Here's a fun fact : you don't have to have a DSLR to take a good photo. Indeed, a DSLR does have some things that your point and shoot does not that make image quality better, but a DSLR will not make you take a better photos.

All the photos in this post were taken with a point and shoot camera. If you click them, they will take you to the original Flickr photo. There is an "i" icon that will tell you what camera and with what settings I took them!

First - I suggest looking back at some of my posts like this one on composition. Then, take in some of these tips to really get the best out of your point and shoot camera.

Number One, Always Number One, TURN YOUR FLASH OFF

If your flash is going off in sunlight, it's bad. Or even indoors (unless it's a dark party, in which case, maybe we shouldn't be blinding people), very bad. On-camera flashes are nothing like professional flashes - they are very harsh, highlight imperfections in your skin, and give you mad red eye. Turning your camera to 'P' or an anti-shake mode with the flash off is the best default setting you can walk around on.



Try Macro Mode
Macro mode will be able to emulate the depth of field of a DSLR (blurred background) better than any other camera mode. This mode can easily become your best friend - it's usually a button that looks like the fireflower from Mario - and I used to keep it on ALL of the time. Above is a photo taken with macro mode on.

Editing Does Wonders
Even with my DSLR, my editing techniques can truly change my photos. The photo above is my most explored, favorite-d, and looked at photo on Flickr. Ever. And I took it with a point and shoot. While looking in the mirror in my bathroom, I think. Yup, pretty sure this is a well-thought out arms length "selfie" (long before that was a common word, or word at all). Try editing programs like Lightroom, Photoshop, Gimp, or even some online editors! There are a lot out there.



Move Your Camera Around
Put your camera in different places - shoot from the hip or below. Try taking from new and exciting angles that make the photo a little different than an arm's length selfie. This photo could have easily been a typical photo of Becki and I coloring at the Gap Outlet mall on Valentine's Day, but a different angle captured a perfect view of this strange memory.

Take A Little More Time
Point and shoots often take 'bad' photos because we are doing  it so quickly. It's the same reason we take 'bad' photos with DSLRs. If you just take a few extra seconds to look at what is around you and imagine it within a rectangular frame, you'll find you are taking better, photos. But never be afraid to just take photos at random either! Years of being 'that girl with the camera' have paid off with tons and tons of memories stored in hard drives and on Flickr and many, many photos that I am proud of, but also ones that I'm not. But they are memories. So here's a total 'just a memory' shot for you to let you know not every photo has to be 'picture perfect.'

I was sitting around staring at a blank page, wondering, what haven't I written about? Then it hit me. Camera RAW. Why should you shoot in it? Better yet - WHEN should you shoot in it.

Camera RAW is an amazing thing, and I highly recommend you shoot in RAW format. The image sizes will be larger and less compressed because what camera RAW does is saves all the information the sensor (the thing that 'sees' your image) has, not just a fraction of the information which is what happens when you shoot in JPG. The best analogy I can give is let's say you are making a dress for your best friend. You can either get a pattern that allows you to use multiple sizes and adjust well, or you can guess a size and try to adjust later. The pattern is going to work much better, but take a little more time and care. This would be shooting in camera RAW. Buying a dress and hoping it fits or that you can make minor, tiny adjustments later is much easier, but can have bad results. This would be shooting in JPG. The other way to think of Camera RAW is like a digital negative. Back in the day, you would manually expose the negatives in machines. The negative captured all the information, and you could do a lot with that.

If you are starting out, try mastering some of the other techniques first. Editing your photos should come after you start understanding some basic terms and ideas. Once you have some things down, and you want to be able to have control over your images while sitting at home, switch over to RAW.

Well, by now photos from our Canon 60D have been gone from the blog for a few weeks, and photos from our new camera are filling up the posts. I've mentioned the camera issues before, but I was kind of waiting to share details since we made the switch to a non-DSLR. A micro 4/3rds camera, or a DSLM, seemed the way to go for us. I'll explain why, but if you just want a quick summary before the break : we moved to a mirrorless system due to the reduction in size and weight that did not compromise our image quality, at all. Despite a slightly smaller sensor (what really affects image quality other than lenses) than our 60D, the resolution has stayed nearly the same, and the quality of our images has improved. The camera is also much easier to carry around, which is important with a style blog like this where we travel and carry the camera with us so often. You can read on to figure out more about our micro 4/3rds system.

During this post, we were giving away a Canon Rebel T3i with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.5 lens. But, what do those numbers mean?!?

First, let's tackle focal length. For example, the lens below has a focal length of 50mm.

Focal length is the numbers that end in mm. They measure the space between your sensor and your lens. These basically translate into how wide your lens sees. A lower number is a wider lens, a higher number is a more zoomed in lens. For reference, on a full frame camera (a 5D), a 35mm is about your eyes' viewing. On a camera like a Rebel or Nikon 3000 series with a APS-C crop sensor, this would have to be a wider angle lens. What happens on most cameras you all probably own, is that you have a crop sensor. Meaning, with all lenses, your camera actually multiples that focal length by 1.6. So a 35mm lens on my camera ends up 56mm. So a 50mm is a much closer crop lens on a Rebel or 60D than it would be on a 5D.

Generally, anything wider than 20mm is considered wide angle. You'll notice some distortion with the lens, almost a 'barrel' effect, where if you were to shoot a wall the wall would not appear straight, but slightly curved. 30-85mm is a standard lens - a pretty normal viewing angle. Getting above 85mm and into about 150mm is a medium telephoto lens. Generally these lens are a bit larger but nothing too crazy. Above 200mm is a telephone lens and is quite zoomed. Personally, I have never found much use for my telephoto lens, a 70-300mm lens, and am selling it. For most purposes, the kit lens like the one that comes on the Rebel T3i is great for most things. I like having a good, standard, prime (meaning only 1 focal length) lens on my camera.

Next - aperture. Aperture is what determines your depth of field. The lower the number, the less depth of field (meaning blurry backgrounds). The higher the number, the higher depth of field, for landscapes usually. So why does the 18-55mm lens have 2 numbers?

The f/# represents the widest stop that the aperture can be set to. If you see 2 numbers, it means that when set to 18mm, the lowest focal length, the lens can be opened up to an aperture of 3.5. At 55mm, the highest focal length, it can be opened up to an aperture of 5.5. Prime lenses, like a 50mm, will have one number, for example 1.4.

If you shoot a lot of low light photography or want blurry backgrounds, having a lens with a wide aperture like 1.4 will make a huge difference. If you shoot mostly in daylight, then pretty much any lens will work well for you.

Hopefully that helps decipher lenses a bit more for you! Now go enter to win a DSLR yourself!

Do you know what bokeh is? Bokeh is the word for those little blurry balls of goodness in the background of photos. It comes from the Japanese word for blur, boke. They can create the most beautiful effects in photographs, and it is one of the greatest sources of happiness for me (and other photographers - there are tons of Flickr groups dedicated to bokeh). Here's a few tips on how to achieve some great bokeh in your photos.

I have spent a lot of my life taking photos in low light situations - middle school dances, high school parking lots after marching band, nights out with friends, and Disney. These came in handy this weekend at the bachelorette party, I tell you! Here are the guidelines I use for low light.

Lighting is really difficult in photography. I'm not someone who personally uses a lot (or really any) flash or exterior lighting in my photos - both due to personal preference and because most of my situations do not call for it. I feel like natural light can be a tricky thing to deal with, but also can give you the most amazing light source if you play with it well. What's even harder is when you don't have time to wait for golden hour (aka the first and last hour of sunlight with great lighting) and you have a great place to take photos, but harsh lighting. Here are my suggestions on how to deal.

Backlit, small lens flare. Works because the building behind me is blocking some of the sun out.

Backlit (kinda from the side though) and not working for me. I'm too dark and in really harsh shadows. 

Backlight with Caution
Backlighting can be AMAZING or downright awful. Be careful! Having the subject in front of a very lit area when they are slightly shaded usually turns out worse. You'll also need to check the exposure as often, it will darken your subject or blow out background.

'Open' Shade
One of the keys to really great direct sunlight is finding shady areas that still allow for a lot of light. Parks and yards can have a lot of this - under a large tree or area of trees usually have a lot of this 'open' shade I'm talking about. This would also be under an umbrella outside, an overhang, or somewhere else blocking the direct rays. Basically, think about the lighting you get standing in a tropical forest, like the photo of Jason above in Hawaii. This will give you less shadows and distribute the light more evenly.

Get Really Close, Okay?
It's time for your close up! Detail shots can work really well close up because you/your camera are covering up some of the light!

Stand Against a Building
Let the building block some light as you and act as a reflector! Perhaps it can provide you some open shade too :D

Use a High Shutter Speed
I like to use the highest shutter speed and lowest aperture to try and freeze any movement, like fountains or jumping.

Take It All In
Alternately, using a high aperture can also have a great effect when you really want to capture the background in daylight. Here, I was able to let the sunlight capture all the detail on a much higher aperture than I ever set my camera at. If you are shooting with a landscape and no shade, this is definitely the way to go.


Play with Shadows
If you have interesting patterns with your shadows, embrace it! Look for fun patterns in the shadows and see what you can come up with. Railings and trees are wonderful for this.


Just Do It
Disney photos are often blown out for me.  I've got some harsh shadows a lot because it's open sun in Florida. Take your photos on a high shutter speed and make sure to focus on your subject. Then rely on editing to take care of some of it for you. Here are some little editing tips for direct sunlight.

-Take down the highlights/whites.
-Take the shadows up.
-Adjust your exposure.
-Play with curves and levels.

Scouring the internet, no one ever tells you how in the WORLD to go about finding places to take photos at. It's all 'consider your surroundings' or 'find somewhere neat', but honestly, if you live in a suburb and there aren't abandoned houses or something, how do you find a place to take photos? If you are ready to venture off the porch/lawn of your place, then here's my tips on how to find places to go.

Google Maps

I spend an absurd amount of time on Google Maps because I'm a road geek and find things like wrong way concurrencies amazing. But, Google Maps is also super helpful. Look for the big green blocks of areas or the light brown blocks (usually colleges). Parks and colleges are wonderful for taking photos, and Google Maps is a great way to find some places to go.

Google It!

This sounds obvious, but it isn't. I mean, what in the world are you supposed to Google? I've typed in 'weird stuff in PA', 'abandoned PA', and 'park trails PA' a lot. Also 'small towns PA' works to get me places like Lititz.

Try a Variety

You'll find a lot of my photos are just in new places to me, and often little cities. Going out for dinner with friends in a new part of town? Arrive a bit early, find a colorful building or two, and voila. Bars and restaurants can occasionally make nice settings as well. Eating early isn't a bad thing because you get better light.

Keep Notes
When I visit a restaurant or other local place, I take note of any areas I see that might work. The bridge over the train tracks behind Iron Hill Brewery was one of these places, and works well since I can stop there after a beer at Iron Hill!

 

If At First You Don't Succeed
Try again! Some of my favorite spots weren't great at first for some reason or the other - wrong lighting, wrong location within the spot (often at parks, I end up setting up somewhere, realizing it's not great, but getting nervous or I am rushed, and do it anyway). Don't rule something out until you try it twice. The first photo here isn't taken far from the second, but my choice of location due to nerves in the first one wasn't as pretty so they didn't turn out as well.

Look On Flickr!
Join groups for your area on Flickr. Search using geotags. I cannot tell you how much this helped me when I moved to Harrisburg.

Take Someone With You
Having a friend to set up with you, even if they aren't taking your photos, helps a lot. I probably would have been petrified at this location because it was a VERY steep hill, but I had friends to help me out.

Just Breathe
I'm going to say it again and again until you all wanna kill me. Be brave, take deep breaths, and just do it. It's like riding a bike. Or swimming. It's weird and scary at first, then it becomes totally normal. I look really awkward and stern in this photo because I'm super nervous about someone across the street. For no reason.

In honor of the holiday here in the states today that my husband lovingly calls ' America Day', I wanted to share some of the tips I have about capturing the moment. I think sometimes this is what I have the most trouble with, but looking back, the photos I have from our get togethers in our home in Cincinnati are priceless. Here are some of my most prized photos, although maybe not the most artistic, and how I got to taking them.

 

Tripods Are Wonderful
Setting up a tripod at parties early in the night has always been a successful and fun thing to do. My friend Alyson and I began doing it, and not only did the photos usually turn out well, but it was a fun activity that usually entertained quite a few of us.

Details of the Moment
Focusing on small things that are important to the moment are wonderful. They don't picture the exact moment, but can evoke a feeling and memory. Above is my friend's winning ticket from a Kentucky derby party.

There is Nothing Wrong With a Good Mirror Shot
I'm not sure why the only photos I have of my friends from  college Leah and Maggie and I together are mirror shots in bathrooms, but that's what is so perfect about it. Any slight downtime where you can actually remember to take the camera out, do it. Don't worry about the setting so much as the fact you are remembering to capture the moment.

Be A Creeper

Seriously, sometimes a good shot during a get together requires you to just snap away at people. Taking shots from different angles or across rooms can be really fun and result in lovely photos.

Don't Lie

Some of the funniest, greatest photos from family vacations are the ones where we look tired and bored, because it's telling. Taking photos of the not so great parts can actually make them better! And they are hilarious to look back on.

Take A Moment

The most important thing about capturing the moment is actually taking that moment to do so. It's actually an argument my husband and I have constantly about how I take away from 'being in the moment' by taking photos of it. I disagree - some of my best moments were made even better by taking the moment to take the photos. This last photo was taken while randomly driving around Atlanta and deciding to get off on an exit called international something because it sounded like Epcot. It wasn't, it was a strange place, but we took a moment to place our camera on the top of the car and pose.

Happy 4th of July - enjoy it!

I realized I have never done a post on tools and tricks that are really great to have around. Starting out in photography, there isn't really an easy 'one size fits all' thing that you need to have. I'm not saying you need all of this - but these are things I have found really helpful through the years.

At the beginning of the month, I shared with you the preliminary outfit photos post here. This is the second follow up to it, and usually my step by step for when I go out and take photos. Ask any other questions you might have!

This is the big one! And therefore, this post is broken into two. Here are my basic tips, kind of preliminary pep-talk post of how to take your own outfit photos. Which, by the way, is even harder when you have to direct your husband on how to use your Android's camera because he didn't charge his iPhone WHILE taking your outfit photos! Let's get into this!

Here's two things on cameras most never touch, leaving it on the auto setting and letting it live in the shadows of your camera's functionality. These are things available on point and shoot cameras too, by the way, and can effect even your quick shots. This is how I can try and explain it to you and why it matters and when and if you should mess with it.

There are tons of brilliant posts about how to photograph food, especially in your home. No matter what, some of the same rules apply. Natural lighting when ever possible and never use flash. But you're in a restaurant?! I take a lot of photos in restaurants - it's almost become second nature to me to pull out the large DSLR in my purse at every meal. Here are my biggest tips to you.

Use a lens with a low f-stop
I chose all of my lenses because of their abilties to hit a low f-stop (1.4, 1.4, and 2.8) and when in a restaurant, I pretty much always put it at the lowest f-stop available so that I can take in more light without shake or using flash. I would have never been able to get such a crisp image of this cocktail without a low f-stop.

Choose your seat wisely
When you can, sit by a window so that you get all the natural light you can. When it's dark out or a window option isn't available, choose a seat with a hanging pendant or some sort of light over it. If all else fails and you can't choose you seat and you end up in the middle of a restaurant, you'll have to bump up your ISO

Play with ISO
I start at 240 ISO with an f-stop of 1.4 and see what my shutter speed is. If it is less than 20, I change my ISO until I can get it to at least a shutter speed of 20 or higher. Below this I start to get a lot of blur since I am hand holding my camera.

Shoot in burst mode
I shoot about 5-10 images and about 1 turns out good. This just helps to get one good one if you are shaking a bit much. I shoot in burst mode all the time because with digital, I can delete what I don't need.

Composition
Try and spin the plate to where the food is in depth and the background is blurred. In certain situations, you may need to shoot the food from where your companion is eating. Many times, I shoot the dish in front of Jason instead of in front of myself, then switch them. Or I hold the camera above my head for a straight on shot. Also think about using the rest of the table decor or background. Don't forget the details - remember, sometimes the restaurant is as fun as the food!

Shoot before you eat
Half eaten pictures of your meal are never as pretty! Have your camera on the table before the meal, shoot right when it gets put down, and then store it for the rest of the meal and enjoy it.

Be brave
Don't be afraid to take the photos. Remember - most likely, you won't see any of these people again. They won't remember you and your photo taking for more than a few seconds - so it's not worth being nervous about. That's the best advice I can give you - even if you feel awkward, if you want to do it, do it! It will eventually stop feeling awkward. This goes for anything really. It's become second nature for my husband to wait for food until I take a camera out I have been doing this for so many years now.