Photography

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Make better photos of your family – Ten Tips Private Photography Workshops

Make better photographs of your baby, child or family using your DSLR or your Iphone in a private or group lesson. From lighting, to location, to timing, to action shots, Jennifer will give you ten simple things that you can do that will turn your photos around. Have a private lesson or gather your friends together and share the cost. Each session can be customized to your skill level. It will be a fun and memorable afternoon and includes refreshments. $150/hour.

Class will be divided into a discussion and a practical. All students will receive a Ten-Tips handy card that fits in their camera bag.

To schedule a lesson, email info@jenniferloomis.com with the best weekend dates for you, how many people, if you want to do it in the studio, your home or outside.

Gift certificates available.

Nontransferable. Nonrefundable. Valid for a year.

About Jennifer

Jennifer Loomis is a photojournalist, photographer, teacher and artist. She is best know for her maternity and family photography and has been featured in all kinds of fancy publications. She recently came out with her first book, Portraits of Pregnancy: The Birth of a Mother, and has taught photography clases since 1998. She likes traveling once a year, capturing the fun in families, walking her dog, Salvador, and teaching cools things.

How to make better photos with your camera phone

I taught a class last week to a bunch of mommies and asked them what they wanted to learn. How to make better photos with their camera phone, they all said. Here are a few notes from the class.

Top issues with camera photos:

1. Blurry photos
2. Dark photos
3. Movement in the photos
4. Camera won’t take the photo when press the button

Here are some suggestions to help you overcome some common problems. NOTE: Obviously the photos attached are not camera phone photos, BUT they do illustrate some of the concepts I am talking about. I will try to make some camera phone photos and add to this article.

1. Brighten it up. Try making your photos in lots of light. The camera phones will get better, but right now, they are still only able to shoot with a lot of light. Turn on a lamp, open the curtains. Brighten up the scene. The key here is the have DIFFUSED SIDE LIGHTING. Think of the light on a cloudy day. It is very even and soft, but bright. Try to have this light coming from the side of your baby or subject or from behind you, not over head or from behind the subject.

2. Tight Cropping. Crop your images tightly, tighter than you think works. Experiment with cropping.Try cropping into just the face and getting rid of distracting background.

3. Practice Anticipating. Camera phones have rudimentary focusing so there is a delay from when you press the button and when the camera takes the photos. It will get better but for now, try to anticipate the expression you want and press the button EARLIER than it happens. You know your child. You know what they do and how they move and what expressions are coming. Try this technique and see if it helps get those winning smiles.

4. Panning. This is a little bit more advanced of a technique but can work with a little practice. As your child moves across the floor, hold your camera phone and move it at the same pace that your child is moving. As you do this, keep snapping photos all the time. It might take a little practice, but you might capture a few gems with motion blur in the background but your child will be sharp.

5. Apps. Try using a few of the many camera apps out there. My favorite is the Hipstamatic. But Instagram is also very popular. Procamera is another one that gives you a little more control of the focus and exposure, along with an anti-shake feature.

Have fun!

OTHER TIPS TO MAKE BETTER PHOTOS

Simple Clothing. Dress your baby or subject up in simple clothes. Get rid of the branding and the patterns so the focus is actually on the face and expressions. If this isn’t possible then do your best to frame the photo as tightly as possible to get eliminate anything distracting in the frame.
Best Time of Day. When is your child at their best? Try to photograph about this time. Guaranteed you will get better photographs.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

Preparing for your maternity session

Special tips for preparing for your session

You can scroll to view the list of preparations below or download as a PDF.
Jennifer Loomis working

Schedule your photo session on a day that you, your partner and your children (if they are going to be in the shoot) will be relaxed and well rested. Try not to schedule too many appointments on that day before or after the shoot.
At least two hours before our shoot, please try to remove anything with elastic such as a tight shirt, pants, underwear or a bra to prevent strap marks from appearing on your skin.
Eat a light snack before the shoot.
Make-up should be light and natural looking. A light foundation, blush etc. to even out skin tones is perfect. Too much eyeliner or eye shadow can look very dark on film. If you want us to recommend a professional do your make-up, please allow us to make a recommendation.
Hair should be fixed so you are comfortable with it. Some mothers prefer to go to a stylist before the shoot; others prefer to fix their hair on their own. If you want us to have a stylist during your shoot, please let us know.
Special jewelry is a nice accessory to the photographs, though too much jewelry can be distracting. If you have any questions, just bring them along.
Create your special photograph. Feel free to bring anything that you want included in the photograph including flowers or special clothing such as scarves, shawls or veils.
Solid colored clothes can be useful when photographing a large family. Mothers, please bring a dark maternity skirt and dark or solid cardigan sweater and tank top — something to cover the breasts but still expose the belly. If you are being photographed with your partner, please have him/her bring or wear dark pants and a solid dark shirt, long or short sleeved is fine. If this isn’t you, then don’t bring it. But definitely talk to us before you come.
If the shoot is in your home, we need a larger room with nice available light (no skylights) and only the family and nannies should be present to prevent distractions.

*Please call or email to inquire about scheduling and cost. We are a small studio and prefer to speak personally with each mother considering working with us.