Photography Tips for the CON-sumer

I do not consider myself a professional photographer...therefore, I can only share info that I find helpful for the consumer (someone like myself) not the prosumer.

I have received a few emails regarding what camera I have and any advice I have about photography.  As I mentioned above, I am no pro so I don't know everything.  But I do know a few things.

What type of camera do you use?  I use a Nikon D40x.  This is a great consumer camera.  And I recommend it to EVERYONE!  I have known professional photographers who have had this camera and have taken amazing pictures with it.  her and I'm pretty sure her. They both now have Nikon D700s. (jealous)  I love/and have loved this camera.  Cason got it for me for Christmas back in 2009.  I opened all my gifts and then he came in with a Tamron camera case.  At the time, I didn't know what Tamron was.  In my mind, I thought, oh no...don't embarrass me.  Are we going camping or something.  Thinking it was a fannypack.  He told me to open it...so I did.  And I found my camera shining.

I pulled that bad boy out from the camera bag, and started snapping away on Auto.  At first I thought to myself, wow these pictures are amazing...but really they weren't.  They looked the exact same as the pictures from Cason's Canon point and shoot camera.  I thought about taking the new camera back because it wasn't worth the money and the bulk.  But then I looked into a few classes at the community college where I lived in California.  I took multiple courses in digital photography-learned how to use my camera and it's Manual settings, and also took a few courses using film...developed my own photos in the wet room and edited them there too.  It was fun!  I also took a beginner photography workshop from Val Westover right after Millie was born and learned a lot there.

So with that being said about my photography background, here are a few tips I have for you.  (remember, I am no professional photographer, nor do I think I am.)

Tip #1:

Do your research on cameras.  Do you prefer Nikon or Canon or a no namer?  Everyone will tell you what they think is the most user friendly {Nikon is PS :) }, etc. etc. but you need to figure out what is best for you.

Tip #2:

I tell everyone this..and pretty soon these companies are going to catch on to my secret, but it saves a little bit of money.  Go to Best Buy or one of those types of stores that sells cameras.  After you have done your research and know what type of camera you want,  ask them if they have any "open box" cameras in the make and model you like.  These cameras are usually on display, have been returned and are not damaged.  They usually knock $50-$100 off the retail price.  Great money saver.

Tip #3: 

Learn how to use your Manual settings.  You will see a difference in your photos if you do this.  If you don't, you really won't see a difference.  There is no real reason for you to purchase a DSLR camera if you aren't going to learn how to use the settings.  Why lug around the huge thing if you don't have to?  You can get just as great of pictures, if not better, on a small point and shoot camera on auto setting.

Tip #4:

Lenses make all the difference.  Invest in lenses.  Buy yourself a cheaper DSLR Camera and buy a more expensive lens.  I used to use my kit lens (the lens that came with my camera) and only that lens, and my pictures were not that great. I wasn't happy with them...then it broke.  I bought a 50mm f1.4 lens and LOVE it!  I see a big difference in my photos and I can do things with it that I couldn't do with my kit lens.  (this is the only lens I use at the moment.)

Tip #5:

Natural light (in my opinion) is your best friend!  

You will get amazing photos if you take them in natural light. Artificial light is great too, but it gives you a different effect.  All depends what look you are going for.  

Tip #6:

There is always more to learn!  Keep studying, learning practicing and getting inspiration from others.  Practice makes perfect! Right?  

Anyway, that's all I can think of right now..if you have any questions from a consumer level, please leave a comment and I will answer them below. 

And because I can't leave a post without a picture of my troublemakingpeanut.
{top two taken with phone}

and because she's so darn cute with that goofy bow. 

Kauai Revealed

Day 1: Flew to Honolulu.  

It was the scariest flight we have ever been on.  

A lot of turbulence.  

People were throwing up and we weren't allowed to get out of our seats.

Had a layover in Honolulu and then flew to Kauai.  

We drove this blue baby around town.  

haha.  

White trash?

...never!

For dinner that night we ate at Puka Dogs. (pooka dogs)

Very funky way to eat a hot dog, but it was really good!

And we finished it off with Lappert's Ice Cream.

Day 2:  We went to a delicious brunch in Princeville.  Hiked down to "Secret Beach" and went to Wailua Falls.

Everything from seafood to waffles with coconut syrup!

Hanalei Bay view. 

secret beach

 

Wailua Falls.

Day 3:  We hung out at our hotel on the beach. 

Cason went snorkeling.

For dinner we went to the Beach House restaurant.  

It was the best meal!

Cason got wasabi crusted Hawaiian red snapper and I got macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi.

(you'll notice throughout this post, that our trip was planned around our dinner.  

We love good food!!)  

The beautiful sunset.

Day 4:  We went to see the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.  

It was just as the name describes it. 

Day 5: We hiked part of the Na Pali Coast.  

It was a rainy day, but we drove about an hour an half to get there so we couldn't turn back.

This was a favorite of ours the whole trip.  

Every time we went we got the Kauai special called Gotta Guava.

It was the tastiest treat!! 

Starting our adventure.  We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into.

It was pouring rain, muddy and very slippery.

On our way to the bottom of the coast.

We made it!!

We were exhausted by the time we got to the beach 

that was at the bottom of the Na Pali Coast.

We were supposed to cross a waist high river to get to the beach, 

but we talked to some people who had already been and they gave us a shortcut

so we didn't have to cross the river. 

(although we were already drenched from the rain.)

We found a little private cave that we

sat in to protect us from the rain and ate lunch.

PB&J's have never tasted so good!!!

the view.

On the way back up the trail.  

Yes I fell pretty bad on the way down, hence the muddy shirt. 

For dinner we went to Pomodoro's Italian Restaurant.  

It was good but WAY overpriced.

Then we treated ourselves to gelato.

Day 6: We were so exhausted from the day before so we soaked up the rays.

We ate dinner at Keoki's. 

I got a burger which was sooo good!

And Cason got a sirloin steak.

Would recommend this place for lunch. Not dinner.

Day 7: We were fried from the day before, so we sat by the pool, read and hung out under the umbrella.

We went to check out this place called Spouting Horn. 

It was so neat.  The waves would roll in and get sucked under this rock,

then it would make a sound like a horn and the water would shoot out.

Can't forget the roosters. 

They are everywhere.  

Cock-a-doodle-doodling 

ALL DAY LONG!

Just about everyday we would get one of these 

shave ice with macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom.  

Our favorite!

That night for dinner we went to the Hyatt in Poipu and listened to live music. 

It was a great relaxing way to end the trip.  

If you've got the big bucks we'd recommend staying here. 

You would never have to leave the hotel, there was so much to do.  

The view from where we ate. 

Day 8: flew home.  

So, now you don't even need to go to Hawaii.  You've seen it all right here.  :)

It was a much needed trip for many reasons:

celebrating busy season being over

one last hoorah before baby comes

our anniversary in May

and just a much needed vacation.

Photography

Isn't my sister a beauty?!!  

I took these photos for my film photography class.  

These were taken with a telephoto lens which gives it more of that blurred background.  I love it!  

I might invest in one...someday. 

Here's a Peek

Lar here's a sneak peek!!

Bitter/Sweet

Film photography is a bitter/sweet thing.

It is so fun not knowing what your pictures are going to turn out like until you develop them, but then again, it can be tough. You don't know if the lighting is the best or if you should change something like you can with a digital camera.

I love developing my own images, because if you don't like how dark a part of an image is you can lighten it up! But if there is a pole in an image, you can't just photoshop it out. You have to live with it.

Which can be frustrating.

For my last film photography assignment we were assigned to take some portraits of a person. I had such a hard time trying to figure out what to do and who to photograph for this project.

A t the very last minute, the day the assignment was due, I asked one of my girlfriends from my ward if she would be my model. She is 31 weeks pregnant, tiny and gorgeous so it wasn't hard to photograph her.

She was such a good sport! We took these around 7:30am, in freezing water and she was happy to do it! Thanks again Erin!

(I had the negatives copied onto a disc at Target. I don't have a scanner, so I can't scan the originals. So they aren't the best quality, but I wanted to share.)

{Inspiration from Rebekah Westover}