70% chance of rain on Saturday.  Nothing I can do about it, right?  I promised my boy a train and he’s getting a train and we will ride on it whether it’s raining or not and we will have fun!  He’s so excited for his party!  And for all of his buddy’s to come over.

I’ve been crafting away all week.  Tissue balls will be the end of me!

Luckily I have an awesome friend who did all of my sewing for me.  Because me and sewing machines don’t really get along.

I think I will leave them up all year!  I love them!

Happy Friday!

This week I am trying to be crafty and finish all the details for Brayden’s big 2nd birthday bash on Saturday.  Crafty is not my thing.  Me and crafty don’t really get along.  So, I may be blogging a little less while I’m honing my inner crafty girl.

While we’re on the subject of Brayden’s birthday party can everyone stop what they are doing right now and do an anti-rain dance.  Weather.com keeps playing with my emotions and one day it will say it’s going to rain and the next day it’s not.  Today it says it’s going to rain and I don’t like that.

Thanks.

While looking through my images from a shoot last week I came across this image.  I saw that it was out of focus so I marked it to be deleted.  But, I came back to it and realized that I love it.

Technically, it’s all wrong.  But, I love how Halley is out of focus and it shows her movement.  And I love how the only part that is in focus is her hand holding her little sister Lucy’s hand.  Remember that not every image has to be perfect for you to love it.

If I were possibly thinking about traveling to one location outside of California to do some shooting this summer where should that be and why?  I’m thinking about taking a long weekend and going somewhere new to shoot.  I’m looking for a place that’s totally different than Orange County.  I want barns, old buildings without fences, and no beaches!  Please leave a comment with a location suggestion if you’d really be interested in booking a session.  I get emails asking me to travel all of the time, but I want to see if the interest is really out there.  The shoot can be whatever you want it to be.  Family, engagement, head shots, just because, whatever you want!

When Brayden was 10 months old we went to our good friends wedding in Ohio.  I was so looking forward to taking pictures of B there.  Barns!  Cornfields!  Long, empty roads!  And then I got sick.  I was so bummed.  But, I still ended up going out and making my poor baby freeze while I tried to get a few shots.  Can you believe this is the same kid?

I’ve gotten a few emails recently asking about me and how I got started in photography.  It’s not a very exciting story and I really don’t like writing about myself.  I can write about a lot of things, but when it comes to myself I get writers block.  Because I’m pretty boring.  So, I’m jumping on the bandwagon and opening up a Formspring account.  You can go there and ask whatever you’d like.  Want to know what my major was?  Where I went to school (you should ALL know that!)?  What it was like to work at MTV?  What my training in photography is?  Why I want to be best friends with Britney Spears?  Go on over and ask a question and I’ll do my best to answer them.

I’m warning you.  It will probably be boring though.  Because, like I said, I’m pretty boring.

On another note, we had our first traumatic injury yesterday.  B ran into the side of the door and ended up with this (taken with my iphone).

I didn’t think it was going to be that bad.  He runs into things all the time.  But, when Chuck told me not to look I knew it was bad.  I almost threw up when I saw it.  It scared the crap out of me.  How am I going to deal with having a crazy boy and all the injuries that come with it?  If I couldn’t stomach a knot on the head how I am going to deal with blood and (knock on wood) broken bones.  Ugh.  This is the part of being a mom that I do not enjoy.

That’s how much money WE raised!  $3068.50 donated through the American Red Cross and will go directly to Haiti.  That’s 33 UNposing Guides in 32 hours (7 purchased with a 10% off code if you’re checking my math).

Thank you for caring.  Thank you for making a difference.  It’s amazing what we can do when we come together to help those in need.   Happy Friday!

I’ve gotten a lot of emails or comments saying that you would love to buy the UNposing Guide and donate to the earthquake victims, but you can’t afford to do so.  If that’s you,  here’s a contest for you!  Donate a minimum of $10 (if you donate more you will get extra brownie points with me!) to any reputable charity where the money is going directly to Haiti.  Email me a copy of the receipt (drew at drewbphotography dot com).  Please black out or blur any pertinent info that I don’t need.  I just need your name, charity name, and donation amount.  Contest ends Sunday at midnight.  The winner will receive a copy of the UNposing Guide!  It’s that simple!

Please go here to view a list of reputable charities where the money is going directly to Haiti.

My friend Julie blogged about her friend who is in Haiti and was there for the earthquake.  Kristen is there with her 10 month old baby girl.  She was there visiting her adopted son when the earthquake struck.  Her husband and other kids are back home in the States.  Her account of the earthquake and the aftermath is so compelling and heartbreaking.  She doesn’t know how she is going to get home or when she will be able to get home.  I can’t even imagine what she is going through.  Please be thinking good thoughts for Kristen and her kids, the other American’s who are stuck there and are trying desperately to get home to their families, and, of course, all of the other victims of the earthquake.

Please check back later today to see how much money we raised!  I’m so humbled by all of your generosity and compassion.  It’s amazing to see what we do when we come together to help those in need!

I don’t like flash. I just don’t. But, for wedding photography you’ve got to use flash. There’s no way around it. I’m not claiming to be a flash expert. Maybe that’s why I don’t like it. But, I do know what has worked for me.

I have the Canon 580EX speedlite. This is a flash that you connect to the top of your camera. 2 of the main differences that will be applicable for you Mom*togs between speedlites  and the flash that comes on some DSLR cameras is that 1) it’s more powerful and 2) you can move the head of the flash around to direct the light where you want it to go, which is called “bouncing” the light. When you bounce the light off the ceiling or a wall you are diffusing the light so it’s not so harsh and it looks more natural. It also helps to eliminate red eye. Things to keep in mind when you are bouncing your flash off of a ceiling is that the ceiling needs to be relatively low (it will not work on cathedral ceilings) and the ceiling should be white or a light color. It won’t really work well off of a dark colored ceiling. The head of the flash swivels in all directions so if you find yourself somewhere with a high or dark ceiling you can always bounce it off of a nearby wall. The key with flash is to experiment with it and see what works!

The formula I always work with when shooting with a flash is the 4/4/4 formula (I don’t know if that’s a technical term, but i just made it up!). f4.0, 1/40 of a second, and 400 ISO. Why such a low shutter speed? Because I want to allow ambient light in. I don’t want to over power the image with harsh, fake, light. The flash will freeze the action so you don’t get motion blur.  I always start with this formula and then correct my settings from there to get a correct exposure. Is it the correct thing to do? I don’t know, but it works for me.

Here are my settings for the pictures I posted yesterday.

f4.0, 1/40, ISO 640 

Flash bounced off the ceiling.

Same settings for this image, but I believe I used direct flash rather than bouncing it.  Because B was in his car bouncing the flash wouldn’t have worked.  He would have been underexposed

And actually this image has the same settings as well.  Flash was bounced off the ceiling.

If you compare these to my natural light shots I think you’ll prefer the natural light.  But, there are definitely circumstances when you need a flash.  The 580 EXII runs around $450 (and it looks like there’s a $50 instant rebate on it until 1/16).  Non pro Mom*togs may  not need that.  You can probably get away with a 430 EXII, which is only $280 (with a $30 instant rebate until 1/16).  A huge savings!  The main differences is that the 430 is smaller and lighter (that’s probably a good thing for nonpro Mom*togs!) and the 580 can produce 35% more power than the 430 (as a non-pro that probably won’t matter that much to you).  The main difference for pros between the two is that the 430 can be triggered remotely, but cannot trigger other flashes.  If you don’t know what that means then you won’t miss it  I promise!  I’m sure Nikon has flashes that are similar to Canons.  I’m just not sure what they are.  Sorry!  

I hope that explains a little about flash to you!  Not ready to invest in a flash quite yet?  Borrow Lenses rents them!  You know I’m a huge proponent of renting before you buy!  You can rent the 430 EX for only $17 for 3 days.  What a deal!  And they have Nikon flashes too!  Happy shooting!

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and a happy Chaunakuh.  I very much enjoyed me two weeks off.  It was so nice to take a break from email land and from my office to enjoy the holidays with my family.  I tackled so many personal projects that I’ve been wanting to do since we moved into our new house.  It was fantastic!  I’ve decided that every 3 months I’m going to take a week (or at least a few days) off to rejuvinate and spend lots of time with Brayden.

Did everyone get the gifts they wanted?  My favorite gift I got is actually one that I haven’t been able to use yet.  

Santa brought me the Fuji Instax camera and I was so excited to try it out, but Santa (cough, cough my parents) forgot to buy the film.  I ordered it last week and will hopefully be receiving it today.  I can’t wait to try it!

Chuck bought me Rosetta Stone so I can learn Korean.  Korean?  Yes, Korean.  Why?  I don’t know.  Because I think it would be cool.  It would be a good party trick too

I’m pretty sure Brayden’s favorite gift was all the trains he got.  He finally got tracks for his Thomas trains and now has 17 trains.  I really don’t think he needs anymore!  I didn’t take a lot of pictures because I was videotaping most of the time we were opening presents, but Brayden took the responsibility of having big boy train tracks very seriously

He also very much loved his car

And all day he smiled a lot

And he said, “Yes!” a lot!

The favorite gift that I gave was an album of Brayden that I made for my mom, mother in law, Chuck’s Aunt, and his Grandma.  It took a long time to make, but they all loved it so it was very much worth it! Here’s the cover (the back is on the left and front on the right)

I also got Chuck’s Grandma a digital frame and loaded it with a couple hundred pictures of Brayden from birth until now.  She loved it!

What were your favorite gifts to give and receive?

PS  3 out of the 4 images I posted of Brayden were taken with a flash.  If you’ve been reading Mom*tog for awhile you probably know that I’m not a big fan of flash.  But, we opened presents so early that I didn’t have a choice.  I’ll be talking a little bit about flash tomorrow!

I know I said I was taking a vacation, but I just can’t stay away  Yesterday, one of my favorite photographers, Jose Villa, tweeted “Photographers: Don’t ever stop shooting for yourself”.  It is such a great reminder.  Once you stop shooting for yourself it takes all the fun out of photography.  I think this time of year a lot of professional photographers are in a rut.  Well, at least I know I am.  There has been months and months of endless work with no break and major holiday deadlines to contend with.  And on top of that I was trying to get everything ready for the holidays with my family and make it perfect.  It seems like this time of year I’m just over shooting.  I need a break!  But, it’s such a good reminder to keep shooting for yourself.  Some people shoot landscapes.  Other people shoot abandoned buildings.  I shoot this little guy.

Canon 5D, 50 1.2

f2.0, 1/200, ISO 320

I do my best to record the little things that I think I will never forget, but I’m sure over time I will.  Like the way he has to hold ALL of his Crayons while coloring.  And the way he bites his tongue when he concentrates really hard.  I don’t want to ever forget those things.  Brayden is my inspiration.  After he was born I feel that my photography went to a whole different level.  I don’t know what it is.  Maybe that I can connect to families and kids better.  Maybe that as a mom I want to record other people’s kids and their quirky traits that make them unique.  Maybe after he was born I began to see the world differently.  I’m not sure.  Whatever it is I know that he helps me keep my passion for photography alive.  What’s your inspiration?  What do you shoot for yourself? 

Now I’ll be finishing my vacation until January 4th.  Happy New Year!

PS  A few people have asked if the UNposing Guide is going to be going on sale for the holidays.  I didn’t even think of it!  So, sure.  You asked for it and here it is.  The UNposing Guide Happy New Year Sale!  Enter in “newyear” in the discount code to receive 20% discount through January 1st.  Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

Dear Mom*togs,

I hope you not only have a very merry holiday, but also enjoy your time with your family and your kids.  I know we all want to record every single moment of our kids during the holidays, but also remember to put down your camera for a few minutes and live in the moment and make memories with your family.  Pictures will fade over time, but those memories won’t.

Happy Holidays and thanks for making Mom*tog such a fun place to be!  I’ll see you in the New Year!

Drew

PS  Did you get a DSLR for Christmas?  Have no idea how to use it?  Email me your questions drew at drewbphotography dot com.  I’m working on a new guide to be released in February that will teach Mom*togs how to use their DSLR and how to get the most out of it!

  *  Please read through Mom*tog first and make sure that your question has not already been answered.  Please also note that your emails will not be responded to.  They will either be answered on Mom*tog or in the new Shooting Guide.