I am not a photographer. I need to lead with that! But I do know the basics of photography and am sharing some of my most basic beginner photography tips, especially geared for moms.
Since having kids though, I realized the importance of having a camera handy and knowing how to use it.
I was so excited to be introduced to our sponsor, Craftsy free Professional Family Portraits class that I enrolled in to learn a few more tips!
It made me think of what’s important when taking photos of the kids, on an everyday basis.
5 beginner photography tips for moms:
- Have your camera handy at all times. Break it out throughout the day to take candids during funny moments or while the kids are playing nicely.
- Photograph all moods and memories. Don’t just bring the camera out for smiles and laughter (do still bring it out for them though!) but don’t forget to capture the moments when they’re scrunching up their noses at you, or crying all night long, snap a photo of it (for two reasons, so you don’t forget how hard it was, it will also break the tension of the chaos of the moment).
- Learn manual, or at least learn the terminology of manual mode. I understand manual, but don’t shoot in it. I shoot in Av mode all the time. But when photos aren’t turning out, I can make adjustments as necessary if I believe the ISO needs to be slightly higher or the F-Stop lowered. Click it up a Notch has an excellent starting guide to shooting in manual mode.
- Buy a little bit of nice photography equipment. A nice DSLR camera goes a long ways. I started with a Canon T1i (these are affiliate links, thank you for supporting hands on : as we grow) and absolutely loved it for over three years. I just recently moved up to a Canon 70D and am totally in love with the higher ISO capabilities. But the lens is what really makes a difference. A 50mm/1.8 lens is a perfect place to start. The lower aperture setting it has is what’s key! That’s all I use unless I’m stuck in a tight space and need to zoom out, then I just switch back to my kit lens.
- Use what you already have. I learned in the Craftsy’s free Professional Family Portraits class that a piece of white foam board can be used as a reflector instead of buying expensive lights or even an external flash. I didn’t have white foam board on hand, so I looked around the house and found our toy table’s top is a shiny white and used that to take a photo of all three of the boys here. It was early morning and the sun was too strong directly, so I used the board to reflect the light onto their faces that wasn’t a direct hit. It really brightened up the shot!
Take the free Craftsy Family Portraits class!
I was so pleased with taking the class. While taking any Craftsy class, you can:
- Ask your instructor questions, upload photos, and get personalized responses
- Participate in discussions with your classmates
- Access supporting class materials – including recipes and helpful tips & tricks
- Bookmark your favorite moments in the video so that you can easily re-watch them and take notes that you can refer back to anytime
Yes, there are many Craftsy classes great for beginner photography as well as advanced! I’ve been browsing them and have bookmarked another one I want to take: Family Photography: Candid Moments & Storytelling.
Learn how to take beautiful, professional-looking photos of your own family with Craftsy’s free Professional Family Portraits class. Sign up now for this free Professional Family Portraits class!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Craftsy. The opinions and text are all mine.
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