Although I have already talked about Aperture & Shutter Speed as well as Aperture and Depth of Field, I wanted to show you what the aperture actually looks like. I used the 50mm f/1.8 as an example to show the different size of each f-stop. I shot 8 different shots of the lens opened manually with the aperture ring and compiled them into layers with differing opacities so you can easily compare the difference in lens opening at each stop.

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Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

focal length: 29 mm
shutter speed: 1/250
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 320
flash: none

You know I like to get up close and personal. I like this shot because it was another blind shot and although the composition was off, hence the unusual crop, I’m glad I was able to capture this expression. I actually like that the sky was completely blown off. I was using spot metering so my camera adjusted my shutter speed to expose her face correctly which subsequently overexposed the sky. That’s not so bad is it? Some very respected photographers do it all the time on purpose. Sometimes we get too concerned about keeping everything in the image properly exposed and watching our histogram till we go blue in the face. I don’t mind walking off the beaten path once in a while and shooting something new.

I particularly like this shot because this is how close I get when I cuddle with my baby and I’m glad I can cherish this view forever… even after, when she won’t let me get in that close anymore!

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

*click to enlarge

focal length: 29 mm
shutter speed: 1/250
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 320
flash: none

This is a perfect example of why we should have a camera at the ready for those sweet moments that we witness.  Even having a point and shoot would be better than nothing for times like this.  I always carry around my little Canon SD300 in my bag.  It’s small enough to keep in my pocket or the diaper bag.  Although I was lucky enough to have had my SLR at hand, I would’ve been happy with a picture taken with a cell phone rather than having no picture to look back at.  So today’s rule is, always carry a camera!  Don’t leave home without it.  Oh, and shoot lots and lots of pictures!

I love it that Sophie has friends her age to play with.  If you’re pregnant with your first child, go to your prenatal class reunion and keep in touch with your group.  It’s so wonderful having friends who are going through the same things you are at the same time.  And what’s cuter than seeing two babies sweet on each other?

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

*click to enlarge

focal length: 29 mm
shutter speed: 1/320
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 320
flash: none

I like to blind shoot from time to time so I don’t have to lie on the ground to get a shot at an interesting angle. Call me lazy, but I think it’s fun to shoot blindly and see what I can get. I used spot metering in aperture priority mode so that the camera would meter for her face rather than for the bright sky behind her. Otherwise, her face would have come out much darker. I don’t mind blowing out the sky anyway. For the processing, I used my Retro Desaturated Preset in Lightroom and just adjusted the tint to be more pink than green. Then I opened it up in Photoshop and decided to run a little Unsharp Mark (USM) found under Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask to add a little more sparkle to her eyes.

You can see the before and after picture below:

I used these values for a subtle change:

Important to note is that I resized my image to a width of 880 pixels before applying the USM. If I had used those same USM values before I had resized, I wouldn’t have seen any effect.

So, I added a little more sparkle in her eyes with a simple trick using USM. What values do you use for USM on your photos?

I love this view of Sophie because her big chubby cheeks and hands are accentuated. We had a great time at our picnic!

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

focal length: 42 mm
shutter speed: 1/100
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 800
flash: none

I shot an event for church last weekend where there were displays of Canadian memorabilia. I took shots of each display in its entirety just to document them. None of those images were particularly interesting to look at though. They provided pretty much the same perspective any person would have seen walking up to them. The detail shots where I had to crouch down to be level with the table were far more eye-catching and intriguing.

To show you what I mean, here’s a table shot for comparison:

focal length: 36 mm
shutter speed: 1/160
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 800
flash: none

Not all that interesting is it?

It’s always nice to get the ‘big picture’ and each may serve a different purpose but getting in close and focusing on details can perhaps render extraordinary views of something ordinary.

It’s Canada Day today. 141 years young. We’re going to the park for a picnic!

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.