Summer Experiences

This is the time of year where the kids are out in the blistering summer sun for hours on end. It is a great time to capture them in their moments of greatest excitement. You bust out the point and shoot camera (or digital SLR) and start snapping some shots of your precious tike's. Your in the moment, they are making goofy faces, and you can't wait to share your day with your Facebook friends. When you get home and look at your photos are you happy with what has developed? Or do you think to yourself. . . "I'm not sharing these with anyone!" Here's a couple of tips to help you get some shots that you do want to share, and to get some images of your kids that will really stand out in your collection.

1. Become a kid again. You would be amazed at the difference that it makes when you get down on your knees or stomach and shoot from a child's perspective. By changing the angle of perception with your camera ,you add depth and character to your images. The kids will play and act around you, adding even more fun to your images, and you become apart of the fun of the day. How many times have you stood back and taken photos of your kids from your height and from far away? You probably couldn't see their faces and it looks like God took the photo from high above. You could try mixing it up a little bit by shooting from inside the playground equipment, or sit on the swing beside them to get a different angle. Give it a shot the next time that you are out.

2. Shooting in Sunlight. The middle of the day can be the most difficult time to compose a shot because this is when the lighting is at it's maximum levels. This may seem counter intuitive, but this is when contrast is at its greatest, shadows become lost, color levels are really low, and the depth of your photos can look very flat. To solve this problem there is a couple of things that you can do. Whenever possible, try to photograph your kids in the shade so that you get a better overall tone to your pictures. If your camera has an ISO setting, move it down to it's lowest setting of 100, this will reduce the amount of light coming into your camera. You could also use your hand to shade your lens, thus reducing the light, while still being in the sun. If you use a camera that has aperture settings, increase the aperture setting to reduce the amount of light coming into the camera.

3. Shoot Fast. If your images are coming out blurry or not in focus, you may have a problem with your shutter speed. The shutter speed is the speed at which your camera's shutter moves to expose your cameras digital sensor. By increasing the shutter speed you can capture the action as it develops, at a faster rate, and your will get better images at the same time. The faster shutter speed will also reduce blurring from camera shake. If you increase your shutter speed, you must increase your ISO setting to let in more available light, and you must lower your aperture setting as a result. This way you get more light coming into the camera as a trade off for a faster shutter speed.

4. Have Fun. This is your summer as well. Go out and enjoy the sunshine. Bring back some memories that show how much fun you had this summer.

Let me know if any of these tips were beneficial for you and share what you did with your camera.