DC Metro Mom

The secret to our success on this family's session seemed to be starting bright and early.  We were up before the sun had even crept out from behind the morning's overcast skies.  We did a session just for them, followed by their cousins and extended family.  More to come from the rest of the shoot soon...

Cross posted on http://blog.veralana.com.

I get a lot of inquiries about teaching moms how to better use their cameras. So I have been working on putting together some information to maybe offer a course on getting to know you camera. While I was looking for resources that are already available, I ran across this fabulous informational site created by Canon.

I think it's a great starting point for moms who have just purchased a DSLR (Canon or not), and want be able to use it more than just in automatic mode. Part 2: Using Camera Features for Better Photos is very informative, and even through the camera dial information is more specific to Canon cameras, can easily be applied to other brand cameras, since most have similar features under slightly difference names. Like the Mode dial for both Canon and Nikon use "P" from Program mode (automatically exposure, but you set the white balance, ISO, etc). But Canon uses "Av" for aperture priority and Nikon uses "A", Canon uses "Tv" for shutter priority and Nikon uses "S". The basics of photography like depth of field, shutter speed, apertures (F-stop), white balance, ISO, and matering will apply regardless of the type of camera you are using. The more you learn how to use the features of your camera, the better the results you will get. It's not the camera that makes the picture, it's the photographer.

Part 3: Choosing Lenses for Different Types of Photos is a good section for those who understand their DSLR, and are frustrated at the limitations of the lens the camera came with. When moving from a nice point and shoot digital camera to a DSLR, you give up the convenience of a wide zoom range in a lightweight package. To get a closeup of that bird at the zoo you'll need to invest in a telelphoto lens. And to get a picture of the whole group of kids at the birthday party in your tiny dining room, you need a wide angle lens. To more you come to understand, the more you realize that you could spend thousands of dollars outfitting your $600 camera!

Cross posted on http://veralana.blogspot.com/.

After spending time in the big city of Mumbai (India's New York), and then at the beach in Goa, we took a tour of the state of Karnataka aboard the new Golden Chariot luxury train. The historic stone cities were simply stunning, and the culture that we encountered along the way was always intriguing. Above you see the work animals painted and decorated in honor of the pongol festival. The day we arrived in Mysore, we were surprised to find pink and yellow cows all over the city.


The ruins of the city of Hampi were definitely one of the highlights of the tour. It is no wonder that it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. Not only the intracately carved temples and buildings, but the actual landscape it was built on make for a breathtaking view.

The sculpture carved into the granite in the cave temples has withstood hundred of years of weather and war.

The temple complex in Hampi lit up just for our group. For my fellow Nikonians, this was ISO 3200 on the D300, handheld.

We had the opportunity to spend a few days at the beach in the former Portuguese colony of Goa. The beach in Calangute was a lot of fun, with "shack" restaurants lining sand, and free, comfortable sunbeds that came with chair-side service. The water was just the perfect temperature for swimming and wasn't plagued with Jellyfish like the East Coast beaches can be.

A colorful day at the Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai. It's like a big outdoor laundromat.



Children on the street looking for a few rupees.



And this is why Americans shouldn't be tempted to get the beautiful-looking colorful shaved ice treats at Chowpatty Beach (the ice delivery bike).




Headed home from school.



Washing clothing and green channa on the canal.



I wish the tour guide's arm hadn't gotten in my way for this one--I just thought the contrast of traditional and modern was really interesting here. Note this is an English-language newspaper. This is in Mysore.

Cross posted on http://veralana.blogspot.com/.

I'm back from my 3 weeks in India, and am excited to start sharing some images from my trip. We were enticed to travel in order to attend a close friends' wedding. I had played a role in introducing the bride and groom, and we especially wanted to be there for the wedding, despite the fact that it was halfway around the world.

Cross posted on http://veralana.blogspot.com.

Happy snow day!  Well, at least there is a little snow on the ground :) I thought it was a good time to share A's little snowman artwork. I know I love seeing what comes from her imagination. And I wanted to post a reminder that this is your last chance to enter your child's artwork in my first contest! I will be posting the entries early next week for voting. Here is the information again about the contest:

Ask your child (ages 3-6) to draw you a picture of themselves having their portrait taken. The image should be drawn with crayon, paint or marker on white paper. Scan in the image and send it to me by email (emily @ veralana.com) with the subject "Blog Contest". If more than 10 entries are received, 10 finalists will be selected. The finalists' entries will be posted on the blog, and voting will be conducted by a public poll. The winner of the poll will win a portrait session and an 8x10 of the winning artist holding his or her artwork.

The small print: Contest is open to residents of the DC area. Entries must be submitted by a parent, but drawn by a child age 3-6. Scanned images should be 600 pixels on the large side. Please keep the original artwork. Prize is an outdoor or studio session at the photographer's location of choice for the winning artist in the month of February or March 2009. Entries must be submitted November 19-December 7. Voting will be via poll on my blog (open to the public, one vote per person). I reserve the right to cancel the contest at any time, or disqualify entries if I believe any entries are not made in good faith or I suspect voting irregularities. After all, this contest is supposed to be fun! Winner will be posted on the blog and notified by email. Free session must be scheduled in February or March, and will expire if not used by the end of March 2009.

cross-posted from http://veralana.blogspot.com

What is it about motherhood and pregnancy that makes you feel so invincible?  Maybe it's the hormones, or maybe it's just because all of a sudden you realize you have no other choice but to be strong for your children.

Yesterday, I did something brave for me, and had a professional photo shoot with my bare pregnant belly.  I'm typically pretty shy of taking pictures of myself especially when I feel well...as large...as I am.  But, when friend and fellow Vienna Mom Club member, Emily Korff, of VeraLana Photography brought up the idea, I went for it.  And I'm so glad we did it!  I will never forget the experience.  I felt beautiful.  I felt special.  I felt powerful to be a mama!

Emily Korff is one powerful mama herself.  She is an inspiration.  She has 2 beautiful daughters (Vera and Lana) and has created her own professional photography business.This weekend she celebrated moving into her own professional photography studio in Vienna! It's a big step and I am so excited for her!  She is an inspiration to us all.  If you've ever wished and hoped to take your creative talents and turn it into a business, she is a great example.  She is diving in!

I think that's all it takes sometimes.  A brave plunge.  A step where failure isn't an option, so success is the only outcome!

I can't believe October is right around the corner! We noticed the unique warty pumpkins over at our neighborhood hardware store, Stalcup's, a couple week ago, and the girls have been talking about them ever since. Today when we told them they could pick out a warty pumpkin to help decorate our front stoop, they were thrilled. Nothing like a silly pumpkin to brighten up an on-and-off rainy day.

Cross-posted from http://veralana.blogspot.com

I spent a little time last week just looking for the some of the littlest visitors to my garden. The song lyrics "take this broken wing and learn to fly again" kept popping into my head with that butterfly. The fuzzy bee stuck around for quite some time and was an easy subject. Unlike many of his other buddy bees.

I loved this tiny fly. He was so small (about half the width of my pinky nail) I had to get extremely close just even with the macro lens.


And I think this was your ordinary yellow jacket, just a strange angle that shows off his antennae.

Cross-posted from http://veralana.blogspot.com

Ok, I couldn't resist adding the last one. I thought this little bull was so cute with his calf eyes, and sweet face. It wasn't until I got home and was looking through my photos that I realized that he was picking his nose with his tongue. My daughters were amused, and both tried to do it themselves. Luckily their tongues weren't long enough!

A fellow photographer recently shared on one of the photography forums that I frequent that her family's most prized possession is their wall of family photos. She was looking for a quote to capture how special the wall was to her, and another photographer suggested the following:

"If these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it’s this: I was here. I was young, I was happy and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture."- Robin Williams, in One Hour Photo.

The quote stuck with me, and I think it really captures the essence of the images we take of our children, or that we hire a professional to take of our children. So I ask, do you have a family portrait wall in your home? One that the kids can look at and see not only their immediate family, but past generations, and far-off relatives? I remember visiting a close family friends' house as a child, and they had their staircase lined with photo collages of family photos. I would stop and look and ask questions about which baby was which. Now in my own house I look at the empty walls of my newly-renovated basement and consider what to fill them with. At first I thought how nice it is to have a freshly-painted, uncluttered wall. But now I'm thinking that I should consider making it our photo wall. And not just the photos I've taken of the girls recently, but maybe drag out some old family photos to add to the wall, too.

Cross-posted from http://veralana.blogspot.com/

What's more fun than trying to keep up with a spirited 2-year-old? This little gal was full of sweet personality, and we had a little fun looking for frogs and fairies in her yard this morning. Here are a few previews of her session.

To see more photos, view this cross posted blog on http://veralana.blogspot.com/

This weekend is Mother's Day, and I still think of it as a holiday where I give thanks to my own mom. But as my kids are growing into wonderful little preschoolers, they've started to tell me what I mean to them. It really helps to remind me of the important role I play as a their mom, and how crucial it is to capture these precious times we have together while they are young. Because someday they will also grow up and move away. And when they are on their own, I can look back at those images and remember when they were my little princesses.

As a photographer, I am lucky in many ways, because I can grab my kids anyday and go take portraits of them. But every family should be able to capture the precious memories of their kids, so it's important to bring them to a professional at least once a year while they're small to make beautiful portraits that capture the fun and innocence of childhood. And for catching great moments the rest of the year, here are a few mommy tips for improving their everyday snapshots.

1) Remember that good light makes for good photos. Avoid bright sun because it not only causes your subject to have squinty eyes, it also can result in unflattering shadows and bright “blown out” spots. Shady porches or overcast days make great light. Trees also provide great shade, but be sure that it is full enough not to provide “spotty shade”.

2) Get down on the kids' level. Taking the photos from above causes their heads to look disproportionally large compared to their bodies. It may be the way you're used to seeing them as an adult, but kneeling down to take the photos provides a better angle, and also helps the child be less intimidated by the camera.

3) Anticipate, don't react. Mang digital cameras have a delay between when you press the shutter and when the photo snaps. DSLR cameras are much better, but even using those it's important to watch the child and predict what's coming next, so you can snap in enough time to catch the special moment.

4) Move beyond “cheese”. Some of my favorite photos of my own children are when they're looking in wide-eyed wonder rather than smiling. Capture them doing what kids do, and don't pressure them to smile for the camera. The natural smiles that you can capture will be much nicer than the forced ones.

So for all those mothers out there, I wish you a happy mother's day, and happy snapping!

Cross posted from http://veralana.blogspot.com

For a fun spring project, why not try a homemade grasshead?

You'll need: an empty yogurt container (or similar recyclable), a knee-high stocking or regular stocking cut to knee-high length, grass seed, soil (we used a mix of sand, clay dirt, and potting soil) and decorations.





INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Line the inside of the yogurt container with the stocking.
2. Add the grass seed to the bottom, inside the stocking.
3. Add half of the soil on top of grass seed.
4. Carefully pull stocking out of the container.
5. Continue to fill the stocking with soil.
6. Tie the stocking closed.
7. Decorate the face using non-water-soluble glue.
8. Fill the container with water,
9. Place the head on top, using part of the stocking above the knot as a wick to draw up water to the head.
10. Sprinkle the head with water and wait about a week for the bald head to grow "hair".

Thanks to my daughter's science teacher for showing us this fun and easy project!

Cross posted from http://veralana.blogspot.com/