{a little bit about... my photos.}

I've recently received a few different email and comment questions about and relating to my photos...  and the pics that I post here on the blog.

So I thought I'd write a post with a little more information, as it relates to how i take my photos, what equipment i use, how i process the photos, and how i make "those cute little frames".  ;)

And here is the disclaimer: i am still SO in the learning process of this whole photography thing.  and really - when does the learning process ever end?  in my case, i hope never.  because i LOVE taking pictures, and there is always something new to switch up, change out, or try.  So this is really just a bit of what i do know, and what works for me.  :)

My equipment... all Canon.  :)

Camera bodies: Canon 40D, Canon xTi

Lenses: 50mm 1.4, 50mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8, 28mm 1.8, and 28-135mm 3.5 with IS

Other: Canon Powershot A620 Point N Shoot ((just for fun!))

My first DSLR was the Canon Rebel - which I bought in November of 2004 - and learned while living in Philadelphia.  Since then, I could not even begin to tell you how many photos I've taken.  My first Rebel "died" atop a double-decker bus in London, on the very FIRST day of our European vacay, and then the xTi Rebel was bought (in London) that same day.  The 40D is the newest little addition to our family.  :)

I LOVE prime/fixed lenses for everyday type shooting.  The 28mm 1.8 is my newest addition and such a fabulous lens for indoor photography - ie photos of evan.  Wish i had had it sooner (when he was a newborn).  It allows me to stand over him and snap pics, and easily get his whole cute little baby body in the frame.  The 28-135mm IS is great for traveling.  It's the only lens that I take along when we travel (which we used to do a whole lot more than we do now!), because it is just so versatile.

My Canon Powershot A620 point-n-shoot is just fun.  And it takes GREAT photos.  It's great to grab and stick in my purse or take along when I just dont want to be bringing the big camera.  See photos HERE taken with the point n shoot.  Like i said, fun.  :)

Post-Processing...

When I bought my first DSLR in November of 2004, I really didn't know what 'post processing' meant.  I heard people talk about it, and I was clueless.  Then I started using the digi rebel and realized that my straight-out-of-the-camera (SOOC) photos needed to be tweaked both to maximize the image captured and also to better fit my own personal preferences.  And so I learned.  :)

I use Photoshop 7.0.  I knew nothing about PS 7.0 a year and a half ago.  My fabulous and talented friend Nisa showed me the basics, and I was off and learning.  My sister, Kimmie, is a PS whiz, altho not so much as it relates to actual photos - more as it relates to design.  Altho she did teach me how to digitally "botox" out my wrinkles in PS.  ;)  (VERY helpful now that i'm 30!)  So now when I have a PS question, I usually go to her first.  Then i google it.  ha.  ((what did we ever do without google?))

I like for my color photos to have a clean, sharp, slightly saturated, bright look.  I use actions from Mindy Bush along with various other steps that I've come to know will give me the look that I want.  My black and white images are processed in a similar way, using either a b&w action from Mindy Bush, or a new favorite B&W conversion action - from Brenda Acuncius.

Natural Light & How I Won the "Light-Lottery"...

I took this photo a few days ago (using the 28mm 1.8 lens)...

It was taken of ev, in our living/great room next to a HUGE wall-window, which when we were house-hunting here in minnesota, was one of the major selling-features of our home.  Natural light and a bright home is key when you're a native Floridian unaccustomed to temps lower than 50 degrees.  ;)

And now I completely realize that I pretty much won the "natural-light lottery" when we found this house.  This window has been GREAT for photographing evan.  It allows me to shoot at ISO levels of 400 and below, even with a kicking/moving baby.  There's another very large window on the opposite side of the room (the front of the house), so there's really light coming in from all directions.

Here is the behind the scenes of this shot, and a look at the window that is pretty much our wall.  :)

*I also occasionally use THIS very large reflector in order to better control where my light hits*

Frames for Posting...

as seen in the 2 photos above and in recent blog entries...

these are super-easy, and i personally just like the finished look.

so - after resizing my photo for the blog, ie as the size i want it to appear at in my post, i then go to Image - Canvas Size.  I expand my canvas size by 4 pixels, in either direction, to create the interior thin frame around my photo.  The color in the bottom portion of my color swatch is what the interior frame will appear as.  I then change the bottom color to what I want the bold border of the frame to appear as, go to Image - Canvas Size again and expand the pixel size of my canvas by 100 pixels in each direction.  I now have a frame on my pic that consists of the thin, interior-line, and the bold border.  If you like - you can add text at this point, with the text tool.  Most of my text is done using one of my favorite fonts - Qurillian.

***

and so that is about all i can think of right now.  if you have any other Q's for me, i will be happy to answer if i actually know the answer.  ;)  leave it in a comment or feel free to email me...  i always love emails. :)

Comments

[Trisha]

Thanks so much Susan for replying. At first I though maybe I scared you when you didn't reply! I love your photos and am eager to check your blog to see what cute shots of Evan you have come up with! I too am learning about photography I don't have an SLR just yet but am happy with my Canon S3IS! Thanks for the post I appreciate it!

Trisha

[Jenay]

Thanks for the helpful tips! Photography is so much fun when you have such a cute subject to shoot each day!

[Dawn McVey (dawnsing)]

Susan, you are SUCH a dear!!! I just tried 'the cute frame trick' in PS Elements and it WORKED! Whoohoo!! Thank you so much for sharing so much of what you know about photography and PS with us! SOOOOO sweet of you!! I still have so much to learn....thanks for the lesson.

BTW, what a CUTE photo of Evan!

[Nicole]

This post is so helpful...love knowing what others use to get their photos.
Thanks!

[Jessie Fulkerson]

Very cool Susan! I'm always trying to learn more as well, so I appreciate posts like these. For my PoTD challenge in '08, I'm going to try to shoot at least 1/2 with my Rebel so I can be more comfortable with it.

[Tracy]

Thanks so much for all the info...now I need to look into getting the 28 1.8 lens :) a question, do you use your lightsphere/flash at all, or do you have enought light with your windows?

[sam]

Great posting! My first "real" camera was a Canon Rebel - still have it and LOVE it :) It is fun to read how others 'process' or post-process for that matter ;)
Always enjoy your blog!
Thanks ~ Sam @ Loving Green

[melanie]

well aren't you a wealth of knowledge! i need to look at that 28mm before the baby comes. do you use it more than the 50mm?

[veronica]

I am so glad others asked you these questions. I have been lurking for oh...months and LOVE all your photos. I was very curious and thought if I asked you might think I'm a little weird. hehe :)

[paola norman]

Thanks for answering all the questions related to photography, I've been wanting to ask you some of the questions you answered. I always like to know what people's fav. lenses are and why esp. when one takes everyday shots so to speak..Now that you have the 40D would you recommend that over the Rebel xti?
Love to see all the pics you post and the coloring on your photo is beautiful!

[Jeri]

As always, great photos, Susan! Thanks for sharing some great tips and how you shoot your great photos! Now I want the 28 1.8 lens. :)

[Debbie Cook]

awesome post, susan! i love all the info. i'm curious if you've ever taken a photography class and if so, would you recommend one? or are you self taught?
i like my photos crisp and slightly saturated as well, and i'm a big fan of your photography style. i am just finding myself not quite understanding a lot of the manuals, etc becasue of the terminology i haven't learned yet. thanks so much!

[Nikki]

Thanks for all the great info! I'm trying to decide which lens to get next for my XTi and your post gave me some great ideas!

[Kathy C.]

Hi Susan - Thanks so much for all the info in this GREAT post! What an AWESOME window to have in Minnesota!!! Great photos & what a cutie Evan is!
Happy Holidays!
~ Kathy C. (Oregon)

[Shawn]

Susan~ Just a lurker here but wanted to thank you for this post. I am beginning to learn more about PS...PSE is more my style but I'm branching out! I always wondered how you made your frames and then just by chance I enlarged my canvas and VOILA! I read this post and see that's how it's supposed to be done! It just sooo finishes a picture off to be posted!!! Thanks and have a very Merry Christmas!

[tracy f]

I have long admired the lovely photography on your blog. Thanks so much for sharing your tips and background!

[jenny]

i so admire your photographs! thanks for this post, i think it is actually going to help me out a bit! whooohoo!

[JenGallacher]

Wonderful hints! Thank you so much for sharing, as I often come to your blog to be "color" inspired. Much appreciated!

[Summer van der Westhuyzen]

Hey Susan, I remember you were very sweet to answer a similar question I asked you a few months ago. I'm still enjoying keeping up with your blog and all your cute creative pictures you share. (BTW, I love your the stripes stuff too--I adore the picture Gap used with Amanda Peet and her baby in the stripes--reminded me of you and Ev with the adorable shots you capture.)

I've been having fun learning my Nikon D40x SLR that came with a couple lenses from Costco. I thought buying it would cure me of my "need" to have a great camera, but instead it has totally whet my appetite. Maybe I need a canon too.... hmmm..

[anne]

Hi- I'm a new reader to your blog. Found you off my sis-in-law's site (beejo.typepad). I LOVE your photography, and loved reading your techniques and tips here. I got my first DSLR 4 months before my son (who's now 10 months) was born, and am kicking myself for not getting good at using it before he came along! I take a ton of pictures of him, but am still getting the hang of it. Anyway, I love seeing others' photography skills for inspiration, and hopefully I can get ONE shot that's half as good as some of the others I see!
(P.S. Totally jealous of your Florida vacationing. Where in MN do you live?)

[Debbie Cook]

susan, i remember at one point you mentioned actions by mindy and brenda.
i was wondering if you were still using those or had added any others to your collection. and wondering if you used an action in your current post. love the oranges in that pic!
and i just noticed that you use PS 7.0. is that PS elements? i couldn't figure out how to load actions in my elements program!

[Kelly K]

Just love your pictures, as soon as I saw them from a link on someone's blog... I was in awe of your talent. You really have the eye! Thanks so much fo replying to my email. That shows how sweet you truly are! Keep the images coming! They are fantastic! The bright colors are truly wonderful! Would LOVE to pic your brain to snag that Photshop knowledge you have!

Have fun in Florida!

Kelly

[Shelley Haganman]

I love your photography and thank you for all your helpful tips. I just tried your canvas resize tips and I am in love! It just adds so much to the photo! Thanks! Shelley

[Jen]

I was checking out the Rebel, and am a Canon girl all the way. This has definitely helped give me more ideas of cameras and equipment to check out. Thanks a bunch!

[Nicole]

Hi Susan,

I am about to purchase my first SLR... what would you recommend, Canon 50D or Rebel XTi?

Thanks!