First MEP Photo Class "DSLR 101" on January 29th, 2012 - Sign up now! | Maris Ehlers Photography

On Sunday, January 29th, from 3-5 p.m., Maris Ehlers Photography will offer DSLR 101, the first in a series of DSLR educational classes in 2012.

In this two hour class at our new studio in the quaint Hanover, Minnesota, Maris will walk you through a variety of topics for discussion, including:

1. Camera modes - purpose and timing
2. The importance of proper exposure and how to get it
4. Focal points and how lenses correlate to it
5. Aperture priority and how to make the most of it
6. Understanding ISO
7. Camera care and maintenance

We will use the concept of photographing children for most of our examples and instructions.

This class is perfect for the photography enthusiast who wants to learn more about their camera and get beyond the "auto" settings on a consistent basis.  We will also leave time for Q & A for additional questions you may have.

Please bring your camera (including batteries and disc), your manual and your questions! It would be helpful if you would send your camera make and model to us via email to:  info@marisehlersphotography.com.  Also, please take a moment and tell us what the one thing you want to learn most is.

HOW TO REGISTER:

Step 1:  Register online in the Maris Ehlers Photography online store.

Step 2:  Pay your registration fee of $50.  There are only 20 spots available, and your spot must be paid for in order for your seat to be reserved. You can pay via paypal (send to maris@marisehlersphotography.com) or send a check to the studio at:

Maris Ehlers Photography
10981 4th Street NE Suite 106
Hanover, MN  55341
612-200-0900 phone

You must register before payment can be accepted.

We look forward to seeing you on January 29th at 3:00 p.m. at the new studio in Hanover, and teaching you more about how to take great pictures!

Maris and Angel

How to Protect Your Camera and Gear in Extreme Heat | Maris Ehlers Photography

A couple of weeks ago, I was shooting a senior session on a hot and humid Minnesota Friday afternoon.  We stopped at a location and I left my iphone in my car for no more than 25 minutes.  When I came back, I had the dreaded "Achtung!" temperature warning and the phone was disabled and would not work.  Luckily, I brought it in the house, took it out of its otter box case, and let it temper to the ambient air in our house, and all was well.

On that afternoon, the actual temp was in the mid 80's.  Granted there was some humidity to boot and it was sort of miserable, but I point it out because that week was NOTHING compared to what we are facing in terms of temperatures and heat indexes this week in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest.

1.  Here in Hennepin County, we are under an excessive heat warning until 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, July, 20th.
2.  Temps tomorrow and Wednesday will likely be in the high 90's.
3.  More importantly though, the heat index will be in the 105 to 115 degree range.

That my friends, will be brutal.  Throw in some scattered thunderstorms and rain showers, and we are likely to be in for a tumultuous weather pattern for the next few days that will make the air feel physically wet.

As I have some evening shoots planned this week, I realized not only did I need to prep my clients that these sessions might not be happening, but it's a good time to remind people about how to protect your camera gear, whether you use a simple point and shoot or a high end DSLR.

Here are a few extreme heat tips and tricks for your cameras and gear:

1.  Do NOT under any circumstances, leave any camera or flash unit, disks, batteries, or anything else that can be turned on or uses "energy" in a closed up car for any length of time during this kind of a heat spell.

2.  This is one time that you don't want to keep your camera snugly packed inside a camera bag, especially a black one (that will attract more heat).  Cover it loosely with a white towel to keep it out of the sun, and let whatever air there is circulate around it.

3.  Know what temperature your camera is rated for.  Simply google your camera make and model with the words "temperature rating" behind it and you should get a result that will provide you with this info.  My Canon 5d Mark II is rated to 104 degrees, so if the heat index gets above 100, I will NOT be shooting or even taking my gear outside.  When a camera gets exposed to temperatures close to or above it's heat rating, the image sensors and electronic circuits can simply burn up, rendering your camera into a nice book end.

4.  If you must shoot outdoors, remember your lenses will need tempering (i.e. time to adjust / get to the ambient temperature outside) and so will the mechanisms inside your camera.  You can't simply walk outside from a 68 degree air conditioned environment into 100 degree heat and expect your camera and lenses not to fog up.  Wipe all you want, but they will continue to do so until the equipment has tempered to the ambient heat (air).  "Fog" is condensation or moisture, and so when you bring cool equipment out into the extreme heat condensation will form.  In my opinion, you are asking for moisture to get into the housing (crevices and joints) of your equipment, and this can be a big problem now or later.

5.  In order to "temper" your equipment, you should bring the temperature of the camera and lenses up slowly.  Whether you can turn up the a/c to a higher temp to help facilitate this or put your equipment in an open room without air but with circulation, it's important that you take enough TIME to do this.  Open up all areas of your camera (the battery and disk compartment as well - be sure to remove the battery) so that moisture does not get trapped into some of these areas) as the temperature comes down.

6.  Lastly, if it's not safe for your camera to be out in this heat, it probably isn't a good idea to have clients out in it, either.  Heat this severe can overtake people quite quickly, especially young children, pregnant women or the elderly, and it just isn't worth it.  Take them out for an ice cream instead.

Obviously, the same goes for computer gear as well.



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Use Your Ipad to Promote Your Photography Business | Maris Ehlers Photography

Trust me. I can find more reasons to justify getting the latest and greatest photography gear than most. Last fall, I wanted an  ipad in the worst way, but wasn't sure I could justify it. Until I went to David Ziser's 2010 Captured by the Light Tour, that is.

He gave several key reasons why photographers should be using an ipad:

• create a stunning easy to share digital portfolio of your best work 
• proof images with clients just about anywhere
• share images from a wedding AT the wedding reception

Basic Steps For Setting Up a Slideshow to Share at a Wedding Reception: 

Throughout the wedding day, as we fill up CF cards while shooting, my assistant backs the images up onto a Nexto hard drive. The images are safe on the Nexto, which is my first priority.

• When we take our first "break" during the reception (typically while dinner is being served) we plug in a camera to the ipad (typically my back up camera), and put the first card in.  (Note:  There is a camera to ipad adapter that comes with the ipad that is required to connect the two). 
• I whip through the images on the card, selecting my favorites on the ipad screen.
• We then upload them to the ipad. This only takes a few minutes.  
• Insert the next full card into camera and repeat.  
• Review what we've uploaded and delete anything that doesn't look great. 
• Press the slideshow button 
• We now have a slideshow (I do not add music) of the day's best pictures ready to set out for guests to enjoy.  

No bride or groom to be seen here, but the groom's mother, father, brother and sister-in-law are!

A few things to note:

• Your proofs will look great on the ipad's screen (even unedited)
• Don't expect the bride and/or groom to have the chance to see the slideshow.  That's just fine.  The parents of the bride and groom typically find their way over quickly, and the other guests will, too.  
• The people who do see the pictures will certainly tell the bride and groom after the wedding how they've never seen professional pictures AT the wedding before, and what couple doesn't want to be unique at their own wedding?  
• Be sure to ask if you can place a small stack of business cards near the ipad before doing so.  

I've had great success with follow up from clients who have been at a wedding where I ran an ipad slideshow, often from the guests whose own children are planning a wedding.

At one wedding, the father of the groom actually started walking around with the ipad showing people the images.  That made me nervous, but his delight in seeing the images while celebrating with his friends and family was priceless, and he still hasn't forgotten it.

Some other great ipad resources for photographers:

Ipad Workflow for Photographers
8 Great Ipad Apps for the Small Portrait Studio
How To Sort Images Using the Ipad
Viewing Google Analytic on an Ipad or Iphone

I'd love to hear if you are using an ipad, if you are thinking about it, or why not...

Happy Friday!

P.S.  If you liked this article, please feel free to share or link back.  Thank you!

Ask Me Anything via Formspring | Maris Ehlers Photography

Hi, Trish: First of all, my apologies for not answering this sooner. I um, sort of forgot to check formspring for a while. :(

Alien Bees have a good reputation for being pretty mobile. I often use my Canon Speedlite with an umbrella, stand and pocketwizards with really good results as well.

I recommend that you go into a reputable camera store with a solid professional lighting section and tell them what equipment you have, what knowledge you have of basic lighting and also how you would specifically be using it. Most often, the people working these departments are pro photogs themselves, and with more details from you they should be able to point you in the right direction. Just know beforehand what your budget is! Good luck!

Ask me anything

10 Tips and Tricks for Taking Better Pictures of Your Kids | Maris Ehlers Photography

One of the questions I get the most often is "How can I learn to take better pictures of my children?".  It's a great question, because so many people discover a love of photography once they have a little one around to take cute pictures of (whether human or of the animal species).   

I decided to create a list of 10 things you can do to take better pictures of your kids.  This is from my perspective only, and I'm sure some people will think I've excluded something important, but: 

a) it's my list 

b) I limited it to ten items, and 

c) these are all things that made a difference for me 

Enjoy, and if you have any comments or questions after reading the list, be sure to post a comment and I'll respond directly.  

10 Ways to Take Better Pictures of Your Kids:

1.      Grab the kids, grab the camera.

One of the best way to get better pictures of your kids is to shoot more often.  It’s a simple premise, really.  Shoot pictures of anything and everything, everywhere, and you’ll start to find a groove.  Did you take a picture last week that you like?  What were you doing when you took it?  When you see something on your screen that you like, do it again the next time you have your camera out.  Maybe it will be a different subject or location, but try replicating what you DID when you took the picture you liked, and see if you like it even more this time. 

2.      Camera Light – 75% less weight and bulk.

For most families who want to take great pictures of their kids, I’d recommend an AWESOME point and shoot camera over a fancy-schmancy DSLR any day.  Why?  Mostly because of #1 above.  When you have expensive gear or a camera you are afraid of or unsure how to use it, you’re less likely to use it with other people around, especially in locations where you are afraid it might get ruined (grains of sand in your lens joints, anyone?).   Those point and shoots are great for on the go events and activities, so leave the bag of gear at home (or at the camera store) for now. A point and shoot will fit in your purse or soccer bag (or even in your pocket) and after you learn a few tips and tricks you’ll be surprised at what nice pictures you can take!  Even after you’ve graduated to a DSLR (or if you already have one) use the heavier equipment when you aren’t crunched for time and you can practice and learn.  Your daughter’s first Swan Lake performance is not the time to find out that you have no idea how to use the $800 camera you got for Christmas.  Trust me on this. 

3.      Don’t flash me!

This might surprise most of you, but for the most part, when I shoot outside I do not use flash.  Most of the time, I don’t even have one on my camera.  Flash is great when used correctly, don’t get me wrong:  I couldn’t function without it at weddings and receptions.  Flash can also be very beneficial to outdoor shots, but you have to know how and when to use it, and there are lots of other ways to get the light you need to take a great picture without blasting light in everyone’s eyes! 

There is no better light than natural light.  Look for indirect natural light, from open shade from trees, awnings or buildings, or even one diffused from a window.  If I have to choose between an awesome backdrop or great natural light, I'll take the light every time.  In this pic, the boy is actually in front of a garbage dumpster!  It was a funky color and shaded on this side, and I love it.

4.      Step away from the lights, ma’am.

You can’t do everything, and you can’t be the photographer of a scene and be in it as well.  Well, at least not a busy scene filled with kids and activities.  I find that when I’m taking pictures, I’m somewhat removed from the activity around me and I have a bit of tunnel vision. If I can't see it through my lens finder, then I don't notice it.  For example, if I’m taking serious pictures at my son’s karate graduation, I end up missing out on some of the experience.  I’d much rather bring a point and shoot and get some snapshots and still be present in the moment.  I save the portraits of the big day for afterwards. 

5.      Tell me a story, please?

I think most of us would say that a pleasing photograph is one that draws us in, tells us a story.  Some easy ways to do this when taking your own photographs is to:

• Frame your image with other elements in the picture
• Try moving your subject out of the center and off to the side one way or another.  This is one of my favorite things to do.  You still want you subject to be in focus, though. 
• Have your subject looking at something else that is within your shot area. 

The above two pictures definitely draw you in.  First of all, the girl's haircut is super unique and unexpected, so the viewer immediately responds and starts asking questions, like "Why is her hair so short?  What kind of music is she listening to?  Where is she?", etc., etc.  In the first image, I love the idea that while her haircut is so unusual, she's just like every other teen - immersed in her own little world, doing something that teenagers love (listening to music - loudly, no doubt) and totally unaware of the camera.  In the second, you see this glimpse of a teenage girl enjoying a little girl moment in the library with a favorite Dr. Seuss book "Oh, The Places You'll Go!".

6.      You and me, plus she and he.

Adding more than one person to a shot starts to tell a story, to show relationships.  Showing them doing something other than looking at the camera (reading together, talking, laughing) and suddenly your picture has more elements of interest than a posed picture of everyone saying “cheese”! 

In this image, I love that you can tell these kids have been working hard at enjoying their summer day.  The smiles, dog in the background, kool-aid moustaches, wet hair and bodies and especially the thumbs up not only tell me this has been a great day, but it also reminds me of my own kool-aid summers of long ago.  While technically speaking this photo isn't anything great, the story it tells makes it very special, indeed.

7.    Texture-iffic!

Texture is a GREAT way to add depth and interest to a portrait.  Fabric can be a great way to accomplish this – whether it is a patterned bedspread or quilt that a baby is lying on, a beautiful scarf on someone’s neck or head, or even a leather couch behind your subject, texture adds dimension.

8.      Busy bees are happy bees.

While you may want to get some images of your daughter in her Halloween costume, she just might not want to stand still long enough for you to get those portraits you are thinking of.  Relax, you both can be happy!  Instead of making her stand on the front porch like every other kid in America, give her something to do while you snap away.  Take some pictures of her running down your driveway in her costume with her pumpkin bucket!  Get some pics of her ringing the neighbor’s doorbell or even while you’re putting some of her face makeup on.  Children are happiest when they are doing what they do best, which is moving.  Work with them, not against them, and you’ll get better pictures.

9.      Up or down… you choose. 

So many of us stand at our normal height and several feet away from our kids and snap pictures of them, and then wonder why our images don't look very interesting.  Since our younger kids (and pets) are several feet shorter than we are, honestly, that "angle" that you're using is about the worst one there is.  That's why!  Try this instead: 

Down – get down to their level so that the camera is shooting at their eye level.  You’ll find that it dramatically changes the look of your image (same goes for pets).

Up – If you’re going to stand up and shoot, then get REALLY close so that you’re actually above them and shooting down on them.  This works really well for pictures of individuals.   You’ll be amazed at the perspective change and how it can make their eyes stand out.

10.  Be Sneaky McSneakerson

Sometimes, you just gotta be sneaky.  Don’t walk around with your camera up ready for battle.  Keep it down, be subtle, walk around and let those kiddos relax.  Seriously mom, no one wants to be stalked by a crazy lady with a camera when they are opening up their birthday presents in front of their friends.  Wait until you see them doing something of interest and then just pop that baby up, snap-one-two, and back down you go.  Movin’ on.  They’ll get to where they don’t even notice you, and you’ll get some great candid shots for the scrapbook.

Photo Editing Tips and Tricks | Maris Ehlers Photography

This summer I've been able to offer a few young photographers in my area an opportunity to tag along with me on a few shoots and do some second shooting with me.  While it's fun to have them along, I also really want them to learn something that will be of help to them.  Being a completely self-taught photographer myself, it can take forever to learn things when all you have is yourself, so I'm hoping this will give them a bit of a platform to spring from!  You might be thinking, "Aw, isn't that so nice of her?"  Ha.  Well, it is I suppose, and hopefully fun for them, but I also get someone to help carry equipment, bags, etc., etc., and then I also get to share some of what I've learned which is fun for ME.

Let's meet Nina.  

Nina started following my work a few months ago and asked if she could tag along on some shoots.  Our schedules hadn't worked out until this last week when she was able to join me for the shoot I did with Kaelie Lund (Alyssa Lund, also a blooming young photographer who shoots with me on occasion, also joined us but I haven't seen her images yet).  

Nina is going to be a senior in high school, and is very focused on photography... she's even doing senior shoots for her classmates!  You can see her facebook page here.  If you stop by, please let her know I sent you.  :) 

Nina got some great shots that evening, and she sent me two of her favorite images that she captured, in both the original and her edited formats, and has given me permission to also edit them.  I've done a frame by frame comparison for one of the images below:

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE ORIGINAL FILES I HAVE ARE JPEGS, AND NOT RAW.  RAW FILES PROVIDE YOU WITH MORE DATA AND INFORMATION TO WORK WITH, WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER THE EDIT AND IMAGE.

IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT THESE IMAGES ARE NOW COMPRESSED, SO SOME OF THE EFFECTS I AM WRITING ABOUT ARE LESS PROMINENTLY VISIBLE HERE THAN THEY ARE ON THE ORIGINAL FILES AND EDITS.  

First, let's start with her original image: 

All in all, a great shot.  The composition is excellent, the angle is great, she's got nice clarity and detail on her subject's face, and she has a nice reflection of light on the subject's eyes.  While it may be hard to see here, the original exposure is a little dark and the file has a lot of pinkish tones to it.  This would suggest that the white balance wasn't quite as accurate as it could be.  Not enough photographers understand that an accurate white balance can make the difference between a really nice picture and a great one!  It's so much easier to get it right out of the camera than trying to create it in post, but that's a topic for another day.  

Now, let's take a look at Nina's edit.   Now, before you get all cranky thinking I'm being really hard on a sweet and talented high school girl, let me say that a) my critique is not meant to be negative of what she's done it's to show her some things she may not know or do, b) there's a certain amount of subjectivity that goes along with this and I have my own biases and preferences when it comes to edits, and c) she says she wants to learn and this is a way to teach her one-on-one.  So, there.  :) 

Nina's Original Image and  Her Edited Image

This edit is very dramatic, but it's a little too heavy for my tastes, based on the lighting and style.  The eyes are overly brightened (not as much as some do), but she's definitely gone overboard in whitening the eyes.  They look unnatural at this point, and out of sync saturation and tone wise with the rest of the image.  She's darkened up the file, which takes away from the wonderful evening light we were shooting in, and it creates a much heavier look around the subject's eyes (makeup), which I don't mind by itself, but with everything else it's just too much.  

My belief is that editing, like wearing makeup, is best with the "less is more" approach, and yes, sometimes it's had for me to remember, too.   Portraiture editing should look natural and clean IMHO, unless you are intentionally creating an over-the-top look for a specific purpose or style (which can be really cool!).   Let's assume that in this situation, that is not the case.  There are lots of photographers who specialize in crazy-ass editing (excuse my French), and they do it amazingly well.  Like everything else though, you really need to know how to do it well to carry it off.  

Anyway, back on topic:

The opportunity here for all photographers is to get your file in shape before you go all rockstar editor on it.  The basic editing should be done first, to correct exposure, color, tone and blemishes.  This is one way to both create stronger images from a technical standpoint (this can take very little time in Adobe Lightroom, btw), and then you can be very efficient (yes, even fast), in rolling out artistic edits to your files because the core image is in great shape.  If you add heavy editing onto an image that isn't technically correct, you don't magically end up with a better image - it's flaws are still there! 

Here was my crack at it:

1.  I corrected exposure, bringing more even light on the subject, I corrected color to remove the overly pink tones in her original file, and for this example I chose a more neutral and desaturated skin color which looks lovely in a portrait.  I also fixed some skin blemishes (but didn't remove any of those cute freckles), and simply smoothed her skin texture slightly.  

Nina's Original and  My Base Edit

Here is the comparison between our edits:

Nina's Edit vs My Base Edit

Once I had my base edit completed, I was able to create an artistic edit that is dramatic, creates more emphasis on the eyes and creates a very powerful image.

In these two sets, my edit is the same - I am just showing it compared to both the original file and Nina's edit.

Nina's Original and My Artisitc Edit (after base edit was complete)

Nina's Edit and My Artisitc Edit (after base edit was complete)

Great job, Nina!  Thanks for letting me show you a few of my tips and tricks.  The image as you shot it has some really great "bones" and I hope you like what I brought out in the image through editing.  

Stay tuned, everyone:  I hope to do this same thing with two of my other second shooters yet this summer.  Some of you may know who they are!  

Maris 

Photo Editing Tips and Tricks | Maris Ehlers Photography

You may remember this image from the MEP July 2010 {YOUTHFUL} Photo Contest.  

It was submitted by Cairith Turner of Bluhr Photography, located um, er, somewhere in Canada.  When it came in, I immediately thought it would be a fun picture to edit, but thought I should wait until the contest was over before I took a swing at it. So, I of course asked for permission, and Cairith has generously allowed me to take significant liberties with her image and post it here.  


What did I want to accomplish with my edit?  Simply to make this image more dymanic, add depth, and overall, make it more compelling.


With that in mind, here is what I did:


1.  Make her face and eye the focal point of the image
2.  Add some color intensity to make it more vibrant and colorful. 
3.  Fix the funky skin color tones
4.  Use contrast and light to show off the bokeh in the picture which makes her hair look like it is blowing in the wind, when it is likely that it is just depth of field.  However, you can't really see that detail in the original image, and I wanted to bring that out! 


Here is my version: 

Here is what I did: 


1.  I imported the original into Adobe Lightroom 3.0, and simply made a virtual copy of the file.  
2.  I adjusted the exposure in order to bring more light onto the face. 
3.  I adjusted the tint of the image to remove some of the pinkness. 
4.  Adjusted the temperature to further move away from the heavy pink/red tones. 
5.  Gave the exposure one more tweek. 


Each of these steps combined took less than 2 minutes.  Here is what the image looked like at that point: 

6.  I exported the file into PS5.
7.  I used the bandaid tool to remove the blemishes on her finger, forehead and under her eye. 
8.  I used MCP Actions "Eye Doctor" to brighten the Iris at about 40%. 
9.  I used MCP Actions "Magic Skin" at about 30% to create a smoother skin finish. 
10.  I used MCP Actions All in the Details "Magic Color Finder" to intensify the color of the grass behind her. 


These steps took me about 8-10 minutes. 


This is what it looked like when I was done in PS5. 

11.  I saved the changes (which sends the adjusted file back to Lightroom. 
12.  In Lightroom, I quickly created a vignette finish around the edges.
13.  Lastly, I added a little warmth back into the file overall, which added the color wash to her hair, which I actually like. 


These steps took about 30 seconds.  

In total, I spent more time writing about the images on the blog than I did editing it.  Total edit time:  12-13 minutes. I normally do not spend this much time editing a file (tip: if the white balance were more accurate for the ambient light when the photo was taken, steps 2-5, 10, and 13 may not have had to be done), and I typically prefer a lighter editing touch but the steps taken IMHO help the photograph realize more of it's potential! 

I'd love to hear what you think about the original vs the edit.  Discussions are a great way for all of us to learn!

Feel free to take a swag at editing the original file if you'd like and submit it to me via email at maris@marisehlersphotography.com and I will post it here with your step by step instructions.   Not a contest, just fun learning together! 

Also, if you find this post useful, helpful or informative in any way, please feel free to link to it on your blog or any social media site (i.e. facebook).  Thanks!  

A big thank you to Cairith and Lucy for being my guinea pig!  

Cheers, 

Maris