your kids are the happiest.  I should have known better, but we did start later than we scheduled.   If I were to do it over I would have tried to put B down for an earlier nap and started a little later.

2)  Pick a location that has meaning to you.  We did this shoot because we’re moving and this is Brayden’s first house.  Everything that we’ve done as a family has happened here.  I love our neighborhood and I wanted a shoot of us being a family here.

3)  There’s no way around it.  You will get stressed at some point during your family shoot.  But, know that your photographer is used to it and let them do their thing.  Let your kids take breaks and get some of their energy out.  Be patient and it will pay off.

4)  Pamper yourself.  I hired a sitter to take B off of my hands for a few hours so I could get my hair done and clean the house.  It gave me more energy to deal with him during the shoot.  Otherwise I would have been exhausted before we even started!

5)  Pick a photographer that suits your family.  Don’t pick a formal photographer if you want lifestyle shots and vice versa.  Inform your entire family what type of pictures you want from the shoot.  And better yet, even show them the photographers blog so they can really get an idea. 

And since I don’t have any images from the shoot yet here’s one I took of Brayden last weekend modeling a shirt from Marlin’s Mom.  I love my little gap toothed boy!

One of the reasons I wish I had a girl is so I could dress her up in pink and all things frilly.  There are some cute boy clothes out there, but nothing like there is for little girls.  The little girls section in Old Navy is twice the size of the boys section.  It’s just not fair.

So what’s a mom of a boy to do?  Borrow someone’s little girl to dress up  Little Miss Cameron is turning 1 next month and we did a fun shoot last week.  What made it so fun was the awesome tutu that Tiara from Tiara’s Boutique sent us.  Cameron is having a Tinkerbell themed birthday party so she sent the perfect tutu and wings!  I loved it!

And here’s Cami in another one of Taira’s creations a few months ago.

I want one in my size… seriously!  I would totally wear it!

Thanks for your patience as I get caught up this week.  I have LOTS of work to do, but I wanted to stop by Mom*tog to answer a reader question.  Today’s questions comes from Sarah:

I would LOVE this question answered because no one ever talk about this:
I would love to have a little run down of your workflow.  Just as a parent who takes way too many pics of her kids…I just don’t have it down.  Do you save all your pics to a disc AND develop them to prints too and put in albums?  Do you just save the favorites and not outtakes?  I think with digital photography nowadays we have way too many photos to manage.  How do you label/organize your pictures on the computer?

This is a great question!  Here’s what I do for my personal pictures:

1)  I have a folder named “Brayden”.  In this folder there are sub folders titled “1 Month” to “15 Months”.  I also have folders titled for special events “Birthday Party”, “Christmas”, etc.

2)  I load the card into the appropriate folder and I view them in Bridge.

3)  I have a rating system that I use, which is just something I totally made up and really means nothing.

     – 1 Star means delete.  It’s out of focus or eyes are closed.  It’s a totally unusable shot.  These get deleted immediately.

     – 4 Stars means it’s a favorite.

     – 5 Stars means it’s okay

     – 3 Stars means it’s edited and ready to blog

I told you.  This system doesn’t make sense, but it’s just what I’m used to.  To rate your pictures on a mac you click on the “apple” button and the number.  So for one star I click on “apple” and the number “1″.  I’m sure you can create labels in other programs too.  The rating system is just s simple way for me to see which ones I want to keep and which ones I don’t.

4)  Every month I back up that months folder onto DVD AND to my external hard drive.  The DVD goes in my fire proof safe.  DVDs make me nervous for some reason so I like to have them backed up in two separate places.

5)  I *try* to print my favorites out each month.  I haven’t been very successful at this and need to get better.

Being a professional photographer I’m a little anal about backing up my images.  They get backed up to DVD, an external hard drive, a RAID drive, and my lab, Pictage, also backs up everything I upload to them.  Weddings and sessions stay on my hard drive until the disc is handed over to the client and then I will finally delete it off my hard drive.  I still have my Brayden files on my hard drive as well, but I will probably have to delete some soon to save some space.  When I go out of town my external hard drive goes to my parents house so if anything happens here I know my files are safe somewhere else.  

How many of you out there do not back your images up to an external hard drive?  How sad would you be if they are suddenly disappeared?  Really sad, right?  External hard drives are SO cheap now.  I use Free Agent drives by Seagate.

You can get 1.5 TB for $185!  That’s SO cheap.  Well, cheap compared to what it was even this time last year.  I have, gosh I don’t know, 7 or 8 of these.

They also have this really cute little portable hard drive.

Although it is $150 and only 500GB, which isn’t a great value.

Whatever your methods for sorting through images is please, please, please (I’m on my knees begging you here!) back your images up.  I’ve had too many people come crying to me saying that their images are gone.  And it’s a lot cheaper to buy an external hard drive now then to spend the money trying to recover the files later, right?  It’s not a matter if computers will fail, it’s a matter of when!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends!  Since I’m feeling patriotic here’s an oldie, but goodie of Brayden Bittel last Fourth of July

We’re back!  The trip was great, but we’re all very happy to be home.  It’s not really too much of a vacation with a toddler, but it was so nice having Chuck all to ourselves all week and getting to spend time with my in-laws.  

Brayden and I both got sick the day before we left.  I came down with swine flu a super bad cold / strep throat at my wedding on Saturday and it just hit me like a ton of bricks.  I went down hill fast and I don’t know how I was able to upload my wedding, back it up, and get packed before our flight the next morning.  About 2 hours into our flight I started crying and telling Chuck that I shouldn’t have come.  I was running a fever and couldn’t breathe at all.  It was miserable.  The longest flight of my entire life.  B did great on the plane.  Slept most of the way and just chilled out watching movies after that.  The stickers and snacks were a great distraction as well.  My wonderful in-laws took B that night and I got 12 hours of sleep.  After taking 2 rounds of antibiotics (it’s awesome to be married to a doctor!) I felt a lot better.  B and I had stuffy / runny noses the whole trip, but I at least didn’t have a sore throat and ear ache.

Brayden had a pretty hard time adjusting.  He was just out of sorts the whole time.  Not really all that happy and sleeping a lot.  I think a lot of it was that he was sick, but I think the time change and being in a new place didn’t help.  He’s been so happy today playing with all of his toys and his dog.  He’s a new kid today!  Maybe he’ll appreciate Hawaii more next year!

I really didn’t take too many pictures.  Being around the pool it was like, what do I save if Brayden falls in?  My camera or him?  So I opted to really live in the moment rather than trying to capture it all on my camera.  I did take my Holga and tried out some film.  I only shot 1 roll, but I’m excited to see how they turned out!  I haven’t shot film in ages!

Here are just a few of my favorite shots from the week

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you fabulous moms out there including my own wonderful Mom and Mother-In-Law!  I hope you all get lots of loves, snuggles, smooches, and hugs for Mother’s Day!

And I hope your baby doesn’t fart in your face.  Yes, he really did fart in my face.  Such a boy!

For my Mother’s Day present I am heading to Kauai!  Which means there probably won’t be a whole lot of posting going on here.  Have a great week!

I am beyond excited for today’s interview!  Why?  Because it’s with my favorite all time family photography Tara Whitney!  

Besides being one of the best family photographers in the country, Tara is also a mom to 4 kids!  4!  And she happened to name one after me  So, that makes her even cooler!

I love Tara’s relaxed style of photography.  Besides being colorful and beautiful, what I love about her photographs is that they are so real and honest and I walk away feeling like I know her subjects.  I think her photographs are so genuine and true, because she’s very genuine and true.  And while I don’t know Tara personally (yet) we are Twitter friends.  Which pretty much means we’re BFF in real life and we just haven’t met yet  She speaks her mind and doesn’t hold back.  She’s funny, witty, creative and sarcastic and I love how I can see all of those qualities in her photographs.

I’ve always wanted a session with Tara and I am one lucky lady because when we get back from Hawaii she’s taking our family pictures!  I really wanted a shoot in our house and neighborhood before we move.  Just us being us.  And I couldn’t think of a better photographer to do it.

Not in Southern California, but want a a family session with Tara?  Guess what?  She travels!  Just contact her for more info!

THANK YOU, Tara for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions!  You totally rock!  Now onto the interview!

How many kids do you have and what are their ages?

I have four kids aged 13, 11, 9, 6

 

How long have you been in business and how did you get started?

I have been in business for about four or five years now…My job kind of fell into my lap. I was posting images on my blog, and started getting inquiries from strangers asking if I could photograph their family. I went for it and its snowballed into what it is today.

 

You are busy with 4 kids!!!  How do you run such a successful business and be a great mom?  Do you have super powers?

Um, I wish. The first superpower i would acquire is the i-dont-need-any-stinking-sleep power. A close second would be can-get-here-to-there-by-twinkling-her-nose power.

 

What is a typical day like for you?

I wake up and get the kids off to school, then work for a few hours. I might go out to lunch with my husband (he works from home a few days a week), or run errands during this time as well. Once the kids get home, its snack time, homework time, hang out time, dinner time, and my favorite: bed time. My sessions usually take place while they are in school, or in the early evenings during the summer when the sun stays out to play.

 

What’s in your camera bag?

Canon 5d, 24-70l, 50L 1.2, 85 1.8

 

If you could pick one lens and one lens only, which would it be?

The 24-70L. Its a workhorse.

 

Where do you get your inspiration?

I really gain a lot of my inspiration from the families that I shoot. From each person I shoot. I also love to flip through magazines, watch movies, listen to music, and I try to pay attention to the little details of life that I want to record forever. 

 

I love how your images are so real.  How do you get your subjects to relax and let that realness come out?

This is nearly impossible for me to answer because I do not know what I do. I think I am just good at making people feel at ease in front of me, and then of course, my camera.

Do your kids get sick of having a camera in their face all of the time? Sometimes. But since I am generally not in their face about it they are pretty easy on me.

 

What is your favorite image you’ve taken of your kids recently?

A shot of Drew, my 11yo. Made me see how big he was getting.

 

Do you have any tips or secrets to share for all of the Mom*togs (nonpro photogs)?

Shoot what makes you feel giddy inside, no matter what anyone else says. Don’t try to emulate anyone else, just be YOU.

 

If you weren’t a photographer what would you be?

Bored.

If you could have any photographer photograph your family who would it be?

On the advice of my lawyer, I plead the 5th. Just kidding-but I can’t say that! I love and know of too many! 

If you could photograph one person who would it be?

I can’t think of just one person. There isn’t anyone in the front of my brain. I could say a celebrity, but really do I care about that? I could say my grandma, who has been gone since I was in fourth grade. Yes, her.

Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 years?

In five years I hope my business and I are both happy and healthy, and thriving.

Favorites

 

Place to shop for kids clothes: Naartje, thrift shops, Surf outlets, Boden

Place to shop for your clothes: Old Navy, thrift shops, surf outlets, alight.com, alloy.com

Blog to stalk: dooce.com

Vacation spot: anywhere 

Activity to do with the kids on a random weekday: go to the pool, ride bikes, play video games, head to the beach

Food to cook: Tacos

Thing about your job: Making people feel beautiful

It’s HOT here!  87 yesterday.  Brayden was a good boy and accompanied me to the Hurley warehouse sale and it was even hotter in there.  So when we got home I let him play with the hose in the backyard.  It was his first time and he loved it!  I’m a light snob (if you haven’t figured that out already) and usually won’t even bring out my good camera if the light isn’t just right.  But, I really wanted to grab some pictures of Brayden playing in the water.  It was just too funny to miss out on.  The light wasn’t perfect, but I don’t care.  I love these pictures anyways!

Am I the only one who thinks their kid has the cutest shadow?  I just love his shadow!  The way his little ears stick out

I’m sure a lot of you have read this blog.  I came across Matt’s story shortly after his daughter Madeline was born.  27 hours after Madeline came into the world her beautiful mother, Liz, passed away.  Their story touched me so much that I read the blog from beginning to end crying the entire time.  

I think what touches his readers (or at least what touches me) is his honesty.  He doesn’t try to sugarcoat the situation.  It’s not fair that Liz is gone and he’s not afraid to say it.  His writing is poetic.  It’s funny, sad, sarcastic, and moving all at the same time.  I feel like I know him.  And it makes me wish I knew Liz.  Their little girl Madeline looks just like her.

And he’s a Dad*tog documenting every moment of Madeline’s life.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Matt started Liz Logelin Foundation after he received such an outpouring of love and help from strangers who read his story.  The foundation helps young widows and widowers who have dependent children and have lost a spouse or a life partner.  The money can be used for whatever they need.  To pay bills or to just take a well deserved vacation.  

I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like to loose Chuck, but with the work that Matt is doing it’s helping to make the lives of those people who have a little easier.   He asks people to skip their latte on the 7th of each month and donate $7 to the foundation.  Times are tough, I know.  But you can donate $1 on the 1st or $2 on the 2nd.  Imagine if we all donate $7.  We can help someone who really needs it!  So go over and donate what you can RIGHT NOW!

First off, a huge cyber hug for everyone who answered my call for help yesterday!  You’ve all made my anxiety for our long plane ride a little better and I will be hitting up our local dollar store and Target this week.  THANK YOU!!!

Today’s question comes from Paige.  She asks:

So my question is what is the best time of day to take pictures, I know lighting is key in getting some great pictures, and is it better to take pictures on an overcast day or a sunny type of day?  Thanks again for making this rockin& site!!!

Thanks for your question Paige!  For indoor pictures the best time will vary.  You just have to find the time of day where you get a nice, soft even light.  If you are seeing a harsh shadow on your subjects face then it is not the right time.  If it is too dark and you’re having to bump up your ISO then that’s not the right time either.  I believe my windows face west and I get good light anywhere between 9:30 and 11am and then again in the late afternoon.

For outdoor shoots I always try and shoot as close to sunset as possible.  Some photographers will also shoot right before or after sunrise, but that’s just way too early for me!  I avoid midday light at all costs.  It’s too harsh and it’s just not pretty.  If I do have to shoot midday I will find open shade to place my subjects under in order to avoid the harsh light.

When shooting outdoors before sunset I always have my subjects back to the sun.  This gives my subjects nice rim lighting.  And I love a little sun flare every now and again as well!  Here are some examples:

If it’s an overcast day even better!  The light isn’t as fun, but you can go wherever you’d like at whatever time and have relatively even light.  I will usually face my subjects towards where the sun would be.

Hope that helps!