12 days of Christmas photography tips. Day eight, tip eight: The Festive Photo

The Festive Photo (pets and kids).

You might like to think of today's blog as a continuation of the traditional family portrait becuase I couldn't finish  that without touching a little on pets at Christmas!

I know that pets are extremely important to many of us in our day to day lives and for people who don't have kids like myself it is my dog who is likely to make it onto a personalised Christmas card or Facebook Christmas post this year.

So how do we include these furry friends in the Christmas fun........well with a bit of imagination, patience and a couple of biscuits.

From very early on my Henry realised that on special occasions such as Christmas he would be called upon to wear something silly and show off a few of his moves in exchange for a yummy treat and easy life...

This is Henry, not yet a year old here, in our first Christmas card. This image was troublesome for a few reasons and took a lot of editing so we won't focus on it but the process I followed was: I put the hat on Henry, had the treat in my hand which he was watching the whole time and then I gently moved back asking him to 'stay' which he did. I grabbed my camera and took the pic. 

(the light was behind Henry so this meant I had to lighten the photo up after to be able to see his face ok which isn't ideal)

The following year these two images were our Christmas offering: 

 

I took these knowing I was going to add some text to the image so if you know you want to make your photo into a card you need to think about the frame of the shot and where you might place the text after - unless you include the text in the shot as you go like this image 

Creative Christmas Card Photos

Props wise the image (above left) involved silly antlers which we got a local pet shop.

The other image involves Christmas lights. 

I adore Christmas lights and I use them in lots of ways we can't forget they are attached to an electricity supply so if in doubt you can actually get these kinds of light that are powered by battery. With Henry dog I felt I could trust him enough to not to run off and even of he had I could have grabbed him quickly to stop the lights being pulled. Just remember animals and kids can be unpredictable. 

If you like the lights idea but are concerned about wrapping them around your pet or child why not try this:

We mocked this up very quickly with my parent's dog this morning:

Mia dog was sitting like a good girl and I placed the Christmas lights on a foot rest and positioned it in front of her. By making sure  the lights were very close to the camera and that she was the thing in focus it ensured the lights blurred well. If using an  smart phone or tablet make sure you touch the screen on the animal's fave to ensure it is the main point in sharp focus in shot.

With the two images above of Henry, I look at these now and think, why did I have the main light on? If I'd turned all the harsh lighting down and instead lit the scene gently with lamp light it would have meant the xmas lights would have blurred better and be shown off to their maximum -  similar the photo above. 

The key to taking fab photos of you pets at Christmas is making sure you get as much of 'Christmas' in the frame as you can like this pic of Hen. Here we have the tree, pressies and Xmas lights at his feet all in shot.

 It is the same principle if you are trying to compose a Christmas card type photo using your Children.

Try to fit as much 'Christmas' in the frame and you can't go wrong with Christmas lights for impact

Here Martha kindly posed for a photo to show us how beautiful Christmas lights can make a beautiful Christmassy photo - look at the colours on Martha's face and the light catching in her eyes in both these photos.

Thankfully there are some amazingly creative Christmas photo ideas out there so you don't have to rely on any of the ideas i've show you here with Henry!

I look forward to trying some of these myself this Christmas! :D


https://www.pinterest.com/explore/family-christmas-photos/

https://www.pinterest.com/bonnie_pickett/christmas-cats/

http://www.buzzfeed.com/newu1085/30-dogs-who-think-theyre-christmas-trees-654m



If you try any of these tips do send me your photos I'd love to see them and if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

However, if you are in that, 'OMG, I totally want a great family photo' place but are overwhelmed by doing it yourself then never fear, help is here! Click here to contact me so you can check this off your list. Easy Peasey

12 days of Christmas photography tips. Day seven, tip seven: The Traditional Family Portrait Part 3. Putting the fun into family photography.

The Traditional Family Portrait Part 3. Putting the fun into family photography.

So far I've covered formal family portraiture arrangements and ways of how to photograph children which yield the most aesthetic results.  For me however there is nothing more perfect than a family photo where true smiles and real laughter are present.

True laughter; the crinkly eyed, wide mouth, teeth on show kind is something that can't be faked. So essentially the only way to make sure you're ready when it happens is to be alert and ready with your camera for these moments and to have an idea of what makes different people laugh or smile.

This shot of baby Gaby is from an old  summer shoot. Here,

Gaby's mums genuine wide smile which oozes

love and contentment along with baby Gaby's 

real smile make this a highly successful shot for me.

 When it comes to family photography and the smaller family arrangements I genuinely long for a shoot where a crazy family moment erupts. If I have to be pinned down on when these moments might come I'd say most often near the end of time shooting. I think this is  when families are getting bit tired and bored of posing. This wonderful shot is from a family shoot from 2 years ago where a regular family portrait broke out into a friendly brawl and brother foot fight. 

This image cracks me up every time I see it, I feel like I 

was privy to special family moment of silliness. 

From the same shoot we had another moment of madness - a staged photo highjacked by Granddad and the resulting photo is far more precious as a 'real' and silly family moment than a staged shot would have been. 

 

FYI: Grandparents can become very unpredictable as a shoot goes on - always keep a close eye on them to  be safe ;)

In truth it is the little ones who really do become rather unpredictable as shoot goes on which is totally understandable especially if they have been super compliant with smiles and being moved about but these unpredictable outbursts, so long as they aren't the teary, tired kind, have worked to my 

advantage in the past.

Here little Lyla had been a dream modelling for me for nearly an hour 

for a Mothering Sunday shoot. We got some beautiful photos above

and below with her Nan and then.....

 .....suddenly in just one shot she took this moment to lick, yes lick, her mum. What I loved was that her mum adored that photo explaining that is was so typical of little Lyla. Love it.

I think it has been important to cover both the silly and the formal with family photography because I know that families often fall into these two different camps at different times. There is place for aesthetically pleasing photos where everyone is compliant, smiling and well arranged, the ones that live on the mantel piece. There is also a place for those real, laughing out loud photos that capture a precious moment in time that embodies love and laughter.

......and finally there are those creative types who believe in making a funny photo to make people smile and I'm a sucker for these so if this is you then here are a couple of blog posts to get your fun, creative juices flowing and if you attempt any of these you must share them with me! I insist :)

http://www.brit.co/funny-family-holiday-photo-ideas/?utm_campaign=pinbutton_hover

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/awesome-christmas-card-ideas-you-should-steal#.xbjkMkqAq3

http://www.buzzfeed.com/thefalafel/photos-taken-by-the-worlds-most-creative-dad-4x8q

If you try any of these tips do send me your photos I'd love to see them and if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

However, if you are in that, 'OMG, I totally want a great family photo' place but are overwhelmed by doing it yourself then never fear, help is here! Click here to contact me so you can check this off your list. Easy Peasey

12 days of Christmas photography tips. Day five, tip five: The traditional family portrait

Day five, tip five: The traditional family portrait (Part 1)

Group Shots the perils of.

Let me paint the picture. It is Christmas or New Year and you have all your precious family members under the same roof, loved ones you rarely see any other times of the year and it's just fabulous and then predictably someone yells those infamous words, 'family photo guys'. Groan.

Groan indeed! Everyone has to get up from their comfy, hard fort for seats, put down that cuppa/glass of wine and, god forbid, head outside without a coat on for an inordinate amount of faffing, freezing and eventual photo taking.

Do let me help you with this this year.  

First of all you don't have to all headoutside for a freeze feast to get a fab family photo.

Take a look at some of these ideas I've borrowed from google for you. 

Both of these are family photos taken around the table before Christmas dinner and to make them work you just need to think a little about the arrangement of people.

If you fancy giving this type of photo (above) ago then simply make sure your glass, arm or hand is not obscuring anyone's face. You could try keeping the glasses low but bringing them all into the centre of the table as if you are about to toast one another,.

This photo, aside from being hilarious, is a good example of how to arrange a bigger table of Christmas guests. Very often in this sort of scenario people are craning their neck so they can be seen by the camera which often acts to obscure other people from the shot. So, make sure the people at the front pull their seats out from the table about a seats width. Then the people at the back need to push themselves right in to the table and the people in between must make sure they fall into this diagonal line. Finally you then all need to sit up  straight - no leaning in and you should get a lovely family portrait.

Lighting wise, with all indoor shots unless you are taking this shot during daylight hours and happen to have a very well lit room from daylight you will have to put all the main lights on and side lamps too. 

Heading Outside

Sticking with the formal family portrait arrangement there are real benefits to taking a family portrait outside, so long as it's not dark and not raining (not always an easy combination of variables to avoid in the UK).

Family photos outside tend to be better for three reasons.
1. Choice of backdrop in nature especially if you are looking for an aesthetically pleasing shot.
2. If you have a very large family it's not always easy to photograph everyone well indoors so outside spaces work better
3. Becuase of the light.

Why not attempt a photo on a post Christmas lunch walk? Again the key to fabulous family photos is planning- do you have somewhere picturesque in mind like my photo below taken on a scenic river walk. Additionally, make sure there are no distractions in the background and for the most aesthetically pleasing images, the one heading for a frame and the mantelpiece, the arrangement of people needs to be symmetrical.

Sometimes, those old School photos generally have this right – tall people at the back, shorties at the front. Use chairs, use steps, if outside, have little ones on shoulders – so long as you can clearly see everyone’s faces you in with a shot of a decent photo.

Final mini Tip: Anyone will know who has used me, with family photos involving lots of people, you cant go wrong with a 1,2, 3 count in to make sure everyone is looking at the camera and preferably smiling at the same time. This is becuase smiles fade and start to look fake the longer you have to keep holding them. A smile after three can be met with real enthusiasm.....and yes, with a count in you leave yourself wide open to that one person – we all know who they are, who is likely to pull a ridiculous face on ‘3’ but if that happens keep snapping for the genuine laughter that follows from everyone is definitely worth capturing.

If you try any of these tips do send me your photos I'd love to see them and if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

However, if you are in that, 'OMG, I totally want a great family photo' place but are overwhelmed by doing it yourself then never fear, help is here! Click here to contact me so you can check this off your list. Easy Peasey

New Born Photography with a Sparkle. (Practice makes perfect.)

This year I have started to offer new born and bump photography and what a learning curve it has been.

Baby Bumps

The bump side to my bump to baby photography has been a lot of fun and I feel truly in my comfort zone with this - sensitively capturing the beauty, happiness, love and hope that a woman exudes while she is pregnant has proved truly satisfying for me as a photographer.

The new born side to the bump to baby shoots however, has been far more of a learning curve for several reasons.



Newbies

The primary challenges I have faced with new borns revolves around how I make a new born shoot my own.

I do not use a studio and my photography style is very much against (for want of a better description) the studio photography aesthetic.  I am through and through a lifestyle family photographer favouring a reportage approach where I can, natural light and always a real back drop such as the home or nature.

I wanted to still offer however, as part of my package, some 'studio style' new born images. You know the ones, where babies are swaddled, cocooned and sleeping often with random flowers or hats attached to their tiny heads. These are pretty cute images and understandably they are something that lots of my mums tend to want.

So, I had to learn this and wow, what a challenge! I needed to acquire a rather odd skill set;how to model new born babies. Yep. I was petrified. They are so tiny. I really must acknowledge here that learning this stuff was only made this possible thanks to dear family and friends. These guys let me practice on their new bors and bless them, their confidence in me helped me feel more confident in return.

With my first ever new born shoot featuring my niece, my brother had to lay underneath the blanket we put her on so she felt warm and contented and that way he could manipulate her arms and legs to help get her into the optimum position for the shot.

Aside from hands on practice I watched every You Tube video going on the subject, I watched them before, during and after and I still watch them now. I also looked at every new born photography tip and bit of advice out there. It was quite a learning curve.

The greater problem however still existed that parents could go to most high street studios to get these staged kinds of images and I needed to offer something else in my packages, something that made my new born shoots at home special. With this in mind I needed to bring the home and the family into my images.

   

In the future I look forward to being able to capture more of those everyday looking after baby moments: Baby's nursery, baby being bathed, baby being dressed, baby with sibling(s), parents with baby out for walk, grandparents and pets.

Essentially, I want each of my shoots at home to represent each individual and unique family I work with.

.....and unlike studio photography you also won't be paying through the nose for every image you want.

I'm not a studio. I'm not photographing several babies a day and making hundreds of pounds on selling you prints and charging you extra for the digital files.

I actually tend to get quite attached to my clients which on the whole works out pretty well for them, for you. I really want you to have all the images I take especially considering the work that's gone into making them for you. I've come to your home, taken the time and care to photograph your new born with you, the parents and sometimes other family, and then I've gone away and spent hours editing those photos using my expertise to create stand out images you can't wait to show off in your home or by sharing with friends and family on your social media.

So here, finally, is my NewBorn package. A package which beats the socks off of any studio shoot in a monetary sense as well as, according to my clients, in the style and choice of images you get.

Photo bundles are charged at the following New Born shoots at home:

• £250 for Sheffield and Cambridge clients.  For all other clients travel is extra

Each shoot includes:

• A two hour shoot on location
• Editing / artistic enhancements
• 10 images
• All 10 images sent to you in both
• High-resolution, perfect for printing any size
• Low-resolution, perfect for online viewing, web devices or for sharing on social media   (Extra images can be bought for 10 pounds an image)

• 1 x a3 professional prints
• Opt in for a New Born book for £50 extra.

Or until October ONLY the incredible offer of.....

• £300 for Sheffield and Cambridge clients. For all other clients travel is extra

Each shoot includes:

• A two hour shoot on location
• Editing / artistic enhancements
• 30 images
• All 30 images sent to you in both
• High-resolution, perfect for printing any size
• Low-resolution, perfect for online viewing, web devices or for sharing on social media

• 2 x a3 professional prints
• Opt in for a New Born book for £50 extra.

'Bump to Baby' image prices and 'Bump, Baby and Beyond' image prices coming soon.

www.sammisparke.com

info@sammisparke.com

07879 423231

Themed Days for your amusement. Presenting Follow Up Friday.

So my new thing is trying out themed days of the week. Today is Friday and my themed day is Follow Up Friday ‪#‎followupfriday‬ (worth a try) where I look back at some of my my lovely returning clients/

 families too see how they have grown. You will have seen a lot of this little guy on my website but he is just so damn photogenic, as are his two new twin siblings. Through his first few years here is Leo. www.sammisparke.com

Mothers Day Photo Package. A pressy they will LOVE.

The Mothers Day Photography Gift is a thoughtful and unique present guaranteed to put a genuine smile on a mum's face come the 15th of March.

Who Is this present perfect for:

Your own mum
Your Grandmother(s)
Your wife or partner

..and for the Grandmother's out there, this is a perfect pressy for your daughters and if you wanted to look at this cynically it is a great way to get some beautiful new photos of the family too :)

How does it work and will they have something to open on Mothers Day?

You book the shoot today and if there is time then a personalised voucher will be sent in the post to arrive on or before Mothers Day weekend. If you book just a little too late for me to post the voucher then I can either email you the voucher so you can print it off yourselves or I can send a digital version that will arrive in the mum in question's inbox on the 15th of March. 

How does the actual shoot work?

The shoot is a mini version of a package I offer on my website Family Photography. 

First you organise the family and decide on a location to meet for the shoot. Outside among nature is usually best and if there are children involved then somewhere with a park might do very nicely. 

I spend roughly an hour with you all. I take a mixture of posed and natural, reportage style shots of everyone just being themselves all interacting and having fun.

The shoot includes:

• A personalised voucher sent by email to arrive 

    on Mothers Day

• 60 minute shoot on a location of your choice

• 10 images for digital download (all chosen by you from a selection)

• One A3 professional print

Cost £100

This deal is open to anyone in Sheffield, Cambridgeshire and Bedford.

Contact: info@sammisparke.com

My New Website. To thine own self be true.

I have a brand new website. Yay!

It is a site, a site which has taken an inordinate length amount of time to come to fruition.

www.sammisparke.com

I knew almost exactly a year ago it had to be done. I already had a website, two in fact; one for the babies, children, family and wedding photography I did and the other for the corporate, business, event and commercial work I undertook but here was the problem apparently. 

I needed all my work in one place.

I understand the advice. It was advice I took from the hugely knowledgeable South Yorkshire based PR guru #FayeSmith whilst i was on her February #BrandBooster course.

It turned out my brand was a little confused.

What this year of putting the website together has achieved, aside from a pretty fab website, is that it has lead me to a much better understanding of the type of photographer I want to be and therefore how i need to proceed, the work I need to prioritise, my desired cliental and how exactly to market myself.

Courses like Brand Booster in Sheffield, UK, run by Faye Smith, are exceptional at cementing in place in your own mind and the consciousness of the people around you who you are, what you do and how you do it.

So far this seems like a thinly veiled promotion for the Sheffield Brand Booster - I assure you it's not (though if you are a new or struggling business I cannot recommend courses like BB enough).

What this is about is an explanation for what you see now as my current website - my contemporary portfolio of work.

So here we go... this is my raison d'etre or maybe more accurately the motivation behind the madness: 

My updated website's home page shows mainly the creative, lifestyle family photography I do. It includes primarily baby, children and family photoshoots, wedding photography and artistic photoshoots. 

It is my ambition to do more of these types of shoots and my ambition for each type of work correlates with the order I've mentioned them in and the frequency with which they appear on the home page.

Some may find it strange that I have neglected to include the other work I do on the home page, work I do plenty of including corporate headshots (which I really enjoying doing) music photography (I love) and event and website work which is work I respect. 

Not having these areas represented on the home page (even though they are represented in my portfolio) has been a difficult decision for me because I still need this work and am good at it.

What I had to put first was my brand and what I want to be doing with my photography in the next few years and after I asked myself that question there was absolutely no doubt in my head about the answer. I want to be an exceptional family photographer with a specialism in lifestyle baby and children photography. I want my reputation to come before me and I want my style of work to be recognisable. We can all dream ;)

So, in a bid to make this happen I needed to represent only on the home page the work I want to be synonymous with and I hope very much I've done the right thing. Only the next few months will tell.

The site, although lunched is in need a little preening in the removal of some of the photos from the slideshows - I am told 10-15 is a healthy and professional amount of images per slide show but achieving this is incredibly hard as I have very little objectivity left with regard to what needs to go. 

Anyway, I open up my new website homepage content dilemma to you all and anyone who might have a considered opinion on it. 

Either way I'd love any feedback on the site.

www.sammisparke.com

Signing off for now, Sammi