Photographing Events

Tis the season for getting together at family gatherings, office parties or hanging with friends.  I think the best part of those parties is being able to look at the pictures the next day and years later.

How do you capture all those wonderful memories? Run around the event with a camera or your phone snapping photos.  Well that's one way to get the pictures but I've got a few tips to try to make your event more enjoyable and keep you from running around like I use to.

The approach to take depends on the size of group.

If its a small group, like a family gathering, its a lot easier to spend more time taking pictures because everyone is probably staying in a close space.  So keep the camera or phone out the whole night and just keep snapping.

For large crowds, say a work party, I take some time to socialize which also gives guests a chance to settle in and maybe have a couple of drinks.  Once you've done that spend a couple of hours taking photos. Of course if you're not in the mood to try to capture everyone at the party there's always the option of hiring a photographer (like me).


Here are a few more tips for pictures at events:

• Keep an eye on the amount of light on the people
• As always watch light poles (or similar type of things) coming out of peoples heads
• If you miss a shot ask the people to do it again and be ready the second time
• Use the zoom for large crowds to get in close without being in their space
• If you just don't want to worry about it there is always the option of hiring a photographer to take care of your photography needs

The important part of taking pictures for your event is to also have fun yourself.

Do you have tips for how you get the best pictures at your events? Share them with us!

I've got grumpy kids and a photo shoot in the same day, what do I do?

Here's the thing, you've been planning a photography session for a month.  You know you've thought of everything and you probably have but the truth is we can't control everything.

Its the day of your photography session and your child is cranky or just not acting like themselves.  You don't want to cancel because the stars may not align like this again.

So you go to the session with high hopes.  In my experience there are two ways it can work out.  The child snaps out of it and has a wonderful time. Or its a bad day no matter what we try.

I'm hoping your situation is the first because that's easier and less stressful for everyone.

But if you've hit the second situation there are a few ways to try to make the best of it:

• Bring a favorite toy
• Have the Ipod set to their dancing song
• Get someone to dance, sometimes a person will make them the happiest
• If the photographer is available in the afternoon, take the kid for a nap or lunch and start over in the afternoon

If you have a session booked with me and we can't get enough good shots I am always willing to reschedule.  I know that doesn't always work, so if not I'll try my hardest to get the best shots.  Even when we sit down to look at the photos, if you're not happy I'll re-shoot at no cost to you.

Do you have any tips on how to help a grumpy child?  I'm always interested in your ideas and thoughts.

Photography in my pocket

As a photographer I am always taking photos. But it took me a long time to get an Instagram account.  I was in a photography slump, and needed something to get me out of that slump.   I decided it would be a great way to keep taking photos and trying out new ideas.

I knew I needed some self direction so I decided to do is a photo a day for a whole year. #rochellesphotos  It started off just as any photo I took that day.  Then I decided to do themes and share small parts of my life.

I have been having a blast sharing beautiful images of the Idaho area and of what's going on in my life.  Come check out my Instagram feed and follow me. RochellesPhotos

Do you have an Instagram account? I'd love to see what images you share, leave a comment below with your Instagram handle so I can follow you.  I'd love to hear what you think of my images, feel free to leave comments below.

Holiday musings

Since tomorrow is Halloween I thought it would be fun to give you some facts about Halloween.

• Celebrates the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve which is followed by All Saints Day (November 1)
• Jack-O-Lanterns were traditionally made from turnips, but turnips weren't cheap so Americans used pumpkins
• The Jack-O-Lantern tradition comes from a Celtic tale. Jack tricked the Devil into paying for this drink, so the Devil gave Jack a hellish ember. But crafty Jack place the ember safely into a turnip, which he carved and carried with him so as to scare away any future hellish encounters.

• The tradition of trick or treating is a short step from the medieval practice of souling.  In which beggars went door to door on October 31st to pray for souls in return for food. (I guess candy is a sort of food)
• A 1951 Peanuts comic strip can be credited with the popular spread of trick or treating as we know it today
• Its not just an American holiday, the French village of Limoges attracted nearly 50,000 partiers last year
• The most important thing to remember is to be safe, the biggest danger on Halloween is alcohol poisoning

These points came from the following website: http://mic.com/articles/17477/halloween-history-13-strange-facts-on-why-we-celebrate-halloween

Do pets make good photo subjects?

This one is easy to answer, yes. Pets are always welcome at my photo shoots. There are only a few animals (that people tend to keep for pets) that I'm not good with dealing with and for the most part if I don't have to touch them I am just fine. And to make the experience easier for everyone, I've got some pointers and items to think about.

Some things to let your photographer know about your pet:

• What kind of animal your pet is?
• How long do they take to warm up to new people?
• Should we avoid populated areas?
• Will they let me move them?
• Any other items that would be good to know?

Another important list that will help your photo shoot go smoothly is some items you may want to bring with you.  Pets are like kids and some times need extra stuff to get them through a couple of hours in front of the camera or a nice distraction.

Some things to bring for your pet:

• A few poop bags for the dog
• Restraints of some kind
• Treats
• Their favorite toy or one that gets their attention
• Anything that helps your pet be calm and relaxed
• The biggest thing is to have fun and relax your self

My pets are considered family members, so we alwasy try to get them in the pictures.  The cat doesn't always want to play nice and love to run off and hide. I'm sure you consider your pet a family member too and they belong in your photo too.  The best advice I can give you for any photo shoot is to remember to have fun with your photo session and you'll have the best return on your investment.

Have you done photos with your pets? If so what advice do you have?

Fall or Spring family photos?

What is the right time of year to have your family photos taken? Is there a right time of year for family photos?

 The time of year you have your pictures taken is really up to you.  Most people tend to do their family photos in the fall.  Some of the best parts of fall is the changing colors, and the cold weather.  That lovely cold weather tends to get people to cuddle and be closer together, which is a great excuse to get your picture taken.

 If you're going for a fall photo shoot I'd have it take place in the September - early November range.  That gives me enough time to edit the photos and sit down with you to look through the images, and time to order prints or cards or any other custom items you may want.

Another time of year that I like to take family photos is in the spring.  This takes some work because you have to try to work it in around rain storms and any bad weather in general. But the thing about spring that's so magical is the clear air and beautiful blue sky.

No matter what time of year you want to have family photos done, think about what your favorite time of year is.  Because if you enjoy being out in it, the happiness will show in your face and photos.

What is your favorite time of the year?  I'm always interested in your thoughts and ideas.

My Photography of Lake Tahoe

 

As I sit by the lake, which is missing all of its people due to the insane wind, I'm reflecting on our trip.  This is our 2 year anniversary trip, its become our thing to go on some kind of trip for our anniversary.  Our first year we drove to Vegas for the weekend.  Sadly we started on the wrong foot.  Husband got a cold the morning we left and felt like crap for most of the trip.  But we did recover and get out and see the whole lake.

The first night at Lake Tahoe we walked down to the water, it was so windy we felt like we were at the Ocean.  When we showed up at Lake Tahoe we were in tanks and shorts and it was COLD, funnily enough that's about the same amount of clothes we have on now.  I was hopping to do some swimming, my version of swimming today is my calf's in the water.

One of the days we drove around the lake.  Which to our surprise didn't take as long as we figured.  I was pretty amazed at how many places there was to stop along the road and go hiking, most of the road is very skinny.  At one point the road runs along the ridge of the mountain with Lake Tahoe on one side and lake Cascade on the other.  I was driving when we came up on that and it took my brain a few minutes to understand what was going on.  Sadly I didn't get a picture of it, other than the one in my head.

Maybe some day we will even buy one of the beautiful homes that are around the lake.  If you haven't been to lake Tahoe I would suggest it be on your travel list.

Have you been to Lake Tahoe? If you have, show us your pictures or share the stories you have.  I'm always interested in what you have to say.

Current events

When I heard about the most recent shooting I didn't even know how to feel.  I was confused, sad and curious all at the same time.

What happened was horrific, the scary thing is that this kind of stuff just keeps happening.  I ran across the attached article, which talks about how American society has a need to be rich and famous.


American Exceptionalism

What did you think of the article? Do you agree?  I'd wanna hear your thoughts

Creative walk-a-bout

The other day while out on a creative walk-a-bout I had a brilliant idea. I've had a very hard time with what should be up on my blog. I've thought about what you may want to know about, I've read what others say should be in a blog but none of it could keep me working on my blog.  My plan now is to work back to what I'm passionate about.

The unsteady conclusion I've arrived at is that I have a passion for seeing Art in everyday objects. Yes it's fun to make people look beautiful in a photograph but the real challenge comes from making ordinary objects beautiful.

*A creative walk-a-bout is simply an afternoon (or maybe morning or evening) walk to get my juices flowing. If its in the evening its best ended with a glass of wine.

Resolutions

One of the things I like about this time of year is all the goal planning.  Businesses are making resolutions, aka goals, the general public starts making their resolutions.  I like to hear what other people are planning for the next year.

I don't know about you but I've made that resolution to lose weight or eat better.  Most of the time it doesn't work, I'd forget or just not feel up to a workout.

I learned that if I write my personal goals on a sticky note and placed it on one of the notebooks I carry with me every where.  I saw what I wanted to accomplish over the year, and I did a better job of sticking to my goals.

If you always make resolutions but have a hard time keeping them try writing them down or put a note in your phone.  Even make one of your resolutions be to keep your resolutions past January.

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year and a great start to the new year!