Photography Tips - Tip #1 to Improve Your Photography (Utah Wedding Photographer, Heather Ellis)

I am starting a new blog series to teach all the beginners out there some fun photography tips - Check back each week for a new lesson!

Tip #1 
to improve your photography:

BUY A NEW LENS

When you bought your camera, that kit lens that it came with probably looked pretty cool. I mean, look how big it is, right? I thought the same thing! In fact, that lens is really limiting you. If you want sharp pictures and a nice, blurry background, you are going to need something better. In fact, 99% of the time, the lens is more important than the camera! I would almost always recommend someone buy a new lens before buying a new camera. You will get a lot more for your money! And the best news of all?

A good lens doesn't have to cost a lot!!!

There are a lot of lens options out there, but the one I would recommend starting with is the 50mm 1.8.

What makes this lens so great?

The first amazing thing about this lens is THE PRICE! This lens costs less than $150! Of course there are more expensive versions of the 50mm lens, but for starting out, this lens is fantastic.

The second great thing about this lens is that little 1.8 number at the end. This number is called the aperture (also called f-stop). With your kit lens, that number is only 3.5 and it can never go any lower. Why is this number so important??? Because the lower this number is, the more light you will get in the picture, and the more blurry the background will be!

Here is an example. Both of these pictures were taken with a 50mm lens on my camera. I didn't change any settings except the aperture. The one on the left was taken at 3.5, and the one on the right was taken at 1.8.

Notice how much lighter and brighter the second picture is? And how much more blur it has in the background? Now, for big groups you will want to still use a higher aperture (at least 3.2), but for portraits, you want that number to be lower so that you can get that nice blur! And at night (like when these pictures were taken), you want that number to be lower so that you can get more light in the picture without having to use a flash.

Now go add this lens to your Christmas list! You won't regret it!

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Heather Ellis Photography - Heather is a Utah Wedding Photographer and Utah Family Photographer. Like what you see here? Contact her at heather@heatherellisphotography.com to book your own session today!

5 Photography Tips for Mom's (and other beginners)!

There is a term out there in the photography world... MWAC. Heard of it? It stands for "Mom with a camera." It doesn't always have a positive connotation to it, which is unforunate, because I think it can be a wonderful thing! I am a MWAC and proud of it, and you should be too! The whole point of photography is to capture our lives and preserve memories, and the person who is the subject of most of my photos is most definitely my son. Being a MWAC doesn't have to mean that you don't know how to take stunning photos! But photography isn't easy. It takes practice. Photographing children can be especially difficult, and starting out with a new DSLR can be confusing. I am going to give you a few quick tips to help you get started, and improve your photography so that you can capture those special images of your own sweet family while wowing your friends! (And who knows, you might even catch the photography bug! It's contagious!)

1. Take your camera off of auto! Auto is great, but it really limits you. But don't be scared! You don't have to switch your camera to manual just yet! There are wonderful programmed modes already set up for you that will greatly improve your images if you know how to use them. I find the easiest and best one is the Aperture Priority mode. On Canon cameras this is the little Av, and Nikon it's just A. Once in this mode, all you have to remember is that the lower the number, the more blurry the background will be. You will have to play around with it, but try it out! It is awesome!

2. Get down to your child's level! Too many pictures of kids are taken from above. Sometimes they can be cute, but most of the time it distorts the photo. Get down to your child's height and shoot from there. Also, don't be afraid to get close. You will love the result.

3. The best time of day to take photos is first thing in the morning or in the evening. I have learned to work at any time of the day, but it is so much easier when the sun is low in the sky. Place the sun BEHIND your subject, make sure the focus is on your subject, and you are good to go! But if you have to shoot during the day, try looking for fully shaded locations :)

4. Keep your photos simple. Keep the backgrounds simple. Don't over-edit your photos. The focus of your images should be on your subject, not on your editing or everything in the background. Get an editing program like photoshop elements and add a little saturation, contrast, and sharpness to your images. Don't go crazy with the edits - you want your kids to look like they really are, because they are the cutest kids in the whole world, right?!

5. Don't forget to jump in the photo yourself every once in a while! Your kids will thank you for it someday :)

I hope this helps you get started! Remember that I offer one-on-one mentoring in person, over Skype, or over the phone if you are interested. Also, starting in January 2013, I will be hosting some photography classes here in Utah for those beginners who are wanting to learn more about their camera. So let me know if you want more info!!