Top 10 tips for taking great photos of the kids

I often get asked how to get great photos of the kids. So I will give you my 10 tips for getting great images. Keep reading, as there's a gift at the bottom of the post. Tip 1: Keep your camera handy. Keep it on the counter or in your handbag but never tuck it away in a drawer. You want it close by for those times where you want to capture the moment.

 Tip 2: Get down on their level so they can look directly into the camera. How many images do you have of your children looking up at you?

Tip 3: Leave the cheese for the fridge! Smiles are not necessary for a beautiful portrait.

Tip 4: Timing is key. The only child who photographs well when they are sleepy, is a newborn. All other children should be fresh, fed and happy!

Tip 5: Make it fun! This has personally been one of the things that I have found most successful with my children. We laugh and we have fun. If they tell me they don't want to do it, I never force them. This way, it is never seen as a bad experience. Sometimes, they even ask me for a photoshoot because they are so much fun!

(Please note: some of these images are photoshopped. It's a part of the fun!)

Tip 6: Focus on the eyes. The eyes should be the sharpest part of your image. So when you are pressing the button to lock in focus, your main point of focus should be the eye of the person closest to the camera.

Tip 7: To make the eyes sparkle, make sure you are getting light into them. Light reflecting in the eyes are called "catch-lights". This makes the eyes become as bright as possible and draws our eye toward them.

Tip 8: Capture the sweet moments, not just the posed ones. These are the ones that will make your heart melt years later when you look back on them.

Tip 9: Unless you have an off-camera flash, turn your flash off and get close to the window or another source of natural light. Natural light is softer and is more flattering than the flash on your camera. Having more light allows your camera to have a higher shutter speed and therefore, less blur, so get close to a large door or window to allow lots of light to envelop your subject.

Tip 10: Keeping shooting regularly. The children grow quickly and these photos will soon become your most valued possession.

And for the FREEBIE, if you would like to download this information as an app on your mobile device such as your iPhone, iPad or Android device, please click on THIS link. Please note, it is best to connect to your WiFi before launching for the first time. Once you have downloaded it, you can open it anywhere.

Happy snapping!

Stunning little family | Sydney Family Photographer

When I turn up to a newborn photoshoot and the Dad has tattoos, I get a little excited as I find a way to ask the question "would you like a shot with the baby without your shirt on?" To date, every Dad has. I guess there's no point in spending all of that money on a tattoo to not show it off, right? The reason I love tattoos, in the newborn shoot especially, is because of the juxtaposition of the edgy tattoo that represents life’s experiences, against the precious, new, innocent newborn. These images make my heart sing. So what is better than a handsome Dad with tattoos and his baby? When you learn that the stunning Mum has a tattoo as well and she is willing to trust you and let you execute the vision in your head. I rarely, if ever, suggest that a new Mum takes her shirt off. But wow, this Momma looks amazing! It is hard to believe she has a 3 week old!

Congratulations guys. You are a lovely family and it was a pleasure being invited in to capture the first memories of your family.

Looking 10 years younger | Sydney Glamour Photographer

Which one of these facts is true? A. The Pope is Catholic

B. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone

C. The new Nikon D800 has 36.3 MP

D. The woman in the following images has an 18 year old

E. All of the above.

 

Yes, the answer is, all of the above. It is hard to imagine that this gorgeous woman has an 18 year old. I would like to take the credit for Melissa looking so young, but the secret is, she has fantastic genetics, so we were already off to a great start. Then Amanda from Glamorous by Amanda arrived and did an amazing job on the make over.

When women enquire about photography sessions, I am often asked "do you retouch using photoshop". The truth is, yes I do. But you would be surprised how little retouching is required. Firstly, the makeover itself is a large part of the experience. Once clients have their hair and makeup done, they already look amazing. Secondly, I have spent many, many hours learning lighting and posing women to accentuate their beauty. Throughout the shoot, I carefully pose clients to make sure that they are looking their best. So, when I come to edit the photos, I am only concerned with polishing the image rather than changing the subject. There still is a lot of work in post processing, however, the editing work focuses more on sculpting the light and working tonal interest into the image, rather than changing who the person is.

For Melissa's photoshoot, I wanted to create a fashion feel so edited with heavier contrast than normal. You can see from Melissa's before and after, she is already a beautiful woman. We simply take a beautiful woman and let her shine.

Stunning glamour model | Sydney Glamour Photographer

Another stunning glamour shoot! I am just LOVING this genre of glamour photography. I love watching the confidence of the woman I am working with grow as she is made over and dressed up. And then when she realises that she can trust me and that we are creating jaw-dropping images, I can see her shift to a new level of comfort and even more beauty emanates. This was another beautiful woman who was gorgeous to begin with and is stunning in her images.

I present you with my inaugural video, showcasing Aileen's stunning images. I hope you enjoy it.

The song in the video is “Mi Ancla” performed by “Mindy Gledhill,” provided by Triple Scoop Music.

This was Aileen's before and after shot

And some more stunning images from the session.

My glamorous friend | Sydney Glamour Photographer

Dee and I have been friends for a long time, about 16 years! Wow, where does the time go? Dee is naturally gorgeous as you can see in the before and after shot. She is one of those women that is naturally positive and has lots of friends. She is the girlfriend everyone wants to have; she is fun to be around, she is positive and genuinely cares. She definitely did shine during the shoot. She was very patient during our shoot and was quick to learn, in the end she hopped into the pose before I told her what to do. I hope you enjoy the images and I am sure you will agree, she is stunning!

The before and after.And because the beautiful cat was included in the model release, I had to show this image.

Beautiful Mamma-to-be | Sydney Maternity Photographer

This couple researched their photographer-to-be thoroughly...and I am glad they chose me. They had a two-fold vision for me: a couple of images they had in mind and then the rest of the session was mine to experiment. I must admit a slight amount of envy toward this gorgeous Mamma-to-be. You see, fluid retention and myself were well acquainted for all of my pregnancies. But this beautiful woman was all baby bump. I just know she will bounce back to her pre-baby weight in no time, in fact, I may have promised this during our session. She really was the epitome of glowing pregnant woman.

This image is my new favourite maternity image. She just looks stunning...

Though the rest of the gallery is beautiful too...I can't wait for the newborn photoshoot!

A whole lot of glamour | Sydney Glamour Photographer

I am very much enjoying glamour photography. The thing I love most is showing women how beautiful they are right now. Not 'when I lose 5 kilo's', not 5 years ago, and definitely not behind the family, or worse, behind the lens. My goal is to show women how beautiful they are right now, in the spotlight, in front of the lens showing the world their beauty. We start with a lovely makeover where we do makeup and style the hair. Then we take photos in a few different outfits with a lot of flattering posing. And the result is a stunning gallery of images that are guaranteed to show you that you are beautiful AS YOU ARE.

Here is a beautiful woman. She was stunning before, but with a makeover and the right posing, we let her shine.

The before and after.

Glamour | Sydney Portrait Photographer

A long time ago, I started to take an interest in female photography. We live in a era that is obsessed with beauty. Yet, it seems that only the most beautiful people are made up, have their hair done, are dressed well, posed and lit well and then retouched in photoshop. Here's a little secret, not even Cindy Crawford looks like Cindy Crawford when she wakes up in the morning! This is a great short clip from Dove that illustrates the point. Women are then compared to these retouched models and are made to feel less than beautiful in comparison. This started my desire to want to give this gift to real women. To have the experience of having their hair and makeup done, of me posing and lighting them to work their strengths. And then to re-touch in photoshop. This might be a sore point so I would like to explain, I never want to make a woman look like someone else. In photoshop, I am merely removing blemishes and making other minor changes to enhance the gorgeous that she already is.

So now that I knew what I wanted to create, I didn't know what to call it. Plenty of photographers are doing boudoir but I knew that my vision wasn't boudoir. The only word I could come up with was glamour. Oh my God. The 'g' word.It makes you cringe right? I mean, glamour in the 90's was so...OMG...glamour! I knew I didn't mean that glamour but no matter how far I searched, no other word succinctly described it.

And then....I discovered Sue Bryce. Sue is the Australian Photographer of the year 2011. Once you look through her work, you will see why. (She isn't actually Australian but we Aussie's like to call anyone who lives here for more than a weekend and who is successful an Aussie.) Anyway, I digress. Sue actually calls her work...glamour! Hallelujah! Sue is bringing glamour back. And I love that she has. Because the gift is amazing. Making women see that they are stunning is a beautiful gift to give.

So with that, I would like to present to you a gorgeous Mum. We won't tell you her age but if you are guessing, I can confidently say, you are probably wrong!