Best Of


1.  WHY YOU SHOULD SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE.  How could I not share?  This is like my life mantra!!  Sometimes I think my Photo Basics class could potentially be scary to people because from day 1 the students shoot in manual instead of automatic. I don’t dance around easy priority modes as an option when I am 100% convinced manual mode will always give you a better image if you know how to work the settings.  The best part though, is that it really isn’t that scary 🙂

2.  THE TRUTH ABOUT FASCINATING NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY.  Many of you probably already know this, but I didn’t for several years.  This article fabulously explains “how” those too good to be true use of props and poses actually occur.  If you’re not a pro in photoshop, never put a newborn in harms way in order to achieve something that isn’t really possible in real life anyway. The best part, is that now I don’t feel so bad for not being able to make the newborns I’ve shot actually keep those cute poses.

3.  THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION

4. ARE YOU GETTING THE BEST OF YOU? I loved this post. And came to the conclusion this morning that I need very little to be happy, but I need the little things, VERY OFTEN! There really is a daily maintenance involved with taking care of ourselves so we can care for others.

5. I WON’T LET YOU DOWN. I’m about as far behind on pop culture as they come, so I’m probably the last one in the world to see this, BUT… I love how Danielle took this inspiring phrase and made it a moral for us all to strive by.

8 Responses

  1. Hello Again, Brooke!
    Regarding manual shooting…I specialize in photos of kids. And I feel that shooting manual while they are running around wildly means I spend more time fiddling with my camera than capturing moments. So I usually shoot in Aperture Priority. Do you shoot toddlers and active kiddos in manual?!?

    1. Hello wonderful Kerry! Great question! I shoot EVERYTHING in manual. I typically shoot 1-3 images in each lighting condition to test my exposure and then I just keep shooting. I’m not obsessively checking every single shot I take for metering/exposure. Thats how I can manage to still shoot manual and photograph kids or events that are more fast paced. It doesn’t mean I don’t miss shots still. I still get a few images that are totally over or under exposed because the light suddenly changed (so I shoot RAW), but shooting in the priority mode isn’t always going to give me perfect exposure either and I find my number of well exposed photos is still far greater in manual with the way I shoot. AND since backlighting is my favorite use of light during any time of day and most especially for kids in the afternoon sun, manual is my best choice since I’m really going to have to be controlling the exposure to my taste instead of the camera’s. Hope that helps!

  2. Newborn photography has gotten a little crazy if you ask me. I can’t believe how much photoshop work goes into an image … and then I worry that other newbies look at the picture and attempt it w/o realizing how it was completely faked in photoshop. Yikes. THanks for sharing, as always 🙂

    1. Amen Marcie 🙂 Honestly, I didn’t know any of it was photoshopped. I remember being so discouraged when I shot my sisters newborn that he wouldn’t stay in the same cute chin rest position I had seen. If anything, I think knowing all that helps me feel better about not being able to do it naturally 🙂 Hope you are doing fabulous! Thanks for commenting!

  3. Hey Brooke! Isn’t it amazing how often we need to be reminded of these little gems! So glad you find them and share them! Thank you, as always for sharing your wonderfully bright and happy outlook with us all! I love following you and your work!

  4. i shot a family portrait recently and the baby was gorgeous. RAW is a must. and just as a suggestion. spend 30 or so mins with the baby( with mum and pa around if possible so that they can make him/her feel more comfortable) and share gestures with her/him. so that the baby gets to know you. i play( makes faces, peek a boo) so that the baby laughs and is generally happy. those help me a lot ( and the pics too ) and the irony of the photographs that i do are that till this very month i didn’t have photoshop ( and now dont know how to use it. use light room for color correction though)

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