One of the most common questions that people ask me is what lens I use when I photograph my kids. The lens that I use to chase my kids around is not the same lens that I use at the studio. When I am photographing my kids out in the world, my lens needs to be multi-purpose (a zoom) and have a fast f-stop (F2.8) so that I can get great depth of field. The reason to have a different lens than what ships with most DSLR camera kits is that you can get better depth of field.  This allows you to make your backgrounds soft and out of focus and shoot in lower light conditions. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, take a moment and read over the Monday Lesson on depth of field.

My favorite lens is the Canon 24-70 F2.8.  It's expensive lens and it is heavy but it is an awesome lens!  If you want to try this type of lens out without the $1500 price tag, try Tamron's version or Sigma's version.  Tamron and Sigma make lenses for Canon, Nikon, Pentax and others.  When you shop for a Tamron or Sigma lens, make sure it is compatible with your camera! The folks over at B&H Photo Video are really helpful, just call them and let them know what you are looking for.

From my BFF Danny Clark...he likes Tamron because they are fast-focusing and he thinks they do a good job of gathering light. He also told me that the F2.8 Tamrons are a little lighter as well, which makes a big difference. He does admit that Nikon will be superior to Tamron is some ways and uses his Nikon lenses in the studio but, like me, uses different lenses for chasing his kids around or working on location.  He is a Nikon shooter and likes this one and this one.

Would you like to know more about lenses, your camera and taking better photographs of your children, friends and family? We have just announced a new class at the studio!

What: Going Beyond P, how to take better photographs with your digital SLR camera

When: January 30, 2010, 10 am to 4 pm with an hour and a half break for lunch

Where: My studio in the Montrose / River Oaks area, 1210 W. Clay, Loft 18, Houston, 77019

How much: $95 per person

The class fills up really fast so please call and reserve your spot today!

I know, I know...it's not Monday. Let's just call this a wednesday lesson then.  The holiday season is in full swing here at the studio and it's getting busy here!

On monday I had a basic photography class at my studio for the members of the Bellaire Young Mothers organization. One of the things that I talked about was how, when we grab our cameras and go to take some pictures of our kids, we often meddle with and stop the very activity that they are doing that inspired us to photograph them. We start directing them and asking them to do this and move over here and look up. They get annoyed, give us that cheesy grin to make us go away and we end up frustrated. Ever been there?

I would like to challenge you to try something different. The next time you look over and see the kids playing or doing something cute, go secret agent style with your camera. Grab the camera and use your zoom lens to get close to them (but stay back) and photograph them as they are without direction. If you can be really sneaky, grab the camera and sit down with them and play a little while you shoot them doing whatever they are doing. The big key here is minimal direction and interference!

When we were on vacation this past summer, the house that we rented has a little garden in the front and it was full of snails. One of the kid's favorite activities was collecting the snails and making a "snail home" as they called it. One afternoon I heard them chit chatting away out there and peeked out. The sky was overcast (a great time to shoot by the way) and they were playing happily together (not always the case). So, I grabbed my camera and went outside and just watched them and photographed them playing. The only direction that I gave them was, at one point, I said "Cool! Show me your snail, hold it up so I can see!". I didn't move them or ask them get closer or "look up and smile!" or anything like that.

We all want the image of our kids looking straight at the camera and smiling. We want the picture of all 3 or both of them (or however many you have) together and looking up and smiling. Keep chasing that shot but, while you're at it, try this too. Your kids will appreciate less meddling and you will get some nice candid shots. I would love to hear how you do with it.

And this is the snail home that they made...

Now it's your turn...think stealth, spy-like, unobtrusive, a journalist! Have fun and I'd love to hear how it goes.

Can you believe it's already almost October? What that means here at the studio is...HOLIDAY CARDS! The fall is our busiest time of the year. Right after we book a session with a client one of the very first things they ask is, "Okay, now, what do I wear?". Although you and your family may not be having your holiday images taken with me, here's my little guide to dressing for your professional portraits. We give this advice out all year so it's not specific to holiday pictures.

Rule #1: Keep it comfortable. People that are hot, itchy and hate their outfit will not look happy and comfortable in a picture. Fall sweaters look super cute but if you are shooting outdoors and it is still 90 degrees outside, leave them in the closet.

Rule #2: Make sure it fits. This sounds obvious but I can't tell you how many times people will show up for their portrait session with clothing that has never been tried on. Newborns can be especially tricky because they are so small that not a lot of their clothes fit well. If a little baby's clothing is loose it makes them look thin. Because babies are already so small making them look think just doesn't look good.

Rule #3: Not everyone has to match. In fact, I think when everyone matches it can be distracting - like you are all in a uniform. Kids look cute matching but a group of matching adults can look kind of strange.

Rule #4: Everyone should coordinate. Don't worry about matching and think about coordinating instead. If you imagine everyone's clothing is all part of a single outfit and just keep it coordinated that will look great!

Rule #5: Be YOU. I want your images to reflect you and who you are as a person and as a family. If you aren't formal then ditch the ties and suits and be comfortable (and vice versa). You want to be able to look back at your images and say, "That's so us!".

Rule #6: Be careful with patterns, stripes, polka dots and bold patterns. It can look great or it can kill an image. If you aren't a natural at fashion and picking out great coordinating clothing, just keep it simple.

Rule #7: Be careful selecting hair bows and clips. A huge bow on a little girl's head can be very distracting.

Would you like to see some of this played out in real images? I thought so. Here are some examples of well coordinated clothing:

This is a 4 generation portrait. They picked a color that looks great on everyone but they don't match. They all look comfy and they coordinate.

These super sweet brothers look perfect in their coordinated grey, yellow and black.

When in doubt, just keep it simple...

Hope that helps! Have fun this season with your families images!

One of our very favorite places to decorate in our client's homes is the playroom and the children's rooms. It is the perfect place for fun, bold and whimsical imagery. We also love using our line of hand painted frames for these rooms. These frames come in almost any color that you can imagine so it's easy to match an existing decor.

When you are planning out a wall display in your home, the first thing to do is determine where it is going to go and how big that wall is. From there, you can look at the images that you have and decide if they need to be smaller or larger and, with that in mind, decide how many can go into that space and look good. Generally speaking, I think less images and larger images work best. They have more impact for one and really make a good focal point.

This image is of one of the main walls in my boy's bedroom. Their room is actually two rooms that are adjoined. The images on the wall are 16x20 and printed onto metallic black and white paper and framed in our hand painted wooden frames.

One of the big concerns that I hear from people here at the studio is the worry about "filling up the walls". This display does fill up the wall and that is what makes it work. So, what will I do in a few years when they are older and I want to make a change? The easiest option is to simply replace the images in the frames with new ones. I could also move these frames to a separate room (a playroom maybe?).  Your rooms will change, you may move, your kids will get older and their bedrooms will change, etc. Our displays will change too and that is perfectly ok. My attitude is that I want to enjoy my art work now and be open to changing it as my needs change. I am planning to change their rug and bedspreads later this year to a Star Wars theme (black and gray) so, with that in mind, I picked the black and white frame so that it could be a little more neutral and go with what I have now and what I am going to do later this year.

So, the next time you have some fun images and hear yourself say, "My hallway is already so full" or "I have no dea where these could go", consider your children's playroom, room or even their bathroom (cute bathtub shots would be great in a bathroom!).

Oh, one last thing, see the glare on the glass? If your pictures are anywhere near a window, consider using non-glare glass in your frames. If you already have a frame, just ask your local framer to cut you a piece of non-glare glass. All of these will be having their glass replaced!

Happy decorating!

Hello Monday Lesson friends!

This week I am giving you guys an assignment! Ah, but I am jumping ahead...first we need to talk about what our topic is for the day.

I personally think one of the main problems when shooting casual photos of your kids is the sheer amount of visual clutter in the frame. It takes away the focus from our subject. If you are at a soccer game you have people, coolers, folding chairs, etc. At home you have scattered toys and laundry piles. The lists go on. When you are trying to catch the moment you don't have time to remove all of the distractors and that's ok. However, when you do have the time and things are moving slower, it always helps to take the time to craft a better shot by cleaning it up.

One way to de-clutter your shot is to minimize the color clutter. What color clutter? Yes. When you go to a professional photographer for a portrait they will likely coach you on what to wear. We do this because when everyone in the shot is wearing a different color it makes it so much harder to look at. A simple way to clean up your compositions and make your images more striking is to limit your color palette. Here is an example:

This trick won't work for your everyday shots that you have .2 seconds to catch, this concept is for the times when you can take a few extra minutes and prepare. For example, If you are taking the kids to the park to shoot a holiday card photo, you can take a little bit of time and coordinate their outfits. In group shots, everyone doesn't need to match. How many times do you all leave the house wearing the same outfit? Never! I like to tell people to coordinate instead. Imagine that everyone's outfits are one outfit. Pick one color palette and stay there. I believe, in a portrait, your clothes should either say something about who you are (funky, trendy, crazy, conservative, dressy, etc.) OR take a backseat (simple, classic, not distracting). It's the middle ground, where it looks without purpose, that can make an image suffer.

When you look at the shot above, it has a very limited color palette. If her scarf was red and her pants were another color, it would distract you from her belly. In this example, her clothing is not the subject but merely a frame. For an image like this, you want the picture to have a feeling of color harmony. The skin, the background, the wrap and her pants all go together.

This brings me to your assignment. Take a photograph (of anything or anyone) that has a limited color palette or shows color harmony. That's it! Post your Flickr links in the comments section here or post images to The Monday Lesson Flickr group. Don't be shy!