Halloween Photo Tips

Halloween - the time of spooks and goblins. It is s favorite holiday for many and here are a few tips to help you with your family photos that night. Sorry not to have a lot of photos to illustrate this, but hopefully these tips will help you with your fun photos for "Trick or Treat."






1. Tell a story. Get them dressing, putting on makeup. Keep your camera handy to record whatever happens.

2. Avoid flash reflections. Keep children away from reflective surfaces, like glass and shiny wood. Place them in a corner rather than in front of something that reflects your flash.

3. Move in close, use your zoom, check on the closest focusing distance, and don't get closer than that. Use the macro mode on your camera to get in close to photograph details...Faces, eyes, little details.

4. Stay within your flash range. If you don't your photos will appear dark. Check your screen on the back of the camera. If the image is dark, move closer so flash will cover subject.

5. Add action. Get your child to play the part. Have him act like a soldier, or be a clown; have her dance like a ballerina.

6. Capture the mood. Use light from pumpkin to light the scene,or your child's face. Turn off flash and use tripod or hold camera very steady and try a few shots.

7. Use night mode on camera. Use gentle pressure to release the shutter to prevent camera movement and blurry photos. Night mode adjusts for low light situations and allows more of the scene to show. The background will not be as dark.

8. Start early before it gets really dark and try using natural light, no flash. Best photos are done in late afternoon or early evening. Use fill flash if the child does not show up.

9. Photograph your jack-o-lanterns so they look like jack-o-lanterns. Do not use flash. Carve bigger openings so more light will show. Hold camera real steady, try photographing at dusk rather than later in the evening. Add porch lights, or room lights. You can prevent blur by using a tripod, if you have one. Do several different photos to get one good one.

We hope these tips help you get some outstanding photographs on "Trick or Treat" Night.

Photographing Children and Families 4

Our fourth tip is to photograph inside near a window. If you place your child on the floor near the window you get a nice, soft directional light. This type of light is flattering to young and old alike. Be sure to get down on their level if you have them on the floor. You can direct them to look out the window or have them look at you. Here you can see the light coming from the left giving a nice light on the child's face.

Photographing Children and Families 3

Our third tip is to either photograph in the shade or on a cloudy day. In shade you have what we call diffuse light and it is a gentler light. Place your child under a tree, in the shade of the house,or under a canopy. You get the same results on a cloudy day. There are no shadows, no bright sun. Either way you have a better result.

Photographing Children and Families 2

The second tip for photographing children and families is to use backlight. This is achieved with the sun behind or off to the side. This will keep your subjects from squinting and make it easy for them to keep their eyes open. It will create a halo effect on their hair where the sun hits it. It is a really nice effect.

Photographing Children and Families 1

The next few posts will be concentrating on how to best photograph your children and families. Today we will look at time of day. If you are going to work outdoors, the best time of day is early in the morning or late in the day. This is because the sun is low in the sky and the light has a softer, less harsh quality. Avoid having the sun fall directly on the faces as this will cause squinting and will cause harsh shadows under the eyes and nose. Plus at this time the light is warmer and gives a more pleasing effect.

Family Portraits Last Forever

A family portrait captures moment in time and preserves it for the future. Have you had yours made recently? It is so easy to put it off and not get one done, something else always seems to grab our time and our money, but this moment will only last for today. you must seize it before it is too late. Here is a family we took to the beach last week. Isn't this child adorable?



Portraits of our loved ones become precious as time goes by. The children grow and they change and each time we look back at our images we are reminded of those times. Nothing can bring back a memory as easily as a portrait. Huth and Booth travels and can photograph your family where you go on your vacations, where you spend time with your family and where the image of that place will bring back wonderful times long past.

Copying Old Photos

Restoration service -- Bringing an old photograph back to life is in itself a form of art. It takes many long hours of skilled craftsmanship and love to restore your precious memories. Since some photographs may require more care and attention than others, we offer various levels of restoration services. (And remember, all restoration is done on a copy print, so there's absolutely no damage to your original).





Copy Services -- In some cases, your original photograph may be in perfect condition -- but it's the only one you have. Take advantage of our copy service. We use the finest optics available to reproduce your original with the sharpest results anywhere. Whether you need one copy, or a thousand, each one will look as good as the original.Since people have been staying closer to home, we have noticed a lot of more restoration of old photographs coming our way. Old photographs, faded images, torn or deteriorating images are all something we can improve for you and it really isn't that expensive. Give us a call and bring us your treasures and we will make them new.

Old Photos Made New

Have you ever discovered an old photograph of a loved one? Perhaps it was your grandmother's wedding portrait or a picture of your great-grandfather as a child. Chances are, the photograph was in poor condition -- cracked, faded, scratched or even torn. But not for long.

We can take your treasured photographs and bring them back to life with our professional restoration and copy services. Your original photograph will be handled with tender loving care -- we'll copy it, then restore the copy -- and return the original to you untouched. We'll turn your old photographs into timeless works of art that will be enjoyed by generations to come.

More Vacation Photo Tips

1. Foreground and Framing of Composition
Compositions are enhanced when there is a strong point of interest, for example - a flower, a tree, a mountain, a boat on the lake. Something in the foreground draws your interest best.

Framing an image with the leaves of a tree branch brings the
interest into your scene. People in a photo can give scale to large
objects or wide landscapes

2. Edit
Because you are probably using a digital camera, take lots of
pictures. You can edit them when you get home and throw out the
ones you don't want. When taking group shots be sure to take
more than one. Someone is bound to have their eyes closed or
their head turned. Don't be stingy. The more you take, the better
chance you have of getting a good one.

Once you are home, move your images from the camera onto your computer and place them in a folder labeled so you will know what is in the folder - eg. Cozumel June 2009. Then make a backup CD by burning your images to a disk. You can then remove the images from your memory card and you are ready for your next trip.

More Vacation Photo Tips

1. Shoot Off Center
Place your point of interest away from the center of the image. In other words, place your subject to the right or to the left in the image. Draw a tic-tac-toe in your mind's eye and place your subject on one of the places where the lines intersect. This makes for more interesting/artistic compositions.





2. People and Landmarks.

When taking photos of people and a land mark. Pull the people closer to you and leave the landmark way in the background. Don't try to get all of the people's bodies. Instead, photograph from the knees or waist up. This way you can see who the people are and see the landmark as well.

Vacation Photo Tips

1. Get Close

It's all in the details. Sometimes there is more interest in the details rather than the whole object. Look for details in buildings, plants, spider webs, Get in close. Use the light to throw shadows. Get close to people, too. Just as we told you about when photographing children, close up photos show people and their personalities better. They are more interesting than pictures that show a yard and twenty people.





2. Get Down

Try angles that are not standard - not from a standing position at eye level. Get down on your knees or lay on the ground and you will have a totally different angle and composition. This can make the difference in a so-so image and one that is WOW!

3 Vacation Photo Tips

Here are three more photo tips.

3. Capture the local flavor.
Capture the local flavor - colors, unusual items or animals. Learn about the culture by interacting with the locals. You may find out about things you may have missed. Watch for the unusual. Keep you camera handy.

  4. Look for a theme. 
Choose a theme - like baseball caps - and photograph them wherever you go. This will help you tell a unique story that is yours alone. We used shadows on one of our trips. Here are just two images from that trip.

5. Always carry your camera.
Always carry your camera with you. You never know when the opportunity will arise for that unusual photo. For many pictures  you don't get a second chance.

Happy Shooting!

Child Photography

Nothing Is More Precious Than The Story of A Child

Someday the child you hold now will want to tell your grandchild what it was like when he or she was growing up. Imagine how wonderful it would be to have a beautiful album of priceless images of that childhood to pass down to future generations.

There are stages of a child's life when you should capture the changes that are occurring as he or she grows. We call these The "7 Ages of Childhood" - times that mark the most significant changes along the path from infancy to young adulthood.

•     Baby's First Year... a time when changes occur week by week
•     Age 2... an age of many moods
•     Age 3... ready to meet the world
•     Age 4 to 5... attitude and interests
•     Age 6 to 8... milestones and passions
•     Age 9 to 12... searching, finding
•     Age 13 to 15... previews of promise

 At no time in your child's life will changes occur so rapidly than they do during the first year and early childhood years that follow. In what seems like the blink of an eye, a tiny helpless bundle is transformed into an active, robust, and inquisitive youngster. These changes have already begun! So it's not too soon to call for your baby's first studio appointment. We'll explain the many charming possibilities for capturing the developmental stages of the first year and beyond.

At Huth & Booth we can help you capture these moments.

2 Vacation Photo Tips

We are going to spend the next few posts giving you tips for your vacation photos. We hope you will find them useful.

1. Do your homework.

Before you leave on a trip, read the guidebooks and look at books about the area where you will be traveling. This will give the important places to visit and you can plan for the best places to take your photos. Like this photo of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

2. Use your pictures to tell the story.                 Use your pictures to tell the story of your trip. Capture the details. Take pictures of signs, maps, menus, close ups of food, Carry a small notebook to make notes of the photos you take - where and when and any important details.

Child Photography Is Fun!

LIttle kids are such fun.Child photography is so rewarding.  Last week we photographed a couple of grandchildren for a client and the two children were such fun. On top of being adorable, they were so full of life. How I wish I had just a tenth of their energy. Delaney loves to dance and we got her doing pirouettes and hops and twirls. They made for a wonderful splash. What a wonderful memory of this time in Delaney's life.

 

  While we were photographing their grandparents, they had been sitting on this little bench over at the side of the room. They looked so adorable that we just had to photograph them sitting together. I think you will agree, you can really see their personality in this image.

We can do the same for your children and grandchildren. give us a call, we won't let you down.

4 Tips about Good High School Senior Photography

1. Images should show the 

Senior's personality..

Portraits are meant to show the person inside as well as the external likeness. In order to capture this, the subject needs to be relaxed and feel comfortable with the photographer. Taking time to get to know the individual is important. Wearing clothing that reflects the senior's style shows a side of them that is often not caught in a photograph. 

2. It should be a fun experience.

When they are having fun, their smiles are natural, their eyes sparkle, they feel relaxed and look it.
Listening to the type of music they like also helps set the mood. It puts them at ease and the results are better photographs.
 

3.  Sharing favorite things.

Including in photographs some of the things that make them who they are, makes their photos unique to each senior. Are they interested in music? Do they play an instrument, play a sport, or cheer? Do they have a car they are proud of, or a pet?  These are things they can include in images as part of their Senior Session. The list is endless.

4.  There should be creativity in the capture of the image.

  

Photographs that are creative make a senior's photos different from their friend's. These photos have the ability to capture the viewer's attention and are remembered after they are seen.

  

We will have more on High School Senior Photography as time goes on. At Huth & Booth, we can capture these times in your life and preserve them for you.

Senior Girl Photography

It is the time of year when high school seniors look at having their portraits done. Here in Florida there is the "Contract" Photographer and then there are studios, like ours, that do non-contract senior photography. This type of photography is more creative, less structured and shows off the personality of the senior. They are fun sessions, with the senior calling the shots. This is a couple of composites from Chelsea's session last week.

This Splash  is a new product we are offering this year and it gives our gals a chance to try some America's Top Model moves. We have a great time with this and the senior girls have really gotten in to it.

The Composite Image gives our seniors a chance to put several different poses with different clothing choices  into one display image. Instead of having only one image from their session to hang on the wall, they now have a variety. It has been quite popular.

I have attached a video, still not sure how I did it, but... it's there and it shows some of our Senior Portraits from last year. We hope you enjoy it.

DIgital Camera Tips #3

Here are the last three tips we have for your camera care. We hope these have been helpful. let us know what else we can help you with. Ed and I have been doing this a long time and we have lots of experiences we can share with you. In future posts we will talk a bit about people photography.


5. Salt

While we've already talked about sand and the beach, we didn't address salt. It can cause corrosion, so when in salty places, wipe your camera off frequently. Be careful when you place yourself in places where sea spray can reach you and your camera. Keep the camera in a plastic bag in a camera bag when not in use in these kinds of environments. Dampness , especially the kind at the beach, is a real enemy of your camera.

6. Thieves

Never leave your camera in a car or other location where it can be seen and be tempting to someone. Use a camera bag that doesn't scream CAMERAS!!! Maybe one like this Crumpler camera bag. Or any one that doesn't look like the traditional camera bag.
Keep your camera on our body if in a risky environment. Keep your bag zipped and consider having in the front rather than on your back. Add your camera to your insurance policy and be selective in what you take with you.

7. Bumps and Drops

Treat your camera as a delicate object. Don't let it bang into hard things or be knocked around. Keep it in your padded camera case when not in use, and keep it out of really hot places like locked cars. Treat your camera well and it will give you many years of faithful service.

Those are our favorite suggestions for the care of your cameras. Hope you have a great weekend. Go out and take some pictures. Have fun!
 

 

DIgital Camera Tips #2

Today we'll give you two more tips to the care and treatment of your digital camera. With a little care and attention your camera will give you many years of service...that is unless you upgrade it, then it will lie all alone in your drawer. Anyway, here are today's tips.

3. Dust

  Like sand, dust can be a natural enemy of a digital camera. It is more subtle as it won't generally scratch your moving parts, but it can be just as damaging when it works its way onto your camera's inner parts or settles onto your image sensor.

You should wipe your camera down each day, and be careful when you open the camera for any reason - to change a lens, batteries or change your memory card. Always travel with your camera in a sealed bag. When we were in Canyonlands we found the wind blew everywhere, so we kept our cameras wrapped in bandanas to protect them and yet have them readily available.


If you have a DSLR - digital camera with interchangeable lenses, consider having the sensor professionally cleaned every now and then. We can help you with that. We can also help you if you see spots that occur in the same place all the time. Most often, it is dust on the sensor and with the cameras with interchangeable lenses, we can often fix that problem.

4. Moisture/Water


This is one of the quickest ways to end your camera's life. Always be aware of where you set you camera and where it can be knocked. Use the wrist or neck strap to prevent dropping the camera into water.

As far as humidity and that kind of moisture, keeping silica gel packs in your camera bag helps. Allowing your camera to warm up or cool down before using outside will also help, if you have the time to do this. Wipe your camera down when it is humid and especially after being exposed to water spray.

Well, that is it for today. We have three more tips which we will post tomorrow or Monday.

Digital Camera Tips

This is a new blog for us and we are excited to share a lot of info with our friends. we will giving tips on your own photography as well as sharing some of the images that Ed and I have taken and some we have done for clients. We hope this will be helpful to you and that you will comment and let us know what you would like to know about.

So on to the tips. Today I will share two with you.

1. Sunscreen and Insect Repellent

Though you need both of these solutions to protect yourself from the elements and pesky mosquitos, it is important not to get these on your camera. Therefore, carry hand cleaner with you so after application of the sunscreen or repellent, you can clean your hands before touching the camera.

Also, don't carry the bottles of these solutions in the same bag as your camera. If that is the only way you can transport them, then put them in a sealable plastic bag. A leak of liquid in your bag can mean the end of your camera's life.

2. Sand

Sand is abrasive and can easily cause damage to the moving parts of your camera. Not taking pictures at the beach is not an option, so it is necessary too take precautions to protect your camera.

A sealable plastic bag in which you can place your camera when it is not in use is one possibility. Soft bristled brushes to remove any stray grains of sand can also be useful.

Most of all, be aware of your surroundings and things like wind, people kicking balls or throwing frisbees when you are changing lenses, memory cards, or batteries as these are high risk moments that sand just loves to swoop in. In fact, try to think ahead, so you won't have any of these challenges while you are around sand.

That's all for today. See you tomorrow.