Tricks of the Trade

September 7, 2017 Ginny Thomas

There are a lot of helpful tools for photography, and trick is knowing what you need to do the job!

Most people know about Photoshop. But that is a huge and complex program and most of the time is like using a bulldozer when you really just need a sand shovel.

I personally use Lightroom for all my photo editing, but even that is a big program for the everyday photographer that is just trying to give their photos a little extra life.

So here are some basic, inexpensive tools that I have found helpful!

DESKTOP AND MOBILE

Photos for Mac
If you have a mac, their Photo program is pretty intuitive and easy to use. It’s an easy way to keep you photos organized and do some basic editing.

Google Photos:
If you don’t have a Mac, Google photos is an easy way to organize and edit your photos as well. It integrates well if you are already using gmail and there’s an app you can put on your phone so your photos are always with you- desktop or mobile.

MOBILE APPS

Snapseed
iPhone
Android
This is my go-to editing app for photos I take on my phone (yes, all those running photos typically go through Snapseed!) It allows a lot of options, but the key is “less is more”. The less “edited” it looks, the better (in my opinion) unless you are trying to go for a specific look. I pretty much stick to the “Tune Image” set of tools. The “HDR scape” can be cool for landscape/nature and “lens blur” gives that great depth of field illusion!

FaceTune
iPhone
Android
Let’s be honest. We all have those photos of ourselves that shock and surprise us when we see blemishes, wrinkles or bulges in places we were not expecting. This app isn’t free, but for a few dollars, it can solve all of those problems! Again, I advise to use sparingly to bring you back to the “best” you and correct for that bad lighting or awkward stance, otherwise you end up looking more like a Barbie doll then yourself!

Rise
iPhone

As many of you know, lighting is best closest to sunrise and sunset – otherwise known as “magic hour”. But what we often forget is the sunrise and sunset time changes throughout the year with the days being longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. This handy app tells me the time the sun is going to rise or set on any given day so I can recommend the best timing for your photo session!

Wunderground
iPhone
Android
Weather predicting. Ugh. If I could be granted one superpower, it would be to predict the weather. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve rearranged shoots due to the forecast only to have a beautiful and clear day. (I’m looking at you weather.com) I am constantly testing new weather apps to find ones that are most accurate. Wunderground is a new one that I found that seems to be pretty good (so far). If you or anyone else you know has the magical gift of weather prophesy, please contact me immediately. ;-)

OTHER TOOLS

Blogstomp
For any bloggers out there, this is a great tool to quickly and easily pair and output your photos for your blog/social media, etc. You can customize borders, size, how many photos in a frame, add logos, etc. It’s a huge timesaver and make everything look so pretty and professional!

5 Things to Consider when choosing a location

September 6, 2017 Ginny Thomas

"Location, location, location" is the famed mantra, and it is an important factor when considering WHERE To have your photo session!

Here are 5 things I recommend considering when picking a location.

1. Is there a place with special significance to the people in the photo?

Doing an engagement session at the place where he proposed or your first date adds more significance to the photos and adds another memory to cherish in the photos. Or having a family session in a frequently loved park or place that meant something to the parents.

2. Does location has a good variety of textures, architecture, environments – a place that’s visually interesting.

To avoid the same looking backdrop in each photo, it's nice to have a place where there is something different and visually interesting to work with- a bridge, garden, stone wall, pathway, body of water, etc that just adds a little variety and personality to the photos.

3. Time of year– what will be in bloom, what will the trees be like is all depending on the season!

For example, if you want to capitalize on spring tulips in the spring, find a location where they will be in bloom! Or if you're looking for beautiful fall foliage, avoid someplace with mostly evergreen trees that don't turn.

4. Make sure it works well for the age of your kids.

If your kids need a lot of room to run, look for a place with open space that won’t disturb others around them. We want it to a be fun and not stressful experience!

5. Do we need a permit or reservations?

DC is a tricky city with a lot of restrictions around commercial photography. So is completely prohibited, while other places just require an additional fee and advanced reservations. I'm happy to advise and talk through those options and comparable "free" locations! :)

Be sure to check out some of my favorite locations here!

View Locations

How to Prepare for a Posed Newborn Session

September 4, 2017 Ginny Thomas

You just had a baby. You’re probably not sleeping. And it’s time for a photo session…! What?

I know, it can be a lot when life is already a chaotic blur. But you want to capture that newborn sweetness before it’s just a memory.

Here are some tips on how to prepare and make everything go as smoothly as possible!

1. Raise the temperature in your home a few degrees

The goal is to get the baby asleep and naked, so a warm environment is very conducive to getting those sleepy newborn photos! We might be sweating it out a bit, but it’s worth it to get baby relaxed and comfortable.

2. Time a feeding right before I come

We'll want the baby to be nice and sleepy, so if you can try timing a feeding before I come, that will hopefully induce a nice milk coma!

3. Wrap the baby in just a swaddle or simple blanket

Keep the baby in a diaper and just swaddled in a blanket is great to get started. As we get the baby relaxed and sleepy, the less we have to pull off to get to naked the better. It’s much easier to slowly unwrap a swaddle then finagle arm holes and getting things over their heads!

4. Props- I’ve got you covered

I'll be bringing a lot of stuff for setup and various blankets, hats etc to choose from. If you have anything special you'd like to use, feel free to have it available.

5. Setup Location

I'll want to setup in a place that has a lot of natural light. No need to have your whole home home perfect and straightened. Large windows, sky lights or glass doors work really well. I can do a lot in a small space, so if you don’t mind me rearranging some furniture as necessary once I get there and see the light, I can pretty much make anything work! If you have a nursery setup, have that space straightened and ready as that's also a great spot for photos.

6. What to wear?

If mom and dad have dark, solid shirts, that always photographs well against bare baby skin! But the most important thing is that you are comfortable with what you are wearing, so please wear what you feel good in! I get that you just had a baby and not everything may be fitting just right!

7. Bring your patience and flexibility

This is all about patience. The baby will rule the session and if they are awake, we’ll get some awake family photos. If they are ready to sleep, we’ll start with the sleepy photos. If we need to take a break to feed or change, we’ll do that. But as you know we can’t force anything, so going with the flow is essential. We'll do our best to get the sleepy, naked newborn shots, but also understand these are not guaranteed as it will all depend on how the baby is feeling.