More advice from me - hooray!

I'm definitely not an expert in anything I talk about, but as a teacher, I do love sharing my experiences and helping people solve problems they come across, especially if it makes those experiences more enjoyable. The great thing about photography is that it's an art that everyone can participate in easily, and most people want to know how to get the best use out of their camera. I did a presentation at my alma mater, Presentation (ha), a few months ago on how to get good pictures with any camera. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed the talk (at least, that's what they told me :P), so I figure I might as well share it on the web.

Chase Jarvis says, "The best camera is the one that's with you." I've definitely learned that lesson with Barney - he does something cute and I have about a one-minute window to shoot it (plus if I run to grab a camera, he just stops what he's doing and follows me), so I grab whatever's closest and snap something. And many of the pictures of him that I love the most have come from a phone or point-and-shoot. I'm hoping these tips get you a lot more pictures that you love with whatever you have in your photography arsenal.

So here's tip #1 -Zoom in. I mean, really REALLY zoom in. And then keep zooming in. A lot of you are probably already savvy to this little piece of advice, but if you're not, it's the easiest way to make your pictures look better immediately. Most people will just place their subject in the middle of their frame. You don't want to be most people. For example:

Can you say bleh? This is obviously be supposed to be a picture of my sister, but there's sooo much space around her that adds nothing to her as a subject. Plus, my mom's arm is in the picture, so it's sloppy on top of being boring. And she's much too sparkly (yes, sparkly) to have such a boring picture taken. (Shot with a Canon Powershot)

Ok, we're getting better. I simply cropped the last photo so you can see what it would look like when eliminating some of the unnecessary background. Still, there's entirely too much space around her, none of which is interesting. Also, unless you're in fb, you're not going to crop photos. Who's lazy? I am. Just saying. Moral of the story: it's easier to get it right when you shoot it. (Shot with a Canon Powershot)

Now we're talking. You can clearly see her pretty face! Enough to make it that much better. (Shot with a Canon Powershot)

So I know what you ladies are thinking... what if I want to show off my whole outfit? Yup, I'm psychic. Well, if it permits, I usually people to squish themselves into a tighter frame. Sitting is an easy way to do it, but work with your settings and see what you can do. It's ok to have her stand too, but just make sure her feet are all the way at the bottom of the frame and her head is all the way at the top (shot with a Canon Powershot).

Speaking of heads being close to the top of the frame, the head doesn't even have to be completely in it. Here, you can see Charisse with her kitty, and it doesn't feel weird to have the top of her head cut off. In fact, it feels like a more personal photo (not to mention the fact that it looks awesome because they're both super cute!). (Shot with a Canon Rebel)

Speaking of up close and personal (and cute), how adorable is Chewy??? When I spotted him laying in the yard, I just went "awww" at his sweet little face dreaming away. Since his face is what caught my attention, that's what I photographed. This picture wouldn't have been as intimate if I shot his entire body. Plus, he was laying in front of our BBQ pit which isn't very picture-esque with the cover on. (Shot with a Canon 5DII).

Lastly, this works with inanimate objects too. These flowers in that gorgeous shade of purple really attracted my attention. Charisse had them arranged in this very cute little shelving space, so I included one shelf above and one below to frame the subject. If I included anymore, the whole thing would've have gotten way too busy and you wouldn't be able to focus on just the flowers, which is what caught my eye in the first place (shot with a Canon Rebel).

So there you go. I hope this little piece of advice helps you to enjoy your own photography a little more. If not, maybe I'll come up with something better next week! And I'll try to included examples with only point-and-shoot cameras next week - this whole idea just came to me tonight, and I had to use what was immediately at my disposal because it's 10pm and I don't want to get out of bed to go to my desktop :P

Lastly, I'd love to leave you with a teaser for tomorrow's post - a zoomed-in photo of my cousin and his wife. Super adorable :)