How To Take Great Holiday Photographs You and Your Family Will Love

Time To Get Ready

It’s that time of year when the days are getting longer and warmer so we can think about getting the suitcases out of the attic ready for the summer hols!

Don’t forget to pack your camera too and get those important holiday photographs that will keep the memory alive.

An Accessory To Make Taking Photographs Fun

When packing your camera it’s always useful to pack a small tripod and I always take my Gorilla Pod this friendly gizmo is ideal to pack in your case as it’s flexible, small and capable of great things, to get shots in awkward places and for putting your camera on self time for a group shot you want to be in. Check out the website to see what this little monkey can do http://joby.com/gorillapod

Before You Leave Home

It doesn’t matter what camera you have, whether it’s a big DSLR or a compact point and shoot if you aren’t confident using it you’re not going to get great shots, so spend some time getting to know your camera if you haven’t already.

Pack a couple of extra compact flash memory cards or buy them at the airport, the cost of these have come down considerably in recent months. Best not to have all your images on one card so spreading across two or three makes good sense in case you lose your camera.

• Set your camera to the large file size option so you are getting maximum quality, you can make smaller if you need to on your return. You can’t make a small file bigger so start how you mean to go on.

• Check you know where your flash option is so this can be easily triggered when the occasion arises.

• Clean your lens with a soft cloth and take this with you, it’s so easy to have a greasy, sandy lens which will impair the quality of your images.

• Check you are familiar with the different shooting options. You may prefer to shoot everything on ‘auto’ or ‘A’ for aperture priority or ‘S’ for shutter priority.

• If you don’t get time to check this out before leaving home and are taking a flight this can always be done on the journey. The advantage of doing this at home is anything you aren’t sure about can be looked up and understood on You Tube, you can bet there is someone demonstrating exactly what you are looking for, just enter your camera make and model and what you would like to know, much easier than fumbling through a manual.

• Don’t forget to take your battery charger and adaptor depending on where in the world you are going.

• Two spare fully charged batteries are always worth having and carrying with you, we have all been in the position where you miss a crucial shot because your battery has expired, depending on the temperature of where you are this can happen sooner than you expect.

• Just one point worth remembering about battery power is it will expire quicker if you are a ‘chimper’ ( "chimping" frequently looking at every exposure captured on the back of the camera after exposure). Try and resist the urge to do this if your battery power is low.

Flash I always use my flash when shooting people in harsh sunlight especially with the sun behind your subject otherwise they will be in shadow so just flip up your flash option to increase the contrast.

Avoid using flash indoors if you have enough ambient light , especially for a portrait shot by the window the light is much softer and more flattering. Experiment with your flash on and off and see the difference. You may need to increase your ISO (sensitivity of your digital sensor) or if you have this setting on Auto the camera will do it for you.

Lens

Regular readers of my newsletters will know I love my 70mm – 200mm lens as it will allow you to shoot from a distance and get great results as far as shallow depth of field is concerned, so whether it’s people or landscapes you are keen to shoot this lens is ideal. For shooting groups and in confined places you’ll need to use a lens with a wider angel so a 24mm-70mm is a safe bet. However it isn’t always practical to carry a few lenses so if you can have a 24mm – 200/300mm this one lens will do the lot but you will have to compromise on your widest aperture as you may only get f5.6 when you are using it at its maximum 200/300mm

Composition For shots that are capturing a moment you really don’t get much time to think before you shoot otherwise the moment has gone, but for shots where composition can make all the difference between a good shot and a stunning shot, just give yourself a little time. Your subject doesn’t always have to be in the centre just by moving your camera to the left or right if you have an interesting background will make a difference. You don’t have to always shoot at eye level you can crouch down, tilt the camera on the ground, hold the camera above your head, just have fun and experiment and find what works for you. For shooting landscapes the best time of day is early morning as the sun is coming up or at dusk as the sun is going down. Try over or underexposing to get a more atmospheric result.

Finally

Photography should be about capturing a moment for future reflection and to enjoy the process, don’t let it get in the way of actually enjoying a moment and absorbing it, taking a great photograph is also about knowing when not to take it.

Experiment as much as you can as this way you’ll see what works for you.

On return from your holiday download your images and back up on external hard drives too, only when you have done this clear and reformat your memory cards ready for the next time.

If you want to get the best pictures possible feel free to join us for a photography Masterclass. Create memories from your holiday to last a lifetime; investing a small amount on learning how to use your camera properly is worthwhile when you are spending so much on the holiday itself..call us on 01883 722282 to enquire or visit the Masterclass section of our website.

Bye for now!

Stella

Bluebell Photography Tips

How to get the Best Out of Photographing in the Bluebell Woods

There was a time when we relied on Mother Nature to tell us that Spring was upon us but nowadays we get most of our prompts from Facebook and Twitter! However I think now we can safely say Spring is in the air and the bluebellsare getting ready to flourish, I can almost smell them.

Time of Year I love this time of year when the days are longer and we can begin to shed a few winter layers of surplus clothing.  My cameras start working overtime as I photograph many families in our stunning Surrey countryside. If you are going to venture out with your camera I’ll give you a few tips to get the best photographs of your family in the countryside.

First of all Before leaving home make sure your kit is in order. We can all sometimes forget to clean our viewfinder, I know it’s such a basic thing but without a clear view of your subject you won’t realise it’s full potential, so a gentle wipe with a lens soft cloth is all you need, no harsh fluids are necessary, also give your lenses a gentle wipe too, you’ll be surprised at the grime and fingerprints they attract. Make sure your battery is fully charged and take spares with you. A memory card of at least 16GB is ideal, shooting in RAW takes so much more space than JPEGS and the results are so much better as you are recording maximum data.

Setting Your Camera For photographing people and pets I prefer to use a 70-200mm lens so you don’t have to be on top of your subject, a low angle at bluebell level often works best. I always shoot on manual and check my histogram after the first exposure to check its correctly exposed, looking at the images isn’t always accurate. To get a shallow depth of field so your subject is in focus and the background and foreground are out of focus just follow these simple tips. It’s the aperture and the distance of the subject from the background that will get that beautiful shallow depth of field and those ‘circles of confusion’ in the background. Providing your subject is at least six feet away from the background and you are shooting on a wide aperture, I prefer f4 and a fast shutter speed of at least 250th to prevent any camera shake.  As you are usually under the canopy of the trees set your ISO tobetween 800-1600depending on the time of day this will ensure you can get the fast shutter speed and wide aperture combination.

Where is the best location Choose somewhere in the woodlands when the sun is low and behind your subject, early morning and late afternoon work best for me. It doesn’t always have to be a sunny day, different lighting will give you different colour saturation. Make the most of the trees too they can be used to frame your subjector to be part of the subject.

Composition Take time to think about your composition a little cropping in post production makes the difference between a great photograph and a stunning one. Do what feels instinctively right, I very rarely plan the shot as each photo shoot is differentand everyone feels comfortable indifferent settings. So let your creative juices flow and have fun.

Book a shoot with me I start my Bluebell Location shoots in the next two to three weeks depending on the great British weather, but you can rest assured that the photographs I take of you and your family, will capture the present to create the past for future generations….

What next To arrange your photo shoot or to book in on one of my Photography Masterclasses to learn to do this for yourself and more call the studio on 01883 722282

Be quick as the bluebells are at their best only for a short time, they don’t wait for anyone!!

Thanks for reading

Bye for now.

Stella

Looking Back at 2013

What a year 2013 was. There was so much variety from photographing landmarks at the top of Reigate Hill to vintage cars in Naples, Florida and a beer festival here in Oxted, all very thrilling stuff. Not forgetting to mention the weddings, studio and location photo shoots and my photography masterclasses.

Last year I was delighted to receive an email to confirm my membership to the Association of Photographers  a prestigious organisation that represents a wealth of talent. To qualify I had to submit a variety of published and commissioned work that was put before a board of twelve independent judges from the world of art, media, publishing and advertising all of whom have to approve your portfolio. I am now a bona fide member and am enjoying the fruits of my labour. You can take a look at my profile here.

From the many weddings from last year I'd like to share this one taken at Penshurt Place in October, a stunning location for any event.

I'll be back with an update next week with commissions lined up for 2014.

Thanks

Stella

Gordon Ramsay Maze Restaurant Mayfair

Last Friday 8th November was my son's 21st birthday, as he is the youngest of my brood I wanted to do something special as he didn't want anything glitzy for his 18th as his siblings did so Gordon Ramsay Maze Restaurant Mayfair was the ideal choice!

I know he has a penchant for the good life, great food and the whole dining experience. As the date was fast approaching and I hadn't booked anything trying to get him to commit to spending the evening with his family and not his friends was proving to be a task in itself! At last he says "Mum I'll hook up with my friends after I've done the family thing" so my mission on the Monday before the birthday was to find somewhere that wouldn't disappoint him or our foodie family. A few of my customers had mentioned they had been to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant Maze in Mayfair for special occasions. So I called to see what they had available and I was very lucky to secure Maze View  a private dining area that has a window panel into the kitchen that includes a nine course menu with a tour of the kitchen and customer participation!

From the start of the evening with champagne and canapes to the finale the whole experience was a-maze-ing, the food to die for, the service impeccable. I cannot recommend it enough, we went with an open mind and empty stomach!

Apologies to our sommelier who was all geared up to serving a different wine with each course which we declined and stuck to just the one bottle, we're really not drinkers and wanted to keep a clear head to enjoy each course and to be able to remember it afterwards.

Compliments to Sunny and his team in the kitchen for a brilliant evening that will certainly have pride of place in our memories. So if you are planning something special for someone special give Gordon's place a call.

The pictures below give you a flavour of our evening, enjoy!

Thanks

Stella

Past and Present Photography

Rachel at six months and 18 years

Another before and after photograph, this time of Rachel and her mum Carey, the first shot was taken at their home on the living room floor with available window light when she was just 6 months old. This was taken before I opened my business here in Oxted and my inspiration to get premises to work from. It really made me realise how much I wanted to work more with people to create photographs that would mean so much more in years to come that were natural and relaxed.

Today Rachel and Carey had an update of that shot to celebrate Rachel's 18th Birthday, this time in the studio. I just love it, don't you agree they look amazing and Carey hasn't changed one bit.

Past and Present Photography

The first picture was taken with a Nikon 35mm camera and 70mm lens using TriX Pan black and white 36 exposure film.

The second picture was taken digitally using a Nikon D700 and 70mm- 200mm lens.

In this digital age it's worth looking at this comparison to see how far photography has come and just goes to show how important it is to capture the moment print it and frame it.

To capture the present to create the past for future generations....

Thanks

Stella

Sunny Barbados

During a recent commission to Barbados I took some time out to absorb the rays, it was hot humid and beautiful, the Caribbean sea like a warm luxurious bath, what more can I say the photographs speak for themselves.

Whilst I was in relaxed mode not only did I eat some amazing food I also got to visit some stunning hotels. I can vouch for the food in all of them, you won't be disappointed.

If you are looking to stay in a contemporary small chic all inclusive hotel try The SoCo Hotel in Hastings or something with a little more rustic charm the Club Barbados on the west coast. A little further up the coast line you'll get to The Mango Bay  Mr. Johnson the general manager is a wonderful host. There are so many options from renting a house on the beach to the prestigious 5 diamond luxury of the Sandy Lane  if you want to be treated like royalty in sumptuous surroundings for the holiday of a lifetime.

Sunny Barbados

Thanks

Stella