*click to enlarge*

focal length: 27 mm
shutter speed: 1/50
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 200
flash: none

Shutter Sisters is hosting a photo contest here. There are just so many ways to capture a “fitting” picture but I chose this one taken a few minutes ago. My silly daughter loves to try on my shoes and she’s only 14 months old! It reminds me of myself when I was a little girl and I would convince myself that even though something was not my size, and if I loved it, then by golly it fit!

Sophie was happy as a clam just standing there, wearing my sandals and staring out the window.

Laura is a Vancouver portrait photographer. Visit Dolce Life Photography.

focal length: 28 mm
shutter speed: 1/250
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 200
flash: none

As much as I like photos where the subject is not looking straight into the camera, I do like to have some shots of those endearing eyes looking right at me. While I don’t make her say “cheese!” I try to get her attention by calling her name or making some kind of noise. And during the 2 seconds she looks up at me, I take a few shots. If you’re prone to doing that, the continuous burst mode may be of value to you. I can take up to 6 frames per second (fps) with my current camera. I know this feature will become extremely handy while my child is running about when she is older. Why don’t you try out your continuous shooting mode and capture some action shots of your children? Just don’t go crazy with it or you’ll soon run out of memory on your cards and on your computer.

I really shouldn’t distract her while she’s so focussed on something but sometimes I can’t help it. I guess I still have the “Honey, look at the camera!” syndrome.

Laura is a Vancouver portrait photographer. Visit Dolce Life Photography.

I’ve been shooting in the comfort of Aperture priority mode for the past three years and now I think it’s time to graduate to Manual. It can’t be that hard can it? Like driving a stick shift, right?

For the past few days, I’ve been studying up on the more technical basics of photography. Exposure. Trying to wrap my head around it all and today I feel that my eyes have been opened. Learning is indeed a lifelong process and it’s no different with photography.

I will try to explain to you the basics of exposure as simply as possible. Today’s article will focus on aperture and shutter speed.

Aperture controls the area of the opening in the lens which lets the light through.
Shutter Speed controls the length of time the sensor (or film) is exposed to the light.

Pretty basic isn’t it? Now, understanding how those two work together to achieve the proper exposure gets a bit more “involved”.

If you want a “Tedious Explanation of the f-stop“go right ahead and satiate your appetite. I did. But for those of you who aren’t so inclined to do so, I’ll try my best to explain it in my own words.

Click to read the rest of this article »»

Laura is a Vancouver portrait photographer. Visit Dolce Life Photography.

focal length: 55 mm
shutter speed: 1/125
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 320
flash: none

It’s tough taking decent photos of a child in a stroller. There is barely enough room for separation between the child and their buggy, which usually results in unpleasant backdrops. Although you can clearly see that my subject is strapped in, because I positioned myself low and off to the side a bit, less of the stroller is visible and the lovely lights through the trees in the background were able to peep through.

She looks mighty comfy being pushed around in a plushy stroller all day! Ah, the life of a toddler.

Laura is a Vancouver portrait photographer. Visit Dolce Life Photography.

focal length: 24 mm
shutter speed: 1/200
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 200
flash: none

Would you believe I took this shot blindly? The bottom of the bell is only a couple feet off the ground so I just positioned my camera close to the ground, pointed up and shot. Luckily my auto-focus caught it correctly. It’s funny since this photo turned out to be my favourite from my shoot that day. Why don’t you take a chance and try a blind shot and see what you come up with!

We went to visit our university to see all the changes they’ve made since we graduated. Boy, do I feel old!

Laura is a Vancouver portrait photographer. Visit Dolce Life Photography.